manitou

That it's best if they're right somewhere in the middle?

Should we bother to try? good question. I'm from an era where they told everyone in the world except YOU what your IQ score is. I still don't know what mine is, to this day. Nor do I care at this point. But I wonder why children (at least children in Hollywood in the 1950's) were not supposed to learn what their IQ's were? Were the adults afraid that this knowledge would pre-program a student to success or failure? Honestly, I think mine was kinda high, but I was real stupid about life. I wonder if "knowing" that I had a decently high IQ might not have kept me more on the straight and narrow than the twisted path I took? (P.S. He's a really cool guy)

I would think that this is an indication of where your IQ is. Water seeks its own level. You are obviously an intelligent puppy, as you have demonstrated to all of us over time. I so agree with the person above who said they'd rather be in the company of a less intelligent person with a good heart, than a real intelligent one who's an A-hole. (Or something to that effect, lol) It seems to me that one can be intelligent about Life without having a huge IQ. My partner, in fact, is a fellow of low IQ, but is one of the most intelligent people about 'life' that I've ever seen. He made it through the 8th grade. His father's IQ was so low they wouldn't let him go overseas and fight in WWII; instead, he walked in front of a jeep while drunk and got killed anyway at an Army base in California. But Joe is a shaman, a metaphysician. His third eye vision is incredible, and his instinctive understanding of how other people are affected, or how they're feeling, is a true thing of beauty. I would pit his Wisdom against anybody's, no matter how high their IQ. It seems that IQ measures potential numerically. Just because the numbers are there doesn't mean the capacity will be utilized. Too many other factors come into play; perseverance, balance, attitude. IQ is potential, as I see it.

I think one thing central to the ideology of Taoism is the concept "between aah! and ugh!...how much difference is there?" This says to me that there is no measurement of good or bad. I think this is a common Taoist principle too. It might be easy to include this mindset in a paper. What's 'good' to you will be 'bad' to someone else. How many things in our lives started out appearing as 'bad', but turned into the best thing that could happen to us? The ultimate Taoist, IMO, is a nonjudgmental being who learns to live in the 'nonduality' of the Oneness of all, to develop a type of agape love for all individuals of the earth, including our brothers the trees, flowers, and animals; the ultimate Taoist, IMO, will possess the 3 Treasures as enumerated in the Tao Te Ching. The previous suggested to read the Tao Te Ching is the very best suggestion, IMO. It doesn't take long to read (although it can be a lifetime of study!). There are many components involved in being the consummate Taoist. In addition to the Love aspect, the sincere Taoist will really try to live life with his ego in his control, and in a state of Mindfulness that is with him daily. He will have learned that striving for the things in life that most people value are in reality empty shadows, that being in Oneness with the Life Force is the thing that we strive for most - an attitude of constant Mindfulness. Many of us who have followed this path for years have come to the conclusion that we are One with the Creative Force, that there is an "I Am" that lives within each of us which is a direct connection with the creative force. This is to say that there is nothing that philosophical Taoists 'worship' that is external. That everything in our bodies and outside of our bodies are part of the same dynamic; that we are all part and parcel of each other and the creative force behind it. It becomes a question of our own individual alignment with the forces that be.

Woof!

I agree, intellectually grasping doesn't get it. What I've found over the years of practice is that at some point everyone in the world becomes Us. We start seeing human beings as connected to one another, or at least a reflection of the same Entity. So being in public or in a crowd only diminishes our Unity if we get out of mindfulness of the fact that Awareness is the net of unity that holds this whole thing together. At any given moment in time we can join up with all the people in the world who are of One Mind, who know that each and every human being is just as important as the next one, regardless of living conditions. At that point, there's no duality because we realize we're part of a Whole.

How Off Topic can one get? Okay, so I walked by the As Seen On TV rack one too many times. I actually bought this stuff. I know there are others here that are eyeing that product too. So here's a heads up. I can't imagine what this stuff is made of. Possibly just water with a tiny bit of soap in it. It absolutely does not remove old wax. It absolutely has no smell (I'll go back to the nice, clean Pledge smell!) I'd like to find the Amish man that came up with this scam and go cut his beard off. Plenty of 'em around here to choose from, lol.

Thanks for that, Andrei. I was going to order the Poo-Pourri Before-You-Go Toilet Spray, but then when the guy said it smelled like a lemon took a dump I cancelled the order. Good thing I watched it all the way through - Nungali - that 8-Function Electronic Multi-Tool is pretty tempting. Corn holder as well? Wow.

I already have the 16-ton Hydraulic Nail Unbender, but I paid $179.00 for it! Damn! I think I got took...

