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The TAO in Anything and Everything

 

The Bible says wisdom is everything. "Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding." (Proverbs 3:13) 

Without wisdom, there is no understanding. 

But why is understanding important?

Without understanding, anything and everything in life may seem paradoxical and inexplicable. It is this mindset that may make many people "not living in reality" -- in their minds they only see "unfairness" and "inequality." This distorted mindset may even lead many to committing crimes and violence: "Why shouldn't I rob them who've the money that I don't have?" or "They too have broken the law, so why shouldn't I do the same?"

Biblical wisdom is about "accountability" to God, which will give you spiritual "understanding." But if you are not a believer, that "understanding" may be irrelevant to you.

Having said that, human wisdom is indispensable in contemporary living. Human wisdom is not the same as acquisition of knowledge; human wisdom is the application of what you feel and understand to your everyday life and living. So, being knowledgeable does not necessarily mean being wise.

The TAO is the profound wisdom of Lao Tzu, an ancient sage from China more than 2,600 years ago. The TAO has survived and thrived for thousands of years for a good reason: it is applicable to anything and everything in contemporary daily life. The TAO shows you all the hows and the whys of anything and everything happening in your life, including the following: growing up, receiving education, earning a living, making money, getting married, starting a family, raising children, staying healthy, growing old, and dying.

The TAO helps you confront all your daily challenges, and live in balance and harmony.

TAO in Anything and Everything

Stephen Lau

Journey of Healing

Journey of Healing

One of Lao Tzu’s famous sayings is “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” The TAO journey of healing myasthenia gravis is a great undertaking: every step is as important as the first; and each step is as firm as the previous one. The Chinese often like to say “feet stepping on solid and steady ground.” Your healing journey is the sum of all the steps you are going to take.

It is your journey, and only you can take your first step. So, you must choose to take your first step to go on that healing journey.

To continue on your journey, paradoxically, you must show no desire to heal and no intent to reach your destination.

But why?

The desire for good health may be difficult to sustain for someone who is currently confronted with the many health issues related to myasthenia gravis. It may seem not only difficult but almost impossible for that individual to restore natural health and get well again. Worse, ill health may even make that individual feel depressed and forget to take care of the body, and thus allowing the body's malfunctions to continue and deteriorate further.

A wise traveler on a long journey has no fixed plans, and is not intent upon arriving the destination within a certain time frame. But that traveler is ready to use all the situations and all the people encountered to help him along the long journey.

           

Likewise, healing is a long, on-going process, and not a destination. With innate and inexplicable power, it may appear that everyone and everything along your journey are also playing a part in facilitating in your favor all your endeavors in healing your myasthenia gravis.

The bottom line: take your first step of no desire and no intent for healing so as to change and to overcome any attitude of confusion and even despair related to the trauma of your myasthenia gravis diagnosis. On your healing journey, with no intent upon arriving at the destination any time soon, you will continue to keep yourself moving forward, and you will then go the long distance on your long healing journey.

The TAO

According to the TAO, being free of desires is your path to detachment, and thus giving you clarity of thinking to start your own healing journey.

Paradoxically, if you have no desire to desire for change or healing, there is stillness, in which you may see yourself gradually changing for the better in order to slowly heal yourself:

“To live a life of harmony, we need letting life live by itself. . .

So, follow the Way.

Stop striving to change ourselves: we are naturally changing.”

(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 57)

“Accordingly, we do not rush into things.

We neither strain nor stress.

We let go of success and failure.

We patiently take the next necessary step, a small step and one step at a time.

We relinquish our conditioned thinking. Being our true nature, we help all beings

return to their own nature too.”

(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 64)

According to the TAO, a good traveler neither has fixed plans, nor shows any effort to arrive at the destination:

“The softest thing in the world

overcomes what seems to be the hardest.

     

That which has no form

penetrates what seems to be impenetrable.

That is why we exert effortless effort.

