I feel it's time to to set the record straight on how TaoBums came into being.

Around October 2003 I purchased Michael Winn's Chi Kung Fundamentals 1 and 2 and began dilligently practicing every day. I fell in love with the practices and began furiously studying everything on the net I could find relating to Taoist Alchemy. Around then I also began frequenting the HT forum. I was blown away by the quality of sincere discussion and near complete lack of spiritual pretentiousness I found there.

But from the beginning I also wished the setup was different. Here were all these great posts thrown in a giant pile with replies spiralling out of control and no option to expand or collapse threads. A silly complaint I know, but I'm a hopeless geek, I admit.

Eventually I wrote Michael Winn and James McConnell directly, letting them know about my web design and forum administration experience and proposed a move to the phpBB style of forum. I told them I could help out in any way they needed, if only just by giving free consulting.

No response.

A few months later, Pietro made a post on HT along the lines of creating a Taoist portal of some sort. I jumped at the opportunity, immediately replying that I would love to be involved in any way that I could. I reiterated my years of experience with web design and forum administration.

No response.

No sweat though. We are all busy. And these people don't know me from the next guy. I respect this.

But one day in early November 2004 the HTUSA site crashed. And with it years of incredibly resourceful posts were lost. Countless hours spent, organizing thoughts, feelings, and insights into posts aimed at helping, amusing and challenging fellow seekers -- boom. Gone. Within a day or two the HT site came back online but with no posts and it continued acting erratically. No one was sure what had happened or what the fate of the HT forum was.

I quickly setup a temporary phpBB forum on my own site, seanomlor.com, as a temporary meeting place and posted on HTUSA letting people know the link. People seemed to like my setup and we all started discussing the idea of it staying around, even if the HT forum eventually got patched up properly. We batted around different domain names and most everyone seemed to like TaoBums.com. Some of us began touching on different approaches to how the community could be structured. There were also, naturally, discussions involving sore feelings and mixed thoughts about how the HT administrators could have done this to the forum.

Eventually Michael Winn posted a message on the HT forum saying that a hacker had cracked the site and corrupted the old posts. As I am experienced with open network security issues, this naturally increased the caution with which I went about making initial decisions. I'd only been in this community for about a year, and was a lurker for months of that. Unfortunately I had not had the honor of meeting anyone in person. In fact, at the time I hadn't developed anything more than a casual email acquaintanceship with one individual. Naturally I did not want to risk the security of the board. There was already a growing body of incredible posts emerging. And now apparently a "taoist hacker" on the loose. So I couldn't afford the luxury of asking for help yet because it would have meant placing the ability to corrupt the forum, either accidentally or maliciously, in the hands of those I barely knew yet.

I should mention here that Plato expressed interest in purchasing the domain name and suggested that Max could host the forum. But to speak frankly I had misgivings about this. I believe Plato is an awesome guy and I feel like I know him a bit better now. But at the time I was concerned about how frequently I'd seen him lose his temper on the HT forum and vent hostility at even regular members. I've come to consider this as just part of his style and I genuinely like Plato. But at the time I wasn't sure what kind of behind-the-scene politics giving Plato and Max so much control over TaoBums would pull me into.

So I decided to buy the domain and purchase the hosting myself. It was an executive decision and I made it for the community and to stall political upheaval until I was more familiar with the community.

Pietro on the other hand, from the very start, brashly communicated all manner of grand ideas, from implementing theoretical software that hadn't even been written yet to somehow distributing administration priveleges based on a fuzzy scheme that was never articulated. I implemented as many of his ideas as I possibly could, spending entire nights sometimes just to implement a feature only he cared about. And honestly some of his suggestions were useful. But many of his proposals were vague or impractical. And frequently the were not really made in the spirit of proposals at all; they began taking on the quality of demands. It was here I made the unfortunate mistake of just starting to smile and nod and basically patronize "crazy Pietro", hoping things would get better. Obviously they didn't. But I honestly don't think there was much that would have made Pietro content except for near 100% control.

Seriously, can any of you even imagine another online forum that would tolerate an individual jumping in and immediatly insisting things go as he plans or else they will leave? But Pietro is welcome to come back to TaoBums if he chooses. On a personal level though, I must say that he is a hairpin away from burning his bridge with me given the amount of disrespect he has unjustly shown.

