TAO 30- The War Against Gaia

Those who lead people by following the Tao
don't use weapons to enforce their will.
Using force always leads to unseen troubles.

In the places where armies march,
thorns and briars bloom and grow.
After armies take to war,
bad years must always follow.
The skillful commander
strikes a decisive blow then stops.
When victory is won over the enemy through war
it is not a thing of great pride.
When the battle is over,
arrogance is the new enemy.
War can result when no other alternative is given,
so the one who overcomes an enemy should not dominate them.
The strong always weaken with time.

This is not the way of the Tao.
That which is not of the Tao will soon end.

We are already at war.  Not the military/ social/ religious conflicts we continually perpetrate.  We are not at war with terrorism, or poverty, or red states, or blue states.  We are not at war with our neighbor.

We are at war with Gaia.

Homo sapiens arrogantly think they can win this senseless war, but we are doomed to lose unless we find leadership that understands thermodynamics and homeostasis at a planetary level.

We are on the brink of winning the battle against the carbon cycle.  We have attacked the supply chain and nearly decimated the enemy.  Our victory leaves a wasteland that will never nourish the victors.  Gaia doesn’t care.  When we kill ourselves, She will establish her new balance.  Who wins?

We have ignored the alternative of living in balance with the law of thermodynamics, joyously participating in the gift of dissipation, and finding pride in ownership of our part of the process.

That which we foolishly treasure will perish.

TAO 31- The War Against Gaia Continues

Weapons are the bearers of bad news;
all people should detest them.
The wise man values the left side, and in time of war he values the right.
Weapons are meant for destruction, and thus are avoided by the wise.
Only as a last resort will a wise person use a deadly weapon.

If peace is her true objective how can she rejoice in the victory of war?
Those who rejoice in victory delight in the slaughter of humanity.
Those who resort to violence will never bring peace to the world.
The left side is a place of honor on happy occasions.
The right side is reserved for mourning at a funeral.
When the lieutenants take the left side to prepare for war,
the general should be on the right side, because he knows the outcome will be death.

The death of many should be greeted with great sorrow,
and the victory celebration should honor those who have died.

As we fight the War with Gaia, we need to understand our weapons: the Humvee, the coal fired electrical generators, the mountains of Styrofoam, the excess necessary for economic growth, and the ignorance of the foot soldier to the rules of engagement.  The enemy has no weapons, no grudge, and no agenda.  She has the immutable Law of Thermodynamics: the uberweapon.

Until we fight for peace, we are doomed to a planet knowing only death.  We will not have a victory celebration.

TAO 32- Naming the Nameless

The Tao is nameless and unchanging.
Although it appears insignificant,
nothing in the world can contain it.

If a ruler abides by its principles,
then her people will willingly follow.
Heaven would then reign on earth,
like sweet rain falling on paradise.
People would have no need for laws,
because the law would be written on their hearts.

Naming is a necessity for order,
but naming can not order all things.
Naming often makes things impersonal,
so we should know when naming should end.
Knowing when to stop naming,
you can avoid the pitfall it brings.

All things end in the Tao
just as the small streams and the largest rivers
flow through valleys to the sea.

The concept of Thermodynamics, Entropy, and Enthalpy is a mystery, yet the driving force for life as we understand it.  We name it and strive to understand it, but philosophy and mathematics fail to explain how the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Those who begin to grasp it at a deep spiritual level, begin to live in harmony with Gaia, Nature, God, Tao or whatever term you choose.

What we call it and how we describe it is insignificant and only a crutch to participation in the process.  Participation in the process is called harmony.  You can’t describe Thermodynamics.  You can’t write ‘rules to live’ by for Thermodynamics.  You can’t take a photo of it and post on the internet for the world to see.  There are no slick Madison Avenue advertisements to sell it.

You either get it or you don’t.

TAO 33- Knowledge and the Second Law

Those who know others are intelligent;
those who know themselves are truly wise.
Those who master others are strong;
those who master themselves have true power.

Those who know they have enough are truly wealthy.

Those who persist will reach their goal.

Those who keep their course have a strong will.
Those who embrace death will not perish,
but have life everlasting.

Peace, serenity, and harmony come with understanding and living within this knowledge.  Our greatest understanding is that we do not control the universe; the universe controls us.

When we understand the purpose and nature of life- the dissipation of energy according the Law of Thermodynamics- only then will we reach our goal as conscious beings.  Only then will we be true stewards of Gaia.