We act without over-doing.

We teach without arguing.

This is the Way to true wisdom.

This is not a popular way

because people prefer over-doing.”

(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 43)

Begin your healing journey, and take your first step with effortless effort and humble simplicity:

“Those, who think they know, know not the Way.

Those, who think they know not, find the Way.

Simplicity is clarity.

It is a blessing to learn from those

with humble simplicity.

Those with an empty mind

will learn to find the Way.

The Way reveals the secrets of the universe:

the mysteries of the realm of creation;

the manifestations of all things created.

The essence of the Way is to show us

how to live in fullness and return to our origin.”

(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 65)

So, begin your own journey of self-healing of any disease you may have.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

 n

Brain Fitness to Live Longer

Brain Fitness

Exercise

Exercise boosts blood flow to your brain by promoting the development of more blood vessels and connections between brain cells. Exercise also increases the production of new brain cells for learning and remembering. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that exercise can double or even triple the number of new cells, compared with the number in animals that do not exercise. If you wish to maintain your learning and remembering skills, exercise your body.

Regular endurance exercise, such as running, swimming, or biking, can also foster new brain cell growth and preserve existing brain cells. Build your physical endurance.

Strength training, such as lifting weights or using a resistance band, not only builds muscle and strengthens bone; but also boosts brain power, improves mood, enhances concentration, and increases decision-making skills. Build your physical strength.

Your flexibility gradually declines with age. Better flexibility means more energy, improved posture, and reduced risk of injury from falls. Build your flexibility with Tai chi, yoga, and stretching exercise.

Body balance diminishes progressively as you get older. Balance training is not just about avoiding falls. Better balance will improve your overall movement and your ability to do things better throughout your life. Build your body balance by standing on one foot or walking backward.

Diet

Eating foods high in saturated fats, like red meat, butter and dairy products, are associated with the development of degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Fish is a great source of omega-3, the type of fatty acid your body cannot produce, and it is good for your brain. To get your omega-3, eat salmon, cod, haddock, tuna, halibut, and sardines. If you don’t like fish, then eat plenty of walnuts, flaxseeds, and soybeans instead.

Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, broccoli, are loaded with nutrients good for the brain. Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are packed with antioxidants that slow down aging in the brain.

Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which are also strong antioxidants that potentially improve blood flow to the brain and reduce inflammation. Unsweetened cocoa powder is another excellent option. 

Many herbs and spices, such as turmeric, cinnamon and ginger, are packed with antioxidants that may decrease harmful inflammation in the brain. Use these  strong flavors in your cooking.

Whole grains, such as oats, barley, and quinoa, are rich in many of the B vitamins that work to reduce inflammation of the brain to prevent memory loss.

The protein and vitamins B, D and E in eggs and egg yolks may help improve memory. You can reap the benefits of these vitamins while keeping your cholesterol to a minimum by mixing whole eggs with egg whites to round out your omelet or scrambled eggs.

Music

According to some scientific research, music has the capacity and capability to change your neuron activity. Music therapists believe that the different sounds from different musical instruments have different impact on different body organs in the physical body. Scientists have used MP3 music and subliminal messages for practicing hypnosis to awaken the subconscious mind to improve memory, to enhance learning, to heal sleep problems, and to increase self-confidence, just to name a few possibilities. Music has to do with sound, which is one of the important sensory skills for maintaining good memory. In general, music listening and playing improves your concentration and brain power.

Brain reserve

Humans have “brain reserve,” which helps the human brain adapt and respond to changes and resist damage. Your brain reserve begins to develop in childhood and gets stronger as you move through adulthood. People who continue to learn, embrace new activities, and develop new skills and interests are building and improving their brain reserve. Therefore, it is important to keep on learning new things to preserve the brain reserve.

Learning

Get yourself educated. It can substantially increase your ability to fight off dementia. The same is true of working at a challenging job. So, go back to school, take classes, get a degree or an advanced degree. You are never too old to learn, and your brain will thank you in the long run.