But anyway, to continue with the history, I recently managed to get a license of Invision Power Board. It was given to me, at my request, from someone I am working on another freelance design project with. I purchased extra modules for it and worked, excited, behind the scenes for days, customizing the packages and importing the old database. My plan was to surprise the community with the switch to what I considered clearly superior software. IPB has Blogs, perfect for training journals, an integrated Member Gallery, is a more stable product with much better security, has a Lo-Fi version for people with limited bandwidth, etc, etc. Unfortunately, to my dismay, it seems my surprise may not have gone over as well with all the members as I'd hoped. In retrospect, I should have definitely warned members about the switch and listened to feedback. I was just so excited and really genuinely thought everyone would be as thrilled about it as I was. Also, being a tech-geek, I failed to consider the learning curve for some members being suddenly thrown into a whole new unfamiliar program. I sincerely apologize for this. I definitely learned a lesson.

I can almost guarantee you I will make more mistakes though. I'm far from perfect. For now I just ask that everyone please be patient with the pace at which I am choosing other leadership roles at TaoBums. I'm in this for the long haul. Rest assured, there will be other administrators at TaoBums. They will be chosen
prudently over time for their positive, even-tempered presence in the community, their ability to be trusted with this type of responsibility, their technical aptitude for forum administration, and of course their desire to be an admin here. It's a tedious job and not really an enviable position at all.

For now most major decisions will continue to be executed by me. In this way our relationship starts like any other. With a certain bit of given trust. I hope that this trust between us will be built upon at the pace it is earned, and I hope it can be nurtured by our genuine and honest interactions. I sincerely encourage all of you to use your own heart and mind to judge me. But I will need just a tiny bit of trust given at the start or else where is there to go?

My intentions are good. I have never and will never abuse my priveleges here. If you think I am acting out of line, please feel safe to say so constructively. I obviously take this forum seriously or else I wouldn't put so much time into it. I actually consider this forum a fragment of my own Great Work; a small seed I have planted that I hope will grow to outlive me.

On the other hand, in the grand scheme of things its just another little website on a little network on a little planet; as Ron would say, it's a single Tao Bums fart (or two Tao Bummess farts). In this light I hope we can just drop the absurd drama and politics and get back to cultivation and sharing our experiences on this Path together.



Sincerely,
and with Love,
Sean Omlor

You're doin' great. This site is a significant and good service.
Just a little time, settlin'in, chillin, & things'll gel beauty.

Dear Sean, I feel that with this post you are speaking from a point of honesty, and respect for the truth, that should get acknowleged.

I have been in my life in a number of situation were people might have decided that not working together was ultimately better and more proficient, but it really makes a difference if this is realised under a point of view of clarity, or under one of rage, and regrets, or misunderstanding.

I feel you have been really honest in explaining your side of the story on how things became as they became. I don't personally remember you jumping in, but I don't even remember myself writing a post in the HT board speaking about setting out a new board. But, I do remember, and very well, how hard it was to get to the attention of James or Michael things on the board... and I personally know them both! A random mail from someone unknown would have for sure been left unanswered.

Yet, I still would like to explain that I never ever required you to work for me. That never even crossed my mind. Nor did I had any idea about work you actually did following my requests.

And this is because the spirit with which I approached this whole issue was totally different. My spirit was: "Ok, we are unhappy with the HT, we will all together make a new, better place. We will discuss things together, and being a bunch of geeks we will code them. We all are able to code (exception made for Trip), so, we have our site and we will just pass the ball to whoever have the time to make the coding that we all decided we would need.

You see, you did not know us, but we know us. Do you know how many times have I said to Plato that he is a useless queer that keeps on masturbating instead of practicing. Not much lately because he has started practicing and I have started masturbating, but believe me, tons. Really tons.

And we know who have been around in the last 5 years. Who we trust. Who is practicing. Who is really there. In short who is really part of the community and who is a visitor. Of course people without a strong history of taoism, in short people that we might not be sure what they might want to do, would not have access to change the code directly.

So, here is the point. The only real point. What we were building was our site. We had momentum. We had inertia. We had passion. We had ideas. That was the perfect moment to start a new site.

And then there was you... and you had your ideas.

Which is ok. It really is. Provided they are shared. And on an equalitarian basis. So we all can discuss them.

