Daoism vs. the mind’s ability to shape reality.

I’ve been reading a book by alan watts called the wisdom of insecurity. In it he makes a great point that the religious apologists have missed: being better off with a religion does not make its dogmas true, and it cannot make an unbeliever believe. The scientific mind may be beset with existentially energized neuroses, but that does not mean such a mind is misguided. Watts is writing about security, and I think he is heading toward mystic revelations. he is Alan Watts after all. He has already warned not to try to “fix the flux.” That is, don’t try to control the world or guarantee pleasure for yourself in the future because you’ll miss out on the now… forever. Personal example... how many times have I eaten a meal, always thinking about the next bite, or worrying about if I will be hungry when the meal is over. When the next bite comes I am now thinking about the next bite, and so on. Soon the meal is gone and I never really enjoyed it. He reminds me of another issue that is probably more present in my mind: success. I believe it is the case that in order to do something truly awesome, one must be totally dedicated it despite all else. Nobody breaks ground listening to other people’s advice, or doing whatever happened to be convenient. If you want to move to America, and you tell yourself that if the opportunity arises and you are in a good financial situation you will take it as long as your relationships are in order, you have a home for your dog, the airline has a morning flight, etc… YOU WILL NOT GET THERE. And moving to America is no big whoop really, many millions have done it. This law of dedication is quadruply powerful with something truly difficult to achieve or something previously untried. So how do these “laws” relate? Doing something worthwhile (surely an admirable goal in this fucked up world) requires a pigheaded all-consuming white hot burning desire and passion to DO IT. You must be obstinate, it must ALREADY BE, and it WILL BE. On the other hand, to experience your full humanity you must go with the flow, and not fixate on the future (or the past). No answers here, got no time for ‘em now, but please comment and stick around, when I find out something interesting, I’ll let you know.