Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life Part 3 of 20: Living Humility
April 1, 2009 by dr. lam · 34 Comments
The 9th Verse of the Tao Te Ching:
To keep on filling
is not as good as stopping.
Overfilled, the cupped hands drip,
better to stop pouring.
Sharpen a blade too much
and its edge will soon be lost.
Fill your house with jade and gold
and it brings insecurity.
Puff yourself with honor and pride
and no one can save you from a fall.
Retire when the work is done;
this is the way of heaven.
I truly love the idea behind this verse. It tells us that enough is enough. Hording more acquisitions for the sake of doing so only leads to fear, insecurity, and pride. It leads to fearing the loss of these acquired goods that can in turn lead us to misery. I also like how Dyer focuses on eating. I have eaten many times after I was sated only later to regret it both in terms of how I felt afterward and the ineluctable weight gain thereafter. I am constantly reminded of the joy of eating just enough, wanting just enough, and being contented with everything.
How do I reconcile all of this with plastic surgery? Easily. I have many individuals who are obsessed with plastic surgery or become so. They know that I will only engage in things that will help them look and feel better about themselves but not in excessive things that waste money and create unchecked boundaries of ongoing want. In fact, I help guide them to what would be the best thing to make their external selves a reflection of their inner selves. We have talked about that in previous blogs. I am in love with the creative work in facial cosmetic enhancement because done in moderation and with skill and artistry, you can create a beauty that lovingly radiates to all those in their proximity.
Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life Part 2 of 20: Living Creatively
March 31, 2009 by dr. lam · 17 Comments
The 6th Verse of the Tao Te Ching:
The spirit that never dies
is called the mysterious feminine.
Although she becomes the whole universe,
her immaculate purity is never lost.
Although she assumes countless forms,
her true identity remains intact.
The gateway to the mysterious female
is called the root of creation.
Listen to her voice,
hear it echo through creation.
Without fail, she reveals her presence.
Without fail, she brings us to our own perfection.
Although it is invisible, it endures;
it will never end.
I particularly love this verse because I can relate to it so very well. I have a tremendously creative spirit that I feel is unbounded. I also have a great feminine sensibility about me, i.e., I am sensitive to people’s emotions and thoughts more than many of my male colleagues, peers, and friends. I am very much attuned to my creative and my “feminine” side. I think Lao-Tzu is focused on seeing ourselves as infinitely creative and who do not perceive boundaries to that creativity. I recall so many people seeing my paintings that I made that adorn the walls of my office and of my building and say, “Wow, I would never feel so confident to put any of my paintings for others to see.” I thought, “Why not?” It never even occurred to me that someone else’s judgment of my art even mattered.
I think as children we are infinitely creative and are rewarded for our creative input. As adults, we are so berated by other people about what is considered good or bad, that we become introspective and reclusive in our opinions and thoughts. I am not entirely immune to this, but I exercise a profound and unfettered creativity in my artistry as a plastic surgeon (obviously with your assent and consent) as well as in almost everything that I do.
Today when you go out look at a child and see how a child is unrestricted in his/her creative energy that is almost inexhaustible and not bound by societal dictates and constraints, by gender norms, or by arbitrary standards of quality. Then go out today and free your creative sensibility and get in touch with your feminine nature whether you are a man or a woman. It shouldn’t matter. Think of how you will express your own creative energy through a vibrant individualism that radiates to others. Live creatively.