Tao Bible - Exodus 7:18

And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river.
~ King James version ~

Tao has no malice towards anything.
~ possible Taoist alternative ~

In order to frighten and punish the Egyptian people for the hardened heart of the Pharaoh, the Lord God kills all the fish in the river.

Besides the fact that Tao does not mete out punishments, it would be hard to fathom Tao killing one set of beings to punish another set. On an elemental level, all substance is made up of the same compounds. Since all substance comes from the same source, all things are equal in the heavens and the earth.

If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.

Radio Daze

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing on the evening of Monday, December 8, 1980? I certainly do. I was working as a disc jockey at a radio station in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The station had an AM and FM version. The AM played pop and rock music, but it was completely automated. I worked on the FM side, the country music format and, interestingly enough, I detest country music. Go figure!

At 8:00 p.m. I had started the Ralph Emery Show. This program was nationally syndicated. However, owing to the fact that we're talking about the days in radio before cd players and computers, the program was played off of a vinyl disc, a record. Each day we received a special delivery of a new record of that day's program.

So anyway, I got the record cued up and started playing it at the top of the 8 o'clock hour. Since I had about 20 minutes before the first commercial break, I headed over to the news room to checkout the Associated Press teletype in order to prepare my copy for the news break at around 8:35 p.m.

At first, I grabbed the recent weather data because our program manager wanted us DJ's to give a quick forecast during most commercial breaks. I then started to scan the day's headlines. All of a sudden, the bell on the teletype started ringing. This meant a bulletin for an important story would be coming in shortly. I anxiously stood there wondering what the "big story" might be.

Within moments, I learned that ex-Beatle John Lennon had been shot in New York City. At that juncture, it was reported that he had been rushed to the hospital, but there was no word as to his condition. A few minutes later, the bell rang again with the report that John Lennon was dead.

Of the four ex-Beatles, he was (at that time) my least favorite. Still, it really shook me up. I remember getting a bit choked up and wondering to myself what the world was coming to. However, I pulled myself together quickly and then I took an extraordinary step. Even though I was the low man on the station's totem pole, I quickly interrupted the programs on both the AM and FM sides and patched in the necessary protocol to simulcast.

In a very solemn voice, I delivered the sad news to our listening audience. I had pulled enough copy and selected a few Beatles songs to take us to the top of the hour (9:00 p.m.). While the songs played, I quickly taped some national news reports of the situation. For the rest of the night until sign-off (11:30 p.m.), I interspersed Beatles music with taped news reports and copy from the wire services I read.

I was a bit worried about two things. First, I didn't have the authority to abandon the scheduled programming nor to do a simulcast. Consequently, I knew that by taking this extraordinary step that I might well be fired. I certainly didn't want to lose this job -- being newly married and all -- but I risked it because of who John Lennon was.

My second worry is that I would piss off all of our country music fans. Our station was the number one country station in the market and, since Lennon was a rock star, I worried that our red-neck listener base would not be thrilled with missing out on the rest of the Ralph Emery show or the one that followed it.

In both cases, I soon learned that I had nothing to worry about. The switchboard lit up with people calling the station to say how broken up they were at learning of Lennon's murder. Many lauded me for my quick decision.

One of the calls turned out to be from our station manager. When I heard his voice on the line, I prepared for the worst, but he too told me that he was impressed with the way I handled things. He was also amazed that I had pulled off the simulcast because I hadn't received the training of how to do it. (The truth of the matter is that I guessed and was lucky that my guess had turned out to be correct.)

So, why am I sharing this story? Well, you'll have to wait for a different post early tomorrow morning to find out the answer to that question.

Pop Culture Tao - Imagine

When this song first came out so long ago, a lot of people thought it represented a large degree of naivety. The very thought of a world in which people embraced love and peace was...well...kinda childish. Yet, if we look to many of the philosophers and sages throughout history, what is one of their prime reflections? It is that we need to return to our state of infanthood, to that point in our lives when we have yet to see ourselves as distinct from the world.

Though I'm fairly certain John Lennon was not trying to invoke Taoist themes when he penned this song, one can still see the fingerprints of it, nonetheless. The idea of removing religion, nationalism, greed and hunger goes straight to the heart of Taoist philosophy. Of course, Taoists alone have not trademarked such notions; the same ideas can be found in the mystical aspects of most belief systems.

