On some village cart path in iron age China, two saplings are growing. One on the north side of the road, one on the south. The northern sapling, being well nourished in the full light of the sun, grows as straight and as tall as it can. The sapling to the south, in rocky soil […]
Working Below
Working life is often defined by the idea that more agency is freedom, and that power will be earned with hard work. Resentment (Ura: 怨) of the control of superiors and supervisors is rampant, and, we are told, relief comes with promotion and greater responsibility. For some (me included), letting go of the material wants that require […]
Knowledgeable Men
My arrival on the path (Dào: 道) to financial independence and early retirement was unnecessarily round-about. Like walking east around the globe to go west one mile, it can be done, but why would you? But, to be fair, my egg-shell-white suburban upbringing gave me a certain set of values that took awhile to slough […]
Whose Life is it Anyway?
Back when I used to watch TV (it’s been a few years), one of my favorite shows was Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Improv, especially serialized improv, is often too awkward to be funny, but that show had a great formula and still has a big following. Since this is my first post, I should […]