EmekaBlue:
Let's hope it is not planned by her boyfriend to milk ransom money from her family and Let's also not forget to pray against a trait that she has been taken to Ogun state. If you know what I mean

Many things dey happen for this Obodo Nigeria

well it was , but they claim a serial killer , funny thing is serial killers don't kill known relatives idk , why he is tagged a serial killer as the news say , maybe a clearer investigation should be done to the public in his MO and how he was caught

[quote author=ZekeYeager post=131851268][/quote] it's tough to be honest but it's only a phase of life you are in , I'm Atheist from a Christian family I know , about your friend how about creating another account to text her , getting another app for just you two ? I don't see your parents leaving you anytime soon , and since you cannot obviously beat them you join em..... how about finding a part time job? Builds independence a form of responsibility, been financially independent would be a segue to getting what you want without their yes or no....it's only a phase remember that

AfroMighty:
This won't matter to dem southafrican internet warriors... They want a fight... Cruise dey twitter abeg😀

how I wish I had a Twitter account

More .....


#FreeThinkingCitizenOfNIgeria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GcQQLZoMHk&pp=ygU5U291dGggYWZyaWNhbiBnaXJsIHJlbWluZHMgc291dGggYWZyaWNhIHdobyBuaWdlcmlhbnMgYXJl

Sirmwill:

Really

We really just stay back and watch , noticed a lot so far , bad news is good news , i havnt stopped though working with OGTV atm so yeah

WE had great emperors and conqurors in Africa than just AlaXAndra and Julius OF THEIR NORTHER HEMISPHERE OF THE WORLD
Hannibal Barca of carttage
QUEEN GENRALIDIA THE GREAT OF BENIN EMPIRE
KING ASKIA THE GREAT OF MALI EMPIRE
Ewuare the Great OF BENIN EMPIRE
AMED ABA THE GREATAhmed was a great leader of the Songhai Empire, currently Niger, Northern Nigeria, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali and Mauritania

engrchykae:
Londonium, Britannia,Gail(modern France)
Are part of Roman legacy.
Hadrian wall in UK was built by emperor Hadrian

hi hello, wish you a great day ahead, do remember to smile

budaatum:
The Olympics is on where those who exert effort in their training win medals.

Funny thing is, if you believed the spaghetti you posted above you'd have not taken the action to post it, and its writer wouldn't have written it in the first place.

It sure takes effort to try to understand it.

It does Budaa

Queen IDIA was born in the 15th Century in Uzeghudu (now Edo State) and was married to Oba Ozolua. Her son, Osawe, was crowned Oba of Benin Kingdom with the title “Esigie” (Oseigie) and he reigned from 1504-1550 A.D.

Egua-Iy’Oba (The Queen Mother’s Palace) was built for her in lower Uselu.
Till date, it serves as the final resting place for every Iy’Oba (Queen Mother).

Queen Idia enjoyed the privilege of recommending her choice of Chiefs to the Oba who conferred the title on them thereafter.

Queen Idia was the 1st woman in benin who went to and fought in War.

She used her magical powers and knowledge of Medicine to help her son overcome his enemies. She was one of the best known female soldiers ever from the Benin Kingdom. She was a fearless Army General who led the Armies of Benin on several successful battles. One of such was the Idah War of 1515 – 1516 A.D. that was won by her Army who fought very bravely. She also acted as the Oba’s Agent in some Villages.

The use of symbolic images of Art identified with Queen Idia indicates her early contacts with the Portuguese and has become one of the most popular work of Art in World Black History. Several of such images of Art include: the Bronze ancestral Queen-Mother Head, the Bronze Bells, the traditional Sword (“Eben”), the carved wood rattle Staff (“Ukhurhe”), and many more.

The image of Queen Idia is the popular Festac Head that was used for the celebration of the Nigerian FESTAC ’77 – Festival of Arts and Culture in 1977 that was attended by dignitaries all over the World.

The Queen-Mother also started “Ekasa” – a special dance which forms part of the Royal Ceremonies till date.

Queen Idia’s tomb is located at Egua-Iy’oba, Uselu, Lagos Road, Benin-City.


After the bombardment of Benin by the British 1897, they claimed her mask was from the lost city of Atlantis , as Africans were so savage to make sculptors so intricate in Quote

Sonnobax15:

Thesourcerer himself,well done...

