Ep. 163 - Decline

"Fog chills heaven to gray,
Nights come earlier. 
Everyone knows decline,
But few discern its border.  

Although it is summer and there are many warm months to come, it is possible to sense that the heavens are already turning downward.  Nearly imperceptibly, the fruit is ripening on the trees and the nights are lengthening once again.  It is too early to talk of autumn, and yet the next season is on its way.

Why do we never prepare for decline?  We all realize that it is a valid phenomenon - we know about the fall of empires, the aging of heroes, the lessening of our own skill - but we are not always aware of its approach.  We often realize too late that we are in a period of decline, and so we are unprepared.  It takes a wise person to perceive the moment when things begin to change.

Summer does not fade away in a day.  Our actions must accord with the times.  Just as the decline of summer is gradual, so too should our actions be commensurate with the pace of change.  Even though decline may be approaching, we must gauge how quickly or how slowly events are moving.  If we are too hasty - like someone who notices the first cool breeze and immediately dons winter clothing - we will be overreacting.  It is important to think of decline as something natural and inevitable.  Therefore there should be no emotional values attached to it.  It simply happens, and that is all."

- Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao 

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:14

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to another episode of the All Around Growth Podcast. This is the 163rd episode of the show that is intended to provide insight and tools to building the lives and homesteads of our dreams. My name is Rob Kaiser, and I am your host. Today we read from 365 Dao, and this treasury of life-enhancing daily readings turns a wise Taoist light on every facet of life. Each daily entry begins with a one-word title and its Chinese character in elegant calligraphy. A brief poetic aphorism provides the theme, followed by a clear, insightful meditation on the day's Taoist principle. The book is written by Deng Ming Dao, who is the author of The Wandering Taoist, Seven Bamboo Tablets of the Cloudy Statue, Gateway to a Vast World, and Scholar Warrior. As we continue reading about decline, although it is summer and there are many warm months to come, it is possible to sense that the heavens are already turning downward. Nearly imperceptibly, the fruit is ripening on the trees and the nights are lengthening once again. It is too early to talk of autumn, and yet the next season is on its way. Why do we never prepare for decline? We all realize that it is a valid phenomenon. We all know about the fall of empires, the aging of heroes, the lessening of our own skill, but we are not always aware of its approach. We often realize too late that we are in a period of decline, and so we are unprepared. It takes a wise person to perceive the moment when things begin to change. Summer does not fade away in a day. Our actions must accord with the times. Just as the decline of summer is gradual, so too should our actions be commiserate with the pace of change. Even though decline may be approaching, we must gauge how quickly or how slowly events are moving. If we are too hasty, like someone who notices the first cool breeze and immediately dons winter clothing, we will be overreacting. It is important to think of decline as something natural and inevitable. Therefore, there should be no emotional values attached to it. It simply happens. And that is all. As usual, this was an unplanned podcast with a daily devotional of 365 Dow, which I will link to in the show notes, of course, serving as my notes and thoughts for today's episode. And seeing as I am still recovering somewhat from a seizure. And the accompanying physical decline that comes with that. Speaking of this seems incredibly appropriate today. As I went through my journal and my morning gratitude, I found myself feeling grateful for the fact that I am less physically sore than I was yesterday. Yesterday I was less physically sore than I was on Sunday. And it's interesting because we have listeners from all over the world, quite frankly. One hundred and sixty-three episodes into the show. However, you may be listening, you're in the Midwest, Midwest part of the United States. Maybe one of our listeners in Germany or Australia. And maybe not so much if you're in Australia, but for those of us here, we read about fog chilling heaven to gray and nights coming earlier. And this morning, as we read about the seasons and the weather changing, I could see my own breath as I read the words on this page. We still most certainly do have many warm months to come. And as a matter of fact, it was just a week ago when I put the air conditioner unit in my bedroom window. Granted, I don't use it that often, and I'm reluctant to even put it in there in the first place because it conflicts with my inner hippie, but I also like to sleep comfortably. Now we speak about ripening fruit, and I have some fruit trees that have some fruit on them. Although nearly every single elderberry I have has been picked clean by the birds. My pears are ripening. Looking at our lives every day in the mirror is a strong indicator of the seasons. But we oftentimes don't think about that. We read that summer doesn't fade away in a day, and how our actions must accord with the times. And in the same way that the decline of summer is gradual. So too, should our actions be commiserate with the pace of change. And I would encourage you to think about the change that's taking place in your life. For the only constant in life is change. And that's one of the big common threads that brings us all together. In the Telegram group is us talking about all of the change that we are going through individually, whether it's medical procedures, dietary change, in an effort to improve your health, your life. Change is the only constant, other than death, it's really the only thing we have in common. So what are we doing to prepare for that? As I think about the pending change in my own life and what I'm doing to prepare for it, it's really it's really simple. I've done a fine job complicating my life over the past few years, spending copious amounts of time, effort, and energy, i.e. money, chasing other people's dreams, trying to live up to expectations that I presumed everyone else had, but the unrealistic expectations of myself were by myself and from myself. And I'm realizing that a lot of this is contributing to my busy life, which is preventing me from living a full life. And it is perhaps some of this busyness in life that has contributed to some increased stress and potentially contributing to some decline on my end as well, especially when it manifests the stress that is manifests in the form of seizures. So rather than doing something that we read about the other day, which is continuing along a certain path, I'm expecting different results, but without changing our actions, it's time to begin changing actions. But how? That remains to be seen. For now, the change of action is going to be an increased focus on my health and wellness. Today I am fasting. Born day fasting. I have a follow-up appointment in a few weeks with the gastroenterologist to see if we can continue getting to the root of what's causing the gastrointestinal problems that I have, which appear to be ulcers in my esophagus. Or my upper lining of my stomach. Might dubaden them. I don't know. I'm learning. Next month I've got an appointment with functional medicine department at the Cleveland Clinic, which is going to be quite the comprehensive experience. So I guess all of that is an acknowledgement of my own decline. Much like summer, I'm not fading away in a day, and neither are you. For those of us who are dealing with the challenges of medical procedures, I wish you a speedy recovery. In the group, the Telegram group, Sean wished us all happy and healthy lives. The other day, when he shared something that was cross-posted on several social media platforms. And I thought that that was just a wonderful thing to read. And uh want to mimic that sentiment and share it with you as well. I wish you nothing but the happiest and healthiest of lives. We deserve it. And I sincerely hope that sharing my journey towards the creation and development of the life and homestead of my dreams helps contribute to the creation and development of yours as well. And if you feel so inclined, please join us on telegram at t.me slash all around the world to participate in the community with us. Share with us what you're doing on your own journey. Look forward to seeing you there. And if you like what you hear, you can check out the show notes. There will be links to all episodes. Along with links to read and review the podcast.