Changing Places

“In nobler books we are moved with something like the emotions of life; and this emotion is very variously provoked. We are so moved when Levine labours in the field, when Andre sinks beyond emotion, when Richard Feverel and Lucy Desborough meet beside the river, when Antony, “not cowardly, puts off his helmet,” when Kent has infinite pity on the dying Lear, when, in Dostoieffky’s “Despised and Rejected”, the uncomplaining hero drains his cup of suffering and virtue. These are notes that please the great heart of man. Not only love, and the fields, and the bright face of danger, but sacrifice and death and unmerited suffering humbly supported, touch in us the vein of the poetic. We love to think of them, we long to try them, we are humbly hopeful that we may prove heroes also. ”
– Robert Louis Stevenson

“All parts of ourselves both give and receive. They function on a principle of reciprocity inherent in their very character. If our senses are so noble, shouldn’t we be as well? ”

– Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. ”
– Dead Poet’s Society

It may seem clever to know and accept others
Yet accepting oneself is the way to Wisdom.
It may feel powerful to overcome others
Yet disciplining oneself is true Strength.
It may be noble to honor others
Yet respecting oneself is deep self-esteem.

– Tao Mentoring

“Academic chairs are many, but wise and noble teachers are few; lecture-rooms are numerous and large, but the number of young people who genuinely thirst after truth and justice is small.”
— Albert Einstein

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. ~Lin Yutang

“There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assist another human being – to help someone succeed”
– Alan Loy McGinnis

“Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen?”
– Friedrich Nietzsche

“We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.” — Abraham Lincoln

“Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.”
– Kahlil Gibran

“When a work lifts your spirits and inspires bold and noble thoughts in you, do not look for any other standard to judge by: the work is good, the product of a master craftsman” — Jean de la Bruyere

“All that is noble is in itself of a quiet nature, and appears to sleep until it is aroused and summoned forth by contrast.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.” — Dodie Smith

“In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. The young they keep out of mischief; to the old they are a comfort and aid in their weakness, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds.”
– Aristotle

OK, people, go do some noble deeds now!!

I’m off to a hot shower…

The highest motive is to be like water.
Water is essential to all life,
yet it does not demand a fee
or proclaim its importance.
Rather, it flows humbly to the lowest level,
and in so doing it is much like Tao.

In the home the truly wise love the humble earth,
the foundation on which the home is built.
In the heart they love what is genuine.
In friendship they are compassionate.
In words they are sincere.
In government they foster peace and goodwill.
In business they work with quiet efficiency.

Serenity is the goal of Tao.
Through it nothing is lost.

– Tao Te Ching, 8

“Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is.”
– Thomas S. Szasz

“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books.”
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity.”
– Lindley Karstens

“Appreciation, gratitude, affection-these are the qualities Parisians bestow on their parks. Beauty, serenity, tranquillity, majesty-these are the rewards they reap in return.” — Landt Dennis

“I had found a kind of serenity, a new maturity… I didn’t feel better or stronger than anyone else but it seemed no longer important whether everyone loved me or not–more important now was for me to love them. Feeling that way turns your whole life around; living becomes the act of giving.”
– Beverly Sills

“And you would accept the seasons of your heart just as you have always accepted that seasons pass over your fields and you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.”
– Kahlil Gibran

“When we sip tea, we are on our way to serenity.”
– Alexandra Stoddard

“Now you understand the Oriental passion for tea,” said Japhy. “Remember that book I told you about the first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy.”
– Jack Kerouac

“I wouldn’t know how to handle serenity if somebody handed it to me on a plate.”– Dusty Springfield

“Curiosity … endows the people who have it with a generosity in argument and a serenity in their own mode of life which springs from their cheerful willingness to let life take the form it will.”– Alistair Cooke

“Here, with whitened hair, desires failing, strength ebbing out of him, with the sun gone down and with only the serenity and the calm warning of the evening star left to him, he drank to Life, to all it had been, to what it was, to what it would be.” — Sean O’Casey

“Whenever conscience speaks with a divided, uncertain, and disputed voice, it is not the voice of God. Descend still deeper into yourself, until you hear nothing but a clear, undivided voice, a voice which does away with doubt and brings with it persuasion, light, and serenity.”
– Henri Frederic Amiel

“The sole art that suits me is that which, rising from unrest, tends toward serenity.” — Andre Gide

Problems cannot be
Resolved at once.
Slowly untie knots
Divide to conquer.

In order to solve problems, it is helpful to first understand whether they are puzzle, obstacle, or entanglement. A puzzle need only be analyzed carefully: It is like unraveling a ball of yarn and requires patience more than anything else. An obstacle must be overcome. We must use force and perseverance to either destroy or move away from what is blocking us. An entanglement mires us in a maze of limitations: This most dangerous of situations requires that we use all our resources to extricate ourselves as quickly as possible.

No matter what the problem, however, it is important not to take the thing on whole. Break it down into smaller, more easily handled components. More problematic situations are combinations of puzzles, obstacles, and entanglements. By fracturing them into these more basic elements, they can be managed easily. Even the greatest of difficulties can be resolved when they are slowly reduced. Then the knots of life are untied as easily as if we had a magic charm.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

It’s not about my politics
Something happened way too quick
A bunch of men who played it sick
They divide, conquer

It’s all here before your eyes
Safety is a big disguise
That hides among the other lies
They divide, conquer

Well I expect I won’t be heard
Because my silence is assured
Never a discouraging word
They divide and conquer

– Husker Du, Divide and Conquer

When you have a big problem to solve, sometimes it is difficult to break it into smaller pieces. One part of the puzzle tangles with another, and there are lots of pieces to consider. As an engineer, I was trained to divide problems into their pieces. In math, I was trained to look for common factors in a problem that could be divided out.