Those were women with balls,and they made great kingdoms according to history

Good Morning to you , hope youre having a lovley day and yes we do formidable women , who ntill now remain formidable, be it in Clans , Kingdoms and even countries (Democracy)

Queen Cleopatra VII Theo Philopator (Female Pharoh)


Queen Cleopatra VII Theo Philopator was born in early 69 BC and was the daughter of Ptolemy. She was a product of incest, a common practice among the Ptolemaic dynasty members. Queen Cleopatra was not from Egypt but was born in Egypt. Subsequently, she ruled as a lawgiver in Egypt and other territories like Cyprus. She was proactive in religious activities, being the chief religious authority in her realm.

She married her adolescent brothers, who served as her ceremonial spouses during her tenure. Also, she had love affairs with several men for political reasons; some were Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. Queen Cleopatra and Mark Anthony were more than just political lovers. Historians claim both of them shared beautiful moments as love birds.

Furthermore, Queen Cleopatra was also involved in her kingdom’s administrative affairs, solving economic problems during her time. She was a powerful and possessive leader, always protective of her position. Queen Cleopatra killed her sibling when she found out he was a threat to her position. She died in 30 BC. Today, Queen Cleopatra features in several ancient works of Art in Egyptian and Roman styles.

falcon01:
Everybody came from somewhere nobody own any where

yeah True , like how we( The black Man) were chased from up Nubian North (Libia, Morroco , Egypt) by the Arabs down south , where we met the pygmies and through conquest equally chased them down south (Congo,Angola) oh yeah the pygmies are what the Yorubas call Egberes.....Well yes through conquest we take over lands , just like the Zulu came from Nigeria/Cameroon meeting the San people . and infact almost eradicating them so yeah, hello falcon , hows your morning so far?

RoadMozart:


so na hausa and yoruba no share words abi?

pointless point

Good for you blood brother, genuinely wish you are great day ahead .

Oh how history has been re-written ,

The Yoruba , Igbos and fulanis share the Niger-Congo languages
The Hausas who were the original invaders have the Afro-Asiatic language (Originally from Northern Sudan)


This explains a lot really

The Hausas play the victim card all the time

Explains why we never had a Hausa President

Explains Why the Fulanis decide to fight the Hausa only up North .
This explains why Uthman Dan Fodio started the Jihad against the Hausas
The Hausas are literally every where in the Nigerian State , but the fulanis though Nomadic still retain up North , This explains a whole lot really ,
How did we get this wrong ?



And the Yorubas and Igbos are literally the same, still even share words , Act the same and are a Proud people
The word igbo (Bush people) was given to the igbos because they would hide from the bush and take the Yorubas and disappear back into the forest( this is still stipulated Theory)
How did we get this so wrong for so long

Aside this lingua evidence deep research has shown Hausas are not true Nigerians

fredwill1357:
DETACHING
I noticed we find it hard to un cling from life, even when we see the pointlessness. Many people have gone through this phase including me, as I became an adult, I found out that pain is no longer the only thing keeping me from death. Desires and attachments, pleasures of the world are also big factors.

Halt all sexual activities and keep sexual thoughts out of your mind for six months to one year, abstain from all sensual pleasures and intoxication of all kinds, be sober. Stop cooking with Maggi and other unnatural seasonings, cook only with salt because of iodine, vegetable oils, olive oil preferably, herbs and leafy vegetables, tomato fruits, cucumber, garden egg. Packaged dried natural herbs and spices is okay, avoid pepper, except in very low amounts. Strictly stay away from consumption of animals, including shrimps and other sea foods.
Fast once in a week or twice in a month if you can, drinking only water or with leafy vegetables is also okay. Eat only grains, whole grains preferably, legumes and beans. No fried foods, not even fried oil, stew or soup. Do not spend most of your free time playing action or arcade games. Spend it meditating, acquiring knowledge and wisdom, solitude, growing mentally and spiritually. If you want to play games, play mind enhancing games like sudoku, chess, investigations, puzzles, e.t.c.

