River Gazer

Relax everyone. Maybe this will help: There is truth and falsity within all things. Nietzsche had many good points, but, at least, was flawed in that he was not careful about knowing the minds of others and compensating appropriately... Let it be known that had he simply spent more time working on his wording, your reactions would be entirely different. Wise men prepare themselves when they journey. It's unwise to be a Taoist it you cannot look reasonably at all things, without strong attachment. I wont pick sides, so this goes for both of you. The mind is a sanctum. A place of time and tide, which used right, can open worlds. If one understands that the only true way satisfies all, one can use it without arrogance or great error.

I'm more the 'adventure' type, but yeah. I also love blacksmithing, metallurgy, woodworking... or basically anything archaic. If it still has a use in society, it's now hallowed. I've tried to find ways to retire early... or hopefully never get a job in the first place. If i ever figure this out, ill let everyone know

I should have clarified... It's not that I didn't know there was more to Nietzsche... I believe it was Chuang Tsu that said that if the name of the Tao ever becomes something tossed around by intellectuals, abandon it and create a new name. The human walks far from the natural way. He is arrogant. One wrong spice can ruin a whole stew. Hence, even though I'm sure his works are fine, I don't want the attention of associating with Nietzsche. 'but what the people are in awe of cannot be disregarded'

Well, I am vaguely aware of Neitzsche's work. I understand what he's saying, but I don't like the attention... It's not bad here, but go around in some parts saying 'God's dead', and you'll get f#$%ing shot. Most philosophers just see him as a troublemaker. For reference, I haven't read any of his work. I've only read the Tao Te Ching in full... I don't care for anything longer-wind than that

I'm not entirely sure what happened... you might have mis-read what i was saying...

Some, including me if I've gained any reputation, believe that Chaung Tsu actually created Lao Tsu and the Tao Te Ching, basically and a user-friendly version of his thoughts. Does Lao Tsu not seem a bit too mythical? --------- Edit: Also, thanks marbehead

Two words... Damn straight. I've been an anarchist longer than I've been a Taoist. I've only been a Taoist since I was about 16 years old... I'd say I could be counted as an anarchist since I was 8. I was 6 when I realized that, philosophically, I was on my own. Edit: Speeling, type-Os

Life is difficult. To find truth is to love ourselves first. Nations fueled by desires-that-will-never-be, belief in leaders that don't care, and fear for an enemy that was never there. There is a vast difference between caring for another and caring for your nation. Love yourself too much to love your country. Take care of the real, not the conceptual. This ancient shrine call the human body begs for care. The food you desire, have you enough to afford it, is desired for a reason... Few people do not crave seafood. And there is a reason. Shortly though. I seek a solution. All ranges of solution, to be handed out appropriately. It may be a bit deceptive, but it's better than getting shot, to give lesser explanation when needed. I doubt even half of you don't think in ways that wouldn't get you shot in some parts. The Tao lives in the lowlands, where men hate. I honestly believe that magic is possible, but