Tuesday, March 16, 2010

verse ten: I like eleven better

Can I skip v10? I like v11 better. v10 rambles. And it is all paradoxical. Be brand new and fully-formed, be inchoate and fully functional. Carry body and soul and embrace the "one" can you be all that at once? Can you rule without cleverness? Hmm. Don't get me started.

"Opening and closing the Gates of Heaven, Can you play the role of woman?" First off, this is probably not referring to the reform Jewish prayer book. Second off, what's a gate of heaven? The obstacle between my profane earthly self and my divine? (what divine?) And what does the role of woman have to do with it, other than that obvious birthing metaphor. Giving birth comes up explicitly later - bearing yet not possessing. Our children are not our children, right? And make me one with everything.

Understand and be open to all things but at the same time the Tao values holding all that plus at the same time doing nothing. Nothing is really hard for me to do. I used to excel at it.

Work yet not take credit? Oh, that's a tough one. I have too much ego for that. I suspect most people do.

To lead without dominating is the primal virtue. All about controlling people again. To lead without dominating, be patient enough to get the other guy to think it was your idea. I guess that leads back to working without taking credit. But it smacks right into ruling without cleverness, which I suspect is impossible.

Does this have anything to do with running? Carrying body and soul starts off good. Embrace the one. Hit the wall. It's all impermanent, all of it.

I still count my miles and minutes-per. I wonder how long I'm going to get away with it, but I look back on how long I already have and I am grateful. Smartass, but grateful.

Ok. I made it through v10. v11 sings to me. v10 just drones on.

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