You need to detach even from family members, partners, friends and all emotions and desires. Even love is an attachment, love no one, hate no one either. This doesn't stop you from doing good or helping people. Transcend all emotions and desires, even saving the world is an attachment, the world does not need saving, as people live their lives and reincarnate, those who want salvation will eventually gain enough wisdom, knowledge and power to save themselves, if you try to save a people that are not ready or does not want to be saved, they will spit on you like they did to those before you.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't try to make the world a better place, but don't get overly attached to it or your headache.

Do this for six months to 1 year and see the result for yourself, you can then decide to live like this through out your days in this world. You would find the emptiness of life glaring, your survival instinct will reduce, dying or exiting this world will become easier and less scary. You will find it easier to live uprightly, you will gain more clarity and strength, mentally, physically and spiritually.

Thank you for reading, hope you transcend our severely flawed prison existence. If you cannot do this for at least six months to one year and you wish to un cling from life, do not blame your clinginess on survival instinct or being used to life. You simply haven't yet conquered yourself and the pleasures of the world.

Thank you for tagging me Enlightened one, Meditation is massivly important ...a lot to say but currently at work so limited texting

The Act of Not Trying

“Those who stand on tiptoes do not stand firmly.
Those who rush ahead don’t get very far in life .
Those who try to outshine others dim their own light.” — — Lao Tzu


How can we improve when we stop trying to improve? Many people waste their efforts trying to better their lives with questionable results. They gain knowledge and chase external things while exhausting their bodies, and burdening their minds (They call the Rat race).
The Taoists observed that humans tend to act in ways that are counterproductive. And in their attempts to alter the natural way, they only make things worse. All these strivings, rules, ethics, values, surely are invented to benefit humanity. But according to the ancient Taoist sages, we should get rid of them all. Why? Because all these manmade ideas only remove us further from the natural flow of life.

Trying to alter what nature has intended, is like swimming against the stream: it's exhausting and gets us nowhere. This story is about not trying to change the world, to gain the world. Behind the ever-changing universe lies a mysterious and undefinable force that the Taoists call "Tao", for the lack of a better word. The "Tao" is all-encompassing, and it's all about Balance.

Still, we can know and feel the Tao, even though we cannot comprehend it. This symbolizes the tragic attempts by humans to conceptualize things that are beyond their understanding. They use names, categories, they select and discern, but fail to grasp what the universe is truly like. So, they create a deception; an artifice that makes life understandable for humans. But by trying to comprehend, they lose the Tao.

"Five colors blind the eye. Five notes deafen the ear. Five flavors make the palate go stale," wrote Lao Tzu in his work the Tao Te Ching. So, by arranging colors, notes, and flavors, we might enhance our understanding, but we also limit it, as there's so much more outside of these fixed concepts. The same goes for the human tendency to make rock-solid rules for everything, to get a sense of control.

Again, we limit ourselves by doing so because the world is ever-changing, and what works today, may not work tomorrow. Also, from a sense of solidarity and justice, people create immense bodies of ethics, moral codes, and rituals, that form an artificial way of life. Even though the intentions are good: they try to make things work while building their own prisons.

Now, let's talk about the word 'trying'. I think most of us are familiar with the idea that we should simply 'act' and not 'try'. This idea is closely related to the 'flow-state'. In a flow-state one becomes the act, like a dancer who becomes the dance, or the poet who becomes the poem. This is wu wei, a concept that can be literally translated as 'non-doing' or 'doing nothing'. In the context of the flow state, wu wei translates best as 'effortless action', because we act in a smooth and painless manner.

In the context of this story, however, translating wu wei as 'non-doing' or 'doing nothing' fits best. Literally 'doing nothing' is often seen as unproductive, and as a useless way of being, in which there's no progression. But according to the Taoists, nothing is further from the truth. When we keep in mind that the universe is in flux and in a state of change and evolution, we'll realize that there's always progression in the natural flow of life.

So instead of using force, and exhausting ourselves (which is the favorite method of today's culture), we could travel through life much more easily by using intelligence. Because isn't it so as we have all noticed , that so many times, problems seem to solve themselves? And that by 'taking action' we often make things worse? When we waste our time trying to improve things we distance ourselves from the natural course. We repeatedly act in ways that are (according to the Taoists) unnatural and waste our bodies and minds doing so.