If some believe that his song indeed is naive and simple, then it suggests to me that our world would be far better off it we each were more naive and simple. This very same point can be found throughout the writings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu!

Imagine
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
~ John Lennon ~

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Line by Line - Verse 3, Line 5

He constantly (tries to) keep them without knowledge and without desire, and where there are those who have knowledge, to keep them from presuming to act (on it).
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

If men lack knowledge and desire, then clever people will not try to interfere.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Let the people have no cunning and no greed So those who scheme will not dare to meddle
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

He shows people how to forget what they know and what they want, so nobody can push them around. If you think you've got the answers, he'll mess with your head.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

The field of marketing is about trying to convince you and I that a specific product or service will fill a desire. Sometimes the aim is to fill a craving we already have. Just as often, however, the marketing campaigns seeks to create the desire itself by using an assortment of emotional hooks.

If people were desireless, marketers would be put out of business. We wouldn't make decisions based on our feelings. We instead would look at what we needed, not what we wanted.

But marketers know that we are slaves to our emotions. So, they utilize great cunning to beguile us and, time after time, we fall for it hook, line and sinker.

Marketing exists because we provide the space for it. In this vein, we are our own worst enemies.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

The American Theocracy - Transgenderism

In the new American theocracy, transgenderism won't even be a concept! It won't be discussed -- even in hushed tones -- and it certainly won't be an available option. Since it is viewed by fundamentalists as part of the e-v-i-l "gay agenda," it, like homosexuality, will be stamped out at all costs!

The reason should be more than obvious. God, in his divine wisdom, created humans as male and female. Transgenderism advocates the idea that God made a boo boo and we all know that, in the Evangelical mind, this represents an impossibility. Consequently, if a person believes they were born into the wrong body, the person has a spiritual mental health problem.

Intensive Christian counseling (prayer) will be the order of the day. If that doesn't work -- if Satan simply refuses to let go of the hapless victim's soul -- I can easily envision people being locked up in institutions akin to asylums.

Look, if some people refuse to let go of their transgender "delusions," the new American theocracy simply can't let them roam the country. They might infect the minds of young children! If they aren't cordoned off from society, some people may get the idea that transgenderism isn't so e-v-i-l after all and this could represent the first step toward the undoing of the theocracy itself!

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!!

If you're interested in reading more from this tongue-in-cheek series, go to the The American Theocracy Index page.

Filled Bellies

In yesterday's Line by Line post, I likened Verse 3, Line 4 to liberation theology. I also mentioned that feeling under the weather makes it more difficult for someone to focus. As it so happens, I wasn't simply making a theoretical point. My ailing right shoulder is much inflamed and movement of almost any kind makes it hurt that much more. To make matters worse, I'm still 6 or 7 weeks away from the surgery that, hopefully, will remedy the problem.

While my writing output hasn't diminished all that much, I can honestly say that it hasn't been flowing as easily as usual. In fact, I've struggled mightily with some of the posts. I know the point I want to get across, but the pain I'm suffering from tends to impede my ability to stay focused.

And this is the whole point behind the concept of liberation theology. When we are distracted by the grinding aspects of our lives, it can take all the energy we possess just to make it from day to day. When pain represents our daily calling card, it can be difficult to rise above it. In some ways, it envelops a person's being so totally that it exerts a strong influence on a person's overall outlook.

While I can look forward to some relief on my horizon, those who live lives defined by grinding poverty, severe oppression, endless war and/or constant civil unrest don't have this luxury. Everyday life simply beats them down. It robs them of hope and peace of mind.

This is why Lao Tzu makes the point that filled bellies -- representing the ideal of good health -- is a first step in providing people with the space to discover the Way inside themselves. When we are not distracted by institutionalized pain and misfortune, we are granted the freedom to come to know the mystery of the void.

It all goes back to the Taoist metaphor of the empty bowl. If pain -- in whatever form -- defines your life, it fills up your spirit, leaving no room for the effervescence of Tao. When pain is removed, then, like an empty bowl, the space is available to fill with the elixir of the mysterious Way.

Tao Bible - Exodus 4:2-3

And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
~ King James version ~

Tao is not a magician.
~ possible Taoist alternative ~

Moses, worried that people will think he's off his nut if he tells them he has spoken directly to God, is provided with a sign by the almighty. Defying physics, God will make a rod turn into a snake.

