u/United-Ad8067

Good afternoon everyone, I've had a great interest in Taoism and its Eastern philosophies for some years now, and whenever I get interested in something I end up having the problem of over-intellectualizing some subjects that sometimes don't need it.

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That's been my experience with Taoism; I researched some basic concepts like Tao itself, and I think I partially understand it. I kind of grasp what it is, but I don't know exactly how to explain it.

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I understood the river metaphor, but whenever I try to put it into words or explain it to someone, I find myself going down a path that isn't exactly what I meant.

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So, let's go. I believe that words are not a gift, they are skills, just like understanding. We must train these aspects to become good at them. With that in mind, I bought a copy of the Tao Te Ching, which I've seen in many places described as a book written by Laozi himself (as far as I know, the founder of the Taoist school of thought) and widely recommended as one of the most basic books of Taoism (in the sense of foundational, not simple or weak).

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The thing is, I don't know if it's a peculiarity of Asian or Chinese literature in particular, but I'm having a lot of difficulty following or understanding what this book (Laozi) is trying to say because of the strong abstraction and the structure of the texts divided into something like poems from page to page that don't necessarily have a connection with the previous one (or they do and I haven't been able to understand it).

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Is this problem unique to me, or is it common for people starting out in this subject? I feel like perhaps my reading is too Western; I have examples in Brazilian, English, German, and French literature, but nothing intrinsically Eastern, at most Russian. Therefore, I think it might be a communication issue with the style and time period in which it was written. Perhaps it's also my tendency to over-intellectualize an idea instead of "feeling" it, but I don't know how to do it any other way. Do you have any advice to help me begin my studies of Taoism? I'm avoiding reading books or listening to podcasts on the subject because many of those I've heard seem to fall into a somewhat "shady" coach-like mentality, such as "Work while they sleep and the universe will reward you" or "Just do nothing in general," and I feel that's not really what Taoism has to offer. But please tell me if I'm wrong about that too.

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Thank you very much!

Como um jogador bastante "passivo", nunca fui muito arrastado para o estilo de jogo baseado em simulação de esportes, seja corrida, luta ou futeboll, afinal a base de um jogo de esporte é geralmente oferecer uma dinamica competitiva, geralmente online para seus jogadores.

Sempre me vi enclinado para jogos com histórias interessantes e mecanicas mais focadas na imersão e diversão do jogador, como Life Is Strange, RDR2, GTA e etc

Durante 2017, me bati de frente com um jogo da FIFA que me capturou na proposta, um modo história chamado "A Jornada" aonde controlavamos 3 personagens decidindo aspectos da vida deles dentro e fora de campo, fiquei maravilhado e foi a primeira vez que me senti atraido por um jogo de esportes no geral.

Já tive experiências divertidas com Forza Horizon e PES 2013 aonde me foi permitida costumização o suficiente para me sentir dentro do jogo, como modos carreira aonde via bastante meu personagem

Recentemente comprei FIFA 22 e WWE 25 por puro impulso mas ainda não tive tanta diversão com eles ainda e acabei por me perguntar, o que aconteceu com esses jogos aonde conseguiamos controlar o personagem além do campo/ringue/pista? Eles não foram populares o suficiente? Continuaram a fazer mais jogos com modos como o "A jornada" do FIFA 17?

É algo que eu particularmente sinto falta nos jogos de esporte, mas talvez seja somente eu, afinal são jogos de esporte e não de história

As a rather "passive" gamer, I was never really drawn to sports simulation-based games, be it racing, fighting, or soccer. After all, the basis of a sports game is generally to offer a competitive a casual and dynamic, usually online, for its players.

I've always been inclined towards games with interesting stories and mechanics more focused on player immersion and enjoyment, such as Life Is Strange, RDR2, GTA, etc.

During 2017, I stumbled upon a FIFA game that captivated me with its concept: a story mode called "The Journey" where we controlled 3 characters, deciding aspects of their lives on and off the field. I was amazed, and it was the first time I felt drawn to a sports game in general.

I've had fun experiences with Forza Horizon and PES 2013 where I was allowed enough customization to feel like I was inside the game, like career modes where I saw a lot of my character.

Recently I bought FIFA 22 and WWE 25 on pure impulse, but I haven't had as much fun with them yet, and I ended up wondering, what happened to those games where we could control the character beyond the field/ring/track? Were they not popular enough? Did they continue to make more games with modes like "The Journey" from FIFA 17?

It's something I personally miss in sports games, but maybe it's just me, after all, they are sports games and not story games.

So, the Silver Surfer is a character who has already demonstrated control over matter at the atomic level, transforming sand into gold, dust into silver, and all sorts of things on that scale. Would he be capable of controlling matter in a weapon as powerful as Mjolnir? Has he done this in any of his numerous encounters with Thor?

In all the encounters I've seen between Thor and the Surfer, it seems like the Surfer is always at 3% battery, using attacks like "Generic Energy Blast" or "Shitty Straight Punch" instead of doing something definitive or at least truly threatening with his powers.

I'm becoming quite interested in the character and I'm going to start doing some research on the sociocultural impact of its creation in the world of comics. Could you recommend the best comics in your opinion, or at least some that best explain the essence of the character? Preferably solo comics, but I'm open to suggestions if there are others as well.