And this is where things started to go wrong. When Plato and Max wanted to buy the site, and divide the various proprietors (I hope it's spelled like this) among us, so that no one would be in the same position of James. And you:



And you really think that the reason I am angry is because of on type of blogs or another?

You see, I like this new system. I think is great. Sure I would twik it here and there, but on the overall I think it is a great progress. But this is not the point. It is the executive decision that cut through a community of individuals that has formed through 5 years of continuous interaction and that has maturated up to the point of deciding to take destiny in their own hand and shape their reactions. Because such executive decision had no respect for our desire for autogoverning ourselves. And somehow abused of the natural trust we gave you when you presented us with the 'here. All done situation.'.

When this happened, I now know that, you were aware that you were not following the conclusions the community was naturally, organically and slowly reaching. And this is not ok either.

At this point it was a hard position for me. What about all the cool ideas I had about this site. Who will implement them. I started saying them. Honestly, at that time you should have said: well, you know, I did buy the site, but I am not going to work for you (fine!) nor will I permit anyone else to touch the site because now this is my site. And although some of you guys might seem to be in friendly relationship, I really don't trust any of you enough (and this is deeply not fine).

Of course you could not say something like that. So instead you tried to code them as fast as possible. Sometimes even before there was a healthy discussion.

Have you asked yourself, for example, why no one was using the wiki? Was it because none was interested, or because, being it presented as a gift for me no one else felt part of it. Sometimes a healthy discussion is also good to let people feel coresponsible for something. But of course I could not say you that. How ungrateful, you gave me a gift, and instead I asked for the discussion.

Have you ever seen a caterpillar in the process of becoming a butterfly? Are you aware that if you free the butterfly before its time it will never fly. Somehow the process of building its momentum in every step is necessary for the next step to take place.

And all this brings us to the abroupt opening that I had at some point: "If this is your web site and not our web site I am leaving". I hope now it is becoming clear where I am standing, and how did I got here.

I didn't just want you to code things for me. In fact I did not want to code one line for me. And I think I can even challenge you to find an occasion where I might have said: "If you don't code this I am off"

Now things have changed. The momentum is not there anymore. The need for an extra web site is not there, and many of the ideas have been implemented here.

You have surely won this website. But don't say around that I left because you would not code for me what I wanted. In particular I really don't feel that I fit in your description:



Best regards,

in clarity,
Pietro

See below.

Pietro,

I agree with you here.  You may be a hopeless idealist, but the original idea was indeed that power be split up amongst us so that the past would not repeat itself.

This idea has not come into being.  You need to be acknowledged for standing up for the original idea.   

However, as I have said in the past, the problem with splitting up creative direction is that nothing may get done because everyone has their own idea of what should get done.  If Sean hadn't made his "executive decisions" then where would we be today?

Then again, WHERE ARE WE TODAY???    We have a needlessly complicated solution in place that is about as un-taoist as can be.  I loved the old threaded view.  If you want the security and expandability of Invision great, but can't this be kept simpler? 

Part of the dynamic is that Sean has been at this whole cultivation thing for like less then a year?  Consequently, he laments the old posts on the old HT board to have been actually worth something. 

In the same way, you think your Wiki is a good idea. 

My thought is that none of this shit matters.  What does matter is Sean being honest. Sean should be commended for his honesty.  I do have the thought that if he looked deeper at himself he may see that he saw his own potential for "trouble-making" in Max and myself, and used this "spectre" to cover up his desire to be in control.  I say this because he could have given the domain ownership to another, and the hosting to yet another.  But he didn't.  This betrays his true intentions. 

One thing I learned some years back is that you can tell what was intended by looking at the results.  This is a hard thing to swallow, but less so if you factor in the force of karma.    The beauty of such an outlook is that you become in control of your life by taking responsibility instead of placing blame. 

Sean intended to take over this board for himself because that is what happened.  You, Max and myself also intended it.  We could have stopped it anytime along the time-line, right?  Pietro, it seems like you may have set the whole thing up so that you could make a stand exactly like you are doing now.

So you see it isn't about blaming Sean but rather about taking responsibilty--which you are doing by saying you don't want a part of this board anymore.

This is a very interesting way to look at things that has helped me tremendously to stay out of more trouble then I normally find myself in.  Measuring intention from staring results in the face is also the only way you can smoke out true evil which hides under lie after lie.  For example, what is the purpose of the war in Iraq?  Look at one of the results: suffering.  One purpose of the war was to create suffering.  This makes evil cringe, and ordinary people as well, because they know that they can no longer hide and start to freak out.

