Have you ever heard of the Tao? Taken from a book titled, the Tao Te Ching written over 2,500 years ago, the Tao (usually pronounced Dao) philosophy offers advice for living a peaceful, compassionate and sustainable life. In fact, even if you’ve never heard of the Tao you are likely familiar with some of its more popular sayings like, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” or “Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” This week in our SMART Vlog Thom and I talk about a few of the major concepts within the Tao that we find most helpful for living a good life. We hope you enjoy the discussion.
*Note: If you’d rather read about the Tao than listen to our discussion, here are two articles I’ve written about it before that you might enjoy.
Simple & SMART Living Tips From The Tao Of Pooh
Traveling Through Life The Wu Wei Way
Interesting Vlog sharing your thoughts on the philosophy of the Tao. Many of the points you make resonate with me especially right now. Acceptance and going with the flow in life is an important theme. I enjoyed Wayne Dyer’s book “Living the Wisdom of the Tao” and his talks on this subject. Thank you for a great discussion. I hope you are both well.
Hi Erica! That Wayne Dyer book is one of Thom’s favorite. Wayne always had such a down-to-earth and practical approach to everything he taught that he really helps to apply it to everyday life for those of us in the western world. And yes we are both good…and hope you and Chuck are too! ~Kathy
Great to hear the both of you “Daoing.” I will read less “news” and more about wisdom. Nice to hear more from Revernd Thom which reminds me of the good ole CPL days.
(Wow–your camera taped all of that without a cut! You found a wonderful background spot.)
Hi Gary! Hahahaha! You know how to get under Thom’s skin by call him the “R” word don’t you? And yes we were happy with the background spot too…did you recognize it back behind the cabin? But like I told Liesbet, it took us to the 3rd run through for us both to be happy with how it came out. Glad you liked it. ~Kathy
Another insightful and helpful vlog. I love how you exude calm in these discussions, empowering the themes you touch on and inspire others with. The Tao is the way to live – go with the flow. We wouldn’t want it any other way, as long as there IS a flow. 🙂
Being in limbo during Covid, or other periods of time, sometimes requires considering the options and going for a decision. Usually, it’s the gut that decides, but other times, conscious deliberation is needed.
Hi Liesbet! Thank you. I’m so glad you are enjoying our experiment and that we exude calm! In case you’re wondering, we do have different perspectives on what to say and when/how to say it 🙂 So we usually run through it 3 times. For some reason that third time does seem to sort of “click” so that we are both happy with it. Not perfect by any means but we do feel satisfied. BTW…do you have any topics you think might be interesting for us to discuss? Would love feedback from everyone. ~Kathy
Topics to discuss? I’ll have to think about that, Kathy! These days, my interest and excitement level for learning new things is pretty low. I always enjoy personal experiences – what drives someone to visit a certain country, pick that spot in the mountains for the summer months, decide on a house sitter, create books or blog posts… What factors are important to you (and others) and why when making certain decisions?
Hi Liesbet! Interesting. Thank you for your input. Ways to make decisions might be interesting…and I agree that too much learning these days taxes my mind! ~Kathy
Hi, Kathy and Thom – You have brought up several thought-provoking ideas here that are very timely to my thinking right now.
1) The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,”
2) Flow
3) Feed Your Soul
These are all ideas that have currently been on my mind, especially during my 30-day challenge. You have both given me more to think about during tomorrow’s walk!
Hi Donna! Thank you for letting me know what it was that spoke to you. I’m hoping that there is a little something in there for everyone. As I’ve said before, just like with writing, the things we “discuss” are what I most need to hear! ~Kathy
That’s a good point about the things that we discuss . Please don’t stay away from our discussion for too long. You will be deeply missed and it won’t be the same without you.
awwww…you always say the kindest things. I always enjoy my discussions with you! You haven’t seen the last of me!
I think the idea of flowing (with Nature, with our own natures) is useful but complicated. It helps me to think of it as setting intentions and goals, then trying to let decisions flow out of my character with those goals. It doesn’t mean accepting miserable situations as inevitable! (I know you didn’t mean to imply that. After all, you’re not down there in the hot valley. You go up into the mountains, where you can breathe and be outdoors.)
I LOVE the fifteen minutes of wisdom reading. I know I need that. Maybe you and Thom could do a post on your favorite books for that.
Hi Nancy! I agree that many concepts “sound” easier than they are. I also like your idea of putting it into context of “setting intentions and goals, then trying to let decisions flow out of my character with those goals.” I agree that putting those intentions in mind is helpful, but I tend to think that “allowing” them to unfold or manifest naturally in their own way works better than “trying” to make anything happen. Of course, planner that I am I do have to catch myself if I feel I am “forcing” anything to happen when it either isn’t the right time or right for me to do something. What’s the say, “there’s a fine line….?” Anyway, I LOVE your idea about some of our favorite books. Did you mean as a Vlog or a post???? ~Kathy
I think it’s hard to absorb information orally, so I prefer posts for things like lists of books. It is nice to see the two of you interacting occasionally, though!