So, why do we this? Well, it has a lot to do with how we attribute value to certain things. For example, when we're averse to poverty, but desire money and fame, and when we're averse to being lonely but desire to be part of something. So we try to eradicate the former, and increase the latter, while the latter cannot exist without the former. Also, we think that it's necessary to conform and alter nature based on certain belief systems. We try to better the world, while the results of our interventions are kind of questionable.

Now, how can we bring these ancient theories into the modern world? According to Taoist thinking, in what ways do we, modern humans, 'try', while our efforts only leave us with peanuts in the end? Let's explore some examples of how we 'try', using the ancient Taoist scriptures the Tao Te Ching and the Zhuangzi. The first one is Trying to improve the world Alan Watts, who was a fervent scholar of Taoism and a FreeThinker , once pointed out that the goodie-goodies of society are the biggest troublemakers. Their 'must-save-the-world' attitude often disrupts the natural course, simply because they seek to enforce man-made ideas of what's good and evil. An example is 'communism' which originally sprouted from a desire to change humanity for the better, based on equality and honest distribution of goods.

However, apart from the discussion if this approach is natural or not: the ways in which the communists spread their ideology were absolutely brutal. In the Zhuangzi, we find a story about a man named Yen Hui, who asked Confucius for permission to travel to the country of Wei, after he heard that it's ruled by an incompetent ruler.

Yen Hui wanted to use everything he learned about governance, to improve the country of Wei. Confucius, however, discouraged him to do so. Not only because Wei's highly disagreeable leader probably wouldn't listen, but also because people, in general, don't like outsiders coming in, telling what's better for them from a place of moral supremacy. As Confucius stated and I quote:

"If you do not understand men's minds, but instead appear before a tyrant and force him to listen to sermons on benevolence and righteousness, measures and standards - this is simply using other men's bad points to parade your own excellence."

We could ask ourselves: in what way is using other people's faults to create a nice role on the moral high ground. This only creates more division, more tension, and will unlikely change things for the better in a sustainable manner. As Lao Tzu puts it in the Tao Te Ching, and I quote:

Do you want to rule the world and control it? I don't think it can ever be done. The world is a sacred vessel and it can not be controlled. You will only make it worse if you try. It may slip through your fingers and disappear. End quote.

Now, the second one is... Trying to be happy No matter if it's the pursuit of money, status, fame, power, or knowledge; these ongoing efforts to be happy are the reason why we aren't. We think that we're happy when we've got a million dollars in the bank or when we finally published that story or when our YouTube channels have a 100k subscribers, but this is hardly the case. Sure, we enjoy some momentary pleasure, but that's not happiness according to the Taoists. Moreover, by this pursuit, we exhaust our bodies and minds, while, tragically, never achieving what we're looking for. I quote:

This is what the world honors: wealth, eminence, long life, a good name.
This is what the world finds happiness in: a life of ease, rich food, fine clothes, beautiful sights, sweet sounds.
This is what it looks down on: poverty, meanness, early death, a bad name.
This is what it finds bitter: a life that knows no rest, a mouth that gets no rich food, no fine clothes for the body, no beautiful sights for the eye, no sweet sounds for the ear.
People who can't get these things fret a great deal and are afraid - this is a stupid way to treat the body. People who are rich wear themselves out rushing around on business, piling up more wealth than they could ever use - this is a superficial way to treat the body.

So, when chasing happiness is a blind alley, what should we do instead? Well, the Taoists give us some suggestions. But before we go into them, let's look at the third one: Trying to be something else The Zhuangzi tells us a story about animals and the wind that envy each other for their inborn characteristics. The centipede envies the snake for the fact that it can move without legs, but the snake envies the wind for its ability to travel great distances without having a body at all. However, the wind argues that it takes just a finger or foot to hinder it. All in all, nature has created everything with its own attributes. Nothing is better than the other; only judgment makes it so.

Thus, we feel the need to change who we are, just to fit an ideal. White-skinned people try to be tanned, while East-Asians try to look more European, brunettes try to be blondes, and blondes try to be brunettes. Also, we try to change ourselves because we want to conform to a manmade standard; to fit in, simply because we're seen as defects when we don't. So, a sixth' finger is cut off, just to comply with the five-finger standard.