The laws of the universe are Tao. While we sometimes encounter aspects of life that we don't understand with current knowledge, a walking staff is not going to turn instantaneously into a living creature. Tao has no need for magic other than the mystical essence of life itself!

If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.

Pop Culture Tao - River of Dreams

I'm always on the lookout for songs that capture the essence of water, one of the prime metaphors of Taoist thought. The River of Dreams by Billy Joel is, for me, one of those songs.

Like a lazy river or a bubbling brook, the lyrics meander easily within the mind. He talks of the fear, doubt and search for meaning that we all share. While I like the whole song -- for full disclosure, I'm a big Billy Joel fan -- the last two verses really stand out for me. The first of these offers the apt suggestion that peering into the void is not done with our minds but our hearts.

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To a river so deep
I know I'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind.

The last stanza is where the image of water comes glistening through.

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams.

I don't know about you, but if I close my eyes, the above words send me floating down the stream of life to the ocean of Tao, buoyed along by the unspoken river of dreams.

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Derivations on a Theme - You Don't Know Me

On his blog, NW Ohio Skeptics, Bruce has a great post today about our personal story lines.

This blog puts me in somewhat of a difficult place with family. They can come to here and read everything I have written. They assume , that once they have read my blog, they can then “know me”. They then feel they have the right to make judgments about me, about my spiritual or emotional state, or the things I believe. At best, this blog is a partial picture of who and what I am. Readers only see what I let them see...

He underscores a point that we often forget -- a blog is not the person who writes it!

Put another way, by reading this blog, you don't know me. You see glimpses of my thought processes. You are provided with the opportunity to walk with me down paths of my choosing. You get inklings of what I am about. However, despite the fact I am more open than many, none of you knows who I am.

If you passed me on the street, 99% of you wouldn't recognize me. I would be nothing more than a nondescript face in the crowd.

Of course, it's a two-way street. Not only do you not know me, I don't know you either!!

The confusion about thinking we know someone certainly is not the fault of the blogging platform. We watch actors on TV or in movies and we THINK we know them as individuals. We flock to concerts of our favorite performing artists and, because we dig their music, we ACT as if we know who they are. We pore through books written by our favorite authors and, because we've read every word they ever written, we BELIEVE we know the mind behind the words.

In truth, we really can never know a person completely. This is true even if we could climb inside their mind and see life through their eyes. How do I know this to be true? Simple. We don't even know ourselves!

At the end of the day, I think we put too much stock in the concept of knowing anyway. As we trip down the cobblestones of life, we quickly discover that, for everything we think we know, there are gazillions of things for which we have no clue. Knowledge and knowing have great limitations!

While none of you who reads this blog knows me, you have, however, experienced me and I have experienced many of you. It is the experiential aspects of life that makes life genuinely worth living.

Cork in the Drink

We all know that the moneyed interests in the financial sector have steadfastly fought against any type of oversight and regulation. They say they envision a world of limited government that basically stays out of their way. With few people looking over their shoulders, they can juke and jive their way to untold record profits and, for the top dogs, unprecedented payouts.

This has been their mantra for generations and, even after the current economic meltdown, they continue to sing the very same song. Buffeted by billions in taxpayer dollars, they continue to spend exorbitant amounts on lobbying.

Yes, they hold to these beliefs through thick and then, in hell or high water...until something goes wrong. When their irresponsible behavior lands them (and the country itself) in a heap of trouble, who is it they look to for a humongous helping hand?

The very government that they generally have little use for! All of a sudden, BIG government is their new best friend!

This point was driven home and underscored recently when the former head of Lehman Brothers blamed the US government for his firm's bankruptcy. It is because they were not granted a massive taxpayer-funded bailout that they failed!

Of all the galling aspects of the Lehman Brothers fiasco, here's the part that really got me.

Fuld accepted responsibility for mistakes made that saddled Lehman with some $60 billion in bad investments...

We're not talking chump change here! We're not talking about a few bad decisions here and there! We're talking about $60,000,000,000!

Despite the fact Fuld said his firm made these gargantuan miscalculations, everything would have been fine and dandy if the government had only been nice and covered their staggering shortfall. Such brazen disregard for the lives and fortunes of the vast majority causes steam to boil out of my ears!

This testimony puts the lie in the limited government argument. Proponents genuinely don't favor limited government, they simply want it to be limited as far as what they are doing.

