Comments | thezerosystem: Going with the flow

thezerosystem

Going with the flow

Jul 08, 2005 01:04

One of the things that had bothered me in my readings about Taoism and Zen was the notion not struggling against the force of nature, letting yourself go with the flow. In many things, this is a wonderful thought and is very helpful. Except when you factor in cancer ( Read more... )

spirituality

Comments 8

dev_y July 8 2005, 07:09:24 UTC

i also read a lot of stuff about taoism, and my take on the "going with the flow" thing is not to try to fight against things that you cannot change. it's pointless. whatever is going to happen, is going to happen regardless of whether you're worrying yourself over it.

heh, that's just how i like to think.

p.s. it's cool to finally find someone else who's interested in taoism!

thezerosystem July 9 2005, 21:31:14 UTC

I've been surprised by how many people are interested in taoism...I can see why, after reading about it, but it's cool to know lots of people are finding it relevant for their lives.

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thezerosystem July 9 2005, 21:31:51 UTC

Thanks. :)

snooopy July 8 2005, 07:35:59 UTC

I've found a strong inner peace within me that I didn't believe fitted into a belief system, but maybe I should do some reading on taoism as it's principles sound very close to my thoughts and feelings on the world. Like every belief system it is open for personal interpretation, so you saying "could it mean fight cancer until your body says a definite no" YES. sure! A religion that says no, these are the rules live by them, would be far to simplistic for life?!

:D that you managed to type so much! xx

thezerosystem July 9 2005, 21:33:08 UTC

It really is an interesting belief system/philosophy to read about. So much of it just feels rational, natural...like something you should have always realized but never stopped to think about. I'll post some quotes and links and such soon, so hopefully that will give a better idea of the stuff I've been inspired by. :)

kamigirl25 July 8 2005, 16:16:57 UTC

I think about these things, too, and wonder when I'm going to face the day that I have to make a choice between chemo versus just letting things go. I think the point of some of this has to do with attachment, specifically, in being attached to your body. I think the people who want to "live at all costs" are severely attached, and are willing to undergo hardships that end up with them being alive but miserable. There is a difference between that kind of desperate need to live and the simple DESIRE to experience life. I guess what I'm trying to say is that people who are attached to their lives and their bodies end up making decisions to prolong their lives out of an utter despair that comes from feeling as if they can't bear dying. To me, "going with the flow" is understanding that one day I'm going to die no matter what I do. I love my life...every single crazy thing about it...but the older I get the less I'm attached to my life and this body of mine. The reason I choose chemotherapy instead of just dying is simply because I ( ... )

thezerosystem July 10 2005, 08:04:19 UTC

Thank you for your thoughts on this, and for your compliment. :) I'm finding learning about this type of spirituality is just so interesting. I'm looking forward to delving deeper.

survivor4life July 11 2005, 20:38:10 UTC

My boyfriend is a Zen practitioner trained by Suzuki Roshi. He would most definitely not sit there and let someone come up and attack him without fighting back. My understanding of the zen idea of not struggling, or accepting what comes in life does not mean to just idly let things happen without taking action. It means to not let the storms that come our way dramatically affect our emotions and take us out of balance. So for example, a tornado sweeps your house away. You do what you can to save yourself, those around you, and your belongings if possible. But, you try to maintain your inner peace so that you can get through the terrible wind, with your best state of mind in place. The idea of this is so that you can remain alert and capable of handling what comes your way to the best of your ability. I have seen my boyfriend being assaulted by multiple trajedies in life that would bring another person to their knees sobbing oncontrollably. Though he may feel emotionally devastated by this, he continues to work long hours and work ( ... )