I also honestly believe it is difficult. There is a reason the arcane, magic or mind, is seen as next akin to impossible. This world is very steady. Such is the nature of Ice, and what this world is, Snow. So many minds. Magic is dangerous. Magic is chaotic. The nature of it is one slip could kill you. Can you imagine the list of dangerous that a shapeshifter evades? Magic is of Ember, to counter, Ice. The only way to be completely safe as a shapeshifter is to understand matters such as the GNOME and all that it results. But as Taoists you should know that the world always takes the hard path, which though they call the easy. My mind simply isn't ready for more, but I have skill in divination, hard won as it is. Searching for an example, I found one. I looked at my moms car. I did not see it's every component, nor would my mind want to. That might actually give me brain damage... I saw that relative, it was well crafted, though I also saw that, as always, there was much to be desired. I hear more than rumor that much of what we buy here in the 'glorious' west is designed to break down, so we have to buy anew. Our so-called efforts of progress are almost entirely destroyed by our own greed. So difficult it is to access such knowledge. I even use it on my path of learning, yet it aids me most when I have a deeper reason to learn. Long this life. From making knives out of stone to... well, the only reason I haven't completed my knowledge on nuclear arms is because I am not comfortable. Turns out all it takes to set off a fission reaction is neutron-releasing radioactives struck to eachother at a specific velocity. What that velocity is, I do not wish to know. Fusion is simple, so, well. Maybe I don't trust myself quite that far. Although it's not ironic in my world, I am nothing but a high school dropout. My learning is assisted by divination. Were there not even knowledge on the velocity you need to strike U235 to U235, i could divine between a few minutes to a few hours. How? That's a question I've been dancing around. I don't know. But could you imagine the joy of a life with magic? Though I vaguely remember a time where I would have found it too easy. People simply lack imagination. Having the forest, beasts and soils taken from them, they manifest new, pained ways. I suggest a meditation. Imagine, and ponder, what your life had been, were everything was provided, food and shelter and company, but you were never raised. Think back as far as you can. If you think far enough back, it goes before a time where petty emotions where manifest. To understand the world you must understand yourself. Physical magic is found through will... Will can be found through depth of mind. Anarchy isn't a state of chaos, but a state of voluntary organization. Let power be on small levels. ------------- Edit: Almost forgot to mention. The reason we crave seafood is because, like most, but not all, of the world, we gave up eating bone marrow a long time ago. Bone marrow is where the body stores it's surplus sulpher. Sulpher is good for energy, good skin, long hair, good joints, and it may have play in the bones. High sulpher foods are seafood, eggs and dairy, though if you know where to get it, marrow is always the best. There are also supher supplements, which I found at a health food store, called MSM, methyl sulphonyl methane, C2H6SO2. Watch out if you start taking them... some peoples body, to say the least, aren't accustomed to that much dietary sulpher... Take em on a weekend

