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.
03/06/2010 at 10:28 pm Permalink
Profound creativity. Do I own such a gift? Who knows? I’m just your local Fedex Guy delivering your legal, financial and medical documents before 1030 am! LOL! However…writing is an extension of who you really are. So, here is my lil’ bit o’ creativity….So, Ms. Jules a few thoughts on the…Invitation…and the Procrastination….
The Invitation…
Tuning out the world around me has never been a difficult task. Even as a child it was relatively easy. The moment I closed my eyes, my imagination soared as colorful butterflies danced skittishly among the flower fields on a hazy summer afternoon. Or perhaps, you stood along a coastal cliff edge, the seawind racing up the face of the cliff tearing past you like some mad demon who had finally been set free….Do I have a gift? I don’t know…I just write what I see after I close my eyes….
As for you Jules….what I think….or actually what I feel the procrastination is..from what you’ve written, as you interpret the things you do…many many good choices have been set before you…but therein comes the rub….which direction should you travel? Thats the difficulty. Your heart knows…but your mind chooses….and because it is pleasureable to you….its difficult to change. Believe me…I’m there…. But then again….what do I know? I’m just the Fedex Guy…
18/07/2010 at 10:27 pm Permalink
Procrastination masquerades as the kinder gentler way to ease ourselves past that which we pretend to be ‘the unnecessary’ or at the very least ‘the unnecessary’ right now. What it really is is the slippery slope to our own special hell, the one where lost opportunities, lifelong regrets and that never ending profound sense of loss seem to take up a permanent residence in the back of our minds. Procrastination and its partner in crime – indecision can be the bane of a persons life. My own recipe for tackling these demons has led me to take on whatever lies in my path – to simply start down the road and commit. I don’t know entirely where that commitment will lead and the path is frightening indeed, but walk it I will. I do not want to sit down one day and realize that I never made my mark simply because I was perpetually unable to make a decision, any decision – so I made the one that was staring me in the face. I may find that another will pop up, but right now, I finally feel that I am headed in the right direction.
21/07/2010 at 2:23 pm Permalink
Hi stranger
I am so SORRY I haven’t gotten to talk to you yet. I’ll call you soon, I promise. I miss you 
26/08/2010 at 1:47 am Permalink
is lao similar to hmong? interesting post, thanks.
24/12/2010 at 5:07 am Permalink
Greetings friends or so I hope! Because you’re interested in classics, I wanted to discuss with you that experts found out that Dao De Jing (by Lao tu) and I Ching (Classic of Changes) are commentaries to Shan Hai Ching (The Classic of Mountains and Seas). Every human being is a biorobot with an individual program (sofware). All human programs are recorded inside an ancient Chinese manuscript named Shan Hai Ching. At first, all programs were recorded on a monument dating back to the 20th century bc.
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