Verse 22 of the Tao tells us: "The ancients said, 'Accept and you become whole,
Once whole, the world is as your home.'"
Which is wonderful if you can get it. I feel at the moment that I want to get it-- especially at work, where some difficult kids who don't want to learn don't want anyone around them to learn, either. Some days they wear me out; our interactions become conflicts between "I Want You to Learn" and "I Don't Care so Leave Me Alone"--"Life Is Beautiful" versus "Go away, Miss."
So I've decided to face every day with a genuine smile even when doing so requires more imagination that I think I can muster. I have decided to insist on joy. Here are 13 lines from this verse that leads me to the conclusion there is no other way to live well:
Accept and you become whole,
Bend and you straighten
Empty and you fill,
Decay and you renew,
Want and you acquire,
Fulfill and you become confused.
The sage accepts the world
As the world accepts the Way;
He does not display himself, so is clearly seen,
Does not justify himself, so is recognized,
Does not boast, so is credited,
Does not pride himself, so endures,
Does not contend, so none contend against him.
Thursday Thirteen
Once whole, the world is as your home.'"
Which is wonderful if you can get it. I feel at the moment that I want to get it-- especially at work, where some difficult kids who don't want to learn don't want anyone around them to learn, either. Some days they wear me out; our interactions become conflicts between "I Want You to Learn" and "I Don't Care so Leave Me Alone"--"Life Is Beautiful" versus "Go away, Miss."
So I've decided to face every day with a genuine smile even when doing so requires more imagination that I think I can muster. I have decided to insist on joy. Here are 13 lines from this verse that leads me to the conclusion there is no other way to live well:
Accept and you become whole,
Bend and you straighten
Empty and you fill,
Decay and you renew,
Want and you acquire,
Fulfill and you become confused.
The sage accepts the world
As the world accepts the Way;
He does not display himself, so is clearly seen,
Does not justify himself, so is recognized,
Does not boast, so is credited,
Does not pride himself, so endures,
Does not contend, so none contend against him.
Thursday Thirteen
47 comments:
My son would LOVE this!!!
My 13 is all Halloween Humor...won't you stop by for a laugh or two?
on the road again of life where there seems no end
Beautiful.
Happy tt!
Beautiful and true. Sounds like you have a great attitude about your situation at school. Hope things improve.
Gosh, I love this 'accept and you shall be whole'. What an awesome way to live. Good for you - I think I might add that to my peace globe
Some great lines there. To me, it says deny the ego. A lot of sense in that.
Nice!
Certainly a beautiful dock photo to accompany the words. Says tranquility to me. . .
Happy TT...great post!
I love this. Thanks for sharing. Happy Halloween!
awesome!!!
Your posts are always such an inspiration. Thank you, Sandy.
I have always tried to live by making the choice to be happy. It isn't always easy, but when I realize that the choice is mine and no one can take that away from me I am sucessful.
Nicely presented.
you have a real challenge in front of you...hang in there...
Great TT, I've saved those words, they are great lines to live by.
Wow, what wisdom. I'm going to think about this for a while. Thanks.
Wonderful words of wisdom. They are wonderful and should be taken to heart. Thank you for them.
Happy TT!
Beautiful and oh so true!
Another great post, Sandy!
Beautiful and true words.
Dear little student: Please pay attention in this class, so that you may more thoroughly enjoy the 23 minutes a day you are allowed to walk solitarily in the 20' enclosure outdoors at the Danbury facility. "Outdoors" because you can look straight up at the sky. Before resuming your 23 hour 37 minute per day interior solitary confinement for your antisocial animalness. Or not. It's one of the last things up to you.
we live in a world where we have freedom. but it also requires us to do some action.
That is very wise !
BTW I didn't want to learn at school either, I found it soooo boring. But later I woke up and was like a sponge !
Nice one! I do Tai Chi so its always nice to hear words from the Tao.
How beautiful.
Truly something to strive for.
working w/ children requires this wisdom slow to anger and a ready smile
My dad used to work with troubled and abused kids, and I got to spend one wonderful summer as a teacher's aide with him. Whenever I'd get frustrated b/c it seemed that a kid was 'out to get' me, he'd advise to look at the world from their experience and to try and see where and why they hurt.
Pob lwc! :)
I have memorized so many Lao Tzu passages for meditation. They resonate with me like no other teaching and I love to read and feel the words like dropping a penny in a fountain.
very inspiring words...
This reminds me of Isaiah 40:31 and a man who has a very well-trained dog. He says his dog is free, free to be off-leash, because he is obedient, specifically he is obedient to his Master.
Thanks for this Sandy!
another beautiful, positive post. It takes a saint to be a teacher.
That's very thought provoking. And interestingly, it's pretty much the theme of the book I just finished, particularly this part: "Decay and you renew".
now i have this whole "sitting on the dock of the bay" thing going on in my head. ;-)
a very interesting take on the thursday thirteen and such a beautiful verse! happy halloween!
Nice TT
So lovely and gentle, yet full of powerful wisdom. Thank you for this!
As always, you have provided me with some food for thought. I love that about your 13s.
Happy TT and have a Happy Halloween!
(Oh! And good luck with those kids and your serenity of mind.)
Interesting!
It really is all about attitude. Thanks for sharing the verse :)
Happy TT!
Sandy, Sandy... What is there left to say? I can't even imagine my teaching your class. I don't have the patience... the softness of soul... the endurance...
I'd have rushed home in tears by the third week and been found hanging catatonic on a wall somewhere by the sixth.
You've reached beyond to find inspiration and comfort... and to share it with us. Once again. You're my hero!
I was given 'The Way of The Tao' when I was about 15...it was a dear friend's notebook of all the Tao verses she had loved and tried to live by and scribbled down over the years.
The one you quoted is beautiful and meaningful. There is so much truth there...applying it is not always so easy though. Thank you for sharing it in your T13!
I'm back after a hiatus...so glad I stopped by here!
Bella :)
The Tao, music for the soul.
Lovely post! I need to add this way of thinking to my own life...
Happy TT!
Sandy, this is wonderful. There is so much wisdom in this.
I am sorry to hear that you continue to be challenged by some of these kids. It does wear one out when there seems to be a constant atmosphere of combativeness. I'll be remembering you in my prayers. Hang in there!!!
Bend and you won't break....
It always sounds like you really love your job and the kids. I like the thought of being whole and the world being my home. :)
The path of less resistance is sometimes the best approach to life; it is also a comforting thought because it appeals as a strategic passiveness to things we cannot otherwise control.
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