wandelaar

Within reason, or also on topic? The reason I left the Discord version is that there anyone can say what they want in any topic. The result is that fanatics who cannot help themselves will spoil the whole place with their unhinged rantings. That's why complete freedom for an internet forum doesn't work. What would you do when someone on your new forum continually posted extremist political content all over the place that had nothing to do with the Taoist and spiritual topics discussed? My impression is that you are avoiding to consider the crucial thing that is at stake here: how to allow "talking politics" on a forum devoted to Taoism (and spirituality) without disrupting the discussion of Taoism (and spirituality) itself. Original Dao had a hidden part of the forum for the discussion of controversial subjects, but the Discord version (as far as I know) has refused to do so with the predictable result that it's being misused as a mouthpiece by political extremists. You will have take a solid stand in this matter or history will repeat itself.

@Straybird I just took another look at the Discord successor of Original Dao, and apparently it's still alive and kicking. So if you like to see your discussions on Taoism larded with Joe Blast's lunatic conspiracy theories, then that's the place to be. On Original Dao that kind of bullshit was at least abandoned to a hidden part of the forum so that normal people could talk about Taoism and spirituality without having to wade through right wing extremist propaganda. I think that that's the real reason why there is hardly any activity on or interest for Original Tao - not that it's on Reddit but that people who like the right wing extremist kind of stuff already have a place to go. Or is your aim to rather create a place where old-fashioned conservatives (and thus not the Trumpian variety) would feel at home?

Homework done: Source: https://ctext.org/dao-de-jing

What practical advice for daily life is contained in the Tao Te Ching? Can you give some relevant quotes?

What makes you think people hate Reddit?

Now who is giving homework here?

There is one line of the TTC that I think I remember but cannot find anymore: The Sage sees the easy as difficult. This is a very important approach, whether it is actually in the TTC or not . Most of the hassle in daily life happens because we underestimate the amount of work necessary to accomplish even apparently easy tasks. We tend to see ourselves as the center of the universe to whom our immediate surrounding will have to obey willy-nilly. But that's not the way the world works. Taking a more detached viewpoint makes for a better appreciation of what can and what cannot be done. And consequently leads to a more relaxed way of life.

Retracted.

These seem to be the themes relevant to daily life about which the TTC has something to say: Knowledge and wisdom Moderation and modesty Humility and compassion Desire, wealth and greed Good and bad Simplicity, stillness and silence Fear and imperfection The female, child and family Yielding Longevity and death Seeing clearly War and violence (Based on: https://www.taoistic.com/taothemes/ )

Quotes from the TTC ordered according to the more important themes can be found here: https://www.taoistic.com/taothemes/

@Shadow_self I never said the TTC is only about politics. It's about politics, metaphysics, daily life, strategy, mysticism, meditation, simple living, creative thinking, ... But the song remains the same: it's no use discussing with (true) believers.

You might be right, maybe things have changed. I don't know...

It's an easy win when the other side has no way to express it's own interpretation.

It's been a busy day and it's getting late now. I would have read the whole TTC again to pick out the chapters. I hope to find the time to do so some other day.

I rest my case.

Are there no parts of the received translation of the TTC that you agree upon, and that are relevant to this topic?

Yes - that's the fate of all classic religio-philosophical texts. People usually refuse to read what they say, and instead make them say what they want by means of allegorical and symbolical reinterpretation. If you like the TTC that way, so be it.

@Shadow-self Sure - just read the Tao Te Ching.

Something wrong?

There's no need for another forum to talk politics pure and simple, because there are more than enough of them already. There might be a place for a forum to talk about Taoist conceptions of government that doesn't rule out right wing interpretations by decree of the site owner. But I doubt if such a limited subject matter would be enough to start a new forum with. After all even OriginalDao was about Taoism and spirituality in the broadest sense. I don't understand why one would like to talk about politics pure and simple (that is: unrelated to Taoism) on a Taoist forum. I have no problem with Reddit as a way to start a new forum, and see how it goes.

Suppose the new forum would contain just a few new post every week, no more. And on most days there would be no activity at all. Would you still consider it a success then? If I remember well that was the level of activity at the end of the Original Dao. You could start on Reddit, that's a good idea. But you have to realize that Reddit isn't completely free either. Personally I don't even think it wise to have a forum that's completely free, because that would mean that the most fanatic and bullying characters would dominate the discussions. The carefully chosen words of those who speak but little would drown in the chatter and agitation of those who like to hear themselves. Such would certainly not be a Taoist forum. Particularly not when all Taoist topics that can safely be discussed here on TDB are not discussed on the new OriginalTao forum. What Taoist topics would then be left for the new forum? In my opinion the basic rule for any forum should be civility. What I disliked here when I joined OriginalDao was the Political Correctness that was added to the demand for civility.

As for myself I miss the philosophical discussions we had before the split up. It's now mainly about esoteric Taoism and kindred traditions here. Which I don't care about.

I don't think that would work. Reddit has it's own rules and regulations, and you will likely find out that many things that aren't allowed here aren't allowed on Reddit either. Furthermore a forum devoted solely to those things that aren't allowed here could hardly be called a Taoist forum.

Which forum do you mean by "this forum"?

With such modest expectations there's not much that can go wrong. ;-) One last question: what's the page originaltao.com for?