Why can't we just be who we are, the way nature intended us to be? That would be so much easier. Everyone and everything has its place in the whole. And by trying to alter this, we bring the world in disbalance.

I quote: When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created. Being and non-being produce each other. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short define each other. High and low oppose each other. Fore and aft follow each other. End quote.

So, how can we put these ideas into practice? The Taoists suggest several things. First of all, the Zhuangzi points to the benefits of taking the middle-path. This means that we shouldn't stretch ourselves beyond our means, but stay centered, so we conserve our health and stay close to our own nature.

"Follow the middle; go by what is constant, and you can stay in one piece, keep yourself alive, look after your parents, and live out your years." .

The Tao is constant. And one who seeks the Tao unlearns something new every day, according to Lao Tzu. So instead of limiting ourselves to a belief system, we let go, keep an open mind, and give the universe room to show itself as it is. Trying to change nature is a futile pursuit, as is trying to blur our vision of nature by man-made constructs. Instead of adding to knowledge, we let go of knowledge, until we reach a point of inner stillness. Only then, we're opening ourselves up to the Tao.
In this state of emptiness , we feel content. And contentment is true happiness. The Taoists call this process the fasting of the heart. By unlearning something every day, the Taoist arrives at non-action. It's the art of not trying(Meditation) while nothing will be left undone . You will be left Emptied ,yet fulfilled

fredwill1357:
DETACHING
I noticed we find it hard to un cling from life, even when we see the pointlessness. Many people have gone through this phase including me, as I became an adult, I found out that pain is no longer the only thing keeping me from death. Desires and attachments, pleasures of the world are also big factors.

Halt all sexual activities and keep sexual thoughts out of your mind for six months to one year, abstain from all sensual pleasures and intoxication of all kinds, be sober. Stop cooking with Maggi and other unnatural seasonings, cook only with salt because of iodine, vegetable oils, olive oil preferably, herbs and leafy vegetables, tomato fruits, cucumber, garden egg. Packaged dried natural herbs and spices is okay, avoid pepper, except in very low amounts. Strictly stay away from consumption of animals, including shrimps and other sea foods.
Fast once in a week or twice in a month if you can, drinking only water or with leafy vegetables is also okay. Eat only grains, whole grains preferably, legumes and beans. No fried foods, not even fried oil, stew or soup. Do not spend most of your free time playing action or arcade games. Spend it meditating, acquiring knowledge and wisdom, solitude, growing mentally and spiritually. If you want to play games, play mind enhancing games like sudoku, chess, investigations, puzzles, e.t.c.

You need to detach even from family members, partners, friends and all emotions and desires. Even love is an attachment, love no one, hate no one either. This doesn't stop you from doing good or helping people. Transcend all emotions and desires, even saving the world is an attachment, the world does not need saving, as people live their lives and reincarnate, those who want salvation will eventually gain enough wisdom, knowledge and power to save themselves, if you try to save a people that are not ready or does not want to be saved, they will spit on you like they did to those before you.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't try to make the world a better place, but don't get overly attached to it or your headache.

Do this for six months to 1 year and see the result for yourself, you can then decide to live like this through out your days in this world. You would find the emptiness of life glaring, your survival instinct will reduce, dying or exiting this world will become easier and less scary. You will find it easier to live uprightly, you will gain more clarity and strength, mentally, physically and spiritually.

Thank you for reading, hope you transcend our severely flawed prison existence. If you cannot do this for at least six months to one year and you wish to un cling from life, do not blame your clinginess on survival instinct or being used to life. You simply haven't yet conquered yourself and the pleasures of the world.

DO GO THROUGH THIS ........ Reading this still .......at work yeah so limited texting

https://www.nairaland.com/8171704/philosophy-not-trying

fredwill1357:
Since I was a kid, I have always wondered what life was all about, at the age of 8 I was already contemplating suicide, I would go to the kitchen pick up a knife and at the end of the day, the potential pain was what stopped me.
I am from more of a middle class family

The world to me is more like a vast train or object of transportation moving a large number of people to an unknown, forgotten or guessed location, and then suddenly it stops, perhaps for a break, repair, nobody knows for sure.
People start trooping down from the vast vehicle, and then soon enough majority of them start building castles, palaces, mansions, wealth vaults, e.t.c. They are so engrossed and desperately serious with this that they are willing to harm each other, harm themselves, harm other beings and environment they found themselves in.
One would begin to wonder if this people have forgotten they are on transit, in a temporal location. Those who do not join the trend are called stupid, lazy, immatured, depressed, mad. The big question is to what end?