No, but it sounds like what I'm looking for. The only problem is that they've been sealed and resealed and I never know if the oil thing is a good idea or not. But I think I'll try it and see if it won't revive a bit. As an aside on this As Seen On TV thread, don't buy the light little pocket hose. I got taken in on that one too. The commercial shows it shrinking back to its original size, which it will most likely do if on a wood surface, like the commercial - but not on grass.

Actually I don't really need anything for my wooden items. I fell prey to idiot advertising, that's all. If there is any saving grace for my actions, then I could possibly hide behind the fact that I'd love to find a 'treatment' for my husband's dremeled furniture - he will dremel the entire wood surface off around a stenciled design, leaving the design in relief. Real Appalachian stuff. There was a sane part of my brain that thought maybe it would somehow be good on Joe's pieces, which are not conducive to Pledge, etc - because of their uneven and pitted surfaces. Maybe the Murphy Oil Soap would be beneficial for that? But if there's a soap component to the Murphy Oil Soap, that may not work so well either.

Not only does it do nothing to give any sort of a shine, but I couldn't even get any of that old furniture polish to make that nice black spot on my rag, like in the commercial. I was really looking forward to the black spot, that's what hurts the most.

Oh I know! I've been watching that stupid commercial for months, just knowing it was a scam. Now isn't that a testament to the power of advertising? I finally just broke down.

Interesting. I note that 'tensegrity' is also the word for the magical passes of the Castaneda tradition! Similar to qigong but a little more aerobic.

I'm being serious here. Get a really cute dog. A great icebreaker.

Wow. Was Fuller the designer of the geodesic dome altogether?

Thank you for that! Okay, I can see by the design they weren't going for exactitude.

Boy, are you in the right place, lol

I think if I had it to do over again, I'd focus on getting involved in groups that appeal to my interests, and meeting like minded people. But on the other hand if you're out in the middle of nowhere, maybe the thing to do would be move in to more population so your choices would be expanded. If I were to do a dating site, I'd probably do anything but Christian Mingle.com

I'll bet it was...

Nice, Steve. I also do a practice where I try to see the situation through eyes other than my own, like another persons' involved in the activity. To actually try and sit inside their body and see through their own perception. It sure helps level the playing field and help us see where we're actually just part of the whole weave. The dreamlike state of our waking life includes yesterday, today, and tomorrow. This infers to me that the dynamics have already played out, although we're stuck in the Now and can't see what's coming up tomorrow. They've already played out, just not in the physical yet. Row row row your boat Gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream

(response to short sidetrack) How the hell did he do that? Venetian blind slats? Did he use a mold and re-melt them? Will they actually follow a curve? I'm guessing he had to attach them all at a terminal end and tie together with a ring of some sort. I can't imagine those things following a true arc. Bucky had one fertile mind, didn't he? (response to short sidetrack)

As luck would have it, I'm reading The Flower Ornament Scripture now (Avatamsaka Sutra), and on page 551 of this 1600 page opus is written the following: "The supremely refined pleasure of enlightening beings They dedicate to all sentient beings: Though they are dedicated to the benefit of the living, Yet they have no attachment to dedication". This seems to smack of the quality of loyalty to me. If one specifically develops the quality of loyalty within himself because he thinks that loyalty in and of itself is a good thing, he is 'acting with an attachment to dedication', as the Sutra says above. Loyalty in and of itself cannot be evaluated without discernment, I think.

I'm betting spontanaety would work as well, but this comes back to looking back over your day. Where did we mess up? Were we arrogant? This too is a form of 'step work'. It's just that the Steps give a quick and dirty way of getting the blockages out so that sobriety is possible. But if we look around and see our current living situation, etc - it's a 'tell' as to what our inner selves are. Our best thinking got us to where we are at any given moment. If where we are at any given moment isn't satisfactory, then we have nothing to blame but our blockages. Then, the question becomes: what do we want to do about them?

Nice thoughts, Nestentrie. I suspect that at some level you are quite right. Folly it may be. But not for us folks who have to take action to change our negative insides - those of us who are alcoholic or drug addicts. It's not just an earnest thing to do - it's a life-saving thing to do. I had no clue, when I first undertook to change my inner self because I couldn't stop drinking, that my feet were actually being placed on a spiritual path. I didn't realize that until years and years later (after living sober for a while), that the end of the 12 step work was self-realization. One would have to decide if self-realization contained any value or not. In this moment or the next. All I know is that I am not the same person I was 33 years ago and laying in my own vomit. That's where I'm coming from, at least.... Best wishes to you -