My ADHD Knows No Bounds

"The master ceases to be so when he loses the beginner's spirit. – Japanese proverb"

—Page 120

"The cauldron filled with vinegar symbolizes the "essence of life" and the three men represent Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. The differences between each of the philosophies are expressed through their facial reactions to the vinegar's taste:

1. ...the Confucian character, often identified as Confucius himself, reacts with a sour expression...life...bitter since we have to have rules and laws in order to control the "moral degeneration inherent to the nature of human beings."...important to maintain social harmony following strict ethical behavior in keeping with the established rules.

2. ...the Buddhist character, commonly associated with Gautama Buddha, has a bitter expression...represents suffering as a fundamental aspect of human existence. Fighting against this reality generates more suffering, therefore...the best strategy when things do not go well is "acceptance." Vinegar is bitter, so to react with a bitter expression is to accept the reality of vinegar's nature just as it is.

3. ...the Taoist character, which represents the teachings of Lao Tzu, has a smiling face. This happy reaction symbolizes the Taoist philosophy of gracefully embracing the natural flow of life. Whatever happens...be flexible in order to face everything with a smile. Taoism considers life to be sweet since fundamentally everything is "perfect" in its natural state."

—Page 121

"The harmonious coexistence of these three philosophies...sanjiao ("three teachings")...Li Shiqian, a sixth-century scholar, who wrote: "Buddhism is the sun, Taoism the moon and Confucianism the five planets..." although they are independent religions, they need one another just as the heavenly bodies are all important in order for the solar system to work.

Another popular proverb goes: "The three teachings-Taoism's gold and cinnabar, the relics of the Buddhist figures, and the Confucian virtues of humanity and integrity—are a tradition."

—Page 122

“Accepting the fleeting nature (諸行無常：shogyōmujō) of everything that exists is another Buddhist tenet. Creatures live and die, and material objects change or disappear; nothing exists forever. The universe’s only constant is change. Even so, we humans tend to worry excessively about the past and the future, instead of concentrating on the beauty of each moment in the present.

Attachment to worldly experiences leads to suffering.”

—Page 123

“Before the advent of Buddhisms, there was no idea of a heaven or a hell. The ghosts of the departed were thoughts of as constant presences, needing propitiation, and able in some way to share the pleasures and the pains of the living. They required food and drink and lights; and in returned for these; they could confer benefits. Their bodies had melted into earth; but their spirit-power still lingered in the upper world, thrilled its substance, moved in its winds and waters. By death they had acquired mysterious force; they had become ‘superior ones,’ Kami, gods. —Lafcadio Hearn, Japan: An Attempt at Interpretation”

—Page 126

“The five most important virtues are: benevolence (仁 rén), justice (義 yì), ritualism (禮 lǐ), wisdom (智 zhì), and integrity (信 xìn)."

—Page 127

“Act without doing. Work without effort. Think of the small as large and the few as many. Confront eh difficult and it will be easy. —Tao Te Ching Section 63…

“Life is a series of natural spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. — Lao Tzu”

DRG players have taken to making their characters salute whenever:

a new player joins their game

whenever the team completes an objective, or kills a tough enemy

whenever a player revives them

whenever the team completes the entire mission

whenever anyone does something cool

whenever they successfully piss off mission control

or even just… whenever someone else salutes. even if literally nothing happened to warrant the saluting. even when there's a good chance the first salute was an accident.

this creates an environment where the players are constantly and endlessly CELEBRATING each other’s company, all in a game about mining stuff and shooting alien bugs in the face.

it immediately establishes a sense of camaraderie with people you’ve never met, and i think it’s beautiful how this game encourages uplifting each other.

Forest puppy girl 🌱💕