Taoism is nice as long as you don't take it 'too far'. Practicing the 'Art of doing nothing' is niceeeee.

The first key to wisdom is to realize that you do not have any wisdom. That worked for me and I used to have inner knowledge about everything. It was real coz I read it in a book.

The Tao Te Ching is Lao Tzu's book, some people who use it as a crutch consider it a religion, others a philosophy, in reality it is an ancient self improvement book with teachings that have influenced quasi religious philosophies like Taoism, Buddhism, Legalism, Confucianism, etcetera. If you are happy, good for you. I personally don't need any book to make me feel happy, but that's just me, I love living, life and nature and nothing makes me happier than to enjoy life to the fullest.

The Tao which can be perceived is not the true Tao.

For some people this will be very easy to unlearn all the negative things they have been taught and the positive too as there is not much that they have learned.

I too have a strong interest in the Tao Te Ching. It is a philosophy that doesn't go against you common sense. I love it

At age 18, I found Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu in the University of Michigan Bookstore. Fell in love with:

EIGHT

The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.
In dwelling, be close to the land.

In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In ruling, be just.
In business, be competent.
In action, watch the timing.

No fight: No blame.

From “Tao Te Ching,” written in the sixth century B.C. by Lao Tsu.

Glad that’s worked for you. College untaught me, US History in particular, as the professor (drove a Saab so I assumed he was a prof.) explained how ‘everything we’d been taught in school was propaganda to support the taking of America.’ Only class I voluntarily sat front & center.

So ( so) fortunate not to have been indoctrinated with religion, even reached a point where I consciously decided to stop learning about any of it - as it’s all Bullshit! That helped to focus on the social tool it is.

I’ve tried not to dump everything though, and seek more. Like putting together a never-ending puzzle … with multiple pieces tossed in from many others.. Cocky enough to go it alone I suspect, it feels to have worked

Is there a particular translation or commentary that you recommend?