CityHermit!

Yes apparently they do there, and also in the Tarim Basin.

I am not sure myself and I should check that out.

Among the topics regarding Libya and the fall of Qaddafi, one that is less often discussed are the energy related deals he had been making with China. The loss of him was a blow to them, something to consider. Now take the South China Sea, lots of speculation on hydrocarbon reserves there but that's only one reason why various nations are at odds over it. Another factor is its role as a route for commerce, which would be one way that oil from other nations would get to China and theoretically elsewhere under the premise of freedom of navigation. But for Taiwan, I don't think meeting China's demand for energy will make that issue go away without also a change in ideology on China's part. There's more I could say regarding other neighbors but that goes back much further in history too.

Oh my

Must be another one of my honest mistakes, however it was a fair assumption given how quickly I was jumped before when being accused of bias against conservatives. I was half expecting there to be more responses from more people when I had returned after a long week. That would be another thread worthy topic, perhaps multiple threads, and I would start those at some point. However, I have to disagree about these things being out of place in this thread. The thread after all is "Defining the Left and the Right" and I have been posting about this in an expanded and international sense. Discussing left and right in US politics is just too narrow. Discussing China, and regarding international relations at that, is on topic within the context of Hegelian Dialectics that I had mentioned earlier. I cordially asked for comments yet there weren't any. Is it something others are that unfamiliar with? It may be my opinion in saying this but I think that is the jewel that everyone here may be missing out on.

Not to mention the portion of US national debt that China holds. The disagreements with Canada and Europe are one thing, and hopefully that smooths over, but circumstances are a little different with allies in Asia. Most of them can't really defy the US in the way the Western ones can, not that they should be deprived of doing so, regarding the economic issues. Militarily, even though they're mostly outmatched by China, they're doing better in coordinating things in a way that makes it difficult for China to make sudden moves. Vietnam, India, and Myanmar are some examples that come to mind.

Of course. But Trump did initiate it and I am curious as to why and what for. I do have speculations but they are premature. I don't think it will get out of hand, at least not for the US. When the SSE crashed a few years ago I had made some comments about it as such before it happened at another venue. China still has yet to recover from that and their economic growth is slowing, plus real estate issues and other things. The US can afford to take some losses in the mean time so long as China does, which seems to be the case so far. Classic attrition, but they have far more mouths to feed and fewer international allies coordinated and ready for the consequences.

He is definitely cracking down on long entrenched corruption, though whether it is out of altruism or political rivalry is another question. The thing is, despite his overwhelming concentration of power he does indeed have rivals that are not that easy to deal with. I believe one such faction would be the Jiang Zemin one, the same guy who started the crackdown on the Qigong movement. I'm not for autocrats but I would be happy if he dealt with that group in an appropriate manner. In any case, to get to where is he is now he is probably not someone to be underestimated. I say that last part more for our sake. The military expansion, particularly regarding the South China Sea, is a complicated matter. One obvious point is regarding Taiwan. Another thing is that policy towards the South China Sea is also influenced by hawks in the PLA. I had read that back during Deng Xiaoping's time, or if I am mistaken then perhaps his successor, that the Chinese Communist Party were able to better secure loyalty from the PLA against the backlash from Tianenmen on the condition that the policy towards the South China Sea was a hawkish one. Events in the following years says as much. I do worry that Trump may not be wary of the likes of Xi or that he may be unprepared to deal with China long term. The one thing I do appreciate in Trump's policy is a strong one regarding China, though there is a little story behind that too. It's the one thing that makes me patient with him. But again, Xi will likely be in the same position after Trump is out office so long term planning is key. The trade war and tariffs thing, one more reason why Chinese politics is relevant for Westerners as well.

I've always enjoyed your posts and can tell you are a very solid figure. I don't find inconsistencies to your approach to things. I myself can't claim any sort of loftiness but I think I've made more than enough mistakes and problems in my life for others besides myself that I feel I should make up for it. Not to mention that I feel that if I didn't have a sense of virtue that I'd get lost in nihilism, and I almost have at more than one point in my life. Without trying to project the same onto others, I feel that I owe Taoism and Taoists very much. It/they saved my life essentially.

One more thing for now, to dispel the notion of modern Chinese politics being a fringe topic and in a manner independent from Taoism, since many posters seem to be so keen on current events then may I also venture to guess that you would have familiarity with the events surrounding the South China Sea as well? It's another thread worthy topic I think I will start. First I better get to that Xi Jinping one.

For reference:

Who is we and why is that? It could be said that it's under modern Chinese politics that Taoists in China have suffered the worst, and not just them but all sorts of groups. It also could be said that the conditions of modern Chinese politics were fomented by Western sources as described earlier. So Westerners, not simply Western Taoists, do bear some responsibility that is difficult for anyone to escape from so long as Chinese made products are a crux of economic consumption. I would go as far as to say there is a moral obligation here. My impression is that you would be detached from that notion, so I would ask if not in this case then under what circumstance would you consider there to be responsibility and moral obligation? Before considering any answer that suggests Taoism being detached from morality I want to point out that compassion is one of the three treasure as described in Laozi. Frugality is another, which can be mentioned in regards to earlier said economic consumption. Now these same questions are open for anyone to answer or discuss, but since you Aetherous said "we" and there has been no further responses, I might venture to think you are representing the others here. Another thing Aetherous, it seems that it was you who posted on another thread comments about glp, so you knew what it was yet remained silent about it in this thread after its mention. Perhaps you could explain to your friend joeblast about it, given he seems to be wholly unfamiliar. Would you disagree to my assessment that he might appreciate such a venue? Again, anyone feel free to jump in and take your time as I have a lot of personal obligations that restricts my time here so it may often be the case that I can't respond right away, though I will in all due time.