You see, if government truly was limited in its scope and function, then it wouldn't have the wherewithal to bail out the big dogs in the first place. A limited government doesn't need half as much money to operate. Since it offers far fewer programs and there are few agencies to offer oversight, taxes don't need to be as high as they are today.

If a limited federal government had been in place during the recent financial meltdown in the banking sector, almost all of them would have gone belly up because government wouldn't have had the life preservers to toss them. The ONLY thing that kept these corporations afloat is the kind of government they SAY they oppose.

Do you still believe them?

Line by Line - Verse 3, Line 4

Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies, by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Thus the governance of the sage: Empties their hearts Fills their bellies Weakens their ambitions Strengthens their bones
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

The Master leads by clearing the crap out of people's heads and opening their hearts. He lowers their aspirations and makes them suck in their guts.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

The above line is, for me, not that different than that of the Catholic Church's "liberation theology". It recognizes that, in order to find our place in the world, our basic needs must be met first. When people must scrounge to survive and face brutal oppression day after day, it can be difficult to find one's center or, in the case of Catholicism, to find God.

Have you ever tried to concentrate on a project or a problem when you're feeling under the weather or you are excessively hungry? It's hard to focus. The gnawing pain in your stomach (or wherever else) tends to impede the ability to go with the flow. Consequently, if you hope to tackle an issue head-on, the first thing you need to do is meet your basic needs.

A second point is expressed very well by Wang Pi, as quoted by Red Pine, in Lao-tzu's Taoteching: with Selected Commentaries of the Past 2000 Years.

Bones don't know how to make trouble. It is the will that creates disorder. When the mind is empty, the will is weak.

In other words, when our bodies are strong and healthy, this provides us with the wherewithal to seek out the void. When our bodies are at peace, the opportunity better exists for our minds to be at peace too.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

What Counts as Sanity in an Insane World?

Yesterday a seemingly deranged man burst into the headquarters of The Discovery Channel and took three hostages. The situation came to a sudden end when the man was killed by a police sniper.

While I strongly oppose using violence as a means to communicate a message to a broad audience, some of the stuff this fellow had previously posted on the internet -- his manifesto -- while rather crude, makes some sound points.

The angry manifesto repeatedly refers to humans as "filth" and demands that the Discovery Channel "stop encouraging the birth of any more parasitic human infants."

"Civilization must be exposed for the filth it is," the 1,149-word statement says..."Humans are the most destructive, filthy, pollutive creatures around and are wrecking what's left of the planet with their false morals and breeding culture."

The writer blasted immigration, farming, weapons of mass destruction, automotive pollution, "and the whole blasted human economy."

He demanded that the Discovery Channel broadcast daily prime-time shows devoted to "solutions to save the planet," perhaps in a game-show format, insisting, "Make it interesting so people watch and apply solutions!!!!"...

In contemplating this event, it has led me to ask myself: What counts as sanity in an insane world?

If we recognize and acknowledge that oppression, repression and war exists throughout the world today, but we go on with the routine aspects of life, does that makes us sane or insane?

If we understand that the way our society is ordered is killing the planet's capabilities to sustain our own lives and that of most other life forms, but it's nothing more than a passing thought, does that make us sane or insane?

If we know in the core of our beings that desire is what lands us in trouble again and again, but we have no desire to be desireless, does that make us sane or insane?

I sometimes wonder if the people we label as "crazy" are more sane than the rest of us. They only appear deranged because, unlike the rest of us, they refuse to accept the insanity inherent in an insane world.

Pop Culture Tao - Tomorrow Never Knows

Turn off your mind relax and float down-stream,
It is not dying, it is not dying,
Lay down all thought surrender to the void,
It is shining, it is shining.

That you may see the meaning of within,
It is being, it is being...
~ John Lennon ~

I've read that Lennon didn't consider himself anything -- not left nor right, progressive nor conservative, forward nor backward. But so many of the concepts he explored in his music are congruent with philosophical Taoism.

This song, from the Revolver album, doesn't sound all that different from the poetry of Lao Tzu or the prose of Chuang Tzu. To me, he is trying to express that which cannot be adequately expressed and, of course, he knew it.

Close your eyes. Listen to this avant-garde song. Touch your being within.

