How do I escape this world of me?
How can I climb down?
Have I reached the top?
Is there a top?
Or is there always more to climb?
Does it get colder as I go higher?
Or will I adapt to the weather?
What if I fall?
Would I want to climb back up?
Or do I like to wait before climbing again?
Do I want to climb from another side?
What if I fall again?
Why am I climbing anyway?
What's wrong with staying down?
I want to climb.
Because I can see from above.
And I can see.
Above.
Climbing.
Higher.

Always know how you got up there.
Know your way down.
And know why you're climbing.
Don't climb for the sake of climbing.
Climb if you really want to go higher.

I bought 25th edition of Lao Tsu's Tao Te Ching off of Amazon.ca.
After I read A Million Little Pieces I was inspired by some of the passages from the Tao and decided to purchase the book for myself.
I got it in the mail two days ago and I read some of it on the subway.

I have never felt so close to an ancient text. I felt like it gave me strength, engery and reassurance. It felt so good in my mind because I was reading it and not saying it to myself. I was reading it from an ancient Chinese philosophy text that is still massively produced today.

Here is a passage:

" THIRTEEN

Accept disgrace willingly.
Accept misfortune as the human condition.

What do you mean by "Accept willingly"?
Accept being unimportant.
Do not be concerned with loss or gain.
This is called "accepting disgrace willingly."

What do you mean by "Accept misfortune as the human condition"?
Misfortune comes from having a body.
Without a body, how could there be misfortune?

Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things.
Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things. "

This edition is beautifully designed. The black and white images are absolutely stunning and the Chinese calligraphy just makes me want to start tracing them. So beautiful. This is a great book to have.

March 5, 2006

Complex
is in the nature of the mind
to please a need
we need to compromise
The mind speaks
It runs without stopping
I can't live without
my mind being the topping

I strive for my desires
I search to discover
my being
in all it's potential
New ways
New waves
A new sequential

I can't stop
I keep running
Choices, varieties, interests
Much to enjoy
Satisfaction
harder to achieve
in a whole

A complex world
makes a complex mind
A whole mind
with many sources behind
Links and paths
lead to figures and facts
about me
Running
Running 'til
I've seen it once
Once I see it
Twice I know it
So then I can really explore it