After completion
Come new beginnings.
To gain strength,
Renew the root.
In music, the fundamental tone is the lowest, or root, tone of a chord. Without its presence, no true character is established. Our actions in life are as similarly varied and complex as music. Without a thorough grounding, there is no harmony.
Followers of Tao emphasize cycles. This must include a sound understanding of what to do whenever a cycle comes to an end. New ones will begin : Some of them will be engendered by the old one, others may simply be in the background and will now come forward. If we are to properly shape these new movements and if we are to prevent unwanted cycles from beginning, we must take stock and renew our basis in the fundamentals.
Everyone wants to be daring, creative, and original. Everyone wants to do things in new ways. But unless we return over and over again to the basics, we will have no chance to truly soar. Do not forget the root. Without it, we can never issue forth true power.
What are the first things you remember learning? I don’t even remember learning to read, my brother and sister taught me how so early in my life. I think I was probably in third or fourth grade before I actually learned anything I didn’t feel like I already knew. I was in college before I felt like I even had to study anything.
I guess that is how I feel as I study the Tao. It is as if all of these things I already know, and perhaps that is why they feel true to me. When things feel forced or too complicated, I often feel as if someone is trying to influence me to think about things incorrectly. If it feels natural and right, I know I’m learning something true.
I struggled with gardening until I learned to build the soil instead of worrying about the plants. I started my career as an engineer, but found the solutions I was creating weren’t always for the right problems, even, so worked on the processes instead. Somehow working on process feels right to me.
I know I look at life differently from most people. Most people see their own lives and perhaps how a few things relate to them. I see a whole picture and figure out how I relate to it. These days I am learning not to even separate myself from the whole, just to see myself as a part of it instead.
So what is it that is fundamental? The word comes from fundus, which means bottom. Fundamentals are the things that build a foundation for the rest of the stuff you want to learn. But there is more, beyond that. You have to be sure what you are building on is sound to begin with. if you build in sand, what you build will sink and crack.
So that’s what is cool about the Tao. It is below everything, and if you build on it, you have a solid foundation. Or not, considering it is mostly emptiness. But then, isn’t everything, really?
BTW, for those who call themselves fundamentalist, every time I hear that word, I just think of your fundament and giggle.
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