Memes and Tao

Yesterday, I was offered The Seven Links Award by one of my blogging heroines, Kathy of reinventing the event horizon. The concept is an interesting one. it allows us to try to direct others to read those posts that mean to the most to us, using seven different categories. As is usual with the “awards”, it is suggested that we pass them on, following  the “rules” as we do. Of course just like chain emails, whether we do or not is entirely up to us. I was seriously considering it, except for one thing. I don’t actually think the right way.

My nom de plume here (and my typical screen name just about anywhere) is Taochild. I think I need to explain where I came up with this name. The closest I can come to labeling my philosophy of life would be to call myself a Taoist. The word tao means “the way”. The philosophy is not so easily described in words. It is something that is either understood or not. It has to do with fully appreciating the moment we are in. I am slowly learning “the way”, yet I am but an infant in my journey. Hence Taochild.

So why does this mean I can’t pick seven posts and pass the honor on to others? I will try to explain one category at a time. Maybe this will give some more of an insight into me.

The categories:

  1. Most Beautiful: I do not compare things. Everything has beauty in its own right. I can no more say that one post is more beautiful than another than that one woman is more beautiful than another.  How can one compare a well written sentence to a beautiful use of imagery? How can one compare beautiful eyes to beautiful hair? They are different things.
  2. Most Popular: One would think this would be an easy one. Just check the stats right? So I did a wander through, to try to determine my most popular post. And found some that I know have been well read being far down on the list. Why is this? Well for one, the way I post things, it is not always necessary to click on the post itself to read it. So that click actually counts as a visit to the home page. The stats mean what you wish them to mean. More surprisingly, some of the posts from when I first started the blog; posts that I believe are often quite beautiful and as eloquent as many of my later posts, have not really been read at all. One or two readings at most according to the stats. Weird.
  3. Most Controversial: Wouldn’t even have a clue here. Much of my way of thinking can be considered controversial, because it is very different from the “norm”. That said, my readership is still fairly small, so I seem not to have really caused much controversy at all.
  4. Most Helpful: I am a healer. My view of my role in the world is that I am a catalyst. I have been labeled a Change Agent. My whole goal in life is to help others achieve whatever they need to achieve. That said, I don’t specifically give advice or tell people how to think or what to do. I present ideas and let them decide for themselves. Do my words help? Sometimes maybe. Often I don’t really know if they do or not. Other than they may help me remember something I need to remember.
  5. Most Surprisingly Successful: To be honest, I am kind of surprised when anything appears to be successful.
  6. Most Underrated: Well as I said, there are many posts I have made that I believe are actually pretty good that simply have not been read. So I guess in that sense they are underrated, since they have not been rated at all.
  7. Most Worthy of Pride: I am proud of anything I put effort into that I can look back at later and actually enjoy reading. Especially if it keeps to true to my beliefs.

Since I don’t really compare things, it would indeed be difficult to pick other bloggers as being more worthy of award. The bloggers on my blogroll are mostly the ones I first became acquainted with, and have communicated with on some level. These are the blogs I visit most often. If I put every blogger that has moved me in some way; that has caused me to think, my blogroll would be huge indeed.

I was considering doing a more general list of “you should read this”, especially pointing to some of my older posts. But this has a sort of arrogant feel to me. If people are interested, or the posts are meant to be read, they will be read. The other day I added a link on my right side bar that allows people to read random posts from the blog. Maybe some will take advantage of this link, and these posts will be read.

There is one post that has not been read all that much that I did want to point to, because in some ways it is the essence of my journey in tao. Ironically, Kathy, who gave me this award and inspired this ramble, ran across this very piece and commented on it just as I was writing this.

The universe works in mysterious ways. That is Tao.

If the mood hits, take a look at Rebirth. I hope you enjoy!