Look, I am not dissing Sean.  He does a great job even though I think the board he just put up is too complex for me.  I do enough stuff on the computer and want a simple thread.  That is all. 

I agree with Sean that working with an idealist like you must have been a nightmare.  I also agree with you that Sean hasn't been around long enough to get the dynamic between a lot of us. 

Like I posted before, Sean's sense of control drives him to work harder.

Then again, who asked him to work so hard?

Here is the bottom line: we could have all walked out the moment Sean siezed control but we didn't. Why? We didn't because we wanted to set up a major argument and another revolution. We love to argue. We love drama. It keeps the emptiness away.

Here is a solution: Sean can transfer the domain to someone of his choosing, and the hosting to yet another. He can still have 100% creative control. If he refuses to do so, then we know he is addicted to being in control!

Anyway, Master Nan's lecture on the Diamond Sutra just got published and is on Amazon!

What a wonderful set of honest, non-incendiary posts. And, Plato, great insight into power dynamics. I am not so sure, though, about the honesty in your quick sleight of logic at the end of your post, wherein you give one ultimatum-like acceptable solution for Sean. That doesn't seem to me any more democratic than the approach Sean has taken.

Like Plato and Max I prefer threaded view, seeing everything at once, and having the ability to not have to wade through earlier posts in a thread to get to the later posts. Right now there are too many clicks needed to get to all of the separated new posts, and so I end up not looking at some things that I probably would if it was threaded.

And, for once I agree most with RJ - who gives a crap about style, the important thing is to have a site that is free from the HT banner. Even me, a big-time believer in Winn's wide world of wuji, enjoys coming here and being part of a non-denominationed community. There is a very different vibe here.

The solutions I would like:
1) have a vote about different board styles (e.g. threaded vs. flat, how many "sub-forums to have and what their names could be).
2) but first, allow Pietro to suggest concretely how his wiki vision could work in a complementary way with the board. Alot of the off-topic things (e.g. CTs) and blogs seem very wiki-ish to me.

Sean has done a great creative job getting this going, now I think it is time to do the hard part of stepping back, figuring out what works and what doesn't, and going at it again. Which is easy for me to say, because I can't code!

Chris

Sean has a legitimate concern. If we could actually physically meet each other like a taobums get together this wouldn’t be an issue. Since we are strewn across the USA and world this just isn’t practical.


I totally agree, Sean did what needed to be done, if he didn’t we’d highly likely still be at HT. That forum setup was barely usable with the number of posts it had.


I see it as Sean wanted to make the board as great as he could and took the initiative to make it happen, and you can tell he’s having fun tackling the challenge. And after putting in a great deal of time and creativity he’s reluctant to let go.


I’m starting to adapt to the new board, but I prefer the simpler phpbb better myself. I'm pretty sure phpbb has a threaded view you can toggle on and off. The "show me the new posts" since my last visit link is handy too.

Here are some thoughts:
(1) How about creating a weekly backup which is in common control of regular posting TaoBum members? So that the information is safeguarded from Hackers (because there will be two copies). And if Sean turns to the darkside (not that I think he will, but concerns about transparency will be satisfied) and there will be a copy for the community to continue with in case of a worst case scenario. Sean can continue the great work he’s doing and something like the HT situation can be avoided. Maybe a Creative Commons type of agreement can be used to ensure no problems with the who "owns" the board question.

(2) How about putting up a poll or starting a thread on how well people like the new board? Say start the discussion after 2 weeks to give the new board time to grow on us and then see what people prefer to use?

Sean,
You are completely missing the point of what Pietro is trying to say. Your reply that you wanted to protect the forum and didn't know anyone well enough to give up some control of TaoBums.com is not valid.

You see, just like Pietro pointed out, this forum was created to be OUR forum. That means people that came to your website seanomlor.com were ready to come together and create something, TOGETHER. It didsn't matter how long it would take. We were willing to try. R.J. or i were going to buy the name, Plato was willing to host, Pietro and you would make the site, and Plato and I would work on link exchange and optimization to get a better PR and search standing.

Non of that happened. You know why? Because it became your site. If you didn't trust us and were uncomfortable dealing with people you hardly know, you didn't have to be a part of it. Period.

