Hi Tommy and Anita

That’s okay, but I also meant if there were any links that might be helpful. 🩵

I hope you all have a great year coming too. 🩵

Wasn’t me! I hope lol. For phone users it is a nightmare because you can accidentally hit it whilst scrolling. I know I have done it accidentally in the past and there is no way to unreport, sadly.

Did any of your messages get reported too Anita? 🩵

Hi James

Humans are remarkably resilient. There was a freak murder of children locally. The parents dropped their kids off to an after school activity and a crazy person walked in off the street and killed the children inside. Yes, these things hurt an unspeakable amount, but people do endure and try to make the best of their lives after. 🩵

Self-help might not make sense to you. For some it is part of enduring and gives them a measure of peace from the difficulties they experienced. 🩵

Perhaps it is not for you, but what is the point in judging what others are doing especially when you don’t understand others perspectives? 🩵

Good luck to you as well James, it was nice to meet you! 🩵

Hi Roberta

I’m sorry to hear that your father is in the long stay unit. 🩵

Is this a fairly recent change? If so, how are you both adjusting? How are the staff? 🩵

That is a really good idea, if only you had a million. 😊

It is a shame how expensive elder care is.

I can hear how much you want to be there for him. I think you know that you are doing the right thing though, you always do the best you can for him. 🩵

Wow, you are a quick reader! You might finish it before I do. I hope you enjoyed the party and found some good nuggets of conversation. 🥳 🩵

Hi Everyone

Can we please move this to another thread. There is a setting where the owner of the thread gets emailed the replies. 🩵

Thanks 🙏

Hi Roberta

Thanks for sharing! I enjoyed the video.

It’s a good reminder to be mindful of our perspective, the choices we make and how these factors affect our experiences. 🩵

This is a link to the Daoist book which the story I shared on Peter’s thread was from.

https://archive.org/details/book-of-master-lie-lieh-tzu-thomas-cleary/page/n43/mode/1up

Hi James

I just think faith is something that unfolds over time. Like anything else, children don’t have the maturity to understand it yet. We can teach them the rules and hope that it will sink in, in time. 🩵

Yes, I understand and believe that. But it isn’t comforting to me. I guess because my life was so unstable when I was young. 🩵

You underestimate my attachment to trees. 😉

Funnily enough, this is me “better”. I know I have more work to do. I am of the world though, I don’t seek perfection. I will try my best, take the lessons as they come and try to take care of my family, as much as anyone can. 🩵

I know my son is happy. That is undeniable, his laughter is infectious. 🩵

Hi Peter and Everyone

I was thinking on the story and used Gemini to help me to write about the themes. I think this story exemplifies various aspects of Daoism. I hope you find it as interesting as I do. 🩵

Detailed Analysis of Major Themes in the Shang Qiukai Story
1. The Theme of Spiritual and Psychological Mastery

This is the core philosophical theme derived from Daoist thought, centered on the power of the unified mind.

The Supremacy of Sincerity (Chéng): The story argues that the most potent force in the universe is unqualified sincerity. Shang Qiukai’s success stemmed from his ability to achieve a state of absolute concentration where the mind was not split by fear, doubt, or greed. This concentration was so perfect it made him immune to the conditioned laws of the physical world (fire, gravity).

Effort Meets Grace: The beggar’s life-threatening risks (going “out on a limb”) were the crucible that forged this sincerity. The universe only intervenes when the individual is willing to sacrifice everything, suggesting that grace (or reward) meets courage at the point of ultimate commitment.

Accidental Mastery: The beggar did not train for this power; he accidentally achieved the mental state of the Daoist “True Man” by simply trying to survive the aristocratic game. His profound desperation served as a shortcut to spiritual non-attachment.

2. The Theme of Social and Karmic Justice

This theme addresses the moral imbalance of the world and its ultimate reversal by universal law (Karma/Fate).

The Pitfalls of Humanity (The Aristocrats): The aristocrats represent the spiritual and moral vices and delusions that arise from power and wealth (malice, cruelty, greed, calculation). They tried to inflict suffering but were ultimately undone by their own moral corruption.

The Karmic Inversion: The universe actively corrects the moral imbalance. The aristocrats were punished not by physical harm, but by humiliation, dependence, and fear—a consequence directly proportional to their malicious intent.

The Beggar as a Force of Nature: The beggar’s morality (non-malice and sincerity) and his poverty (his complete disposability) combined to make him a Force of Nature that defied the rules of the aristocrats’ world. The universe favored his essential goodness over their active vice.

3. The Theme of Moral Efficacy Despite Ignorance (The Flawed Foundation)

This crucial theme, hinted at by philosophical commentary (like that of Confucius), provides the final ethical critique.

Ignorance as the Catalyst: The beggar’s power was rooted in his ignorance of the moral and factual truth: he believed a lie about the reward and the noble’s power. His unwavering trust was born from this lack of wisdom.

The Unstable Victory: This means the beggar’s success, while miraculous, was fundamentally unstable and unwise. True, enduring virtue (Zhi) requires conscious knowledge and ethical discernment, not blind faith in deceit.

The Confucian Critique: The final commentary highlights that true moral power must be based on a foundation of conscious virtue and knowledge of right and wrong, rather than mere desperation and accidental single-mindedness achieved through a corrupt means.

4. The Theme of The Psychology of Survival and Class

This theme grounds the philosophy in the harsh reality of social stratification and the mindset of the poor.

The Catalyst of Deprivation: The beggar’s chronic hunger and cold were the engine of his desperation, eliminating his rational fear and creating the psychological necessity for his absolute commitment.

Normalization of Abuse: His life of low status and normalized abuse made him compliant and willing to accept the extreme risks, setting the stage for his miraculous effort.

Security as the True Reward: The reward of “meat and silk” was the perfect symbolic negation of his initial suffering. This fulfillment of basic needs is seen as the necessary step that opens the mind to spiritual practice, transforming a desperate man into a secure individual.

Hi Tommy

Fair enough! That is more than most do. 🩵

I don’t mind believing, but I don’t like to put labels on it. 😊

I like stories too. Hmm well, it would seem to me that not helping is a bigger problem than touching. But of course it is still important to be mindful of rules.

It reminds me of before a Buddha passed away, he told the monks that they didn’t have to follow the lesser rules all the time because they were not as serious. But the monks decided to follow them anyway out of respect for his teachings. 🩵

I don’t know if you would agree with what came to mind for me?

It is okay! I was curious too. Nothing wrong with being different. 🩵