Rain On the Window

Carl

[cite] Einstein:[/cite]... is it wiser to simply drift or steer? In other words, can Tao be your rudder?

"Drift or steer" are complimentary faces of the same reality, and so like [chref=2]something and nothing, produce each other[/chref]. Can Tao be a "rudder"? Tao is 'way'; [chref=34]the way is broad, reaching left as well as right[/chref]. In the sense, any 'way' is the 'right' direction. And, the 'right' direction [chref=58]changes again into the monstrous[/chref].

To me, your question conveys a sense of forward-ness, moving either by drifting (fate?) or steering (choice?). But, [chref=40]turning back is how the way moves[/chref]. Turning back is like [chref=69]rolling up one's sleeves when there is no arm[/chref]. This is easier than when there is an arm; 'turning back' is easier when you [chref=56]blunt[/chref] the biologically induced illusion of 'forward'.

Sorry for such a [chref=15]murky[/chref] answer. Alas, questions always trump answers. So keep asking away!

[cite] Lynn Cornish:[/cite]The analogy breaks down because there are rocks that are unavoidable. ...

Life is a "rock" in the [chref=32]stream[/chref]. Thus, [chref=75]it is just because one has no use for life that one is wiser than the man who values life[/chref].

[cite] TommyO:[/cite]... Understanding where to stop is what we must learn.

Speaking of when to stop...
[chref=32]Only when it is cut are there names. As soon as there are names, One ought to know that it is time to stop.[/chref] ... opps :oops:

Carl

This morning I saw rain drops gather and slide down the window. My curiosity stirred,... both scientific and artistic. The how and why vs. the awe of being (for lack of better words). What makes a person turn curiosity into action - on one path (science) or the other (art)? I suspect a quest for life meaning drives it. And more specifically, the hunter gatherer instinct to 'eat it'... to 'own it'. The energy driving this is the illusion that once 'eaten and owned', we will be content and our restless and worried minds will be [chref=16]still[/chref].

Does this work in general, or for the paths of either science or art specifically? I think not. Although, the whole process imparts a sense of life meaning. And, as long as we are engaged to some extent in this process utilizing our 'hunter gather' energy we feel pretty good and have 'hope'. In fact, it is the 'hunter gatherer' process that keeps hope of success alive.

From the Taoist point of view, the [chref=70]priceless piece of jade[/chref] we seek actually lies back in the initial curiosity, sense of awe and wonder as we 'touch' the [chref=25]silent and void[/chref] forefather of [chref=4]God[/chref],... back here where religion's seeds sprout.

So, how about my involvement with this 'stuff'? I suppose it's a hodgepodge of both paths. It's science in that I'm attempting to fathom and reason out a process of [chref=40]Something[/chref]. It's art in that I'm attempting to communicate the mystery I feel. Okey, that's enough of both... life now has meaning again, so I can go back to watching the rain drops!