We have a good group of nice people here. And we have been around Healing Dao for a while now. Most of us have met each other, some not personaly, but through others. You say :
Sean, I can see what you are saying. But this community is NOT ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS. Nor mine, or Pietros. It was about the group project name "TaoBums".

Now. We need to solve this. Pietro leaving is not the answer, because this place is held by people who can contribute through their actual spiritual work. And the energy they bring here is the support for this site to exist. Without this energy Taobums will fail, no matter how "sophisticated" you make it. Just look at HT forum. We left and it was dead. Michael had to come and save it... and that's the only reason he is there.

Plato and I have met Pietro personally, and he is a really nice guy that one day, I hope, will be a great teacher. He is a crazy genius with an inspiration to create crazy things.
And just like me, he hates when the agreement is not kept.

Thanks for these great posts. I now understand much more about the history, and the pre-existing community of the taobums.

I had not appreciated the depth of the community, and interconnection between members, that existed on HT and that was the impetus for this site.

I hope that none of my previous comments have offended either side of this discussion.

Humbly,
BobD

Sean,

I think Plato is pretty right-on, especially about your intending to take over the HT board from the start. But "Doctor Trip" says this expresses your desire to learn: you wanted to grasp all that crazy energy on the HT board by swallowing the board whole and then regurgitating it with collapsible threads, something familiar and safe.

Pietro of course has his own wet dream. You were in fact quite sensible when you suggested he simply use the board for what it was intended, but that's not his way to knowledge and power. And who's to say whose wet dream is butter?

If I'm right about your desire to learn, then this is the 'Hero's Journey 101' test where you have to consider abandoning all that's familiar and safe. And I'd say the same to Pietro: you may or may not have noticed that in another life on another board you once wrote a journal that had a thriving, active readership. And then you began tinkering and focusing almost entirely on the presentation of your thoughts, and after years of work you had a beautiful, beautiful format which no one ever read.

As to the direction we take here, I vote 'the simpler the better'. If Pietro fully understood the ancient practice of COBOL he'd realize that I too was once a demon programmer. And that's why for me today, like Plato, a simple thread is more than enough.

Trip

all this man drama could be avoided if everyone would just focus on the two most important goals in life.

fuck bitches, get money

Dear Plato, dear friends,



I think your buddy Max has correctly answered you here. We would be having a board with RJ as the legal name giver (so no one can protest about the contents). Max probably as general secretary (because a group of dragons have always the most humble as their leader), Plato giving him a hand on the spot and maybe physically hosting the site. Me and all the other as code monkeys if we are needed. And always under the consensus of the community.

It would be a slow process, but time is not important. Life is important. And it would be an organic process. And it would be Taoist



Which honesty? Honesty in laying when he said he was buying the name for us?

Finally now, in yesterdays post, Sean was honest, but think:

A thief that says: "I have stolen"
cannot be rewarded for that, beside honesty is its own reward.

A thief that says: "I have stolen"
would first be asked to give back what he has taken, and then a decision would be make about how the thief stands respect to society.

Never ever, has someone who has stolen something, and has admitted it, has been rewarded with keeping what he has stolen for his late honesty.

Sean has acted out of his fear. He could have taken responsability for his fear, transformed it through his practices, and let the site grow organically. Instead he acted it out, and controlled us, while being controlled by it.

I can see he did a lot of work on this site, but as long as he owns the site, the host and the name he was just doing work for himself.

Sean cannot remain where he is now. Or the site would still be his site. And I gather I am not the only one who cares for this being OUR project, our site, of which we are fully responsible. And not just Sean site. Sean project. Sean responsability.

And as a last point: I don't see the issue of security being that important at all. Practices are important. Life is important. Time is not important. Posts are not important. If we are to lose all our entries because of a hacker, but we are to live free, how lightly would I give up the old posts!

And which Taoist would ever give up his freedom and self responsability for security?

