Even a river will change its flow.
Except for occasional flooding, the mightiest river keeps to its bed. It flows where it finds openings between cliffs and rocks. If the river is dammed, if the cliff walls are moved, if the boulders are shifted, it will flow a different course. It could even be made to flow backwards if the earth moved far enough.So it is with the flow of our lives. Once the fixed objects of our lives shift, our circumstances change. If we move to another city, life will change. If we marry one person over another, life will be different. If we situate our business in a good neighborhood, life will be prosperous. If we choose a house in a good setting, life will be healthy. If we arrange our furniture properly, life will be comfortable. If we eat correctly, life will be prolonged. In short, followers of Tao realize that the flow of life can be affected and to some degree consciously manipulated simply by altering its parameters.
Life is the flow of energy. It is the air that we breathe, the force that moves the weather, the force of all minds combined. It keeps the rivers flowing, our hearts beating, and the sky blue. This flow of energy moves constantly according to the fixed points that exist at any given moment. Therefore, by manipulating the cardinal points of our lives, we can change the flow. The freedom to choose and to change belongs to us.
Personal Interpretation
Flow can be interrupted. This is meaningful for us because it means that the way we shape the paramaters of our lives can influence the quality of the lives we wind up living. There will always be variables that are beyond our ability to control, but there will also be things we can decide for ourselves. Where we live, what work we do, who we decide to share life's journey with, how we choose to let misfortune impact us, how we arrange the furniture in our home, what value we place upon our possessions, what food we choose to eat. The list goes on and on.
Circumstances won't always favor us, but we can change them with a little willpower and determination, or at the least, allow them to exert less influence upon our lives. We are more than the accumulation of our misfortunes after all.
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