Floating Taoists?

My friend, Doug, recently asked, "So that feather at the beginning of Forrest Gump is a perfect analogy of how life should be according to the Taoist? Just floating where I need to be? Hey! That's what the whole movie is about! No plan for today other than enjoy and be happy? Really?"

I always feel like I should start my response with a Philosophical Taoist disclaimer, "It's all based on how YOU interpret the Tao Te Ching". There are no rules. For me it's about enjoying life. Seeking balance.

We all know that you have to eat and clothe yourself, so you have to do something that will provide for that. You can farm, you can work for someone else, you can create or do stuff that other people will pay you for. That's the day to day stuff that has to happen or you starve or freeze to death.

Verse 11 of the TTC says that 30 spokes make up the wheel but it's the hole in the middle that makes the wheel useful... clay can be molded into a pot, but it's the size of the empty space inside (and what you fill it with) that determines it's value.

Ya gotta work, but it's what you fill the space in between with that determines the value of your life.

You Might Be A Taoist website

Just for fun I've started a new webpage called YouMightBeATaoist.com hoping that it might, in a less serious way, help others discover that they're actually Taoists.

Bird in a Tree vs. Bird in a Cage

Which is better:
A bird in a tree or a bird in a cage?
A fish in a river or a fish in a bowl?
A flower in the field or a flower in a pot?
A person living close to nature, in harmony with all those around them or a person living in a state where there are government and religious leaders controlling their lives?

One could argue that the fish, bird, flower, and person will all live better lives because they are protected and taken care of.

Are you sure?