It's nice to see someone understand my work so well... Half of my 22 year life has poured, every waking minute, into this. 50,000 hours, finding myself and truth, as I slowly watch the people whom i used to call friends falling and never getting up. Perhaps, or not, a topic for another time, work is necessary, but so inflexible... Who's to say that a well-educated man can't simply work part time and make a comfortable living with free time rather that an extravagant living without the energy to enjoy it. What a strange world this is. Either I'm insane or the rest of the world is, and I know who I place my bets on.

Didn't know Neitzsche said it.

It's been a long life, no matter how young I am. Day in and day out pondering. The neverending washing sea. I have a theory, prominent amongst the prominent. When I say that it has been a long life, I do not lie. From woodworking to metallurgy, to ancient skills such a flintknapping, just because I felt I should know. When you are awash in the ocean, you might as well swim. I struggle to summarize. I don't enjoy doing so, so I will not. This post, like the Great Tao, will be long and winding. I will not be content until this reality makes sense. Nothing else matters. There is nothing to enjoy other than perhaps taking a walk or food, and that can only take up so much of my day. My theory is simple. Wisdom is will, will is magic. Reality is steady. Why? It takes belief, righteous or wrong, to dedicate yourself to intellect or duty. We plenty of belief. Frightening amounts. But what is magic? It can also be called ESP, but the only magic that's fun is telekinesis. With telekinesis and the wisdom to use it right, every day could be a phenomenal adventure. But why is magic so hard? As long as you've researched it and have an open mind, you will know that magic probably exists. Though there are alot of charlettons who guise for money or regard, I have seen plenty which makes me believe it could exist, and my minor skills with ESP, which I call Farsight, agree with me, but its too hard to describe. In a world of magic, the only responsibility is to common sense, and the only limitation of fun is your own imagination, and that seems pretty damn good to me. The possiblity is worth every last inch I have. I believe thoroughly that the reason that magic is inaccessible is that our intellect, collective intellect, has gone too far beyond our wisdom. Like a scale, when weight is pressed too hard on one side, the plate hits the ground the scale rests on, not to be lifted again by any small force. To rebalance it, we need weight on the other side (in this case, dream/heart to oppose intellect/structure). But I also believe that willing it into existence isn't enough. We also need to pursue Tao... center, depth... For even in balance, too small a scale can bend and break. The true meaning of the soul is the gauge of our inner-strength, and when it is over-encumbered, it becomes bent. Soul is found amongst the winds and the water. Now, I must remind people that the colors of yin and yang are highly ornamental. To the north-west, there is structure. To the south-east, there is desire. To the south-west, there is muchness To the north-east, there is littleness. The northwest is represented as an aqua-blue as dark as hematite, and is of mud The south-east is represented by an amber as bright as silver, and is of smoke The south-west is represented by an amber as dark as hematite, and is of coal The north-east is represented by an aqua-blue as bright as silver, and is of mist The north is of violet, means stillness and consciousness, and is of water The west is of black, means of effect, and is of stone The south if of red, means of energy, and is of fire The east is of white, means of time, and is of wind. When coal outweighs, there is violence. When mist is prominent, there is fear When smoke is prominent, there is excess desire When mud is outweighs, there is excess structure Now, that which is of wind, excessively, feels pain. The pain of fear for mist, or the pain of unfulfilledness for smoke. It is not their fault, they must simply be taught strength, of heart, body or mind. That which is of earth inflicts pain... the pain of violence of the pain of forcing of belief, coal and mud respectively. It is not their fault, they are lost, but they do have to be stopped somehow. Just as gracefully as possible. This world is of water and earth. This reality is of water and earth. The extreme of structure and belief has frozen reality, and the smoke of magic cannot be accessed. Magic cannot be accessed until we are light of mind, and to be light of mind is to become targets to the fanatical masses. To do as you do is largely illegal. In a world of 1 gun for nine people (lord of war, worthy movie), I cant walk around with a sword. Swords are so much more poetic, but if you like em, you probably going to be seen as a crazy person who needs to be stopped. Now, wise men of old, like the founding fathers, made sure that most things that shouldn't be illegal are not, though there is still plenty of moral laws. Most of all, there are still alot of morals. Do as your told, never EVER do what you enjoy, and never question the perfect system. You know its true. I wont get into it... Such topics bother people. Desire can bring us pain if we have no control over it, but most desire does not inflict harm. It can be seen as wrong, but it rarely does harm of you look at it objectively. Now, i still haven't been clear on my theory of the universe. Magic will open when you're deep enough. How deep. Infathomable? Such is the Tao. But depth is just that. It's seeing things for what they are. It's understanding things. This doesn't mean beliefs necessarily, though as long as people do not push theirs on others, it is fine. Depth is a funny word. It's like the fine, moist earths that even smoke can love. It's exceeding mud at its own game. It's the rare tough (resistance to shattering) black stones (manganese oxide is black and extremely tough, like rubber, but harder. It makes tough stones). and the pure waters that roll over moss and rock. With enough depth and dream, we can unfreeze this reality, at least for ourselves, and all that reach this plateau can live a life of adventure and dream, and inspire the many. "I have seen many things in a lifetime alone. Mother love is no more in this brave new world." -Iron Maiden If you care to discuss, write.

10Y x 365D x 16Hr = most of my life. I think i'll try to summarize my theory. Reality is frozen by excess of structure and technology. A deep mind equals a deep will equals magic Magic controlled by the deep, though always adventure-seeking equals one bright tomorrow. The eternal majesty of dream

No, if you cut above the fifth vertebrae down from the neck, it will sever the nerves to the heart. As long as there are ten minutes before they can put you on some life-support-from-space, you wont survive.

