Walking the Timeless Way: Recent Episodes
David Wang and Ian Felton
A podcast that digs deeply into the ancient texts of Daoism (Taoism), including the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), to explore its timeless wisdom and apply it to today's chaotic world.
The world is full of chaos because of a system that has lost its way. So long as the proposed solutions can only exist within the upside-down global economic system, chaos will remain.
In chapter two of Daodejing, Laozi explains why we need to accept the wholeness of life and not cling to our narrow actions and views. We also explore the role of death anxiety and how it leads to people seeking security in dogma and cultural symbols.
Diane Dreher, PhD, author of "The Tao of Inner Peace," joins us to talk about balance, leadership, activism, virtue and Walking the Timeless Way.
We return to the beginning of Daodejing to guide our listeners through the earlier chapters. We explore the mysterious and erotic nature of Dao.
Conflict is part of the human condition. However, the sage can help mitigate conflict by a careful examination of desires. We explore organizational conflict, the conflict in Europe, and how the Metaverse may help civilization navigate our desires in a less damaging way.
The Dao of Courage requires us to be willing to let go of a lot. How can we practice courage in our lives while trying to align with Dao?
Many of us live mundane lives with a lot of routine. How do we create magic in our life?
What does Daoism say about our wants and desires? What responsibility comes with freedom? What is true humility?
Daoism can free us from dogma and labels. It can allow us to be more spontaneous and it also fosters deep human connection. We begin to explore changing our worldview to live more whole.
Society is stuck and needs to be reinvented. The future of this podcast is to explore how we can move away from bosses and politicians and move toward individuals with character.
The way of the sage is to cultivate personal virtue, not by trying to control things politically with the intellect.
We're addicted to a way of life that stresses us out and lacks meaning. Why is this so and what are our options?
Western culture is ego-driven and individualistic. How can we align with Dao and live with more grace?
Western culture is transactional and exploitative. How can we be like water in this type of world?
The Way of Heaven gives to those without and takes from those with too much. Those in power do the opposite. What will happen?
Modern psychology built on "evidence-based" research tells us the value of being psychologically flexible. This is what Laozi explained to us in chapter 76 of Daodejing thousands of years ago.
Our spirits are crying out to return to a way of living that is aligned with our nature. We only need to wait for the current system to die.
People go to great lengths to control death but they backfire in the long run. We can listen to Laozi to better live with nature and death.
People can create a depth of knowledge in a niche, or around an identity, but not see how the lack of wholeness creates a type of poverty.
When government leaders don't follow the wisdom of the sages, the people stop respecting authority. We compare the approaches of China and the United States and the effects on the common people.
Knowledge is necessary, but without moderation, it can also become a spiritual sickness. How can we use knowledge appropriately and stay spiritually healthy?
If we are listening for what our egos want, not what the universe is actually saying, it will be impossible to hear Laozi. To understand Laozi, we need a type of humility that requires a huge change in worldview.
War is part of the human condition, but how can we minimize it? What does it mean to win at war?
Daoist approaches aren't what we typically think of when talking about military strategy, but Laozi wrote about it. Today's episode wonders about what it would look like in comparison to today's national powers.
How do we apply the three treasures of kindness, moderation, and humility in our daily lives?
Laozi has three treasures: compassion, moderation, and humility. Today we explore walking the timeless way with compassion.
Practicing psychological flexibility can help us better understand and embody humility.
What is humility and where did it come from? Why do we need it and what forces work against us?
Laozi says leaders who are sages put themselves last. How do people lead in our modern world and is it very Daoist?
What knowledge does society need to move forward? We discuss knowledge as awareness and empathy and entertain an idea called civic empathy.
Staying close to the concept of zhi（智）we examine what knowledge is useful to us. What did Laozi mean by this type of knowledge?
A reading and translation of chapter 65 followed by a discussion about mysterious virtue. Why is a certain type of knowledge destructive to society?
Continuing with Chapter 64, we discuss growth mindset and the journey of ten thousand miles. The wisdom of time and timing can be used by the Daoist to achieve great things.
In Chapter 64, Laozi tells us to ignore the small at our own peril. Whether avoiding huge problems, or accomplishing immense tasks, our focus must stay on what is small and minuscule.
Continuing to discuss chapter 63, we ask how discernment plays a part in Daoist virtue.
Chapter 63 is our focus. What is virtue and how do we make it come to life rather than just live as an idea in our head?
We discuss chapter 62 which explores themes of virtuous and non-virtuous people. What does a Daoist approach to the presidency look like?
A welcome to Walking the Timeless Way, a podcast that explores the ancient text of daodejing and how to apply it to today's chaotic world.