Even if I become the most powerful and richest person in the world, ruler of nations. What is the point to all this, get worshipped and feared by people, have as much sex mates as you want, eat any food you want, travel the world. This things aren't necessarily bad, but are they worth it? Compared to the potential horrors and sufferings in the world, the pain of terrible accidents, being ravaged by terrible diseases, the struggles and problems of everyday life, boredom, ailments of old age, e.t.c.
The saddest part for me is that people keep on propagating this madness, the pains babies and humans go through during their birth, their lifetime and death. When we propagate life, we propagate sufferings, wars, human diseases, problems and death. This things go hand in hand with life, and the only way to end all sufferings is to end life itself.

DETACHING PROCESS NEXT.

SUPERB


Life is a mistake death is trying to correct .

you are what we call a Philosopher , thing is the wealthy create there spere of happiness , so does the poor , the philosophers tend to understand why these transited species do not understand they are on short , inexperienced, spontaneous transit , they ask why are we even on this train , should we build castles on this train that may crash in the next second? where is this train going even ? and yes making known these questions results to the philosopher or Genius , MAD and INSANE lol Copernicus was killed because he explained with fact that the Earth is round and revolved around the sun , which goes against the biblical flat Earth , so yeah sit back and enjoy the ride fully , I'm a polymath by the way . GOOD JOB BUDDY ! there are no truths just FACTS , life comes with no manual so you a given a bible , a koran , the codex gigas , so yeah Enjoy the ride , we are all gonna die lol no one is making it out of this transit alive anyway

fredwill1357:
Since I was a kid, I have always wondered what life was all about, at the age of 8 I was already contemplating suicide, I would go to the kitchen pick up a knife and at the end of the day, the potential pain was what stopped me.
I am from more of a middle class family

The world to me is more like a vast train or object of transportation moving a large number of people to an unknown, forgotten or guessed location, and then suddenly it stops, perhaps for a break, repair, nobody knows for sure.
People start trooping down from the vast vehicle, and then soon enough majority of them start building castles, palaces, mansions, wealth vaults, e.t.c. They are so engrossed and desperately serious with this that they are willing to harm each other, harm themselves, harm other beings and environment they found themselves in.
One would begin to wonder if this people have forgotten they are on transit, in a temporal location. Those who do not join the trend are called stupid, lazy, immatured, depressed, mad. The big question is to what end?

Even if I become the most powerful and richest person in the world, ruler of nations. What is the point to all this, get worshipped and feared by people, have as much sex mates as you want, eat any food you want, travel the world. This things aren't necessarily bad, but are they worth it? Compared to the potential horrors and sufferings in the world, the pain of terrible accidents, being ravaged by terrible diseases, the struggles and problems of everyday life, boredom, ailments of old age, e.t.c.
The saddest part for me is that people keep on propagating this madness, the pains babies and humans go through during their birth, their lifetime and death. When we propagate life, we propagate sufferings, wars, human diseases, problems and death. This things go hand in hand with life, and the only way to end all sufferings is to end life itself.

DETACHING PROCESS NEXT.

Reading.....

fredwill1357:
trapped how? should I stop tagging you?

you are Theist ,I'm Atheist, we will never find a level playing field, please understand this . wish you the very best morning , genuinely mean that

fredwill1357:
Cc: Thesourcerer, hardmirror, johnydon22

I feel I'm been trapped by your tags.

kkins25:


If she didn't have sense, she wouldnt be fishing for periwinkle.

hi hello hope you are having a good morning so far?

On a average thread I make, I get thousands of veiws but I posted the philosophy of not trying 4 times and get an average of 50veiws
So I'll post again.


The Act of Not Trying

“Those who stand on tiptoes do not stand firmly.
Those who rush ahead don’t get very far in life .
Those who try to outshine others dim their own light.” — — Lao Tzu


How can we improve when we stop trying to improve? Many people waste their efforts trying to better their lives with questionable results. They gain knowledge and chase external things while exhausting their bodies, and burdening their minds (They call the Rat race).
The Taoists observed that humans tend to act in ways that are counterproductive. And in their attempts to alter the natural way, they only make things worse. All these strivings, rules, ethics, values, surely are invented to benefit humanity. But according to the ancient Taoist sages, we should get rid of them all. Why? Because all these manmade ideas only remove us further from the natural flow of life.

