What does Lao Tzu have to say about war?  Looking from the eyes of the aggressor, the attacked, and of course from a wider angle. You can find the book, as always, at https://leanpub.com/agiletao And the beautiful music is still played by Guitarist Gilad Hekselman, bassist Petros Klampanis, and drummer Ziv Ravitz and can be found here.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dov-tsal/message

This time, two poems from part 2  - We talked about the role of a leader. what makes a leader one? - We also talked about the constant attention required from a craftsperson of any kind to attend to its material. Here are the poems, hope you enjoy them! And a special thanks to Hekselman, Klampanis & Ravitz for the beautiful music I never get tired of. 29. The Captain (xxvi)  A great captain tirelessly guides his ship at sea  So that, safe in port, he may lose it in...

Last time, we started reading Flow - the first part of the Agile Tao, we are back with the second part. Join Peter and me, and connect to the Agile Tao. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dov-tsal/message

We are back, after a long break. To start our second season, and as Flow, the first part of the book, reached a stable version, we are reading thru it, letting it unfold like a story. This episode contains the first poems of the Flow part, and was a joy to record (as always) The wonderful music recorded by Guitarist Gilad Hekselman, bassist Petros Klampanis, and drummer Ziv Ravitz can be found here. You can send us any questions to [email protected] And the book can be found...

Today's episode is about the power of collaboration, about how being a part of something bigger allows you to do magic. Join us to hear about how starlings and dolphins cooperate, and what can you do to unleash the power of collaboration. 22. Collaboration (xii/iii) Agility builds collaboration, not competition; Feeds interdependence, not dependence; Empties peoples’ mouths to fill their bellies; Softens their hearts to strengthen their bones. It controls politics by not privileging...

What is an ecosystem? what makes it flow, or be blocked?  Today's poem (from the Flow part) examines the source of its benefits and interactions that make (or break) it. 4. Ecosystem (iv/vi/vii/v) Evolving and revolving, Life can’t be cut, knotted, dimmed or stilled; Nor the source of thought Be plumbed by thought. Reflecting and responding, Mind adapts all flesh. Rippling and refracting, None breach its shining surface. Splitting and merging, Nature follows all paths. Ranging beyond...

For our 10th episode, we talk about the story behind the story. Join us to hear how the book of Tao came to be, how the Agile Tao came to be, and how Peter and I met. You can download the Agile Tao (free of charge) at https://leanpub.com/agiletao The soundtrack for this episode is HighHo HighHo sang by Tom Waits. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dov-tsal/message

Where does fear come from? how can it be addressed? And has does all this to do with the Great Law of Peace, the Iroquois tribes, the game of GO or the XSCALE alliance?  Today's poem talks about fear, and our talk covers so much more... 45. Fear (xxxviii/liv a) Disrupt nature and harmony remains. Lose harmony and trust remains. Break trust and justice remains. Corrupt justice and fear remains. Harmony doesn’t inspire fear; But those without it do. It doesn’t serve or compromise...

How can one test one's agility? when is it gone and what happens when it is? Today's poem talks about all this, and our talk covers so much more... 21. The End Of Agility (lxvii) People love to talk about agility. Often that’s all there is to it. But there are three values The agile express and represent: Compassion, openness, and discipline. Compassion generates courage, Openness, learning, And discipline, flexibility, Courage without a warm heart, Learning without an open mind, Or...

This time, we are talking about functionality, and about the form that supports it. about what happens when one is missing or doesn't match the other. We also talk about product ownership and team awareness. Here it is: 3. Form and Function (xi/x)  Thirty spokes meet at a hub; About its axis we turn the wheel. Clay is spun into a vessel; At its lip we sip the cup. Bricks are stacked into a chimney; By its hearth we warm the house.  Every form that encloses Functions by opening....

This time we talk about bargains and their cost. 44. Bargains (xliv)  Some die for an idea,  Some for a payday,  Some to win a game.  Noble causes come at great cost,  And glorious victories, terrible suffering.  Only peace comes for free.  To stop when you have enough,  And retire before battle begins,  Incurs neither debt nor dishonour  But wins a long life. --- The wonderful music recorded by Guitarist Gilad Hekselman, bassist Petros Klampanis and drummer Ziv Ravitz can...

In this episode, Peter and I talk about change, about embracing it and about resisting it. The poem we read this time is called (unsurprisingly...): 20. Embracing Change (xxiii) Natural forms change without cease. Strong winds don’t last long; Nor heavy rain. As nature’s forms change, so must our own. Accepting change, we lead change Which buoys us on nature’s tide. Anchored to form we succumb to change And the tide drags us under. --- The wonderful music recorded by...

In this episode, Peter and I talk about duality, the cycling of forms into their reverse state. The poem we read is called: 2. Cycle (ii) Beauty fades and love dies Because all forms are cycles. Chaos evolves pattern, Whole breaks apart, Hope breeds fear, Weakness supports strength, Growth feeds decay, After becomes before. As all forms cycle, agility takes no form But harmony with the ebb and flow of forms. It accepts forms without commanding them, Adapts them without controlling...

In this episode, I talk to  Peter Merel, the author of the Agile Tao about war, peace, ecosystems, beaurocracy and harmony. All embodied in the first poem of 'Ecosystem' - the third part of the book. 43. Horses (xlvi/lxiv b) When people live in harmony Horses carry fertilizer through their fields; When people fall from harmony Horses carry soldiers through their streets. There’s no worse loss than losing peace, No worse waste than making war, No worse defeat than defending...

In our first episode of the Agile Tao podcast, we dive into the sense of agility, and hear Lau-Tzu's advice to being agile. 19. Mindset (xv) Agility is practical, not mystical, A way of working, not a state of grace. Listening as if crossing thin ice, Testing as if surrounded by danger, Learning as in a strange land, Simplifying as thawing snow, Integrating as the deep woods, Leading as the river valley, Innovating as the spring silt. Imagine the ice solid or the stream...

 In our pilot episode, we introduce the Agile Tao by Peter Merel, talk about what is Taoism,  what is the Agile Tao, and  mainly read and talk about Mind, the opening poem of the book. 1. Mind (i) Life is not the breath in your lungs, Nor mind the thoughts in your head; Mind is the course of all thoughts, And life, its source. Thoughts represent forms; Forms express thoughts; Each generating the other In waves on the surface of mind. Beneath the surface, Formless and...