In my opinion, if you've never thought suicidal thoughts, you're delusional about life. Life is harsh, and it's inhabitants as cold as the moon of Eris. This is a world of stone and ice. At the very least, doth thou deny a man's right to his own life? If you do, you cannot righteously ever claim to believing in freedom again. But then again, when has America ever been about freedom? After guys like Lincoln, Ben and 'Tommy Gun' Jefferson died, America went straight to hell. The easiest way to kill yourself is with a hard, sharp (as hard as you can, and as sharp of a knife as you can hone) to the back of the neck, slipping in between the body's armor of the spinal cord and severing the spinal cord. The knife has to be tilted so that the edge is pointed up a bit. I advise you look at an anatomy chart. But i advise you to be sure on your choices if you are thinking of killing yourself. If you can be patient and ponder the way, there is a solution, hard as it is to find. "Who can be muddled and use constant application to eventually become lucid?" There are many translations of the Tao Te Ching, with alot of influence from Buddhism. Your only job as a Taoist is to ponder freely. To seek answers, small matters and large, is all that matters. There can come a day when things make sense. I have spent a good deal of my life on this way. I should start a topic on this My advice on life is... If you cant see why not, do it. If you can see why not, try to find another way... If you can't find another way, a little inner-peace on the matter never killed. People take life way too seriously.

well, 2,200 people died, so we got 5 1/2 thousand soldiers killed including suicide, and killed a million people. Any race that batshitfuckinginsane is bound to do a little raping, so it seems perfectly reasonable that smile's claims are true. Dont have the link, but i heard a story on one of the darker parts of the internet of a soldeir who was 'highly' intoxicated as well as supposably on heavy over the counter medication that raped what was either a 3 or 9 month year old. Got off scot-free

"Those who speak do not know, those who know do not speak" Here on taobums we not-do speak, in otherwords, we talk without goal, without plan, without intent. My expereience is that when you seek to prove something, you make an arse out of yourself. Been there, done that, was worried id get kicked out by dad for mentioning outlandish claims such as that, i.e. japan is cool, the best politics are a healthy balance between left and right, etc. Seriously, we aint likely gunna judge ya here, but this stuff can be interpeted as feminism. My experience with everything is: A man of peace must know the sword. He rarely executes fallen might, and sometimes allows it uncrippled, But darkness cannot be defeated by a flower. And so forged steel sings in the air, and rends flesh. -me, of course I dont know whether feminism has basis, i wasnt around in the 60s, but to defeat something, you must exeed it one way or another. To defeat darkness you must be strong, to defeat fear you must understand it. And as a peice of advice, 90% of people will just view you as a silly, annoying (im assuming) girl that thinks she's mystical. Thats why taoism preaches speaking rarely and speaks obscurely, as if secretly, because we all know what the world thinks of us, and are simply doing our best to avoid such conflict and keep them from fueling their self-damned machine.

My mind has sat on the idea of likely nuclear war for the last few years. China has 40,000 nukes, NATO has 25,000, almost all owned by America... Quite enough to destroy eachother. Now, here is where it gets tricky. In the event of nuclear war, the prime targets will be cities. After cities are destroyed, much of the rural parts will die of starvation/dehydration. Essentially, the only ones which would survive are the ones unreliant on the system enough to get by in the long term, which is about 0.3% by my best guess. "True propriety "acts" and if you don't respond They will roll up their sleeves and threaten you." -Tao Te Ching, Charles Muller, chapter 38 Now, no one wants nuclear oblivion. As much as this world has earned enormous amounts of ire from me, I don't want everybody to die. I just want either that or them to change. Either way, I ain't dying. I know how to make steel from clay and stone and wood. There isn't a technology in the old world I haven't mastered, and their death will not be shared by me. Virtually all way is waged on propriety. The hatred of another groups on the premise of philosophical superiority. WW2, Nam, Korea, Russian revolution, Maoist revolution, and even if it is not entirely like WW1, it could have been prevented simply by eliminating this factor. The belief that one way is better than another is the root of 99.7% of all non-accidental death on this earth. It is simply that we have to eliminate these ideas (and as an anarchists, the systems going would be nice too) that we are superior to another group. This is the cause of all problems on the earth. Ill stop here for now. Comment if ya got it