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Tao Bible - Exodus 3:20

And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.
~ King James version ~

The ten thousand things rise and fall.
~ possible Taoist alternative ~

In verse after verse, God shows that he is beset by the same emotions and attachments as his progeny. In this verse, he tells Moses that he will send wrath down on the Egyptians for oppressing the Jews, his chosen people.

Tao is not an entity and so it has no will. Unlike humans, it does not form attachments which give rise to emotional responses.

If the Egyptians suffer some calamity, it is because of the natural processes in the cyclical nature of the cosmos. It certainly is NOT because Tao has deemed it so.

If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.

The American Theocracy - School Prayer

Over the past generation, we've witnessed much debate and lobbying in regards to the issue of prayer and religious activities in the public schools. There have been heated exchanges at local school board meetings, legislatures and the halls of Congress. So, you'll be happy to learn that, in the new American theocracy, school prayer and religious activities will no longer be debated issues.

Prayers will become mandatory! At the beginning of each school day, the teacher will lead the students in prayer. I'm certain that part of these daily prayers will remind students that their teachers are akin to surrogate parents and so the commandment about honoring mummy and daddy applies. Since corporal punishment will be reinstated as a preferred disciplinary measure -- spare the rod, spoil the child -- prayer time should get the kiddies in a "free and easy" (snort) learning mode!

At the outset, any prayer that mentions the Christian God will be deemed acceptable. Within a generation or two, however, the ranks of progressive Christian teachers will start to wane; non-Christian teachers already will have been sacked. By this juncture, prayers will reflect the god of the fundamentalist movement -- you know, the one who loves each of us so much that he's ready and willing to send most of us to hell!

No longer will students need to go off to their own churches for religious activities. Such activities will become important aspects of the school curriculum itself. Almost all student groups will be religion-based too.

The only area in which there may be a few persistent problems concerns those students who come from non-Christian homes (e.g., Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan, Mormon, Jehovah Witness, Unitarians, etc.). In the new American theocracy, there is no room for other faiths! Non-fundamentalist Christian prayers by students will warrant institutional ostracizing, beatings (corporal punishment), suspensions and expulsions.

Don't even think of starting a non-fundamentalist Christian student group! That will be an obvious no-no.

With prayer now a fundamental aspect of every student's educational experience, our young people will lead the world in biblical knowledge. That will be something to crow about...since we will be turning out complete nincompoops in relation to most other subjects like science, math, history and the humanities!

If you're interested in reading more from this tongue-in-cheek series, go to the The American Theocracy Index page.

When Pink Becomes Green

So you do know that, while big corporations received bailouts amid reports of potential economic calamity, many are strongly in the black now? Yes, many of the companies that would have been headed to bankruptcy court, if not for enforced-taxpayer assistance, are doing quite fine now, thank you. Yet, with all this supposed good news, why is it that few of them are hiring workers?

As a report on CNN.com tells it, pink slips for some mean wads of green for others!

According to the report "CEO Pay and the Great Recession," chief executive officers of the 50 firms that laid off the most workers since the start of the economic crisis earned nearly $12 million on average in 2009. That's 42 percent more than the average pay of CEOs at S&P 500 firms as a whole.

"I think that really shows a really perverse incentive system in this country," said Sarah Anderson, lead author of the Institute for Policy Studies' 17th Annual Executive Compensation Survey. "You are handsomely rewarded for slashing jobs in the middle of the worst economic crisis in 80 years," she said.

It did for Fred Hassan of Schering-Plough, the man the report dubbed last year's "Golden Parachuter." Hassan was the highest paid layoff leader, earning $50 million in 2009 while his firm merged with Merck and cut 16,000 workers.

According to Anderson, "they're prioritizing CEO pay at the welfare of their workers"...

You see, whether shedding workers employed or not hiring them to begin with, it turns out there is a golden lining -- less expense for the head honchos which means more money to pad their wallets, at least, in the short-term (and you do know that the short-term is ALL THAT MATTERS).

If the conservative agenda is brought back by voters in November, it will mean even LESS government oversight than now (though that's not saying much). Limited government will come to mean more and more unlimited profits for the few!

The American Theocracy - Law and Order

If you think the various levels of government spend a lot of taxpayer dollars on law and order today, under the new American theocracy, you ain't seen nothing yet!! While appropriations for education and social services will be pared back, the budgets for police, border patrol and domestic spying will go through the roof.

