Stop with all the planning...
Tao 57 - Have no plan at all…
To rule the state, have a known plan
To win a battle, have an unknown plan
To gain the universe, have no plan at all
All my life, my most pressing question has always been Now what? If I were on an all expense paid vacation on a beautiful island - staying in the penthouse suite - I would never be able to really enjoy the moment, because my brain is always screaming that unending question.
I find it funny, that I have been reading the Taoteching for over 10 years now. So many of the verses move me deeply as I read them. But, the living them out has always been a challenge.
Only half in jest, I like to say that I was not raised properly by humans, instead I had to fend for myself. Had I not been taken in and raised by wolves, I would have likely starved. Now, of course, this is not literally true, but figuratively without question it is accurate. Maybe you, too, but I find that my parents were wholly incapable of fulfilling their parental obligations- except in the basic sense of room and board.
Wisdom, or compassion or even selflessness were never on the menu.
So, it is understandable that I would be an anxious, fearful child - and grow to be the same sort of adult. Ever vigilant, never feeling safe, I always felt a kinship with Jason Bourne. There are always threats to be confronted - and neutralized whenever possible. If only I had his superpowers, though…
But, life is always presenting to us redemption opportunities. The problem with those opportunities is that they are usually disguised as painful lessons. For me, a nasty, protracted divorce in mid-life presented a mulligan of sorts - an opportunity for a do-over.
Thankfully, the wonderful therapist I found and the work I began - has continued until this day (albeit with another wonderful therapist).
Recently, though a therapy called EMDR https://www.emdr.com I have been able to be free from crippling anxiety that I have always known. I don't think I really ever fully understood how crippling was this anxiety - until it was gone.
I love to tell the story of the man I came upon banging his head against the wall. When I asked him why are you DOING that? - he simply replied, it feels so good when I stop. Fear is like that. Anxiety is like that. It feels so good when you stop.
So, as a shout-out to the universe, I just want to say how blessed I am to feel that sense of relief, too. Really, it feels like I have a new life. Or possibly being freed from prison.
Either way, it is a good place to be. For possibly the first time in my life, I can just be. And live more in the moment than ever before.
Now, is this a panacea? Is everything all rosy now? Of course not. But, it is f'ing wonderful. For the first time in my life, I don't have a plan - and it feels great. So, as Tao 57 says (BTW, 57 is my birth year), to gain the universe, have no plan at all.
OK. I'm in! I like the idea of letting the universe reveal it's splendor. How about you?
Let the universe itself reveal to you its splendor
How do I know this should be so?
Because of this—
The more restrictions, the more poverty
The more weapons, the more fear in the land
The more cleverness, the more strange events
The more laws, the more lawbreakers
So, my new plan is this (not really a plan, though) - act with a pure heart, love life, and give without condition.
Thus the Sages say,
Act with a pure heart and the people will be transformed
Love your own life and the people will be uplifted
Give without conditions and the people will prosper
Want nothing and the people will find everything
Excerpt From Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/tao-te-ching/id634588916?mt=11
86° Mostly Cloudy
To rule the state, have a known plan
To win a battle, have an unknown plan
To gain the universe, have no plan at all
All my life, my most pressing question has always been Now what? If I were on an all expense paid vacation on a beautiful island - staying in the penthouse suite - I would never be able to really enjoy the moment, because my brain is always screaming that unending question.
I find it funny, that I have been reading the Taoteching for over 10 years now. So many of the verses move me deeply as I read them. But, the living them out has always been a challenge.
Only half in jest, I like to say that I was not raised properly by humans, instead I had to fend for myself. Had I not been taken in and raised by wolves, I would have likely starved. Now, of course, this is not literally true, but figuratively without question it is accurate. Maybe you, too, but I find that my parents were wholly incapable of fulfilling their parental obligations- except in the basic sense of room and board.
Wisdom, or compassion or even selflessness were never on the menu.
So, it is understandable that I would be an anxious, fearful child - and grow to be the same sort of adult. Ever vigilant, never feeling safe, I always felt a kinship with Jason Bourne. There are always threats to be confronted - and neutralized whenever possible. If only I had his superpowers, though…
But, life is always presenting to us redemption opportunities. The problem with those opportunities is that they are usually disguised as painful lessons. For me, a nasty, protracted divorce in mid-life presented a mulligan of sorts - an opportunity for a do-over.
Thankfully, the wonderful therapist I found and the work I began - has continued until this day (albeit with another wonderful therapist).
Recently, though a therapy called EMDR https://www.emdr.com I have been able to be free from crippling anxiety that I have always known. I don't think I really ever fully understood how crippling was this anxiety - until it was gone.
I love to tell the story of the man I came upon banging his head against the wall. When I asked him why are you DOING that? - he simply replied, it feels so good when I stop. Fear is like that. Anxiety is like that. It feels so good when you stop.
So, as a shout-out to the universe, I just want to say how blessed I am to feel that sense of relief, too. Really, it feels like I have a new life. Or possibly being freed from prison.
Either way, it is a good place to be. For possibly the first time in my life, I can just be. And live more in the moment than ever before.
Now, is this a panacea? Is everything all rosy now? Of course not. But, it is f'ing wonderful. For the first time in my life, I don't have a plan - and it feels great. So, as Tao 57 says (BTW, 57 is my birth year), to gain the universe, have no plan at all.
OK. I'm in! I like the idea of letting the universe reveal it's splendor. How about you?
Let the universe itself reveal to you its splendor
How do I know this should be so?
Because of this—
The more restrictions, the more poverty
The more weapons, the more fear in the land
The more cleverness, the more strange events
The more laws, the more lawbreakers
So, my new plan is this (not really a plan, though) - act with a pure heart, love life, and give without condition.
Thus the Sages say,
Act with a pure heart and the people will be transformed
Love your own life and the people will be uplifted
Give without conditions and the people will prosper
Want nothing and the people will find everything
Excerpt From Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/tao-te-ching/id634588916?mt=11
86° Mostly Cloudy
Sent from my iPad
Comments
Post a Comment