But in our everyday life, who is there to train us? Sometimes parents teach us to be good problem solvers, sometimes we can learn from how they solved their problems. But there are always situations you didn’t expect, things that you never dreamed could happen to you, and they do. Solving those problems takes time and effort, and drains us emotionally and physically.

Right now in our nation, there are huge problems, created by people who divide us as a nation so that we fight each other instead of seeing we are all being taken for a ride. How do we reunite to reclaim the government for everyone, instead of for the rich and powerful? Especially when they have convinced so many that they are the ones with the answers, that those who tell them differently are the enemy. We are not the enemy, we are the ones with our eyes open who see where the path we are on leads.

Ancient cultures warn us to be wary of the coyote trickster. Tao warns us to beware of those who offer us false promises.

When the great Tao is abandoned,
charity and righteousness appear.
When intellectualism arises,
hypocrisy is close behind.

When there is strife in the family unit,
people talk about ‘brotherly love’.

When the country falls into chaos,
politicians talk about ‘patriotism’.

– Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching, 18

We are in chaos, and most people don’t even know it. We are in crisis, and most refuse to see. Let those who can see, be together. We are strong enough to solve this puzzle, untangle these knots, and overcome these obstacles. Divide, and conquer. Let’s all take up our part of the puzzle, and remember the final piece is in our own pocket.

___________

Reposted from February 2005. Funny and sad how it still applies… the Republican obstacle still needs to be overcome. In 2005, most people didn’t see what was coming as clearly as I did. Now the chaos and crisis have become more obvious, the people have voiced their overwhelming desire for change. Yet still, the Republicans bicker and fight against us. People are out of work and hurting, yet still it is all about them, their need to grandstand, their need to think this helps them get re-elected. They all need to go away, and will be voted out eventually, but not soon enough to help those who are already hurting.

Time to come together as a people and let them know what we think of them. Call your Senators and Representatives and tell them what you think of them.

Since I’m being linked to for Blogroll Amnesty Day by Fallenmonk, I just want to mention that:

Anyone on my blogroll (see list to right, go to the page if you use a reader, for once…) is an excellent read! (excepting perhaps the dog breeders and trainers, who are excellent sources of golden retrievers and training).

And many who aren’t on my blogroll are excellent reads, too…. I just started on Google reader so new acquisitions are being placed there.

You can read my Google shared items here:
http://www.google.com/reader/shared/12239438365675506550

Fair warning — it is heavy on economics, politics, and squid. Oh, and if you get an error message, send me an email or leave a comment here with your email and I’ll send you an invite. You might not be on my google mail list yet…

On to the Tao for today, on kindness:

When the great Tao is forgotten,
Kindness and morality arise.
When wisdom and intelligence are born,
The great pretense begins.

When there is no peace within the family,
Filial piety and devotion arise.
When the country is confused and in chaos,
Loyal ministers appear.
Tao Te Ching, 18

Give up sainthood, renounce wisdom,
And it will be a hundred times better for everyone.
Give up kindness, renounce morality,
And men will rediscover filial piety and love.
Give up ingenuity, renounce profit,
And bandits and thieves will disappear.
These three are outward forms alone; they are not sufficient in themselves.
It is more important
To see the simplicity,
To realize one’s true nature,
To cast off selfishness
And temper desire.
Tao Te Ching, 19

My Chinese character calendar for the month is showing the character for Kindness. I generally don’t think much about being kind, since kindness is simply part of Tao. If you have to think about being kind and moral, you’re probably doing it wrong. Kindness should simply be a natural part of life. But every so often, it might be worth thinking about being kind to others, or even more importantly, to yourself.

Thanks for the kindness of thinking of me, Fallenmonk!

“The Journey”, Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

“This journey is long but there are prayers being told to smooth your fantasy pathway,” my Wind did say. “A toast to you as well! I send sunshine; and the mist of rainbows wherever you go.” And with that the Wind went on its way. “I’ve much to do,” quite breezily he said. “And after that I must go out and play.”
– Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

Jessie at Diary of a Self-Portrait is longing for an artist’s journey to India. She’s just made a very difficult choice, giving up her studio, but may not yet fully realize this is the first step in her new journey. It’s going to be an interesting year for her! Sunshine and Rainbows to you, Jessie, sunshine and rainbows… and now, I must go out and play!

Journeys, like artists, are born and not made. A thousand differing circumstances contribute to them, few of them willed or determined by the will –whatever we may think.
– Lawrence Durrell

“Your journey never ends. Life has a way of changing things in incredible ways.” — Alexander Volkov

Every perfect traveler always creates the country where he travels.
Nikos Kazantzakis
– nikos kazantzakis

A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.
– John Steinbeck

The ultimate truth of the journey and its final rewards are still for each of us to face alone.
– Deng Ming-Dao

I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.
– Lillian Smith

What’s the point? Why all of this walking? It is simply because Tao only can be found in the journey that is in the walking. Tao, true, real, permanent, nameless Tao cannot be found in any book, or in any school.
– Bill Bunting

“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”
— Matsuo Basho

“The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases”
– William Hazlitt

“What people forget is a journey to nowhere starts with a single step, too.”
— Chuck Palahniuk

One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.

Like the winds of the sea
Are the waves of time,
As we journey along through life,
Tis the set of the soul,
That determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

-– Ella Wheeler Wilcox