Well, perhaps i was using the term 'propriety' a bit liberally... i was referring necessarily to religious propriety, just to the vast concept of believing one way is superior to another, religious, governmental, or cultural. Smile: Completely agreed. I fear death only for its pain, and i meditate against that, to gain will over pain. Froggie: Well, first and foremost, the well-versed use of Google.com, including its image search (for instance, looking up what iron ore looks like), as well as the near-infinite resource called Wikipedia.org can answer most question. I've found out alot of things through the internet as well as some valuable information about the stone age through the earth's children series (clan of the cave bear, valley of the horses, three others) Stone age, copper age, bronze age, iron age, steel age... At about 14 or 16, i decided got into the stone age thing, learned everything i could, and from there, learned basically everything i could in chronological order, of course making sure i didn't miss much (know what you do not know). Just recent, still following time of invetion roughly, i just found out how a semiconductor transistor works, which is the foundation of all computers... i am this *finger and thumb closely held to each other lol* far from being able to hold in my mind the entire working of a computer. This far from knowing every last peice of one. But for instance, im not entirely sure how to build something like a radio transmitter. Why? I am having trouble finding resources on a topic that complicated. The although you have to get a feel for it, the key to web searches in the the language code. +topic means it MUST have this word -topic means it CANT have this word "topic topic and topic" means it must have this exact phrase or words in series -"topic topic and topic" means it cant have this phrase 'tis a powerful resource Im sorry i cannot make a website... i would if i could afford the rather minute monthly fees. i may if i figure out a money source or tighten up my budget some more.

My only worry is that our spiritual progress will not keep up to our technological progress. 2,200 lives lost, we got 5 1/2 thousand killed, killed a million, and fracked over our economy we bombed so much. I did the calculation. Per generation, 1 life will be taken in foreign war per 100 Americans. That's the same as 4 people dying a year in a town of 10,000.

Well, Deep Blue Sea, at least here people talk to ya I'm not really THAT worried. I live my life by the Tao in all ways possible, and it has kept me out of alot of trouble over the years. If i didn't have years of contemplation on my side, id probably be hooting and hollering what i believe, taking bullet wounds, causing trouble, fistfighting pistoleers. Not that it would've been that way if i didn't find the Tao, but i wouldn't have been quite so far along. I take things on a different tone. People take the 'noble idea' of fighting for what they believe in. I assess the risks, shut my yap appropriately, and prepare. This world is a messed up one. It's why martial artists practice, its why philosophers learn to speak so well. I've got nothing better to do anyways. This world aint changing too fast, so I've got ages to ponder on this. Most of all, one can worry, or do something about it. I like the old world anyways, or at least believe we should understand the old world before moving onto the new, so i am protected by my way... i don't live near a city, and in case things go down, i got a bunch of well-honed old tools to use. It may be silly to be a little worried, but in my experience, people can turn psychotic with the right motive... usualy propriety. Redcoats, the north, commies, terrorists... Age after age of dumb crap to get crazy about. It's alot better in Canada, but still. In summary, I'm not really scared, but I am alert.

okay, were a little safer than i thought as long as there is only one [phalus]head

If fundies get on your donkey, tell em River Gazer told you their savior's name isn't even Jesus, its Jeshua. They call em fundies because fun dies

See, I've had an enormous craving for several years for meat since I did all the weightlifting back in grade nine. I mean, I put on 80 lbs of muscle and got stretch marks where you're not supposed to have stretch marks... But its finally starting to pass, and i find parts of my health are at sort of a yellow alert... Little fatigued, bad skin, slow growing hair. Hoping to get a food processor so i can make all sorts of veggie stuffs. What i find often is that anything vegetable is often poorly conceived. V8 is the only thing close to edible vegetable food, and even it has enough tomato and salt to choke a horse. Plannin to make all sorts of mixes like carrots, a few greens, garlic, and spices all mixed into a liquid, just as an example. Spices and stuff rule. My experience is people gotta learn to use em more. Probly good for ya or something too also, sorry for being away for like a year. Been outta sorts. Way too much on my mind.