Maybe there was “life” on Mars, maybe not.  Even a “dead” rock absorbs sunlight and radiates heat.

TAO 34- Creation Exists

The great Tao flows unobstructed in every direction.
All things rely on it to conceive and be born,
and it does not deny even the smallest of creation.

When it has accomplished great wonders,
it does not claim them for itself.
It nourishes infinite worlds,
yet it doesn't seek to master the smallest creature.

Since it is without wants and desires,
it can be considered humble.
All of creation seeks it for refuge
yet it does not seek to master or control.

Because it does not seek greatness;
it is able to accomplish truly great things.

Many believe that their anthropomorphic god, after separating light from dark, touched the mud and created man in man’s image.  Some believe that life evolved from simple chemicals in the primordial ooze to single celled prokaryotes, to eukaryotes, to complex life forms without any outside influence.  Some believe that “an intelligence” designed the complexity of dissipative features.  They are all wrong.

We seek an explanation to the wonders of complexity we observe, yet we already have it within our intellectual grasp.  It is simple.  It doesn’t require an outside magical being, or faith without experience, or something beyond our ability to understand.  It doesn’t require human sacrifice on the alter of science, politics, or religion.  It doesn’t require giving up the joy of myth, culture, or mysticism. 

Creation is the result of the law.  Life is the result of the law. 

The Law of Thermodynamics, the Tao, God, or any other label for the creative process does not demand.  Thermodynamics is humble and uncaring.  It is unchanging, indescribable, has existed since time, and explains all.  It does not seek.  It does not need.  It just is.

TAO 35- Live in Harmony with Gaia

She who follows the way of the Tao
will draw the world to her steps.
She can go without fear of being injured,
because she has found peace and tranquility in her heart.
Where there is music and good food,
people will stop to enjoy it.
But words spoken of the Tao
seem to them boring and stale.
When looked at, there is nothing for them to see.
When listened for, there is nothing for them to hear.
Yet if they put it to use, it would never be exhausted.

When, as individuals or society, we learn to live in harmony with the Law of Thermodynamics and obey-

We will find that our world, Gaia, is everything we expect it to be.

We will be satisfied with participation in this harmony.

We will cease worrying about climate change and the politics.

We will stop exterminating the buffalo.

We will stop to smell the roses.

We can’t legislate bliss.

We can’t force someone to think.

We can only dissipate energy.

TAO 36- Be the TAO/ Be Thermodynamic

If you want something to return to the source,
you must first allow it to spread out.
If you want something to weaken,
you must first allow it to become strong.
If you want something to be removed,
you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to possess something,
you must first give it away.
This is called the subtle understanding
of how things are meant to be.
The soft and pliable overcomes the hard and inflexible.
Just as fish remain hidden in deep waters,
it is best to keep weapons out of sight.

I have learned that a soft blade of grass will bend to the hurricane.

The old, stiff tree will break under the onslaught.

If we are to protect what is important and live on this speck of sand in the universal beach,

we must let go and let Tao, God, Thermodynamic prevail.

We cannot fight it, we cannot change it; we can only try to understand it.

We don’t live by the Law of Thermodynamics; We are the Law. 

The only survival tactic is to give in

be part of that field of wheat waving in the wind.

TAO 37- Thermodynamics Doesn't Care

The Tao never acts with force,
yet there is nothing that it can not do.

If rulers could follow the way of the Tao,
then all of creation would willingly follow their example.
If selfish desires were to arise after their transformation,
I would erase them with the power of the Uncarved Block.

By the power of the Uncarved Block,
future generations would lose their selfish desires.
By losing their selfish desires,
the world would naturally settle into peace.

Thermodynamics doesn’t smite the SUV pumping carbon into the atmosphere.

Thermodynamics doesn’t reward the bicyclist.

Thermodynamics doesn’t care about Democrats or Republicans or votes.

Thermodynamics doesn’t care about religion or answer prayers.

Thermodynamics doesn’t know right from wrong.

Get it.  Don’t get it.  Leave Gaia to our future generations or destroy it now.

Thermodynamics doesn’t care.

