The Tao is one of the World's oldest philosophical texts. Its origins are largely unknown, its language is open to varied interpretations and its verses touch on many subjects: all of which makes it a perfect vehicle to examine our own thoughts on these matters. Often, the thoughts and beliefs that drive people's behaviour and form their character, remain a mystery, even to themselves. If most people were asked to describe what their beliefs and attitudes were to the things that really matter in life, they might well find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Not only is it strange for us to have to list what we think of as the key issues in life, but to then, unaided, have to define what our thoughts are on those issues, is not easy. Some people might respond to the question "what do you believe?" by stating that they are a follower of some religion or political ideology or philosophy, but this hides as much as it reveals. Do they really know about all the beliefs contained within their chosen creed? Do they really share every single one of those beliefs? Do they truly think that none of those beliefs could be improved upon? What evidence do they have that those beliefs will allow us to live the best lives we can? I have used the Tao to examine my own thoughts on the subjects and issues it covers, in an attempt to understand my own outlook on life. One of the things that quickly became clear for me was that many thoughts that I have now are only a stage on a journey and that they are very likely to change in light of better arguments and analysis from other people. Defining one's own beliefs, however, is the essential first step. Without that, there is no centre of gravity around which those beliefs can rotate and then we are all vulnerable to wild swings in our thinking or, due to a lack of confidence in ourselves, clinging irrationally to what we have always known. Try reading the Tao for the beauty and wisdom contained in it. Try to define your own thoughts on its subject matter and try to become part of an on-going process of finding the best beliefs we can for living our lives.
