mrtiger

Agree. There was another recent report which has linked marijuana use to low IQ - see here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19372456 If you want to see what legalisation looks like, Amsterdam is a pretty good bench mark. I think it's fair to say that it didn't really work as the city became a haven for drug tourists and in turn the criminal activity that (ironically) came with that.

Ha, I was very tempted to bring a cat home. I don't want to make excuses but knowing the personalities of my existing two cats (one of whom was a pregnant stray, the other is one of her sons) they wouldn't be happy. Not to mention pet passports etc. And it really is a drop in the ocean. Plus they seem to have fun in the sun and they live differently, often in big groups. Perhaps I should be viewing the Greek cats more as wild animals which are a bit different to the domestic pets we have in the UK

I had a cat dilemma in Greece recently. If you've ever been to any of the Greek Islands you'll probably know that semi-wild domestic cats are pretty much everywhere you look. For example if you sit down at a restaurant seemingly in the middle of nowhere it's likely that one or more cats will appear to beg for food. Apparently they beg for food in the summer and in the winter they retreat to the forests to try and catch whatever is there. It seems strange to me coming from the UK as stray cats are very much the exception and we have a lot of different organisations to deal with them. Whilst I was on the island I started feeding some cats which had been showing up at our cottage. Unfortunately one of them was ill - it has an enflamed anus and had a really bad diarrhoea problem. I called the only cat charity on the island (set up by a Dutch couple) who couldn't help and said the only thing I could do would be to take it to the vet in the capital. Unfortunately we discovered the cat's illness on our penultimate day and we wouldn't have been able to administer an medication. Further to that we didn't know if it did have an owner and it being a nervous thing, would we be traumatising it even more putting it in a box? The cat charity also told us that there were more cats than people on the island and just didn't seem to concerned with this one, In the end we decided to leave it be. It was a really really tough decision but it just didn't make any sense to traumatise the cat. We left her to her fate I guess.

Can anyone tell me if there a Chinese equivalent to the (Indian) Ayurvedic approach to food? Does it have a name and can you recommend any books or good resources on it?

Hey thanks, much appreciated. Actually it looks pretty good. I'm hovering over the Add To Basket button!

Has anyone read this book? http://www.amazon.com/The-Tao-Nutrition-Expanded-Edition/dp/0937064661/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

nice overview thanks

Ok I realise I'm not getting anywhere. I need to learn to stop engaging with these kinds of things. Another lesson, maybe one day it'll sink in!

We were discussing the 'New World Order' that implies something bigger than the comparatively small population of the United States. If you want to contribute, I suggest you go back, read the comments and return with something relevant to the discussion. To quote you - "You may just be a little ignorant in that regard, no offence."

This documentary is about the US government spying on US citizens. Once again - the US isn't the world. What is wrong with you people?

That's a great parallel. Witches could be blamed for a number of ills from poor harvests to infant death to possession. I imagine that like ham fisted conspiracy videos, witchtrials, torture and execution were also a form of entertainment and diversion from the mundane, albeit less bloody! Let me say though I do think governments conspire and there's surely a lot we don't know. But I imagine that there are lots of different parties with lots of different interests at different levels across government, the military and the civil service. They're also competing with other nations who have their own conflicting interests. But just lumping it all together and using it to push your own agenda seems anti-intellectual to me. What's really striking is how people who are politically left-leaning and right-leaning twist the facts to suit their view of the world. Take David Icke. He claims the illuminati bloodline goes back to Babylonian times. Circa 5000bc I think. So they've had 7000 years to hatch their evil plan but even after seven millennia has passed they still can't implement this one world government they so desire. He's obviously left leaning so the enemy are people like neo-conservative Americans and the British Royal Family. Then you get these crazy right wing guys who claim that Obama is in fact the antichrist with ties back to the middle east and it is he who will usher in the NWO. The title of the video White Wolf Running On Air posted is 'Are You Awake Yet'. It's just so ironic!

I think your comments just confirm how parochial and US centric your outlook is. As I'm sure you know, the US is declining as a world power and will likely be replaced by China as the dominant financial and political superpower within our lifetime. So you have to factor in China plus India, South America and emerging economies into your theory to make it work. Typically the "global dictatorship" shtick propels the idea that a shadowy cabal of Jewish bankers are attempting to create a one world government and enslave the population. Not only is this anti-semetic and ridiculous, it is again very very US centric as again it doesn't account for the rise of China or the left-leaning South American nations. It's very limited. We might also note that the EU's aim was the amalgamation of several nations into a superstate with its own currency and constitution. In your head this is the new world order taking Europe into a dictatorship, in mine it was a well intentioned idea to bring out nations together so they would be stronger as a whole. Whoever is wrong or right, the point is the project is failing massively. I agree with you that the US have played a central role in the dire issues that face the middle east in our time. Although it's worth looking at the issue from a global level to get an understanding of how Russia and China suppress their own Muslim populations. Of course Russia occupied Afghanistan for a long time and really could be regarded as the beginning of the problems in that country. Again the issue is bigger that the United States. Finally the link you posted about drug use is of course a US study which is very interesting but I'm not sure how it supports your 'one world government' fears. The world faces real problems and unfortunately these crazy small town hicksville videos just feed into them and create a load of ignorant angry people who don't know what they're fighting for. If we can sober ourselves up for a moment and move beyond the conspiracy we could look at some of the real problems. If you're talking about the heath of the planet then surely the focus must be how mass consumerism is being adopted by China and India (not to mention Vietnam, Indonesia etc) and as their middle class grows the dash for resources will become ever more fierce and destructive. To think that there is a shadowy cabal behind all this is tempting but the more sobering answer might be that the move to a consumerist is inevitable. If we want to get into the reasons behind consumerism we might look at the acceptance of Darwinism and the death of god in Western society leaving a huge gap for hero and object worship.

