Dove Real Beauty Sketches (by Doveunitedstates)

http://www.youtube.com/embed/litXW91UauE?feature=oembed

Dove Real Beauty Sketches (by doveunitedstates)

We must always strive to see truth in all things, especially ourselves.

Daoism and Change

I had a lovely conversation with a dear friend of mine tonight, mostly regarding our old theater group in college and how's it's changed. I honestly think that one of the most beautiful (and frustrating) things about life is that it's always changing, every day and every moment. It's one of those things in the universe that never changes, as the saying goes. But we shouldn't fear or resist this change, no more than you should try and fight the force of gravity or the rhythm of your band (remember those analogies?). Nostalgia is one of the biggest selling points of popular culture these days, and it's not that hard to understand why. People want to feel safe, they want to remember the past without all the grimy little details that made it complicated and real. People want to embrace this illusion, but that's really all that it is.

Rather than that, I try to encourage people to embrace life both as it is and as it was. If we are going to indulge in a trip down memory lane, I believe the past deserves the respect of accuracy, not the glossed-over SFW version. Real life is always messy and nuanced, and we should never ever forget that, lest we start to gloss over the present in the same way.

But even more importantly than remembering and reliving the past accurately, we should always remember to keep the focus on the current living moment. As I stated at the beginning, the world is constantly changing all around us, and there's not a thing we can really do about it. That's why the most important thing in a Daoist's toolbox is the ability to Adapt. One needs to be willing and able to flow with the changes that happen as they happen, looking at the options as they come and finding the one most in line with your best path. This means looking past all the illusions and nostalgia our experiences have been coated with, this means opening up and seeing things as they truly are (or at least as close as you can muster). By doing this, change won't be so frightening after all.

The universe simply is, and must be accepted as such. That's what makes it so fun.

You Can't Plan It

A few days ago I posted a funny screencap that I made called “I’m Still Alive”.

Today it has almost 26,000 notes, which is bizarre for a number of reasons. The reality is that I wasn’t even going to post it. I thought it was funny, but since you can’t plan on what’s going to hit and what isn’t on the internet, then it seemed passive to me.

Similarly, every week when I arrange a song for you, I have no idea what the response will be. My Game of Thrones arrangement was perhaps one of my favorites, but it went nowhere. It took me 80 hours to complete, and it was a massive undertaking. It was also timed perfectly since I released it when Game of Thrones started its new season.

But then it failed. It got a few notes, few purchases, and although I was scared (scared as in “umm, how am going to eat this week?”), I was mostly dumbfounded.

On the contrast, some of my biggest arrangements are ones that I was doubtful about - either because I was unsure about how my arrangement turned out, or because I hadn’t heard of the band and assumed others hadn’t, too.

Over the years, I’ve witnessed companies strategize and come up with some crazy buzzword or graphic trending chart, but then they learn that nothing goes as planned. Take a look at My Little Pony - they marketed the show to young girls, but guess who their biggest audience is? 35 year old males.

It’s a bizarre concept - the idea that you can’t plan things. So every week I’m reminded more and more about the unpredictability of the internet. And while some would be frustrated about it, I’d have it no other way. It’s fascinating.

Updates!

Wow, it's been more than a month since my last entry, and nearly two months since I've written anything at length! I've been busying saying yes to things in my life as they come up, but I want everyone to know that I have not forgotten about this blog. I have a bunch of things I still need to write about, and hopefully I will get to at least some of them before the holidays. Until then, welcome newcomers! And hello to old friends! Feel free to ask me questions or submit interesting things!

Living with a Chronic Disease (by hankschannel)

Beautiful words by Hank Green on accepting reality and moving forward with optimism and strength. This is Daoism in action.

This is Dao.

for betweenlifeandthought