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    Productivity and the Taoist mindset

    I find it puzzling that people often refer to business software as “productivity apps.” They infer that the mere usage of those software programs will make our tasks faster, less cumbersome and more profitable. Experience has taught us that the opposite is the case. After putting lots of effort into learning to use the software,…

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    The deficiencies of the Taoist mentality

    Unfortunately, Taoist practitioners are not fully up to speed in all areas. If Taoism was a perfect philosophy, it would have spread and conquered the world a long time ago, but that is not the case. Twenty-seven centuries after Lao-Tzu wrote or dictated the Tao Te Ching, Taoism remains a minority point of view. If…

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    Paganism and the Taoist mentality

    Paganism is making a comeback in our century. I see the signs all over the place. There is growing interest in the rituals and beliefs of Ancient Rome and Greece, as well as in those of northern Paganism, whether it’s the Vikings or the Celtic tribes. I must however reject any conflation between Paganism and…

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    Critique of the Taoist mindset

    I can understand why some people detest Taoists. In their eyes, the teachings of Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu are immoral because they do not preach self-sacrifice. Yang-Tzu was adamantly opposed to any sort of self-sacrifice. He viewed each individual’s life as supremely important. Indeed, Taoism is not meant to please people who believe in self-sacrifice.…

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    The Taoist mindset

    I am not exaggerating when I say that the Taoist mindset saves me one hour a day. Actually, it’s more than one hour. The reason is simple. Thanks to the Taoist mindset, I can make fast decisions while other people keep hesitating. The Taoist mindset also helps me to say no right away and steer…

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    Chinese history and Taoism

    I would love to believe that, when the circumstances call for creative solutions, those will appear; and that, when the issues grow threatening, countermeasures will be developed; and that every problem will be followed by repeated attempts at sorting it out, until one eventually succeeds. Unfortunately, this is not always the case in history. It…

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    Taoist spirituality compared to Socrates

    We do not have the exact birth and death dates for Lao-Tzu, but according to the tradition, he lived a couple of generations earlier than Socrates (469-399 BC). The philosophical ideas of Socrates partially overlap with those of Lao-Tzu. I find it particularly interesting to compare their views on the spiritual aspects of philosophy. Taoism…

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    The true nature of Taoist spirituality

    Some people abhor organized religion because they find its rituals empty and its promises questionable. They don’t want to join any church because they dislike being told what to do and how to pursue happiness. Nonetheless, they feel a certain need for spirituality, or at the very least, a need for philosophy. Taoists perform rituals,…

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    Taoist spirituality compared to religion

    It is extremely easy to compare Taoism to religion. In fact, I can do it in just two sentences. In the first sentence, I’ll explain the key commonality between Taoism and religion; and in the second sentence, I will point out what keeps them apart. First, the commonality between Taoism and religion is that both…

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    The Taoist Yin and Yang in daily life

    It often happens that people speak about bringing their lives in balance because, apparently, they are getting too much of A, and not getting enough of B, whatever it is. When they say that they are getting too much of something, they usually mean that they are not doing enough in that area, or that…