Playing

Do crossword puzzles, play chess, mahjong, card games, or online games. These activities can stimulate the brain. Playing electronic “brain games” may help you improve your reaction time and problem-solving ability. It is important to find one that you will want to continue to play.

Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, professor of clinical psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, has recommended seven daily essential mental activities to optimize brain health and creativity.

Focusing on daily challenges helps your brain make some deep connections.

Playing creatively and joyfully helps your brain make new connections.

Connecting with nature and others daily helps your brain reinforce its relational circuitry.

Moving aerobically helps your brain strengthen its brain cells.

Reflecting internally, and focusing on sensations, feelings, thoughts, and images, help your brain integrate better.

Relaxing without any mental focus helps your brain recharge.

Sleeping restfully helps your brain consolidate and recover from the experiences of the day.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

The Face Aging Process

The Face Aging Process

 Face aging begins as early as in the twenties, 

The twenties

In your twenties, your fibroblasts (cells deep within the skin) are in optimum conditions, continuing to produce new collagens (proteins) and elastins (substances to give elasticity to the skin) to support your skin. Your sweat and oil glands keep your skin moist and lubricated. The blood in your tissues gives your skin a healthy glow. Even when you contract your facial muscles as you smile, the temporary folds vanish once you relax your facial muscles.

Your skin simply looks gorgeous and stunning! Continue to protect and maintain your skin before it is too late.

The late twenties

In your late twenties, superficial lines begin to appear on the forehead and at the corners of your eyes. Tiny blood vessels start to surface on your cheeks and your nose.

Your first wrinkles may appear around age 30—for some, even well before that.

The thirties

In your thirties, there is a slight drop in the renewal rate of your skin cells. The accumulation of dead skin cells makes your skin look less fresh and drier. You need to scrub your face more often to get rid of the dead skin cells.

Your fibroblasts become less active in producing collagens (proteins) to support your skin, which by now may look less resilient. Dynamic muscles due to muscle motion begin to form in the expression areas of your face. In your late thirties, the fat layer under the skin begins to thin out, creating slight hollows around your eyes, on your cheeks and your temples. Due to a lack of support of the skin, there is sagging around the eyes, on the cheeks, and along the jaw lines.

If you are a sun worshiper, you may have a crosshatched and cobble-stoned look on your face, folds at the corners of your lips, uneven skin texture, and pigmentation.

The forties

In your forties, the rate of skin aging accelerates due to the slower rate of skin cell renewal, the loss of fats, and the shrinkage of bones. In addition, gravity pulls your skin downward, lowering your eyebrows, and making the tip of your nose droop, too—thus changing the overall physical structure of your face. Such changes are gradual and almost unnoticeable to you, but maybe apparent to others. More obvious signs of aging continue to appear: bags under your lower eyelids; vertical lines between your eyebrows; and deep-set wrinkles on your forehead.

The damaging effects of photo aging from the sun have become more evident:

Formation of hyperkeratosis (raised spots of thicker skin)

Freckles becoming old spots

Skin texture turning tough and leathery

Formation of basal cells and even malignant melanoma cancer cells

The fifties

In your fifties, the physical structure of your face further diminishes due to continual loss of bone mass, elasticity, fat, moisture in your skin, as well as the gravitational pull.

Your face may assume a crinkled appearance: crosshatching on your cheeks; folds and wrinkles on your neck; deep-set lines around your mouth extending to your chin; vertical lines extending up from your lip line; drooping eyebrows and eyelids; and smaller as well as thinner lips.

The sixties

Your face may have become rectangular or trapezoid in shape.

Your cellular renewal rate has slowed down dramatically by as much as 50 percent, and your skin’s elasticity and volume reduce significantly, resulting in excess skin on your neck, your cheeks, and around your eyes and jaw lines. Now, you look undeniably old. The skin aging process will continue into your seventies, eighties, and nineties until the ultimate end.

