Rose I'm writing this because I was impressed that you knew I am a Taoist. That along with the fact that I had brought the Tao TehToai Ching and Hua Hu Ching to read in class seems a bit too coincidental. I was also reading up on some Taoist beliefs last night on the computer. Indeed it has been some time since I had read anything regarding the Tao. Perhaps this is because I am completely at ease with myself these days that I no longer much need to read anything on the Tao as I now practice living such a lifestyle without a second thought.
It has come to my attention that many people think a number of things when it comes to how I live my life. I get the impression that there are feelings of confusion, respect, jealousy, misunderstanding, amongst other things. Regardless of the wording, I think a good synonym for all of these words would be weird. People simply don't understand how I live my life. I've therefore decided to give you a basis as to how I live my life so you all can achieve a better understanding of all the weird things I do.
One of the Taoist teachings to to never take credit for your own actions. There are a lot of things I do without telling anybody because of my humility. That being said, to show how I live my life, I will be speaking of such things. It may come off as sounding cocky at times, but it is only to show you how I follow the Tao.
There are two core beliefs I try to live my life under. These would be communism and Taoism. I will however focus mostly on the Taoist aspect as the communist aspects tend to fit into the Tao.
The Tao teaches us many things which can help better ourselves. The main point I get from the Tao is how to live a healthy and humble life. Many friends and family have called me a health nut because of my eating habits and work out routine. I eat two meals a day and work out alone in my room for an hour each day. I have also ceased drinking and smoking. The Tao teaches not to have things in excess and for all things to be in moderation. It also stresses that your body is a temple that must be respected otherwise it will fall apart. Because of this, I make sure to never be a glutton and I try to avoid unhealthy foods. I haven't had a piece of cake in years. Everyday I see fellow students eating 2-3 plates of food each day, smoking and drinking excessively, and never trying to make up for that by doing any form of exercise. Many students and people in general are naive and believe that they are still going strong and are not aware that the damage being done to them is only noticeable on the inside. Only after years of such abuse will it only then become physically prevalent. Slowly the people gain weight but will not head to the signs until it is too late. They have lost all control over themselves at this point. I work to prevent that from happening to me to the best of my abilities.
My health is excellent because I take things in moderation. My body feels great and the long term benefits of having such good health will keep me positive and happy for years to come. Many of my male counterparts could not walk around with their shirt off without some sense of self-consciousness. I can't say I am one of those people. The Tao teaches us to accept who we are but also to strive towards not giving into our weaknesses. Thus I am comfortable with my body. If these other guys can take off their shirt without a second thought then good for them! I feel many would not be able to honestly say that though.
Being comfortable with one's body brings me to my next point which is humility. Let me address this now. I know that I am a good looking man. The Tao teaches us to accept the pros and cons of ourselves but to never take advantage of them. In regards to this and to my looks, I often can notice when a woman is attracted to me. The opportunity to be with any number of women is apparent to me but I do not take advantage of it. For one thing I am falling in love with a beautiful woman from Cliffside Park. Even though the opportunity to get with many women has been apparent, (and Rose I must thank you greatly for helping me fight these urges off) I have done no such thing. The Tao says that we should not take advantage of a good thing because it will eventually lead to one's downfall. Indeed many good things can go awry because of abuse. My mother suffers from migraine headaches and frequently takes pills for it. It would work fine at first but soon she relied on it to much and the positive effects it had wore off and no longer help her fight off these migraines. I follow this logic in a number of things in my life including my looks. Oftentimes I go to class looking like a slob. The reason for this is that I am comfortable with my appearance. The need to get approval from others ceased a long time ago because I've accepted my flaws and I've accepted my gifts. They may think I look like an idiot but I am happy with my appearance so what they say really has no sway over me. Too many people let others decide how they will react but I try to avoid letting that happen with me. I also usually don't intentionally dress up either unless the need for it arises! This can help prevent possible uncomfortable situations I have found myself in before. I am simply the messy guy in the corner who looks like he has nothing going on for him in his life. That is how I'd like to be seen. Not as some great man because of my looks or my intellect. Their approval or disapproval should not come into play for me.
The next step in my life is honesty. If asked for I will give my honest opinion to most people. I have however been with people who cannot accept advice or even the truth and are much more happy with lies. The Tao teaches that these types of people should be left alone to follow their own paths, walking aimlessly around. If it leads to their downfall, I can at least be at ease with myself because I know that I attempted to help them, even if the truth was bitter and ugly. Then there are others who are more at peace with themselves and know when what someone says is the truth. I can say I am one such person. I've often been accused of being a "preacher" thinking he can help everyone. I accept that advice and am working on ceasing to be like that. I remember hearing a good quote once regarding honesty but I sadly cannot remember who said it. "I once had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical modesty. I chose the former and have seen no need to change ever since." Be truthful to yourself and others I always say!
The final part I wish to speak of is the belief of putting others before yourself. Indeed during my days on the intramural soccer team last semester, if one had asked who sat out most on the bench, that would be me. I always made sure others got their playing time and even allowed players of a much lower level to play more than me. I did this to ensure their happiness and thus my happiness as well. This is just one example of the many humble things I do. During the summer I volunteer at two camps back to back. Many people do it simply for community service hours but that never once came up in my mind when I do the camps. I do it just to do it really. I don't have any deep or profound reasonings behind why I do it. I just like it thats all. Not many people can say they would clean up human feces without a second thought but I've been in that situation and done it. Doing this isn't for everyone though and if you are just doing it merely for the service hours, then you need to set your priorities on what is important in life. I had one woman rudely ask me once if I had done more community service hours than anyone in the room. To this I truthfully said yes. Not because I was arrogant, but because I was being honest and told the truth. People try to do these selfless acts but always find themselves making excuses for themselves by saying they don't have the time or they need to work for money. I don't make excuses for my actions. I just do it.
Honesty, modesty, humility and good health. These are the four beliefs I try to follow. It has shaped me into who I am. Everyday I wake up happy because of what I have made myself. I am happy even with my flaws even though I work to prevent them from impeding on me. People let themselves be held back from doing a number of things because of fear. Just learn to be comfortable with yourself and you shall see everything go your way. The Taoist does not do anything. He lets others believe they did it themselves. You can say the role of the Taoist is to give someone a unnoticeable nudge forward. These are just a few of many examples of how I live my life. If you're curious, you can ask me how I've "nudged" you in the past. You probably didn't notice it at all! And with that I leave you with the wise words of Lao Tzu.
7
Heaven is long-enduring and earth continues long. The reason
why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is
because they do not live of, or for, themselves. This is how they are
able to continue and endure.
Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in
the foremost place; he treats his person as if it were foreign to him,
and yet that person is preserved. Is it not because he has no
personal and private ends, that therefore such ends are realised?
