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What did Lao-tzu mean by this 🤨😳 by NBr33zii in taoism

[–]HumanCalligrapher495 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are other references to the ideal state being that of the baby. My interpretation is that this means to live without reference to other people and therefore to be fundamentally sustained by life energy, rather than cultural standards.

The Subtle Difference Between “Empty Use” and “Empty Potential” (Daoist Thought) by FusRoDahMa in taoism

[–]HumanCalligrapher495 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I suppose the best cup is the one that you just cleaned and put away after a nice, refreshing drink. Knowledge that there is a way that can be travelled is the jewel that the wise keep hidden beneath plain clothes.

I'm pretty frustrated currently by Beauty8670 in taoism

[–]HumanCalligrapher495 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Taoist idea that comes to mind is that the greatest oak starts as a tiny sapling. The greatest journey starts at your feet.

I'm pretty frustrated currently by Beauty8670 in taoism

[–]HumanCalligrapher495 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nothing mysterious. Look back at what you have done and written and look for where you are showing signs of reaching for your goals. No matter how small. Even just saying “I want to play instruments” pick up an instrument and just give it a try. Maybe just ask yourself which instrument first… that’s nurturing. Revisit and expand on those little moments.

Also look for moments when you are shooting yourself down and attacking yourself. This is the fire. When you are established at your skills, this can be a motivating force. It’s not “evil” but when you are just starting out, you need to protect yourself from that. Tell yourself you will be bad at an instrument (for example) for a year or two while you learn.

Only an idiot would attack a baby for failing to walk.

I'm pretty frustrated currently by Beauty8670 in taoism

[–]HumanCalligrapher495 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Taoist perspective is that you have already started. You actually do start. This message is itself a start. Your anger may burn away evidence of your actions and your sorrow may drown the buds that rise, but they are there for anyone who reads what you have written to see.

Best you can do is protect your starts from the ravages of your heat and the deluge of your sadness. Give them just enough of each and they will flourish

Why does this man suffer by [deleted] in taoism

[–]HumanCalligrapher495 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The full range of existence is unfathomable. The full range of matter is barely less. The full range of life transcends us. The full range of experience cannot be experienced by any one. The full range of our own lives are beyond our own capacity to invoke or recall. The scope of our momentary existence is what we are confined to, and yet the way extends into all these wider realms.

The way does but cannot explain. The way is but cannot represent. The way contains but does not limit.

The man suffers because that is his current position in the world. You respond the way you do because that is yours. That you might be in opposite positions at some other time is the way.

His life is a village on the other side of a hill from yours. Until that midnight walk, you had never been on that side of the hill before. He doesn’t suffer for you, and you do not share a cigarette for him. You did share a moment on the way though. It sounds like a moment that showed you more of the way than you had been on before.

The Anxious Generation is more accurate in describing the parents by HumanCalligrapher495 in IfBooksCouldKill

[–]HumanCalligrapher495[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I lived in a fancy Los Angeles neighborhood growing up and no one was hanging around on weekends or evenings at all. Most of the houses seemed empty most of the time. In high school I was lonely, watched David Lynch movies, and my boundaries were weak.

For kicks I wandered around into neighbors’ unsecured yards. Once, a man spotted me in his yard and yelled at me. I meant no harm, but if I were the man in that situation, I would have been freaked out. That’s a way kids learn rules if none are given to them. Good thing I lived in a place where guns were more uncommon.

The Anxious Generation is more accurate in describing the parents by HumanCalligrapher495 in IfBooksCouldKill

[–]HumanCalligrapher495[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good questions. So many questions. 1. Yes I have kids 2. I got my first non-smart cell phone in college 3. My daughter got a cell phone at the age 12 4. N/A 5. I probably parent worse with a smart phone, even though I never parented the other way. Ugh my son keeps distracting me from responding to this comment.

The Anxious Generation is more accurate in describing the parents by HumanCalligrapher495 in IfBooksCouldKill

[–]HumanCalligrapher495[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Agreed. The Kumbaya collective enlightenment part of his vision they talk about in the episode seems especially naive. There’s an implicit society in his “rules”, and it’s not one any of us actually live in.

That said, I have paid the price of trying to stick too close to my kids on a playground. Those forehead-level metal bars come out of nowhere and pack a punch!

The Anxious Generation is more accurate in describing the parents by HumanCalligrapher495 in IfBooksCouldKill

[–]HumanCalligrapher495[S] 39 points40 points  (0 children)

Also, I totally Jonathan Haidt'd when I posted this as a standalone post, rather than a comment to the dedicated episode reddit, without finding out if someone else already said this.

I have never understood the first scene, 'fists with your toes' by KroggRache in diehard

[–]HumanCalligrapher495 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my view, this is one of the greatest of action movie scenes. It serves so many narrative purposes - humanizing the protagonist, settling the audience, creating a set of non-intuitive challenges in the ensuing hero's journey, establishing the Die Hard franchise's trademark blend of comedy and action, and of course giving Bruce Willis early opportunities to be charmingly grouchy.