Make yourself look younger and healthier for longer.

Nora Wise

Copyright© by Nora Wise

Believing in Yourself

 Believing in yourself is self-efficacy. Believing in yourself is confidence in your own ability, knowing what you have to do to win or simply to get what you want in life.

Diane Sawyer once said: “Whatever you want in life, other people are going to want it too. Believe in yourself enough to accept the idea that you have an equal right to it.” 

Believing in yourself is one of the first steps to success in doing anything that becomes the very substance of your confidence. To have confidence, you must set goals, and achieving your goals helps you build more confidence.

But believing in yourself is not easy, especially if you are getting older. You look back and there are so many goals you have not accomplish. Looking back in the past may create negativity in the form of victimization. In other words, you may find you are a victim of circumstances; this may also lead to bitterness, despair, or even anger.

One of the reasons why sometimes you don’t have self-efficacy is your obsession with your past. You could have been haunted by your past failures that generated regrets, bitterness, and disappointments that you have not been able to let go of. Attachment to the past is always a stumbling block to moving ahead. 

In addition, you may also be comparing yourself with others. Remember, nobody is perfect. Others may also have their failures that you are unaware of. You see only their successes but not their failures. Surprisingly, seeing your own imperfections may be the pathway to future success.

The Wisdom of Letting Go

The wisdom of letting go shows you how to use the ancient Tao wisdom from China to live in the present moment, and, more importantly, to let go of the past. With both  human wisdom and spiritual wisdom from the Bible, you may start believing in yourself again. With self-efficacy, you can do anything at any stage of your life, and the sky is the limit. 

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

 

Oneness with All Life

Oneness with All Life

With both human wisdom and spiritual wisdom, you may see anything is everything not just for yourself but also for others as well. In other words, you may intuit the wisdom of oneness with all life, which is your interconnection with others, not just with those who are close to you,  but also with those  who are  distant and unrelated to you. Life is all about anything and everything.

No man is an island

According to John Donne, the famous English poet, “no man is an island”; that is, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. Therefore, we are all interconnected with, as well as inter-dependent on, one another in many different ways.

Connectedness

Oneness is the law of nature: what we do to others, we also do to ourselves, either consciously or unconsciously. It is the unity of all life—life is what we all have, and what empowers all of us, giving us the enlightening experiences and the holistic ways of living.

The Bible has repeatedly stated the significance of oneness of God’s creation and salvation to all.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(John 1: 1)

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1: 16)

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles,  slave or free—and we  were all

given the one Spirit to drink.

(1 Corinthians 12:13)

According to Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese sage, one of the reasons why nature has continued to exist for thousands and thousands of years is that all forms of life in nature have their presence, which depends on one another for their co-existence. Just think about that: everything in nature does not exist just for itself, and that is why it can last forever.

Each and every being in the universe.

is an expression of the Creator.

We are all shaped and perfected by Him.

(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 51)

Blessed is he who has no ego-self.

He will be rewarded with humility to connect with the Creator.

(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 9)

So, always focus on others, instead of just on yourself all the time. Focusing on others also initiates your connection with the Creator, providing you with spiritual wisdom to guide you along the rest of your life journey.

According to Buddha, “Nothing ever exists entirely alone. Everything is in relation to everything else.”  What Buddha means is that it is not uncommon for humans to blame their problems on all the things outside themselves—other people and circumstances that are beyond their control. But the connectedness with all life contradicts that common but erroneous belief; the reality is that what we see in others and in our own circumstances is a reflection of our inner life, of what we believe in—which is the main source of all human  miseries  and sufferings.  The truth  is that  all humans suffer because they do not see the miseries and sufferings in others, except in themselves.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Baptist minister, and leader in the civil rights movement, once said: “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” So, your connectedness to others plays a pivotal role in helping you become your true self, instead of who you wish you were.