Trying to alter what nature has intended, is like swimming against the stream: it's exhausting and gets us nowhere. This story is about not trying to change the world, to gain the world. Behind the ever-changing universe lies a mysterious and undefinable force that the Taoists call "Tao", for the lack of a better word. The "Tao" is all-encompassing, and it's all about Balance.

Still, we can know and feel the Tao, even though we cannot comprehend it. This symbolizes the tragic attempts by humans to conceptualize things that are beyond their understanding. They use names, categories, they select and discern, but fail to grasp what the universe is truly like. So, they create a deception; an artifice that makes life understandable for humans. But by trying to comprehend, they lose the Tao.

"Five colors blind the eye. Five notes deafen the ear. Five flavors make the palate go stale," wrote Lao Tzu in his work the Tao Te Ching. So, by arranging colors, notes, and flavors, we might enhance our understanding, but we also limit it, as there's so much more outside of these fixed concepts. The same goes for the human tendency to make rock-solid rules for everything, to get a sense of control.

Again, we limit ourselves by doing so because the world is ever-changing, and what works today, may not work tomorrow. Also, from a sense of solidarity and justice, people create immense bodies of ethics, moral codes, and rituals, that form an artificial way of life. Even though the intentions are good: they try to make things work while building their own prisons.

Now, let's talk about the word 'trying'. I think most of us are familiar with the idea that we should simply 'act' and not 'try'. This idea is closely related to the 'flow-state'. In a flow-state one becomes the act, like a dancer who becomes the dance, or the poet who becomes the poem. This is wu wei, a concept that can be literally translated as 'non-doing' or 'doing nothing'. In the context of the flow state, wu wei translates best as 'effortless action', because we act in a smooth and painless manner.

In the context of this story, however, translating wu wei as 'non-doing' or 'doing nothing' fits best. Literally 'doing nothing' is often seen as unproductive, and as a useless way of being, in which there's no progression. But according to the Taoists, nothing is further from the truth. When we keep in mind that the universe is in flux and in a state of change and evolution, we'll realize that there's always progression in the natural flow of life.

So instead of using force, and exhausting ourselves (which is the favorite method of today's culture), we could travel through life much more easily by using intelligence. Because isn't it so as we have all noticed , that so many times, problems seem to solve themselves? And that by 'taking action' we often make things worse? When we waste our time trying to improve things we distance ourselves from the natural course. We repeatedly act in ways that are (according to the Taoists) unnatural and waste our bodies and minds doing so.

So, why do we this? Well, it has a lot to do with how we attribute value to certain things. For example, when we're averse to poverty, but desire money and fame, and when we're averse to being lonely but desire to be part of something. So we try to eradicate the former, and increase the latter, while the latter cannot exist without the former. Also, we think that it's necessary to conform and alter nature based on certain belief systems. We try to better the world, while the results of our interventions are kind of questionable.

Now, how can we bring these ancient theories into the modern world? According to Taoist thinking, in what ways do we, modern humans, 'try', while our efforts only leave us with peanuts in the end? Let's explore some examples of how we 'try', using the ancient Taoist scriptures the Tao Te Ching and the Zhuangzi. The first one is Trying to improve the world Alan Watts, who was a fervent scholar of Taoism and a FreeThinker , once pointed out that the goodie-goodies of society are the biggest troublemakers. Their 'must-save-the-world' attitude often disrupts the natural course, simply because they seek to enforce man-made ideas of what's good and evil. An example is 'communism' which originally sprouted from a desire to change humanity for the better, based on equality and honest distribution of goods.

However, apart from the discussion if this approach is natural or not: the ways in which the communists spread their ideology were absolutely brutal. In the Zhuangzi, we find a story about a man named Yen Hui, who asked Confucius for permission to travel to the country of Wei, after he heard that it's ruled by an incompetent ruler.

