TAO is neither a religion nor a philosophy.
TAO is simply a way of life about the Way of life, that is, a general way of thinking about everything in life. It is a pathless path of humanity to live as if everything is a miracle.
TAO is the Way through anything and everything in life in order to fully experience them and live in balance and harmony. TAO is not about avoiding or getting out of anything unhappy and undesirable in everyday life, such as depression; rather, it is about going through depression by experiencing every aspect of it in order to become enlightened, if possible, with the profound human wisdom to continue living in peace and harmony in a world of depression.
TAO is looking at life not as a series of both happy and unhappy episodes, but simply as a journey of self-discovery and self-awakening to the real meaning of life existence. You are defined not by your words and thoughts, but by the ways you act and react, as well as the impact you may have on others around you. You exist not because you are simply here; you are here in this world to love and to learn how to live, as well as to help one another do the same.
TAO is formless, shapeless, and inexplicable in words; after all, it had existed long before there were even words. TAO is infinite human wisdom, which is a pathless path to the infinity and the origin of all things.
TAO is not about making your life any easier; it is about accepting and embracing all aspects of your humanity that need to be fully experienced, and then to be let go of in order to become wholesome at other times of your life and living-that is the essence of TAO wisdom, which is true enlightenment of the human mind.
Living in a world of depression, you might want everything your way or no way. But TAO is the Way through your depression, enabling you to understand how and why you might have your depression in the first place.
All paths are aspects of the one path, just as all truths are aspects of the one truth, which is TAO.
About the Author: Stephen Lau was born in Hong Kong. He received his education from the University of Hong Kong, the English Language Center in Singapore, and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He has written books on various topics, including the following: health and wellness; wisdom in living; making your smart baby smarter, and teaching your child to read at any early age; effective writing, and learning English for ESL students, including idioms, slang, and colloquial expressions. Stephen Lau now lives in the United States. For more information about Stephen Lau, go to his website: http: //www.stephencmlau.com