Relying on Romans 13:1-4, our religious/governmental leaders will tell us that it is the almighty God's will to turn this nation into a police-like state.

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

And let me tell you, with all sorts of new laws enacted to a cover a wide range of personal behaviors, there will be grand opportunities for folk to commit all sorts of unwitting e-v-i-l!

A wife daring to disagree with her husband in public? Send in the police!

A same-sex couple having the audacity to show affection at the mall? Call out the National Guard!

A person of conscience giving a dollar to a homeless person? Thrown 'em both in jail!

A teacher with the temerity to teach evolutionary biology in school? It's time for an inquisition!

Be afraid. Be very, very afraid!!!

If you're interested in reading more from this tongue-in-cheek series, go to the The American Theocracy Index page.

Line by Line - Verse 3, Line 3

not to show them what is likely to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Do not show the desired things So their hearts will not be confused
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you fulfill people's desires, you'll only leave them dissatisfied.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

In each of the citations above, the operative word is a form of the word, desire. It is important to keep this in mind because, if a person read this line on a very superficial level, it could be construed as a philosophy that favors keeping most of society in poverty!

That's not what it is suggesting at all. There is a vast difference between needs and desires. As biological organisms, we need certain things to survive (e.g., air, food, water, rest, etc.). As psychological organisms, we need certain things to survive (e.g., nurturance, a sense of self-worth, love, etc.). Desires, on the other hand, include all the various baubles and trinkets in life that we believe we can't live without, but we easily could!

While need understands the principle of enough -- because too much is just as dangerous as too little -- desire is insatiable. A need can be filled; a desire cannot.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

We Never Know For Sure

As you've most likely noticed by my not infrequent posts about the weather, this is a subject matter that interests me greatly. Part of it has to do with the mysterious forces involved; Mother Nature is difficult to pin down! Another part of it has to do with numbers -- anything that can be categorized or analyzed via statistics is a sure draw for me.

Over the past week or so, I've watched the daily (sometimes hourly) changes in the forecasts for Hurricanes Danielle and Earl. At one moment, the forecasts call for x and then, almost in the blink of an eye, the prediction switches to y. What this tells me is that, in many ways, we're still novices when it comes to weather.

As it stands at this hour, Hurricane Earl is not predicted to make landfall in North Carolina -- forecasters believe it will remain to the east of the Outer Banks. However, if the low pressure trough moving out of the Midwest to the east coast jogs a little faster or drops a bit further south than expected, then the forecast will be changed again. As one of the "weather experts" stated in a report on The Weather Channel tonight, meteorologists have a general idea of where Earl is headed, but our scientific knowledge to date does not allow them to be able to make pinpoint projections as to the actual path.

Another example of the inexact nature of weather science can be found right here in South Bend. As we headed into the last day of August, it looked very certain that we would have our second month in a row of below average rainfall. A mild system was headed inland and predictions were for no more than one-half inch of rain.

As is par for the course around here, the forecast was way off. We received nearly 2 inches of rain yesterday and ended up almost one inch above normal for the month.

In fact, with one month to go in our water year (I have no clue why the water year runs from October - September), we've received a little more than 2 1/2 feet (nearly 31 inches) more rainfall than normal.

Two and one-half feet is a lot of excess water!!

Real Life Tao - That Flow Thingy

Tonight, as I was working on setting up the draft posts for the next 15 or so Line by Line entries, my ISP decided to quit working. I was in the middle of laying down the lines somewhere in Verse 5 when, out of the blue, the autosave function for blogger indicated that a connection couldn't be made. I quickly glanced at my external modem and, since all of the applicable lights were on, I knew it was an ISP problem.

Now, if I was more adept at going with the flow, I probably would have gotten out of my chair to go do something else. I did not do this, however. I tried to busy myself with some other computer work, but, to be perfectly frank, it bugged the hell out of me that I had been interrupted!

I do realize this represents one of my more galling autistic traits. When I get focused on a project, I do not deal well with interruptions. I get in a certain rhythm and I just hate it when something knocks me off of my stride. Even when there are barriers outside of my control, I frantically try to find some way around them. All this tends to do is to get me very frustrated.

Fortunately, the ISP problem resolved itself within an hour. This has allowed me to peck out this post. I'm relieved, but still a bit agitated. I'm pleased the stream is flowing again, yet I'm still a bit discombobulated because I had to take my canoe out of the water.