TAO 38 - Go With the Flow

The highest good is not to seek to do good,
but to allow yourself to become it.
The ordinary person seeks to do good things,
and finds that they can not do them continually.
The Master does not force virtue on others,
thus she is able to accomplish her task.
The ordinary person who uses force,
will find that they accomplish nothing.
The kind person acts from the heart,
and accomplishes a multitude of things.
The righteous person acts out of pity,
yet leaves many things undone.
The moral person will act out of duty,
and when no one will respond
will roll up his sleeves and use force.
When the Tao is forgotten, there is righteousness.
When righteousness is forgotten, there is morality.
When morality is forgotten, there is the law.
The law is the husk of faith,
and trust is the beginning of chaos.
Our basic understandings are not from the Tao
because they come from the depths of our misunderstanding.
The master abides in the fruit and not in the husk.
She dwells in the Tao,
and not with the things that hide it.
This is how she increases in wisdom.

The best we can do is to allow the Law of Thermodynamics to function.

Go with the flow is the colloquialism.

Many understand and try, but fail to give in completely.

They write regulations, exchange carbon credits, overpopulate, but cannot change reality.

When you understand this simple law and become part of the process, you can accomplish much.  Without action based on inaction, we fight the normal chaos.

Those who don’t understand it, fight it with righteous indignation.

Then force, then rules and regulations.  Then collapse.

To be a Gaian is to live beyond the chalkboard explanations.

It is simple- process energy.  It is complex beyond understanding.

TAO 39- Humility

The masters of old attained unity with the Tao.
Heaven attained unity and became pure.
The earth attained unity and found peace.
The spirits attained unity so they could minister.
The valleys attained unity that they might be full.
Humanity attained unity that they might flourish.
Their leaders attained unity that they might set the example.
This is the power of unity.
Without unity, the sky becomes filthy.
Without unity, the earth becomes unstable.
Without unity, the spirits become unresponsive and disappear.
Without unity, the valleys become dry as a desert.
Without unity, human kind can't reproduce and becomes extinct.
Without unity, our leaders become corrupt and fall.
The great view the small as their source,
and the high takes the low as their foundation.
Their greatest asset becomes their humility.
They speak of themselves as orphans and widows,
thus they truly seek humility.
Do not shine like the precious gem,
but be as dull as a common stone.

Who has not, at least once, thought?

“I wish I lived [fill in a time interval] ago.  They had it so much better.”

Who hasn’t been concerned about living in sewers of our own making?

Who hasn’t said, “I don’t care what the Dow Jones average is today.”

                                                                                                                  

As we destroy our speck of dust,

our conscience tunes to a deep understanding that this is wrong. 

We are but a moment in time to process energy.

Humility is not based in braggadocio, political power, intelligence, or rending of a hair shirt.

Humility is unity with the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

TAO 40- Thermal Death

All movement returns to the Tao.
Weakness is how the Tao works.

All of creation is born from substance.
Substance is born of nothing-ness.

In the beginning there was.

In the end there was.

In between the Big Bang and Thermal Death of the Universe is entropy and enthalpy.

TAO 41- Laughing at Reality

When a superior person hears of the Tao,
She diligently puts it into practice.
When an average person hears of the Tao,
he believes half of it, and doubts the other half.
When a foolish person hears of the Tao,
he laughs out loud at the very idea.
If he didn't laugh,
it wouldn't be the Tao.

Thus it is said:
The brightness of the Tao seems like darkness,
the advancement of the Tao seems like retreat,
the level path seems rough,
the superior path seem empty,
the pure seems to be tarnished,
and true virtue doesn't seem to be enough.
The virtue of caution seems like cowardice,
the pure seems to be polluted,
the true square seems to have no corners,
the best vessels take the most time to finish,
the greatest sounds cannot be heard,
and the greatest image has no form.

The Tao hides in the unnamed,
Yet it alone nourishes and completes all things.

Gaia lies within a delicate balance

Our sun provides unfathomable high quality energy.

Life evolved to a complex process of damping, absorbing, and dissipating this energy.

One small change to that balance and all is lost.

TAO speaks to balance

Thermodynamics speaks to the same balance.

Climate change is the indicator that we are out of balance.

Gaian’s understand and live with this

Many don’t understand: maybe it exists, maybe it doesn’t

Fools laugh and scoff, seeking immediate profits, resource utilization to maximize production and growth, convinced that an anthropomorphic god will rescue.

Beneath all is the unchanging, uncaring Law of Thermodynamics.

Choosing to follow the law is not an option.

