Looking Back to 2008: Finding One's Path

Finding One's Path
Original post date: December 4, 2008

If you've happened upon this blog due to an interest in Taoism and you want to know how to go about finding your path, you won't find a step-by-step guide here. There are no secret recipes. There is no blueprint available. Each person must discover their path and how to get there for themselves.

And I'll grant, right off the bat, it won't be easy. We live in a world that regularly thumbs its nose at Tao and that steers people away from seeking their path.

It's a world that reveres domination of nature, not a reverence for the natural rhythms of life.

It's a world that embraces strength over weakness and youth over wisdom.

It's a world in which we are incessantly bombarded with overt and subliminal messages that financial wealth and power will bring us happiness and security.

It's a world in which sensual sexuality trumps love and tenderness.

It's a world that values certainty over uncertainty and stasis over change.

In essence, we live in a world that goes against everything we know in our innermost beings. It's very, very difficult to find that quiet place in our souls and to seek the natural nourishment we need.

The method that many Taoists will advise for you to seek this place is to empty yourself so that you can become a vessel for Tao to fill up. But how does one shut out this mind-numbing world?

Again, it's not easy. It's very difficult to blot away our dreams, aspirations, pressures and stresses, to empty our minds completely. In a 24/7 world, it is near impossible to find genuine stillness. However, regardless of the difficulty, each of us must find it.

In a world beset by so many problems, many of us want to heal the world. But the old adage is true -- Heal thyself. The first step in the journey is to find that stillness within us and effortlessly embrace it.

To read the intro to this retrospective series of posts, go here.