One subject that I often find myself surrounded by, for a variety of reasons, is that of the teachings and philosophies of eastern traditions, and the likes thereof. There are three main traditions when dealing with eastern philosophy and these include Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. And throughout the majority of my life, I have familiarized myself with both Buddhism and Daoism, within my family and then personal reading. I was raised in a household that was heavily influenced by the values and moralistic teachings found within the two traditions: to be mindful in all aspects of life. Mindfulness, as well as moderation, is at the core of Buddhism and Daoism. The more strenuous aspect of life keeping in mindfulness/moderation, for myself, has been communication. In reading philosophical texts across eastern and western views, I still find Buddhism and/or Daoism as a moralistic outline to life that only leans solely towards being neutral/positive and never negative.

Another influence from a young age, I was introduced to The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, both novel and documentary, and the concept within the “secret” was the “Power of Attraction” and, while this idea was not foreign to me, it intrigued me a great deal. In Buddhism, the first Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, said that the thoughts in our mind creates, or manifests, the world around us. Guatama also spoke of the “eightfold path”, a nearly mirrored image of the teachings within Daoism, the way or path to enlightenment. It was these ideologies that formulated who I am today, how my brain makes connections, how I perceive the world. In a sense, Buddhism, Daoism, the “secret” are all neutral/positive versions of realism: accepting the world as it is, or at least the pathway there.