Yen Hui wanted to use everything he learned about governance, to improve the country of Wei. Confucius, however, discouraged him to do so. Not only because Wei's highly disagreeable leader probably wouldn't listen, but also because people, in general, don't like outsiders coming in, telling what's better for them from a place of moral supremacy. As Confucius stated and I quote:

"If you do not understand men's minds, but instead appear before a tyrant and force him to listen to sermons on benevolence and righteousness, measures and standards - this is simply using other men's bad points to parade your own excellence."

We could ask ourselves: in what way is using other people's faults to create a nice role on the moral high ground. This only creates more division, more tension, and will unlikely change things for the better in a sustainable manner. As Lao Tzu puts it in the Tao Te Ching, and I quote:

Do you want to rule the world and control it? I don't think it can ever be done. The world is a sacred vessel and it can not be controlled. You will only make it worse if you try. It may slip through your fingers and disappear. End quote.

Now, the second one is... Trying to be happy No matter if it's the pursuit of money, status, fame, power, or knowledge; these ongoing efforts to be happy are the reason why we aren't. We think that we're happy when we've got a million dollars in the bank or when we finally published that story or when our YouTube channels have a 100k subscribers, but this is hardly the case. Sure, we enjoy some momentary pleasure, but that's not happiness according to the Taoists. Moreover, by this pursuit, we exhaust our bodies and minds, while, tragically, never achieving what we're looking for. I quote:

This is what the world honors: wealth, eminence, long life, a good name.
This is what the world finds happiness in: a life of ease, rich food, fine clothes, beautiful sights, sweet sounds.
This is what it looks down on: poverty, meanness, early death, a bad name.
This is what it finds bitter: a life that knows no rest, a mouth that gets no rich food, no fine clothes for the body, no beautiful sights for the eye, no sweet sounds for the ear.
People who can't get these things fret a great deal and are afraid - this is a stupid way to treat the body. People who are rich wear themselves out rushing around on business, piling up more wealth than they could ever use - this is a superficial way to treat the body.

So, when chasing happiness is a blind alley, what should we do instead? Well, the Taoists give us some suggestions. But before we go into them, let's look at the third one: Trying to be something else The Zhuangzi tells us a story about animals and the wind that envy each other for their inborn characteristics. The centipede envies the snake for the fact that it can move without legs, but the snake envies the wind for its ability to travel great distances without having a body at all. However, the wind argues that it takes just a finger or foot to hinder it. All in all, nature has created everything with its own attributes. Nothing is better than the other; only judgment makes it so.

Thus, we feel the need to change who we are, just to fit an ideal. White-skinned people try to be tanned, while East-Asians try to look more European, brunettes try to be blondes, and blondes try to be brunettes. Also, we try to change ourselves because we want to conform to a manmade standard; to fit in, simply because we're seen as defects when we don't. So, a sixth' finger is cut off, just to comply with the five-finger standard.

Why can't we just be who we are, the way nature intended us to be? That would be so much easier. Everyone and everything has its place in the whole. And by trying to alter this, we bring the world in disbalance.

I quote: When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created. Being and non-being produce each other. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short define each other. High and low oppose each other. Fore and aft follow each other. End quote.

So, how can we put these ideas into practice? The Taoists suggest several things. First of all, the Zhuangzi points to the benefits of taking the middle-path. This means that we shouldn't stretch ourselves beyond our means, but stay centered, so we conserve our health and stay close to our own nature.

"Follow the middle; go by what is constant, and you can stay in one piece, keep yourself alive, look after your parents, and live out your years." smiley.

The Tao is constant. And one who seeks the Tao unlearns something new every day, according to Lao Tzu. So instead of limiting ourselves to a belief system, we let go, keep an open mind, and give the universe room to show itself as it is. Trying to change nature is a futile pursuit, as is trying to blur our vision of nature by man-made constructs. Instead of adding to knowledge, we let go of knowledge, until we reach a point of inner stillness. Only then, we're opening ourselves up to the Tao.
In this state of emptiness , we feel content. And contentment is true happiness. The Taoists call this process the fasting of the heart. By unlearning something every day, the Taoist arrives at non-action. It's the art of not trying(Meditation) while nothing will be left undone . You will be left Emptied ,yet fulfilled

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f82XCDgNqY0?si=kaLf6A-8mmaC9IyL