The Return of the Tao

I thought I'd just pick this up and see what today is all about. It turns out it's about Interpretation:

All the we experience is subjective.
There is no sensation without interpretation.
We create the world and ourselves;
Only when we stop do we see the truth.

Apparently, we are unable to be objective because we are "each condemned to our particular vantage points." Can't say that I disagree with that, but "condemned"? Really? Is it that bad? I would venture that it might be nicer to think about being lucky to have our own vantage points. Now that I think about it, objectivism sounds pretty unpleasant. Like if everyone was nice and happy all the time. Sounds good, but suddenly the color goes out of everything.

The rest of the entry is about meditation, I guess. If we can manage to shut off our interpretation (that we are condemned with, remember) we can get to a place of nothingness. Seems a little extreme to me.

So, for me, I will take this: no one can be objective, because we are all blessed with our particular view points. The real magic is in remembering that everyone else has a particular view point, too, and finding a way to respect that and keep things in perspective. Walk in another man's shoes and all that.

And while I don't think I'll ever aspire to achieving nothingness, it can be nice to quiet the inner voices and just be every now and then.