Learn from experience

It is New Year’s Eve, so time for a little fun, wrapping up the year.  I always look at everything as a learning opportunity and not so long ago, I had an experience that I learned from.  So here is a warning!

Be careful how you respond at a party!  When approaching your company Christmas Party and as you walk through the parking lot you hear, “Hey Terry, over here!”  Be sure to proceed with caution.  Especially if as you approach the crowd, you see mason jars being held out to you and hear, “You have to try this!”  Be sure to remember that a single mason jar is not the same as a single serving.  Take your time and if possible a smaller glass.  Consider mixing with other less alcoholic drinks.  Because it doesn’t matter how rough the day/week has been, filling an empty beer bottle and then coming back an hour later for the rest of the jar, is not recommended.  Especially when you are drinking it straight.  At least I was a happy drunk!

More on my beliefs

Below is a link to rather long article, that matches well with what I have always read in the Bible.  I found this while browsing the internet and I am glad that the Tao helped me to find it.  While I have always leaned toward very similar interpretations, I have never taken the time to detail out the reasoning, the way that has been done in this article.  Maybe this can help you understand how I am a Catholic, Christian, Taoist, Anarchist, Capitalist, and Libertarian who greatly respects God. 
 

Since my early twenties, I have preferred Freedom and Anarchy to any government and have always sided with the most strictly limited Constitutional Republic, because it is the best government know in history.  Take a read if you like and sometime maybe I will discuss pieces of this with my thoughts more:  http://www.notbeinggoverned.com/jesus-anarchist/

So, what is a Taoist? First, the Tao is pronounced Dao and is sometimes spelled this way.

The Tao te Ching is from ancient Chinese text, specifically associated with Tibet, but I am not the history expert, so I would like to change the direction of this discussion. Simply stated, the Tao is the universal force that runs through the entire universe. Speaking of “Force,” I first read the Tao te Ching because of my interest in Star Wars and was intrigued with the Jedi study of “The Force.” While serving in the Army, my dog tags actually listed “Jedi” as my religion.

However, from my current perspective, the Tao is not a religion. I do attend church regularly and appreciate the lessons that I learn from the Bible. Taoism is more of a philosophy. There is more information that you can read, than I could ever cover here, so I will keep this relatively short. When I was in my early 20’s I read the Tao te Ching, The Tao of Pooh, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and many other books on the Tao, Zen and other topics. Now days you can find plenty of information on-line and you may enjoy, “…You Might Be A Taoist” which is a spin-off of “…you might be a redneck” by Jeff Foxworthy. This site does a humorous explanation, which is usually the best, from my stand point. Take a look and I will share more later. But before you go, here is a quote from another site and I would only change this saying by replacing the words “some wine” with “from a mason jar.”

"Where Zen and Buddhism will say the truth, enlightenment, and so on can be reached through dedicated meditation and practice, a Tao master may sip some wine, fart, and go to sleep." from Daily Cup of Tao

I may not be the most literate blogger, I may not be the deepest thinking Taoist, I am a redneck from Mississippi living in the swamps of North Carolina. I find that philosophically my thoughts follow the Tao. Here you will find some of my stories and thoughts. Some you may like, some you may not. Either way that's fine. I am Taoist.