Loved the idea of tenacity. I can really see that as I look back at important decisions I've made - even if it feels like there is a single point of choosing, one actually has to keep showing up and choosing over and over again.
Looking forward to the sequel.
This morning I read a few pages of Koshin Schomberg's How to Grow a Lotus Blossom, and he was talking about as ones Zen practice deepens, a growing awareness of 'the eternal' coming towards one that is able to guide ones choices... And I wonder if there's something ingenious here as well? Certainly it's not rational...
Thanks, Kaspa. It really is the showing up. And sometimes, I'm not sure I can always identify a single point of choosing. Sometimes it is clear, but sometimes far less so.
I never know about things like 'the eternal', but the thing about ingenuity is that it's about what works...
Reading your thoughts on the tough decisions in life was a nice start to the day. Not that it helped me make any of those decisions... if you have any recommendations for Taiwanese gods to pray to in New York let me know!
Ha! Ha! It's fuzzy where the jurisdiction of Taiwanese gods begins and ends, though I reckon a few enterprising deities probably have interests in New York (you can probably view them like gangsters: some are decidedly local, but others are plugged into international networks).
Still, whoever you ask, I'm told that it's sometimes wise to spread your bets and ask a couple, in case one is grumpy. But you shouldn't ask too many, because then they'll just protest, "Hey, you also asked old so-and-so, and old whatshername, so why not go and bother them instead of me...." and pass the buck.
Loved the idea of tenacity. I can really see that as I look back at important decisions I've made - even if it feels like there is a single point of choosing, one actually has to keep showing up and choosing over and over again.
Looking forward to the sequel.
This morning I read a few pages of Koshin Schomberg's How to Grow a Lotus Blossom, and he was talking about as ones Zen practice deepens, a growing awareness of 'the eternal' coming towards one that is able to guide ones choices... And I wonder if there's something ingenious here as well? Certainly it's not rational...
Thanks, Kaspa. It really is the showing up. And sometimes, I'm not sure I can always identify a single point of choosing. Sometimes it is clear, but sometimes far less so.
I never know about things like 'the eternal', but the thing about ingenuity is that it's about what works...
Reading your thoughts on the tough decisions in life was a nice start to the day. Not that it helped me make any of those decisions... if you have any recommendations for Taiwanese gods to pray to in New York let me know!
Ha! Ha! It's fuzzy where the jurisdiction of Taiwanese gods begins and ends, though I reckon a few enterprising deities probably have interests in New York (you can probably view them like gangsters: some are decidedly local, but others are plugged into international networks).
Still, whoever you ask, I'm told that it's sometimes wise to spread your bets and ask a couple, in case one is grumpy. But you shouldn't ask too many, because then they'll just protest, "Hey, you also asked old so-and-so, and old whatshername, so why not go and bother them instead of me...." and pass the buck.
It's a whole world of complication...
Nice piece. I really like your writing style.
You might want to correct a small typo: "The central issue remains: here are two very [different] choices, leading to two..."
Thanks, Saransh!
No matter how many times I read through... 🤣 Anyway, now all corrected.