I remember the first time I read the the Tao Te Ching:

Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing the self is enlightenment.
Mastering others requires force;
Mastering the self requires strength;
He who knows he has enough is rich.
Perseverance is a sign of will power.
He who stays where he is endures.
To die but not to perish is to be eternally present. (chap. 33, tr. Feng and English)

Every time I read this excerpt, I am humbled. What we do in this life, who we slowly become, may or may not vanish with eternity. Is it up to us? I don’t know. I sometimes wonder if being eternal is tangible or intangible? Is its value in the recognition or in the vanishing of our names? I don’t know.

To breathe….to breathe. I forget sometimes what it’s like to breathe. Overwhelmed by my sense of sight I am consumed by shapes, movements, light and shadows. Then I remember to breathe and let go of all that I cannot control. Remember that we are just parts of a whole, indispensable if embodied, or simply passing by. Either way, I imagine it’s alright. So, do we have a choice? Is change of the self truly possible? Or are we doomed to fight for a dream that slowly fades away with time?

As I read these stories, I am filled with an emotion of wonder, curiosity and enchantment. There is so much life out there. Sometimes, I get so submerged in doing something that I forget to look outside. And, I wonder—where does this need to continue come from? Is my ego the biggest impediment to my eternal freedom?

I like simple, human things; then again, I am not simple. I remember: when ego blinds, when power and greed manifest and win, there is always a man or a woman in a corner healing.

Breathe…

poco a poco y sin nada de alboroto, little by little without making a fuss.

Adriana Teresa
Publisher