Here's what the grab bag offered up today.
By not exalting the talented you will cause the people to cease from rivalry and contention.By not prizing goods hard to get, you will cause the people to cease from robbing and stealing.By not displaying what is desirable, you will not cause the people's hearts to remain undisturbed.Therefore, the Sage's way begins byEmptying the heart of desires,Filling the belly with food,Weakening the ambitions,Toughening the bones.In this way he will cause the people to remain without knowledge and without desire, and prevent the knowing ones from any ado.Practice Non-Ado, and everything will be in order.
Whoa. Way wise. Next.
He who knows does not speak.He who speaks does not know.Block all the passages!Shut all the doors!Blunt all the edges!Untie all tangles!Harmonize all lights!Unite the world into one whole!This is called the Mystical Whole,Which you cannot court after nor shun,Benefit nor harm, honour nor humble.Therefore, it is the Highest of the world.
Both of these spoke to a couple my deepest weaknesses. Pride/vanity and love of gossip. Traits I've been working to control over the past couple months. Not easy. Hell, it's easier to stay away from chocolate than to control bad emotional habits. I'd go into more detail, but my eyes are starting to shut. It's bedtime. My body is telling me so.
How about I take you out with my big news? :) I've been invited to serve with Peace Corps Zambia as a forestry extension agent. I leave February 14, Valentine's Day. Holy shit, things are happening....
Ooh Zambia. Magical. Tao Te Ching is just one of those books that hits you between the eyes sometimes, and you get that inspiration from deep within, that best part of yourself that gets dirtied up in the day to day bullshit.
ReplyDeleteI want to go to freakin Zambia.
Kung fu yoga ballet PCP reunion camp in Zambia? There's no surfing, but there's Victoria Falls. AND, we can all do this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyDHLouV-BE&NR=1
Wow, congratulations! Must be nice to have a little something to wrap your mind around. Lemme know when that PCP reunion is and I'll see you there... :)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Jenny -- downloading the new Girl Talk as I type....
ReplyDeleteohhh yeah! zambia. victoria falls. gorge swinging! c'est incroyable.
ReplyDeletecongratulations! sounds like good, important work. and now you can start to prepare yourself, knowing where you'll be. crazy good stuff!
count me in for the adventure reunion...
Fantastic. Big congrats, Jen
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I'm sorry I missed this when it happened. I lived in Botswana for two years and it's a fantastic region. Plus one of my closest local friends there was Zambian, so I got a little of the flavor of the people. The only time I actually spent in Zambia itself was at Victoria Falls, and it was well worth it. Make sure you go when you can swim in the Devil's Pool at the top of the falls. Amazing. You're going to be great there. Forestry! In Zambia!
ReplyDelete