Even John Lennon in his famous hit song “Imagine” says: “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope one day you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.” That the world will live as one may indeed become a reality, and not just a dream.

To get your paperback copy of Anything Is Everything! Everything Is Nothing! Nothing Is Everything!, click here; to get your e-book, click here.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

My "Angry No More" Commands

 MY “ANGRY NO MORE” COMMANDS

As I continue to grow older, I often look back into my past to find out how and why I can become “angry no more” through my daily "commands" to myself:

1. My “Thinkfulness” Command

On waking up every morning, my first command and instruction to myself is “thinkfulness”, which is thinking of thankfulness that I’ve survived yet another day. My mind is filled with thoughts of what I should thank the Lord for—giving me another day.

2. My “Complaint” Command

Throughout the day, I try to catch myself mentally complaining about anything, especially related to my thriving, such as the obstacles in my anticipated achievement. By not complaining, I try to avoid putting my mind in a state of unconsciousness that creates negative energy and denial of the present moment. If I’m still complaining, I’m in fact saying: “I can’t accept what is, and I’m a victim of the present situation.” Understandably, in the present moment, I’ve only three options in any situation that I’m complaining about: get away from the situation; change the situation; and accept the situation as it is.

I ask the Lord to speak to me and let me listen. Then, I’ll command myself to act accordingly. Acting, taking no action, or accepting the situation—I pray for the Lord to take away my fear, my regret, and my negativity.

3. My “Stress” Command 

Stress is inevitable in everybody’s life, including mine, especially while growing older. With that realization, I’ve learned to command myself to re-focus more on the present, and less on the future. Without any timeline for my goals, I’ve learned to enjoy doing anything without thinking of the consequence.

4. My “Past” Command

In my life, I’ve made many mistakes that might have changed my life—maybe for the worse, or maybe not. Who knows? And who cares? After all, the Lord is in control of my life. Right now, I’m where He has destined for me. I never let the past take up my attention. I don’t let my thinking process create any anger, guilt, pride, regret, resentment, or self-pity. But, just like everybody else, I might still have my own negative feelings and emotions, but they never last too long. I believe that if I allow those thoughts of mine to control me, I’d look much older than my calendar age, and, worse, create a false sense of self. Reminiscing what was good in the past would only intensify my desire to “repeat” a similar experience in the future, and thus creating an insatiable longing that may never be fulfilled. Remembering what was unpleasant in the past would only generate my own emotions of remorse and unhappiness.   So, I just walk with the Lord, and command myself to let my bygones be bygones.

5. My “Present” Command

To me, living in the present holds the key to stopping my mind from processing my past and my future thoughts, which is the instinctive and automatic output of my mental process. My mind is cruel and demanding, such that I may easily become its slaves, doing whatever it commands and demands me to do without even being consciously aware of it. So, the only way to free myself from that invisible bondage is to live in the now, even though just for a short while. Living in the now changes my mind for the better: it cherishes my mental clarity, my deep insight, and my internal peace. Living in the now has become a strong tool for my mental self-control. So, I command my daily mindfulness to make me live in the now with the Lord’s Presence in my mind.

6. My “Future” Command

As I grow older, I acknowledge that I’ve the propensity to identify myself with my thinking mind, projected into the future with imaginary images of myself living in a nursing home, being totally disabled, and thus creating my own imaginary anxiety, fear, and worry. But I’ve also learned that the projected future is unreal because it doesn’t exist. It becomes real only when it happens—but not before or even after it. So, waiting for the future is only my state of mind: I want the future, but not the present; I don’t want what  I’ve already got, but I want what I haven’t got yet. So, I command myself to acknowledge my present reality—who I am, where I am, what I am doing with my life. My daily acknowledgement is my obedience to the Lord.

