Maybe those Daoists were on to something...

Ah, I am very far behind in my world religions study. It is the only reading-based course that doesn't require some kind of written response or summary, so its readings are sacrificed for the greater good. Or something.

I am currently playing catch-up, which isn't easy when the subject matter is the writings of the Daoists of China. China is far too ancient a nation. Their people had way too much time to come up with complicated ideas that I need to read in a hurry. They also contradict themselves too often. Can somebody pass me the Daoism for Dummies? What do you mean that would be a contradiction in terms??

Anyway, one of Daoisms major tenets is the idea of non-action (wu-wei). Non-action is not what it sounds like in that poor English translation. It's more like...doing by not doing. Haha, that clarified things for you, didn't it? Feel my pain.

The point is that striving to get what you want is only going to make life harder than it needs to be for you. To quote the Tao Te Ching, "He who stands on tiptoe is not steady; he who strides cannot maintain the pace." So, maybe in pushing myself to read 40 pages of Daoist writings today, I am "striding" instead of...strolling? Maybe a stroll through the writings is what I need. Dang, I should have thought of that before I skipped the world religions reading to put more time into my iconoclasm paper...

So, that's my life today. Interspersed with abstract Chinese thought (not just Daoism...I also read 40 pages of Confucianism as well...) was an attempt to figure out how and when we are getting to Galiano Island next week (yay!) and how to get rid of the infuriating little flies in my house plant.

10 things I learned today

1. The flies in my plant are not flies, but fungus gnats.
2. Galiano Island is between Vancouver Island and the mainland.
3. Houseplants should not be potted in plastic pots, especially if you live in a ridiculously moist climate like this one (people from the southern US are now allowed to laugh at that comment about the moist climate).
4. John Duns Scotus was, despite being the source of the word "dunce," actually a very smart man.
5. My father just completed his convocation from Royal Military College after nearly 40 years of military service and an undisclosed amount of life experience. Go Dad!
6. Most people over-water their house plants (so I don't have to feel bad that I sometimes forget to water them...)
7. The Chinese are an ancient and utterly mesmerizing people.
8. I would make a better Confucianist than I would a Daoist (let's face it: I try too hard to be a good Daoist, and I actually LIKE set social roles).
9. Some people cure their plants of fungus gnats by introducing carnivorous plants into the household.
10. The real Dracula's daddy was an illustrious member of the Order of the Dragon, an order of holy knights dedicated to keeping Islam out of Eastern Europe. Vlad the Impaler's father was called Dracul, which means dragon. Dracula means "little dragon."

Have a great weekend (but don't try too hard...)