Welcome to a place that I designed so that I can collect and share my personal thoughts and experiences. I’ve always wanted a place where I can capture the sum of the growth that I’ve made throughout my life. I’m not a millionaire businessman, social media influencer, or award winning scientist. There are hundreds of thousands of philosophers and thousands of books on philosophy that are considered essential to our collective understanding of who we are. Not only have I not authored any of them, I haven’t even read most of them. What I have accomplished is living 30 years of life, and focusing enough on the truth of my experience to develop my own understanding of the world. I hope that sharing my thoughts will provide meaning, entertainment, or provoke discussion in your own life. I also hope that this blog will foster communication that will help me continue to grow. Nothing is more valuable or worthwhile than opening up and sharing our minds; they are what make us masters of the universe.
Photo by Kendall Hoopes from Pexels
So, where should I start? I’ve already sat here for too long, contemplating where I want to begin my discussion. At first, I was convinced that I should share some story from my life, and come up with some clever way to fold in a parable illustrating my own personal journey of growth. I don’t think it’s possible to do that without sounding disingenuous. The purpose of this blog isn’t to revel in the amazing complexity that is human thought; the purpose is to understand what life teaches us. There is a time for explanation, and a time for contemplation. So, as a throwback to OG blogging I’ll end this first post with a quote that I find meaningful.
The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese text that originated around the 6th-century BC. While it is a famous religious text (fundamental Taoism), the book is nothing more than the thoughts of a man who spent much of his time thinking about life. This text is particularly meaningful to me, because it provides a constant narrative on the divide between society’s complexity, and the simplicity of nature. In a world where we are suffocating under all the noise, the Tao provides the raw material for internal growth. After thousands of years, it gives us encouragement that we may soon walk a path that brings us closer to a great life.
Embrace simplicity.
Put others first.
Desire little.
Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)
Thanks for reading. Until next time, happy living.
