...So there are two extremes. The desires of the powerful, who feel that censorship is just a tool, and the tendencies of the creative, who feel they should have no limits to their freedom. Those who follow Tao avoid these extremes. They avoid becoming the ruler, for such a position is fraught with danger, hypocrisy, and disappointment. Neither will they become the grandstanding artist; to arouse others is likewise dangerous.~ from 365 Tao: Daily Meditations, Entry 164 ~
Of all the various concepts discussed within the confines of philosophical Taoism, staying away from extremes is repeated almost Ad nauseum. I believe the reason why the ancient Taoist sages felt it necessary to underscore this one point again and again and again is that we humans have a penchant for skating near (or off?) the edge!
There definitely are times in life when pushing the envelope is needed. Sometimes we just have to have faith in the flow of circumstances and allow ourselves to jump off into the abyss. However, most of us tend to alight on the extreme edge when the situation doesn't call for it and it's certainly not uncommon for some of us to bounce from one extreme to another like we're stuck to a metronome.
I don't know about you, but I find myself far more content and less stressed when I keep toward the middle of my path. When my anxiety level goes through the roof and I'm fretting about some imagery worry, I know in my heart that I have strayed which, of course, generates even MORE anxiety.
I'm slowly learning to nip my anxieties in the bud. When I refuse to allow them to push me toward the edges of sanity, I am better able to deal with situations as they arise. Put a different way, when I'm not flailing around in the waters of life, it makes it that much easier to float along with the flow of circumstances.
There definitely are times in life when pushing the envelope is needed. Sometimes we just have to have faith in the flow of circumstances and allow ourselves to jump off into the abyss. However, most of us tend to alight on the extreme edge when the situation doesn't call for it and it's certainly not uncommon for some of us to bounce from one extreme to another like we're stuck to a metronome.
I don't know about you, but I find myself far more content and less stressed when I keep toward the middle of my path. When my anxiety level goes through the roof and I'm fretting about some imagery worry, I know in my heart that I have strayed which, of course, generates even MORE anxiety.
I'm slowly learning to nip my anxieties in the bud. When I refuse to allow them to push me toward the edges of sanity, I am better able to deal with situations as they arise. Put a different way, when I'm not flailing around in the waters of life, it makes it that much easier to float along with the flow of circumstances.
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