ilumairen

I am part both, and part neither - that often happens with generalities. I have experienced what some would call great suffering, but to me it was just life, and I looked for the best ways to navigate through it. I learned the usefulness of situational awareness at a young age. I listened when I was told that Jesus was the only one who would never let me down, but he did. My mom's suffering would not abate. Religion did not work for me. Later in life I entered into a series of abusive codependent relationships. I realized that the commonality was myself. I worked on myself. I quietly worked my way out of the cycle of abuse that I myself had been unknowingly been perpetuating. If someone crosses my path, and wishes to talk I listen. I tell them that they don't have to accept abuse, but I don't thump them because I know from experience that this is counterproductive. Through out all of this I have been seen as someone exuding great happiness. Happiness that I did indeed feel when nothing was going wrong. In my life there are moments of this and moments of that. I respond, and sometimes react, to the moment I am in - sometimes whole, sometimes healed, and sometimes damaged.

When I look at the butcher storey the thing that jumps out at me is that it is the storey of a man who was just doing his job - albeit his awareness and skill made him extraordinarily good at it. Manitou, in my understanding of wu wei, it is quite possible that you not only did have chance to apply it in your working life, but that, at least once, if you did the same job with the same people for any length of time (thereby increasing your likelihood of the awareness that enables such skill) you did wu wei - even if you didn't have a word to describe it. While many people push, bully, and grasp their way through life, I have yet to find someone who has never experienced wu wei in at least one thing. It could be something as simple as making grandma's meatloaf or playing a game of darts. Even the man who attempts to create the most drama for me at work has bow hunting.

This happens where I work, but it breeds alot of contention with the watchers/gossipers. They think the bosses should 'do something', and they stand around and watch and gossip and get themselves all worked up - never realizing that if the bosses were to do the somethings that they want they would be included in the something being done.

I don't see negativity in Chapter 18. I see as clear of a picture of the 'what is' of a society that can be painted.

Just as it is up to others what they wish to plant. If they like showy dahlias, I'm content to let them plant and cultivate dahlias - even if I personally prefer the carefree ease of zinnias.

Thank you for the warm welcome Yueya and soaring crane. I work in a place where people are overly concerned about others. So I like to remember that it isn't my place to tend other's gardens. It can, of course get much wordier than that, but the pithy version seems more appropriate for an intro thread. :-)

Thank you for the welcome.