Manifesto: How To Get What You Want Without Trying. The Doctor Barefoot

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      Be bold, comrades, sisters and brothers, for when the dust settles and the sound of galloping hooves fades into the distance, you will find yourself enjoying the life you always dreamed of but never really believed you could have. And if you don’t believe me either, read this manifesto and find out for yourself.

      Not that I really mind – all faux-revolutionary propaganda aside – the internal revolution’s already paid off for me, so I’m all right, Jack – but to increase my own good fortune, I know the only way is to share it. So I’m giving you the precise lowdown on exactly how it’s done – the Taoist way – the way of wu wei, in fact – and you can use it or not as suits.

      One thing’s for sure, the more of us who do it now, the happier we’ll all be, which will make me happier because I love it when people laugh and smile. It thrills me to the quick.

      so, am I a jammy bastard?

      I don’t think so. I’ve worked patiently, consistently, tirelessly and lovingly for over twenty years, always faithful to the vision, never once wobbling in the face of constant obstruction and adversity, never complaining (except to one or two really close friends, who I actually drove half mad) about having no wealth or home for that time, never selling out and taking the conventional route to comfort, and doing it pretty much always with a smile and a cheerful heart. Yes, I’m a sensational guy; it’s true. Sure, I have my faults, but then who doesn’t. Sure, there are people who hate me and bless them all, but there are far more who love me and you know why, because I love you – you in everyone. It’s as simple as that. And the you in everyone is the Tao, the Great Spirit, the Ineffable Suchness, generating, permeating, animating, connecting and informing the entirety of all creation, and if you love that, as I do, it loves you back, as you love me and I love you.

      So no, not a jammy bastard at all, but a well-blessed bastard for sure, and damn thankful to life, myself and you that it’s so. And now you can be one too – in fact you already are (you blessed bastard, you) – as I said, the revolution has begun whether you are aware of it or not.

      But why bother? Why bother manifesting what you want – the Taoist way or any other way for that matter? Why rock the boat? Because unless you’ve learned to live your entire life in serene meditation without money, food, possessions or any other form of material sustenance …

      you’ve got to do something while you’re hanging around waiting to die

      Haven’t you?

      Well, possibly not. You could be a professional lotus-eater, hanging back in the cul-de-sac and never venturing another step on the Great Thoroughfare of Life. You could play safe, avoid the adventure, forget all about the revolution and mollify yourself with TV, banal conversation, second-rate sex, tainted romance and consumerism instead. You could, in other words, do nothing much and that would be fine – horses for courses, as it were. You could still read this manifesto – it would amuse you regardless.

      But I tell you what, if you reckon on the fact that you’re going to die anyway one day, and you never know exactly when that will be until it happens, and you figure from that that you’ve got nothing to lose and in fact everything in the entire world to gain, then with the data you access from reading this, you will, in no time, find yourself having a ball, baby, you’ll find yourself having an absolute ball. So put on your dancing shoes and let’s dance. Me, I go barefoot.

      dancing with the Universal Dinner Lady

       (or Universal Dinner Man, if you really want to be anal about it)

      Manifesting the life you want is a dance you do with the Tao. That’s the point of it. It is, to be crude about it, a spiritual experience. You see it’s not the things, situations and events you manifest that bring you spiritual satisfaction, it’s watching the Tao in action as those things, situations and events spring into existence before your very eyes – that’s the blessing, that’s the point (if there is one).

      But what is this Tao you dance with? The Tao, the Great Spirit, the Ineffable Suchness, generating, permeating, animating, connecting and informing the entirety of all creation, is actually something you can’t describe in words. It’s simply far too big to fit within words no matter how well-configured or chosen, even for such a loquacious chap as I. But you can trigger the realization of it – after all, it’s at the existential core of each and every one of us – by playing silly games. Traditionally, the Taoists of ancient times called it the mother of both existence and non-existence – note mother, not father. This alludes to its nurturing nature. But obviously the Tao is not really a woman, nor is it a man for that matter. This indicates that ancient Taoists were just as inclined to play silly games as post-modern ones, in which case come with me all the way into silliness here and picture this.

      you’ve got nothing to lose and in fact everything in the entire world to gain.

      You’re standing in line in the school canteen, Oliver Twist-style, your empty plate in your СКАЧАТЬ