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Category Archives: FREE ADVICE
Free Advice about Life, Universe and Other Stuff from Lawrence R. Spencer
TAOISM
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Taoism is not a religion, nor a philosophy. It is a “Way” of life. It is a River. The Tao is the natural order of things. It is a force that flows through every living and sentient object, as well as through the entire universe. When the Tao is in balance it is possible to find perfect happiness.
The text central to all expressions of the Taoist spirit is the Tao-te Ching (“Classic of the Way and Its Power”), previously known as Lao-tzu after the name of the mysterious master traditionally said to have been its author. The cardinal concept is that of the Tao, the ineffable, eternal, creative reality that is the source and end of all things.
Tao is the Absolute, the “Uncarved Block” experienced only in mystical ecstasy. Te is the manifestation of the Tao within all things. Thus, to possess the fullness of te means to be in perfect harmony with one’s original nature. According to Chuang-tzu (4th century BC), an individual in harmony with the Tao comprehends the course of Nature’s constant change and fears not the rhythm of life and death.
As the Tao operates impartially in the universe, so should mankind disavow assertive, purposive action. The Taoist life is not, however, a life of total inactivity. It is rather a life of nonpurposive action (wu-wei). Stated positively, it is a life expressing the essence of spontaneity (tzu-jan, “self-so”).
Taoism has been attributed to three sources, the oldest being the legendary ‘Yellow Emperor‘, (2,704 BCE) but the most famous is Lao Tse’s Tao Teh Ching. (5th century B.C.) The “Yellow Emperor”, Huangdi, third of ancient China’s mythological emperors, is a Chinese culture hero and patron saint of Daoism or Taoism. Huangdi is reputed to have been born about 2,704 BCE. His legendary reign is credited with the introduction of wooden houses, carts, boats, the bow and arrow, and writing.
Huangdi himself is credited with defeating “barbarians” in a great battle somewhere in what is now Shanxi—the victory winning him the leadership of tribes throughout the Huang He (Yellow River) plain. Some traditions also credit him with the introduction of governmental institutions and the use of coined money. Huangdi’s wife was reputed to have discovered sericulture (silk production) and to have taught women how to breed silkworms and weave fabrics of silk.
Huangdi is held up in some ancient sources as a paragon of wisdom whose reign was a golden age. He is said to have dreamed of an ideal kingdom whose tranquil inhabitants lived in harmonious accord with the natural law and possessed virtues remarkably like those espoused by early Taoism. On waking from his dream, Huangdi sought to inculcate these virtues in his own kingdom, to ensure order and prosperity among the inhabitants. Upon his death he was said to have become an immortal. (source: Encyclopedia Britannica)
Read more about Taoism at http://www.crystalinks.com/taoism.html
COURAGE
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COURAGE NEED NOT BE FIERCE OR AGRESSIVE. IT MAY BE A CALM, QUIET THOUGHT: “PERSIST. TRY AGAIN TOMORROW”.
DON’T TOUCH MY STUFF!
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(Excerpt from the book 1,001 THINGS TO DO WHILE YOU’RE DEAD: A Dead Person’s Guide To Living )
“VISIT A MATERNITY WARD.
If you finally change your mind and decide to go back to being a baby again, your best chances of getting a new baby body are at a maternity ward. Find a hospital building. Locate the newborn baby section. You may have to wait for a body that is not already occupied, or one that isn’t quite ready to hatch yet. This could take a while.
Or, you may be able to get one sooner by fighting off all the other disembodies beings who are hanging around the hospital trying to get a body for themselves. Why do you think babies cry and sleep so some much when they’re born? They had to kick a lot of disembodied asses to get a body. That’s why they are usually tired and cranky and have bruises, messy hair and blotchy skin!
REINCARNATE YOURSELF AS AN ANIMAL.
Theoretically, you can go back to Earth and inhabit the body of a human being. And, just as theoretically, you can go back to Earth an inhabit the body of a different kind of life form. This could be an interesting interlude.
Many small animals don’t live a long time, like rats and small birds. So, you might enjoy a short excursion as a creature of some kind. There are millions of species to choose from on land, in the air and in the oceans.
For convenience, here is a list of the Top 10 longest lived animals: rabbits – 28 years, bird-eating spiders – 28 years, dog – 29 years, cats – 38 years, goldfish – 43 years, horses – 62 years, birds – 60 to 118 years, elephants – 86 years, Koi fish – 226 years, Tortoise – 255 years!
If you decide to inhabit the body of a different life form you might want to consider their life style and eating habits before you choose.
For example, cats eat rats and mice. That could take some getting used to…. Some birds eat seeds, raw fish, frogs, bugs, garbage and road kill.
Silverback gorillas eat vegetation and they are strong enough to tear a man’s arms and legs off easily. Whales eat plankton, krill, squid, octopus and jellyfish. Dolphins are a fun species. They eat whole, raw fish – guts and all.
Anyway, there are a lot of options. Of course, human beings have been known to eat just about everything under the sun – including ALL of the items AND the animals listed above.”
PREVIEW and BUY THE BOOK …BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! 
![1001 Things to Do While You're Dead | [Lawrence Spencer]](https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ROhipKNuL._SL175_.jpg "1001 Things to Do While You're Dead | [Lawrence Spencer]")
JUST DO IT.
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Self-destruction is the antithesis of the survival impulse. Individual life forms are driven by the impulse to survive. But, collectively, Humanity seems to be Hell-Bent on Self-Destruction. WTF?! Well, maybe it’s not all what it seems to be. Maybe there are a very small minority of beings who want to ensure that the rest of us don’t make it. Our assumption, as socially interdependent beings is that “everyone wants to survive”. Well, maybe Humanity has been infiltrated by PARASITES who secretly and quietly want to bleed us to death? Parasites in nature are abundantly present. Bacteria and viruses are some of the most abundant and ancient species of life on the planet. If you get cut on your leg while walking through the jungle, you will die of bacterial infection, if the wound is untreated. You want to survive, but so does the bacteria that invades your body and kills it. So what? Do you have more right to survive than bacteria?
But, if our natural impulse is to persist through time in our present form, why would we keep shooting ourselves in the foot?