Thanks for letting me know Nancy!
I have been studying the Tao….one book I am very fond of is the Tao Pooh. I may very well have found it from your post. Thank you for this post.
Hi Jamie! Yes isn’t that book great? I LOVED how the author managed to tie so many of the Tao ideas into the sweet story of Winnie the Pooh. ~Kathy
Thanks for this. I read a book on it by Wayne Dyer a few years ago and found it very helpful. It’s good to go with the flow!
Joe
Hi Joe! Yes Thom is a big fan of Wayne’s book on the Tao. He actually has it as a book on tape and often listens to it as he goes to sleep. Putting such positive messages in our heads is a powerful way to influence anything–including flow! ~Kathy
Flow . . . I’m always trying to find it, but it’s not always easy. Nature . . . I’ve become distrustful of nature ever since I got Lyme disease from a naturally occurring tick and then realized that nature has a lot of pitfalls — including the coronavirus. Anyway, I really like your metaphor about rowing with the current rather than against it. I gotta keep that in mind more often. Tanks for a nice discussion.
Hi Tom! I don’t know if you’ve ever written about it on your blog before but I didn’t know you’d had Lyme disease. I can imagine that makes you a bit wary of nature. Of course I do know you play golf and sometimes there is no better way to be outside and enjoy the beauty in our world–especially if your game is “in the flow.” Agreed? ~Kathy
I love the idea ‘feed your soul’. So important. Being in nature does feed one’s soul. I try to take a walk daily in the woods (we moved to the woods, and oh my, the birds and trees!). The scents are intoxicating, and you can really be in the moment. I have also been reading about Centering Prayer by M. Basil Pennington, and The Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks. Yes, those two paths of thought would not seem to go together on the surface, but what I have taken away from them is to spend 15 minutes daily just meditating and deep breathing, focusing on the positive and what I want. I also continue to pray in the Christian tradition, with specific prayer requests. Whatever time we spend quietly without distractions, focused on the positive, can only feed the soul. Thank you for this post.
Hi Annie! Thank you for sharing some of your practices for centering and focus with all of us. It sounds like you have a wonderful one and are open and willing to pull from all traditions that are helpful. As you say, “Whatever time we spend quietly without distractions, focused on the positive, can only feed the soul.” ~Kathy
Thank you for another wonderful post by two of my favorite people! I also read the other two posts about the Tao, thank you! I was reminded of a lesson I used to teach when I was doing units on happiness. We would talk about the difference between synthesized happiness and natural happiness.
We, as humans, tend to think that if everything goes according to plan, we will be happy, and if things do not, we will not be happy. Having everything go according to plan would be ‘natural happiness.’ But, that isn’t really true. When things go awry, we are more likely to become immersed in making things work in the present, and trying to make them right. When we are more engaged with the present moment, we are often happier than we would have. been, had everything gone according to the way we planned. This ‘synthesized happiness’ is no less than natural happiness, and at times, can even be greater, because we have the sense of accomplishment in having made it work.
One great example is a wedding. We plan for weeks or even months for an event like a wedding. Often, everything will go according to plan But, if one thing goes a little askew, THAT is the event that provides us with a story! If I tell the story of my wedding, I would tell you that I was so nervous I forgot my written vows (as Thom may remember), and had to wing it. I also forgot to carry my bouquet down the aisle. Was I happier because of this? No. But, it’s part of my story. I laughed then, and I can laugh now. I had to ‘wing it,’ and the wedding was no less beautiful than it would have been, had I remembered that bouquet. Well, the pictures might have had more color, but…
My point is, natural happiness is not really greater than synthesized happiness, despite our belief that it will be. Wu Wei is indeed the way to happiness. I could have sat down and cried because I forgot my vows, but instead, (and with Thom’s help), I followed Wu Wei, and did the best I could.
Thanks for the reminder. And thanks for not just talking, but for walking your talk.
Hi Jamie! Thanks once again for a great personal example of how this works…and yes, I remember that day well…but you know what? I can’t remember at all that you didn’t have your bouquet or didn’t remember your vows. All I remember was that you looked beautiful and that your love for each other was evident. A simply beautiful evening. Funny how things we think are SO-O-O important pale when we look back and see them through the lens of perspective. ~Kathy
Thanks for this, guys! What a great start to my day, to be reminded to go with the flow, especially in retirement and as I age.
Deb
Hi Deb! Thanks….something I think most of us need to be reminded of (at any age!) ~Kathy