More Taoist Po-etry

We all have a place in the world...

Po’s duck dad believes Po’s destiny is to take over the noodle stand one day. He says to Po, “We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins.” It is clear to his father who Po is and what his life’s calling will be.

Po asks his father if he ever had dreams and aspirations. His father replies that he once had a dream of running away from the family noodle business to make tofu; a dream he abandoned in his youth. Sighing, he says to Po, “We all have a place in the world, and yours is table 2, 5, 7 and 12.”

Despite his dreams to the contrary, Po’s destiny and identity are being shaped by that most influential person: the parent.

Part of discovering the Big Thing is understanding what’s important to you in life and striving to be contented. Part of pursuing the Big Thing is striving for purpose, meaning and fulfillment in life.

The foundation of it all is knowing who you are and establishing your identity. This is really, really hard. For some it comes easy, for others it is unattainable. For me, it was a struggle that ended only after years of severe depression.

I hate to quote Whitney Houston (and believe me, I really do hate to quote Whitney Houston), but she really said something in her song “Greatest Love of All” when she belted out,

I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

All human identity emerges from our genetics. You have heard the phrase “nurture and nature,” meaning some influences in human development are based on external factors while others are come from our DNA.

We are who we are because of the DNA bequeathed to us by our parents (thanks for the double chin!) and the external forces and environment that influence our behavior, values and beliefs.

Every day there is a competition around us by others who tell us how to think and feel, what to believe, what to do, and who to be. Yes, who to be.

People often influence what you are and what you become because of their opinions of your abilities and powers. Such people are influential over us because we empower their opinions – right or wrong – by accepting them and allowing ourselves to be shaped by them. You say I am handsome, I will quickly believe it. You say I am a toad, and alas, eventually I will own it.

For Po, he was predestined to be a noodle vendor, not because he wanted but because to his father it was so. And he accepted.

Po’s teacher and heroes dismissed him as a joke, questioning his abilities, let alone his place on earth. And he accepted it.