No I don't. But again, nearly 500 pages of Trump, a thread added to every day. I don't see the same level of activity for Daoist topics on a Daoist forum. I wouldn't think it odd if this were a forum on US politics. To say that Chinese politics would be a fringe item to me suggests Westerners wanting the gifts of emigrating Daoists without appreciating their sacrifice. Obliviousness at best and ungratefulness/disrespect/thievery at worst. I think I will make that thread, though it will have to be a day when I have more free time.

That's why I figured better not to add risk for them. Even if they're not posting anything that sounds seditious, if I or others did I am concerned it could come back to them or at least made it harder for them to access the site.

To start with, I just want to point out that I find it more than odd that a thread debating about Trump is on its way to 500 pages while other topics closer to the heart of Daoism don't have nearly as much content. I also notice that this may have been a more recent development, and by suddenly I mean within the last couple years. In the years before I only glanced at the site here and there, and didn't really see much political focus if any. Then again I did not have an account and did not have access to Off-Grid, so maybe I just wasn't seeing it where it would be. I'm well aware of the political references in DDJ and other texts, and I'm familiar enough with Chinese history and the role Daoism has had with regards to it and related politics. I would expect that anyone else who is can also appreciate the struggle Daoists have had against the political climate of their times. If anything that applies all the more in contemporary times than dynastical ones given the Cultural Revolution and other events. It's because of the desperate circumstances following those events that Westerners can get the privilege of being exposed to Daoism in ways that even many Chinese could not throughout the course of history. I can expect Westerners not interested in Daoism to not care, but I have a hard time understanding why Western Daoists on a Daoist forum would not care. I also have a hard time understanding why those so interested in domestic politics would be so oblivious to the context of China in our foreign relations and how that in turns gets tied back to domestic politics as well. Again, it's just very odd that posters could be so detached from anything regarding China yet debate over a single US election passionately enough as to virtually be at each others throats over it, long time members who seem to know each other fairly well nonetheless. It just does not add up to me. I did notice a Chinese language section and I assumed posters in there could be from China, so I guessed that a lack of discussion on Chinese politics could be for their own safety if anything. If there were no qualms about it and no risk to anyone, I would have a lot to say more about China. Maybe I could start a "talk Xi Jinping" thread.

Why is a longtime Taoist forum suddenly so political anyway? How about commentary about politics in China/Asia? Would such discussion be a liability for Chinese users who potentially face repercussions by their government?

Well, ideally natural food and various unique cuisines. There's a lot of history to the diffusion of food items and cooking too, that's a thread worthy topic in its own right.

Ok, a question has been on mind. Since it has been asked if various practices are implicit within the Laozi and Zhuangzi, I want to also ask are there also passages that imply semen retention? In other words does the practice of semen retention go back to the Laozi and Zhuangzi and if so, where?

Not to divert from the topic but sometimes I've come across archaeological discoveries of ancient axes that change the way how we understand how humanity developed in the past. In any case, it may be possible that further archaeological discoveries could give us more insight on the development of Taoism perhaps or related principles and practices. I would hope so at least.

I did not know Christian missionaries translated it that way. I like learning new things, basically what I want to get out of a forum in the first place. Thanks.

Put it all together and throw a party. Parties can bring people together despite their differences too.

I was curious about the idea of filial piety sounding Christian because of the history of Christianity and Judaism and the rest of the world where they have interacted. It's odd to me for a number of reasons. Christianity places emphasis on Jesus' heritage in regards to Judaism, his genealogy, etc. In the context of the thread topic, there are also elements of royal succession, if considering lineage to David. So there is that sense of filial piety by Jesus to his Judaic heritage. On the other hand, he wasn't accepted as Messiah by various Judaic factions at that time. Instead of being recognized as King of the Jews by other Jews, his followers basically overthrew the Roman Empire so he essentially became their emperor instead, metaphysically if not physically. This lead to the citizens of the Roman Empire to turn away from their own ancestral heritage. This in turn happened with many other regions that Christianity had spread too. So to me there is an irony that in as far as Jesus is filial, many Christians are not as a result. Unless, one wants to make the argument that being filial rests in submitting to YHVH, and therefore all within the Abrahamic faiths are filial. Still, it gets complicated for other reasons, particularly when accounting for the East. Just some thoughts.

I don't know, I don't have anything to say about dignity and respect on the matter regarding anyone. Only that he seems to be more familiar with the history of British royalty than many Britons, which to me is ironic.

In the spirit of the thread though, I do think food is a good way to bring people together despite their differences.

Stopping states from going to wars or oppressing their populace is one thing, but to take the element of conflict out of human nature is another. Fighting with the family, arguing with the spouse, chastising the kids, disputing with the neighbor, how about all that stuff? It starts there.