"Good" Times

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.
(Tao Te Ching)

We all have our own ideas of what exactly constitutes having a "good" time. It could be good food, a long overdue vacation, hanging out with good friends, being in a good mood or just being happy. Tao travelers are not any different from everyone else, we also prefer to enjoy the "good" time and like to avoid the pain. However, a student of the yin and yang of life starts discovering the making of a downside surprise in a positive situation and sees glimmers of hope in negative occurrences. If you take this insight to the extreme, a true Tao master will increasingly have a hard time to differentiate between good and bad outcomes, between beauty and ugliness, and between sinners and saints.

We are ready to embrace life when the going is good and try to run away from it when pain comes our way. But that's not how the world works. Every birth implies a death and every romantic affair implies a separation. The Tao gives and takes and She encourages us to become part of this life cycle without resistance. Let the emotions fluctuate as they will, let your thoughts flow by as they please, you just keep your vision on the holy Now and engage 100 percent with whatever comes your way. See for yourself how different life becomes as you let go of the labels. See for yourself that whenever you dance to Her beat, life is exciting and fun no matter what. Just try it!

By Christian and Su Zhen