Contemplation from the Tao Te Ching
Express yourself completely, sale
then keep quiet.
Be like the forces of nature:
when it blows, ask there is only wind;
when it rains, there is only rain;
when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.

 If you open yourself to the Tao,
you are at one with the Tao
and you can embody it completely.
If you open yourself to insight,
you are at one with insight
and you can use it completely.
If you open yourself to loss,
you are at one with loss
and you can accept it completely.

 Open yourself to the Tao,
then trust your natural responses;
and everything will fall into place.

Thought for the Day: Last night I had a dream that I was John Kennedy’s campaign manager—in the present, by the way, not in the 1960s. I don’t know why. Might have been the hot fudge sundae right before bed, might have been a somewhat more politically frustrating meeting than I expected earlier in the evening. Whatever the cause though, JFK was particularly concerned with poverty in the U.S., and somewhat surprised that things have become so dire. While running the campaign, I was hounded by people all over the political spectrum, who wanted us to do this or that with JFK’s re-election. Some said, “You can’t say this about poverty, because the x people will be angry.” Others said, “You can’t say that about poverty, because the y people will be angry.” So of course, at some point you realize you can’t say anything, because one group or the other is going to take issue.

Thank God Jesus didn’t think that way! At some point we all must take a stand, and that requires trusting our instincts, stating our case clearly and concisely, and moving on. In trying to get JFK reelected, we realized we were never going to change the mind of one group or the other. All we could do was appeal to the God-nature within and hope that some people awoke from their own selfish political aspirations.

Taoism—much like Christianity, is about being connected to the ultimate source of the universe, and finding the calm and serenity in that connection to trust your instincts, and gain insight. Because being at one with The One gives us peace, courage, and the strength to take the side of justice in an unjust world.

Prayer: Let me ride in the flow of your love, God who is creation, through the fire, to the limit, to the wall. Amen.