THE OPEN SKIES

Do you feel contentious sometimes? Do you feel the urge to argue with others because they have wronged you?

The Tao is not about contention or arguments. This does not mean you allow others to walk all over you. What it does mean is that you must assess everything from a perspective of composure, and then take actions from a position of calmness.

The way to do this is to step back mentally and create the suitable space for a detached mind-set. The ancients describe this as being wide like the ocean and open like the skies. When you feel this way, it is impossible for you to be affected by petty conflicts. You can see them clearly as unworthy of your precious time and energy. It is an incredibly liberating feeling.

The Tao Today

Resolve to live today without conflicts and confrontations. Visualize the wide-open oceans and skies, and spread your spiritual wings to take flight. Who has time for inconsequential pettiness, when your world is so vast?

The Tao of Joy Every Day

~ Derek Lin