Don't envy me. Just appreciate the experience and perhaps you will (or already have) experience a similiar one.
I envy you for your dedication to Taoism and your knowledge.
At my high school, once you finish your Freshman history course (Modern European or Contemporary) and your Sophomore history course (US History with different levels of difficulty), you may take one of many different history courses, including Post War, Economics, Dictators, Psychology, Western...
Taoism may or may not be as widely practiced as it was, say, 1000 years ago. However, the philosophy lives on.
The Tao is never ending. There never was a time when it did not exist, nor will there ever be a time when it does not exist. It is the essence of life.
It tremendously increases flexibility. There's a test called a "sit and reach" test to measure flexibility. I reached 20" before yoga, and could do 34" after 3 months, but now I can only do like a 25". Some of the poses and quicker movements do get you sweating, but more challenging...
Metaphorically speaking, I think the sword is very sharp today.
The stakes are high, and everyone is in competition from a local level to a global level. Athletes take performance enhancing substances, children compete a little too hard in "recreational" sports, parents want their kids to be...
Aha!
I found another example, from the Tao Te Ching. The Tao Te Ching says it is not the wood that makes the house useful, it is the "emptiness" inside the wood -- that is, the open space. :)
Don't take such a strong opinion on his decisions, as hard as it may be. Attempt to see why he made that choice. There may be 100 bad parts, but 1 good part may exist.
Oh ... Master Vigil, you used my reply.
I was going to use the second quote from the Tao Te Ching about usefullness in emptiness. That quote is fairly early on in the Tao Te Ching. Oh, well. Good topic, though.
Do any of you practice yoga?
I took a yoga class for 3 months, and found yoga to be one of the most relaxing (both physically and mentally) things I have ever done. I still practice yoga, but I should do it more often. Flexibility is always a good thing ...
Anyway, if you do, what do you do...
I agree with you to an extent, Master Vigil. Not only do human minds label events or situations "good" or "bad."
Certainly, when an animal gets injured, he or she realizes the experience is negative and painful. In contrast, when an animal catches dinner, it is content.
The concept of "good"...
You may call me "sage."
I am an American teenager. A teenage male, to be slightly more precise.
I write poetry, paint (though not very well), daydream, play guitar, attempt to write my own songs, think, read, exist, and question. I also enjoy athletics and summertime - especially days spent...
I agree with Michel's original reply. If every action or experience was "GOOD," then we would not truly appreciate how "GOOD" it was, as we would not be aware that worse experience could occur.
We need "BAD" in order for "GOOD" to work. We need both yin and yang.
Simply put, everything, living or not, possesses its own "inner nature," and energy. The level or strength of energy and the kind of inner nature depends on the object and other variables involved (purpose, etc...)
When objects are made from other objects, their inner nature and energy is, of...