'"Tao Bums - where the new age come to get angry with each other"

Not really sure where to start with those conspiracy vids. For a start they're usually very US centric which just reflects back the small mindedness of their creators. They're typically a bunch of disparate and badly edited clips with no poor research that reflect polarised and fantastical views. Some of these guys are on the far left some on the far right. There are some notable expections but on the whole I think they're very dangerous. Essentially it's pseudo history like this that's inspired Anders Breivik to kill 90 children on Utoya island because he believed that he was upholding the values of the Knights Templar against a left wing plot to turn Europe into a Muslim state. Time to ditch that crazy shit and read some books.

Huxley was clearly wrong, it's been 70 years friend. I just can't help thinking you've watched too many conspiracy theory docs on YouTube. If some kind of new world order did exist, why haven't they won yet? I think the truth is a lot more boring than this ridiculous fiction that's conjured up by people with small brains but lots of free time. The rainforest will be destroyed, the ice caps will melt and you and I will die. The best we can do is try and delay it. This is the point of dao - to break the circle. Let go of the anger and come to the center.

Wicca was invented by Gerald Gardner in the 20th Century and has no real connection with the pre-Christian religions of the British Isles. (Sources for this are below). Why do you think it was invented? Is Wicca simply a romantic reflection of our modern ideas about the past? An elaborate re-enactment of a fantastical golden age adventure as told in the fictions Lord of the Rings and King Arthur? Does Wicca attempt to create the link between today's civilisation and something more ancient than China and India? Thus it subconsciously serves to justify enforcement of waning Anglo-American hegemony? Or was it just a private members club designed to amuse Gardner and his friends? Finally, is it fair to say that being a modern invention, Wicca has more in common with Jediism and Scientology than any ancient beliefs? Sources: Wicca http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca Gerald Gardner http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Gardner_(Wiccan) The Great Wicca Hoax http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/hoax.htm

I mean this is far from an academic discussion group. Nor is it a straight and serious discussion about Tao. We have serious debates on topics about invented magical religions, King Arthur, how to be a light warrior and whether Kurt Cobain was an ascended master or not. These conversations fit firmly in the new age sphere to me. I'm don't think here's anything wrong with that. But it might be unwise to separate 'us' and these 'silly new agers', we're all part of the same thing really, albeit with widely differing beliefs, just like Christians.

Yet ironically you've come to what can only be described as a new age forum to vent you grievences...

Interesting to hear about a town with such numbers. The closest thing we have in the UK is possibly Glastonbury. Of course I I don't want to discriminate against anyone. I find it fascinating. I'd love to sit in on a coven! I just find it odd that intelligent people need to add this layer of (invented) complexity. But in a way I guess that just mirrors my own belief that we should be shedding the layers anyway...

Should we save the worm from the crow? Is that love? Should we educate the uneducated? Would that improve their lives? How should we best improve the world? One idea for reform may be good for some but bad for others. Where is the merit? I may feel strongly that a certain law is morally correct but others may violently disagree. When we continue to judge the wrong and the right we're part of the continuum. We can still make a difference by helping the needy, collecting litter and being compassionate to the people around us and dealing directly with out day to day world. Wouldn't it be better if rather than fighting the police (who are just simple guys trying to do their job) the occupy protesters had gone out in to the community and helped the old and vulnerable. We need to become the change first. Then we can take it forward. I think the Live Earth concerts were a great example of a paradoxical way to try and implement change - All the oil burnt by the planes, trains, cars and trucks. The mass movements of people who came to watch individuals who cross the world to and fro eating in restaraunts that serve endanged fish deliver their giant, testosterone fulled egos. What was the message again? Actions speak loudest and they begin at home.

The last thing this world needs is more fire. We need to let go of our fire and our desire to fight against all that is wrong and instead counter with love.

None of us can stop the sweeping tide of environmental destruction. What happens will be. I'm all for quiet rebellion, living our values and inspiring others but the mass movements like Occupy seem counter to notions of peace. What if anonymous, occupy and the folks who wear these cartoon masks won? What would they replace it with? I shudder to think. All the same problems would exist. Egypt and Libya are two recent examples of the dangers of violent revolution. Personally, I advocate gradual and peaceful change from within. The water overcoming fire. I've also come to realise how resiliant nature is. For example plant and animal life is thriving in Pripyat (the town next to the Chernobyl power station). More so than when humans were living there. Conventional wisdom tells us it's a bad thing that we've lost certain species but as nature is continually evolving, perhaps it's just the way of things. Whether human beings can survive the next few hundred years is a good question. Who knows, maybe we've had our time too?

Thing is, my views change as I change and grow older. I don't want to commit to something finite that may not mean anything to me in 20 years time. I actually think this is the problem with the Abrahamic religions, that they've committed to ancient texts that just aren't relevant to the modern world.

No I don't think the earth can sustain a growing consumerist population for another 1000 years. Sounds like we agree. But you've really missed the point of what I way saying. I venture that confrontational, aggressive revolution is not the Taoist way. You cannot fight fire with fire or impose your will on others for the greater good. The soft always overcomes the hard.

I don't think confrontational revolution is the Taoist way. It appears you want to fight with emotions and aggression - fire on fire. The water flows around and under the bolder and in 1000 years it will have worn away. The soft always overcomes the hard.