TAO 42- How Creation Began

The Tao gave birth to One.
The One gave birth to Two.
The Two gave birth to Three.
The Three gave birth to all of creation.
All things carry Yin
yet embrace Yang.
They blend their life breaths
in order to produce harmony.
People despise being orphaned, widowed and poor.
But the noble ones take these as their titles.
In losing, much is gained,
and in gaining, much is lost.
What others teach I too will teach:
"The strong and violent will not die a natural death."

In the beginning there was the law

Thermodynamics created the Big Bang

The Big Bang created stars

Stars went super nova to create elements

Elements coalesced to planets.

Planets provided the opportunity for

Thermodynamics to evolve life

Life dissipated energy according to the law

Life that chooses to ignore this simple idea

Is doomed to fail

We do not control the process, it controls us.

TAO 43- The War Against Gaia

That which offers no resistance,
overcomes the hardest substances.
That which offers no resistance
can enter where there is no space.
Few in the world can comprehend
the teaching without words,
or understand the value of non-action.

Gaia offers no resistance to the climate war we wage against Her.

She lives by the Second Law of Thermodynamics                                     

She dies when life fights the law

We can’t describe the war, we can’t legislate the battle, we can’t argue understanding

We can’t pick the battles to win this war

We can’t negotiate with Gaia

We may not understand surrender 

TAO 44- Fool

Which is more important, your honor or your life?
Which is more valuable, your possessions or your person?
Which is more destructive, success or failure?
Because of this, great love extracts a great cost
and true wealth requires greater loss.
Knowing when you have enough avoids dishonor,
and knowing when to stop will keep you from danger
and bring you a long, happy life.

FOOL!  The evidence is in your face, but you reject it.

Your drive for corporate profits to buy Jets and Diamonds overrules common sense

Succeeding in forcing a Red/Blue/Green political agenda is all that matters to you

Life’s only purpose is to dissipate energy

Not collect riches

Not rule congress

Not control

When you wake up to your purpose in life

Only then will you have true riches

TAO 45- Good News, Bad News

The greatest accomplishments seem imperfect,
yet their usefulness is not diminished.
The greatest fullness seems empty,
yet it will be inexhaustible.

The greatest straightness seems crooked.
The most valued skill seems like clumsiness.
The greatest speech seems full of stammers.

Movement overcomes the cold,
and stillness overcomes the heat.
That which is pure and still is the universal ideal.

There are days when the news is grim.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling.

War is eminent, the enemy unknown.

Snow piles up in Maine, Australia floods, the southwest burns.

Idiots rally the conspiracy theory that climate change is bunk.

Our best efforts seem doomed.

Gaia continues to process energy.

This is the unknown good news.

TAO 46- The World Follows Thermodynamics

When the world follows the Tao,
horses run free to fertilize the fields.
When the world does not follow the Tao,
war horses are bred outside the cities.
There is no greater transgression
than condoning people's selfish desires,
no greater disaster than being discontent,
and no greater retribution than for greed.
Whoever knows contentment will be at peace forever.

We live on a planet that has created and evolved complex life.

That creative process has been ongoing for billions of years.

Creation, life, survival, balance have nothing to do with you or me.

If we ignore this simple premise, we will burn up our planet, kill ourselves,

And leave no legacy.

Arrogance, greed and selfishness cannot be accepted.

Arrogance, greed and selfishness cannot overcome thermodynamic law.

What is more important?

A balance that can give all of us everything we need, or

Creating millions of cubic feet of carbon dioxide for twenty years behind the wheel of an SUV.

TAO 47- Understanding

Without opening your door,
you can know the whole world.
Without looking out your window,
you can understand the way of the Tao.
The more knowledge you seek,
the less you will understand.
The Master understands without leaving,
sees clearly without looking,
accomplishes much without doing anything.

Homo Sapiens have evolved to a level of complexity that we can describe and begin to understand something so complex, so simple as Thermodynamics.

It doesn’t require a Phd, or anointing by the scholarly priesthood.

The more complex we make it, the less we understand.

It’s simple.  Balance.

Take from here- give to there.

It’s not rocket surgery.

TAO 48- Gaians Understand and Accept

One who seeks knowledge learns something new every day.
One who seeks the Tao unlearns something new every day.
Less and less remains until you arrive at non-action.
When you arrive at non-action,
nothing will be left undone.

Mastery of the world is achieved
by letting things take their natural course.
You can not master the world by changing the natural way.