Hear ye, hear ye, the royal alchemist has spoken, bacon is now good for you. I have been pondering on the subject of nutrition, and I don't frankly trust anyone. Everyone is either a sheep or a quack. Now, back in my younger days working in construction, i always lacked energy on the days I didn't have at least a pound of fatty meat in the morning. I didn't eat heavy at lunch or at night, but breakfast? I has some energy if I ate lean, but not alot... but if i ate, fried fatty meat, i had tons. I didn't tire till after lunch when i ate some crappy sandwich. Now bacon makes you fat. right? Yes and no. You throw it on a dry pan, and it'll fry in its own fat its so fatty... therefore, after a ton of fat is in the pan, and its shriveled up, it still fatty, right? Nope... hardly a gram left. Now, why is low-fat fat good for you? Simple... along with saturated fat, fat stores alot of vitamins and nutrients. So much that you could make a bacon energy drink. Now, I'm not sure how that leaves the meat... im pretty sure its just distillation... it boils in the tissue, escapes, and just condenses 1/4" off the pan. It's like if salt was good for you, and you boiled the water out of salt water. Fat probably doesn't mix too well with air, so it condenses on the pan. Now, i believe nutrition is an elemental thing. Fruit is of fire and wind, vegetables are of water and wind, meat is of fire and earth, and fat is of water and earth. Bone of earth, long-grass of wind, milk of water, and blood of fire... Makes sense to me... Furthering my example, we like milk because its healthy, but reduce the fat... the fatty part of bacon (all of it), fried, is just low-fat fat. Eat my freinds. Eat and have the energy to haul lumber or bucket concrete up a hill. Dont forgot to start eating ground bone of bone's sake, chopped longgrass for the bowel's sake, and boiled blood for the blood's sake. Tell me what you all thing about my theory while I'm OW OW OWing from grease burns. one last thing... my build. My build is average fitness at 300ish lbs. I can almost do a chinup, and about 20 pushups. Basically, a heavy boned fat guy who did alot of weights back in high school. I could bench press 225, curl 50, and leg press 1000lb when i was 15... and thinking of getting back to it If your wondering why I'm not fit, I'm lazy. And I'm lazy because I'm tired... and I'm not tired when I get low-fat fat... so....

I've got Iron Maiden's Brave New World album playing for this. It was the first real CD I ever owned, and still do... hehe, I need more music. I spent my whole damn life trying to find the answers, though it was only a few years ago it became the name of the way itself... before, just contemplations belonging to at least one of double my age. There was a picture I seen, literally writing on the wall... QUESTION EVERYTHING... somewhere in a subway station. Damn. Would've preferred it when i was, like, eight or ten, but fine still during the age of gold. A long path down many roads. Now, after fifteen or so year, eight or ten highly active in this way, i am left with a theory and the mind to back it up. Is the problem on this earth that we have too much, or too little? Taoism, i feel, speaks 'sensibility is rough times', not 'we shouldn't all be prosperous and relaxed' (the second in the context of if EVERYONE was. Ideas on ideas, not one straying from human interest, but human interest being all things. "seeking desirelessness, you see the mystery seeking desirables, you see the ten-thousand things neither should be applied in absolute." Ways to make a thousand gallons of of crop-grade water a day from sludge, or a hundred of drinkable... or a $300 machine pistol that fires twenty rounds per second, or a $2000 sub-machine gun that will be nicknamed the fifth horseman by its fans and fearfuls, depending on it's model quality. But, I'm still pondering questions. I'm sure that if we eventually have enough for cheap we will be content... though I'd still like to see this world depopulating... two kid families are hard to take care of, and this world has enough depressed drones. Anyone who doesn't wish they were never born doesn't live in this world. They're either a bushman or an inventor. Designing isn't my problem. My common sense is always tingling (invention is just when a person DOESN'T lack common sense, and such is a goddamn superpower). How am I going to get all these ideas out there? The trick, for instance, to the super-distiller is simply use a more vigorous boil, more distiller lines, and an cooling system that works on source water (cant be as thick as mud, but nearly as thick is fine) It's a large scale of heat just to bring water to boiling, so why not make it boil harder. Put ten, or a hundred times the boiling power in there, and create fucktons of water. If anyone wants to steal this, that's fine. It's beneficial to people. I'm not going into the gun though. I don't want THAT idea stolen. What do you all think on my theory of contentment is ease of access? Or will the world just bastardize itself from there?