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Chapter of the Week: #29 [Archive]
maybe i can tie in my recent situation with this...the boy ive raised as my own for 6 years was taken away by social services-since then we've been allowed no contact with each other, and ive had just one conversation with anyone in social services, and another with his grandparents...
everything they think they know about our relationship is coming from their own preconceived notions and minisucule knowledge of our homelife...they're basing what they think on interviews with a traumatized (from losing his family) boy who at best is nervous in such situations...on their own beliefs and morals...on the answers of a stammering inarticulate boy & i know the kinds of leading questions they ask...and the grandparents are ashamed because they werent there for this boy more in his life, his biological family was a bunch of jerks and losers and a stranger became the best parent their grandson ever had...
so they look at the bits and pieces (our casual ideas about nudity, cussing, speaking our mind), our strange habits & hobbies (barefooting, martial arts, eastern religions), that im 40 year old man with a 12 yo boy (for 6 years! but they dont see that, anymore than they see how the abbott boys are well adjusted after a lifetime with carl)...they believe what the media broadcasts, and are too busy or lazy to dig into the real facts...
what im getting at is alot of people are making alot of assumptions based on a very edited twisted version of the facts...such is tv as in life...
there are times in my life with the boy when i could have come across as evil as barbara gates did, and time i could have come across as mother theresa...guess which looks better, on paper and on tv...
everything they think they know about our relationship is coming from their own preconceived notions and minisucule knowledge of our homelife...they're basing what they think on interviews with a traumatized (from losing his family) boy who at best is nervous in such situations...on their own beliefs and morals...on the answers of a stammering inarticulate boy & i know the kinds of leading questions they ask...and the grandparents are ashamed because they werent there for this boy more in his life, his biological family was a bunch of jerks and losers and a stranger became the best parent their grandson ever had...
so they look at the bits and pieces (our casual ideas about nudity, cussing, speaking our mind), our strange habits & hobbies (barefooting, martial arts, eastern religions), that im 40 year old man with a 12 yo boy (for 6 years! but they dont see that, anymore than they see how the abbott boys are well adjusted after a lifetime with carl)...they believe what the media broadcasts, and are too busy or lazy to dig into the real facts...
what im getting at is alot of people are making alot of assumptions based on a very edited twisted version of the facts...such is tv as in life...
there are times in my life with the boy when i could have come across as evil as barbara gates did, and time i could have come across as mother theresa...guess which looks better, on paper and on tv...
Comments
Chapter 29
Whoever takes the empire and wishes to do anything to it I see will have no
respite. The empire is a sacred vessel and nothing should be done to it.
Whoever lays hold of it will ruin it; whoever lays hold of it will lose it.
Hence some things lead and some follow;
Some breathe gently and some breathe hard;
Some are strong and some are weak;
Some destroy and some are destroyed.
Therefore the wise avoids excess, extravagance, and arrogance.
Read commentary previously posted for this chapter.
Ain't this the truth! That's why following this [chref=48]'one does less and less until one does nothing at all'[/chref] approach to life appeals so deeply to me. How closely I follow this model depends on how keenly I feel, at any particular moment, that the empire is a sacred vessel. When I sense Nature is perfect and thus will not benefit from my [chref=48]meddling[/chref], I can let 'it' be. The imperfections I feel are simply about me, reflecting what I need and fear, love and hate, i.e., 'perfect' is what I want - need. The 'imperfect' is what is standing in the way of the 'ideal world' I desire.
These matter-of-fact [chref=5]ruthless[/chref] views, e.g., some destroy and some are destroyed, underscore how we [chref=8]contend with[/chref] reality, i.e., how things are. This is particularly obvious in the theology of the West (Judeo, Christian, Islamic). The West seeks, through righteous free will, to lay hold of it and 'win the battle' between good and evil. By contrast, the Taoist view sees both the [chref=2]'good and bad'[/chref] as integral and sacred aspects of the empire. Like two halves of a circle, both share a [chref=56]mysterious sameness[/chref]. Of course, this is a little hard to swallow when you're on the destroyed and weak side of the circle, which make the Western paradigm all the more palatable.
Like all living things, I pursue what I need and avoid what I fear. I do what I want just like the squirrel, the ant, and the bacteria. However, I'm able to form an ideal reality in my mind made up of what I think-feel I need. This is the origin of that nasty six letter word, should. My 'ideal world' view compells me to feel something should be done to it. 'It'? 'It' is what ever slice of the empire I am attempting to lay hold of.
The empire - [chref=32]the uncarved block[/chref] - is like the grand sweep of Nature that I see everywhere I look. Within this sweep I see life and death, I feel joy and sorrow, I lead and I follow. My desire to [chref=79]show favoritism[/chref] toward any one side is rooted in the instinctive push for survival - either for me personally or an empathetic 'projection'.
This is obvious, no? Yet, it is surprising how unaware we are of these primal forces that operate within us 'subconsciously' whenever we wish to do anything. This is what they 'should' be teaching in school! This and, of course, [chref=43] the teaching that uses no words [/chref]...
As I have become aware of these instinctive forces that drive my life, I [chref=17]naturally[/chref] seem to avoid excess, extravagance, and arrogance, at least more than before. It is not that I try to avoid excess, but rather it is wisdom - knowing what is going on - that makes avoiding excess unavoidable. It is really [chref=64]easy[/chref]. Failing to watch is the only thing that stands in my [chref=53]way[/chref].