We can write complex mathematical descriptions of energy transfer.

We can honor Einstein, Sagan, and Hawkings for that complexity.

Or we can simply understand that energy and matter are the same thing.

We can understand that energy flows in one direction-

From High Quality to Heat.

We can accept that life’s purpose is to facilitate that flow.

To be a Gaian is to accept that we do not control the flow.

TAO 49- All Things Are Equal

The Master has no mind of her own.
She understands the mind of the people.

Those who are good she treats as good.
Those who aren't good she also treats as good.
This is how she attains true goodness.

She trusts people who are trustworthy.
She also trusts people who aren't trustworthy.
This is how she gains true trust.

The Master's mind is shut off from the world.
Only for the sake of the people does she muddle her mind.
They look to her in anticipation.
Yet she treats them all as her children

Lao Tsu often refers to the concept of the TAO in the feminine,

With anthropomorphic characteristics.

Substitute Thermodynamics and this makes sense.

The law exists.  It plays no favorites.

Those who understand, dissipate energy and live in balance

Those whose greed would suck dry all the resources

Are the same in the eyes of the law.

Thermodynamics is not confused, it just is.

It is the complexity we call human that doesn’t understand.

TAO 50- Half Full / Half Empty

Those who leave the womb at birth
and those who enter their source at death,
of these; three out of ten celebrate life,
three out of ten celebrate death,
and three out of ten simply go from life to death.
What is the reason for this?
Because they are afraid of dying,
therefore they can not live.

I have heard that those who celebrate life
walk safely among the wild animals.
When they go into battle, they remain unharmed.
The animals find no place to attack them
and the weapons are unable to harm them.
Why? Because they can find no place for death in them.

We live divided.

Right wing, left wing, blue, red, tea or coffee.

Rape Gaia for the resources to drive an economy.

The rich are evil, the poor are pathetic.

They all steal from us.

Religion is or isn’t the answer.

Your glass is half full- go for the gusto, grab the gold.

Your glass is half empty- bemoan the tragedy of life.

You don’t need a glass to change sunlight into heat.

Rejoice experiencing your participation in thermodynamics.

TAO 51- Thermodynamics is the Birth of All Creation

The Tao gives birth to all of creation.
The virtue of Tao in nature nurtures them,
and their families give them their form.
Their environment then shapes them into completion.
That is why every creature honors the Tao and its virtue.

No one tells them to honor the Tao and its virtue,
it happens all by itself.
So the Tao gives them birth,
and its virtue cultivates them,
cares for them,
nurtures them,
gives them a place of refuge and peace,
helps them to grow and shelters them.

It gives them life without wanting to posses them,
and cares for them expecting nothing in return.
It is their master, but it does not seek to dominate them.
This is called the dark and mysterious virtue. 

 

Entropy and Enthalpy are the reason for life, the creative force, the driving force.

There is no anthropomorphic god or intelligent design.

Life simple exists for the purpose of dissipating energy.

Our environment, Gaia, is self-creating to obey this law.

The awe of life is the reward of this simple concept.

Thermodynamics/ the TAO doesn’t demand a sacrifice.

There are no required churches and alters.

It is not aware of the complexity we call human.

It does not care about human.

It does not seek to dominate human awareness.

It is there for the taking, without obligation.

TAO 52- The World Had a Beginning

The world had a beginning
which we call the Great Mother.
Once we have found the Mother,
we begin to know what Her children should be.
When we know we are the Mother's child,
we begin to guard the qualities of the Mother in us.
She will protect us from all danger
even if we lose our life.
Keep your mouth closed
and embrace a simple life,
and you will live care-free until the end of your days.
If you try to talk your way into a better life
there will be no end to your trouble.
To understand the small is called clarity.
Knowing how to yield is called strength.
To use your inner light for understanding
regardless of the danger
is called depending on the Constant.

We seek to understand creation.

How can the Big Bang be?

Everything from Nothing makes no sense

Without the invocation of a god or intelligence.

As we walk this path of understanding,

As we argue p-branes and m-branes and string theory,

As we contemplate alternative universes with 26 dimensions,

As we ask if physical laws even exist

We accept that we exist

We accept that there is logic to existence

We accept that we cannot know everything

We accept that we are part of, not drivers of, this existence

The Yin/Yang; Entropy/Enthalpy is the Constant