Adding reason to faith

... A Caucasian is white and although Asians outnumber whites by two to one in the world, gives them no right to force whites to subject themselves to the process of changing their physical appearance to conform to the physical appearance of an Asian.

If we accept some differences, why can’t we accept all differences?

Life is a journey intended to be taken unimpeded by others.

We may offer options, we may offer assistance, we may counsel, but we have no right to interfere with a journey; it is sacred.

But just as we have no right to interfere with a journey, we have an even greater responsibility to understand that right to journey unimpeded and, therefore, we have a responsibility to protect that right for all individuals.

To do this we may have to go to the extreme of isolating some individuals in order to prevent them from interfering with the journeys of others.

The right to journey life unimpeded takes precedence over the individual’s journey.

The principle takes precedence over the action.

Taoism teaches that the whole is the sum of its individual ways. Life lies in the individual.

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The simplicity of Taoism teaches us tolerance, not the Western complexity of law and order.

Taoism recognizes the whole as being the sum of the individual ways. Through this understanding,

Taoism provides the simplistic acknowledgment of the rights of the individual over the demands of conformity imposed by society.

End

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Friday, July 13

How does Taoism help us understand what life is? Part I of II

by Daniel J. Shepard on Fri 13 Jul 2007 12:00 AM EDT

How does Taoism help us understand what life is?

Part I of II

‘… the word is also used to mean reality as a whole, which consists of all the individual ways.’

The implication is that we have to be ‘true’ to ourselves, for this sense of truth is the only means we have of following what we sense is our path in life.

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Taoism is based upon the concept of the whole being the sum of all individual ways.

If life is an individual way and the whole is the sum of these ways, how could we ever presume to speak for the whole?

But some would say that the whole has spoken and told our fathers before us that such and such behavior is acceptable behavior.

That is all well and good, but what right have we to force others to conform to our beliefs and sense of direction?

A woman is a woman and just because a man likes being a man and senses being a man is right for him, he has no right to force a woman to undergo the surgery required to become a man.

To be continued: Part II of II: A Caucasian is white and although Asians outnumber whites by...

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Thursday, July 12

What significance does Taoism have to offer other life forms in the universe? Part II of II

by Daniel J. Shepard on Thu 12 Jul 2007 12:00 AM EDT

What significance does Taoism have to offer other life forms in the universe?

Part II of II

...Taoism, by underlying this point, leads us to understand the significance of unique environments for unique life forms throughout the heavens.

We as individuals, as a species, as life forms have little choice but to take this responsibility seriously.

If we do not, we destroy a major aspect of a life form, be it our own or another.

If we are a part of the Causative Force, if we are a piece of the Causative Force, then the action of destroying environments is not as much an action taken against life forms but an action taken against the Causative Force.

Symbiotic panentheism places a major responsibility upon all of us, terrestrial or otherwise.

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Symbiotic panentheism blended with Taoism adds much purpose to Taoism.

By acknowledging the specific need for nature, Taoism leads us to understand why nature is so important. Taoism, on the other hand, gains respectability with symbiotic panentheism for its message becomes a message not intended for just our species, Homo sapiens, but for all life forms throughout the universe.

The homes of life forms throughout the universe are to be respected for what they are, natural niches within which life forms may immerse themselves to maintain their sense of purpose.

End

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Wednesday, July 11

What significance does Taoism have to offer other life forms in the universe? Part I of II

by Daniel J. Shepard on Wed 11 Jul 2007 12:38 AM EDT

What significance does Taoism have to offer other life forms in the universe?

Part I of II

‘…reality as a whole, which consists of all the individual ways.’

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The Taoist concept of sensing one’s purpose through contact with one’s natural environment from which one’s ancestry evolved (or was created), is critical.

If one does have a purpose, if life has purpose, then it is quite possible that the most natural means of sensing this purpose is to immerse one’s self within the natural environment from which one’s physical being emerged.

This process would need to occur for different lengths of time and different frequencies for different people and different life forms.

Although the frequencies and time spans may differ from individual to individual and from life form to life form, the principle remains the same.

Connecting, sensing, feeling, however one wishes to express it, the process of understanding the purpose of one’s journey through this physical universe, can most efficiently, intensely, confidently be done through immersion of one’s self within one’s natural environment.

To be continued: Part II of II: Taoism, by underlying this point, leads us to...

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