7. My “Misfortune” Command

Life won’t be wholesome without misfortunes and tragedies, which enable my appreciation of what life has to offer. There is a Chinese saying: “A man’s destiny can’t be summarized and sealed until nails are put on his coffin’s top.” So, I command myself to trust what the Lord has destined for me until the last day of my life on earth. Anyway, I wouldn’t be the person putting the nails on my coffin’s top.

8. My “Right Conduct” Command

Right conduct is living in the right way, which is more than “not breaking the law.” To be right with the Lord is to do all the right and the righteous things in my life through the Holy Spirit, instead of through my mind in my flesh. So, every day I command myself to turn to the Holy Spirit for help.

9. My “Failure” Command 

Life is full of failures, big and small. But they shouldn’t have become the stumbling blocks in my life journey. For example, I failed as an antique shop owner when I set up my retail antique business; I still have many of the antiques that I like, but I couldn’t find enough customers for my business to survive. Also, I failed as an entrepreneur when I bought a franchised cleaning business; I’d problems finding workers and ended up doing the cleaning myself. I always look upon my past failures with positive attributes: a lesson of humility to show my own limitation and inadequacy; a lesson of never getting what I want in my life; a lesson of strengthening my character; a lesson of perseverance and survival from failures. If I’d succeeded in my previous endeavors, I’d have embarked on a totally different life journey heading toward a totally different direction. Would I really have been better off or worse off? Who knows, and who cares? I never ponder on the “might have” or the “would have” scenarios. In addition, I often recall what Bill Gates said: “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” So, I command myself to follow the Lord as my Shepherd.

10. My “Life Purpose” Command

I understand that life must have a purpose: an external as well as an internal purpose.

I realize that in life setting an external purpose is important, but not so important that it drives me crazy in pursuing it or giving it up altogether. As a matter of fact, there’s an external purpose that only sets me a direction for the destination of my life. In that direction, there’re many different signposts guiding me along the way. Arriving at one signpost simply means that I’ve accomplished one task; missing that signpost means that I’m still on the right path but simply taking maybe a detour or just longer time because of my misdirection or getting lost on the way.

My internal purpose is more important: it has nothing to do with arriving at my destination or not, but to do with the quality of my consciousness—what I’m doing along the way. That Jesus said: “gain the world and lose your soul” probably says everything there’s to say about the internal purpose of life for me. External purpose can never give lasting fulfillment in life due to its transience and impermanence, but internal purpose, because of its unique quality of being in the present moment, may give me inner joy and a sense of fulfillment. That’s how I feel about my internal life purpose.

No matter what I do in my life, I just command myself to do my very best.

Stephen Lau

Author of Angry No More

 

for the Lord to take away my fear, my regret, and my negativity.

 

3. My “Stress” Command

 

     Stress is inevitable in everybody’s life, including mine, especially while growing older.

  While working on my book, I often focus too much on the future and forget about the present. My mind may easily become preoccupied with getting to the next chapter or the completion of that book, such that I easily forget about the present. I realize that my stress is due to my “being here” but “wanting to be there.”

 With that realization, I’ve learned to command myself to re-focus more on the present, and less on the future. Without any timeline for my writing, I’ve learned to enjoy my writing and the writing process without thinking of the consequence.

 

4. My “Past” Command

 

     In my life, I’ve made many mistakes that might have changed my life—maybe for the worse, or maybe not. Who knows? And who cares? After all, the Lord is in control of my life. Right now, I’m where He has destined for me.

     I never let the past take up my attention. I don’t let my thinking process create any anger, guilt, pride, regret, resentment, or self-pity. But, just like everybody else, I might still have my own negative feelings and emotions, but they never last too long. I believe that if I allow those thoughts of mine to control me, I’d look much older than my calendar age, and, worse, create a false sense of self.

     Reminiscing what was good in the past would only intensify my desire to “repeat” a similar experience in the future, and thus creating an insatiable

 longing that may never be fulfilled. Remembering what was unpleasant in the past would only generate my emotions of remorse and unhappiness.