True words aren’t beautiful, beautiful words aren’t true.
This is one of my favorite Lao Tzu verses. Ten years ago, I was pondering Red Pine’s translation of Taoteching a lot. The epiphanies I had that year left an indelible impression upon me.
One day, I imagine painting them all . . .
A decade has passed and I still haven’t a clue what possessed me to tear out that image from Gandhi’s biography and place it into a little purple frame. It makes my heart beat a little bit faster each time I see it. What moves any of us in this life is such a mystery, isn’t it?
It seems that there are moments in each of our lives when the universe gives us an engraved invitation. Ten years ago was mine. Unfortunately, I procrastinate. I don’t know why, but I’ve never been in a hurry to do anything. Not even being born. The truth is, I was born five weeks late and I haven’t been on time since.
So, I wonder as I write this ~ well, I wonder so many things. Too many things. Will I finish what I start? What am I doing? Why am I doing this? Will I get in my own way? Will anyone even read this blog? Do I have the time to do this and also finish my other writing projects? Is it true that I probably carry around 100 things in my purse alone?
(deep breath)
So, back to Lao Tzu . . .
True words aren’t beautiful, beautiful words aren’t true.
Why ponder such an inexpressibly profound paradox?
What’s the point, right?
For me, it’s the chance to maybe ~ just maybe ~ find myself in the presence of the most profound thought I’ll have in this life.
Will my Gandhi-inspired experiment lead the way to this amazing epiphany?
Maybe. Just, maybe.