Pietro

all right you mugs. as a more or less outside observer i see alot of bruised egos and some resentment going on. that's all ok. the forum works fine to me, and i think part of finding simplicity is keep the INTERNAL simplicity when the external may not seem so. the forum works great. part of our process is adjusting harmoniously to change. it brings growth and development. let's move on now and get on with waht matters.

i know michael and plato. i have nothing against either one. i owe one of the greatest experiences of my life to both of them. they're both new yorkers, so i dont think either one would qualify as a "nice guy", but they're both decent folk. that's neither here nor there. does this forum fulfill it's purpose? i think so. i'm sorry if everyone doesn't get exactly what they want or if toes got stepped on or people got dissed. happens to me too for whatever reasons. perhaps if we focus on what we're here to do--share our knowledge and wisdon with one another--we can put the conflicts behind us, forgive, and get to work. trying to assign blame or demand justice isn't necessary.

btw, i agree completely with lezlie and am busily employed at fulfilling that wonderful simplicity of fucking bitches and getting money.

spread out,
pf

Sorry, no. We are not here to demand justice, but to set things straight. Justice is what would in case happen next. This forum started as our dream, not the personal dream of Sean. And I cannot see me, for once, contributing to his personal website.

LOOK EVERYBODY, PIETRO HAS BEEN ONE O DA *VERRY FIRST* TAO BUMS BACK ON DA HT FORUM, N HEY I AM TALKIN ABOUT WHAT? 8 YEARS AGGO MAYBE?

SO WE CANT AFORD TO LOSE DA MASTER MAHAEJACUCLATOR PIETRO OR ELSE DA TAO BUM SPIRRITUAL COMMUNITY WILL BE SEVERELY DAMAGED.

ONE THANG THAT DA SPIRRITUAL TRADDITION TEACHES BE, *RESPECT FOR DA ELDERS*. NOW, THIS BE A INTERNET CUMMUNITY BUT, IF YA *DONT* WALK YER TALK IN HERE, CHANCES BE YA WONT DO IT IN YER LIFE OUT THERE EITHER.

NOW I DONT WANT TO ARGUE WITH EITHER PARTY ON WHO'S GOT DA BIGGEST SALAMI (THEM SALAMI'D BE BOTH INSIGNIFFICANT CUMPARED TO *MINE*), BUT HERE'S MY PROPPOSAL.

PIETRO WANTS TO ABANDON DA TAO BUM CUMMUNITY? WEEELLL,

LET'S PUT PIETRO IN JAIL!!!!

NOW NOW, ALL DA TAO GEEKS AMMONG YA KNOW WHAT A UNIX JAIL BE DONT THEY?

SO DA PROPPOSAL BE: LET'S MOVE DA TAO WIKKI INTO A UNIX JAIL, N LETS GIVE PIETRO DA ROOT ACCESS TO DA UNIX WIKKI JAIL.

NOW THIS CAN BE A COOL PROJECT FOR SEAN IF HE DONT KNOW HOW TO DO IT.

CHANCES BE THOUGH THAT HIS HOSTIN COMPANY OFFERS SCRIPTS TO DO THAT AUTOMAGICALLY.

SO WITH MY SUPPER EXTRA COOL PROPPOSAL, WE CATCH TWO BIRDS WITH A SALAMI, VIZ, 1) PIETRO'S NEED FOR FREEDOM BE SATTISFIED, N 2) SEANZ'S ISSUE FOR SECCURITY BE ALSO SATTISFIED.

NOW IF *PIETRO* SAY NO WAY, I SAY: I AM GONNA SET UP A *POLL* N IF WE GET DA MAJORITY ON THIS, YA *MUST DO IT*.

NOW IF *SEAN* SAY NO WAY, I SAY: LOOK CHANCES BE THIS *WILL* BREAK DA TAO BUM COMMUNITY.

SO GET YER ASS OVER DA POLL N VOTE DA CROTCH SNIFFIN ARM PIT LICKIN PIMPLE SUCKIN GRANDPA FONDLIN SAUSAGE RIDIN FELCHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


BYE NOW,

RONNIETSU

Who am I to blow against the wind.

If Sean wants to do the extra work for the Wikki
and If Freedom Fighter Pietro likes the idea
Why not?

IMHO the Healing Tao gave quite a bit of leeway to its users,
Sean gives even more
If Pietro feels sooo repressed then Freedom for the Pietro

His view points and comments will be missed, but its more his
loss then ours.

Peas

Michael

Thanks to everyone for your really kind words in this thread and via PM and email.

Quickly, because I'm really busy today, I just want to say that I'm genuinely sorry to those of you who are upset. I think it's important, though, to accept that this isn't "AFewOldFriendsFromHT.com". It's TaoBums.com. It's a whole new thing. I'm sorry to say, but being on the "HT scene" for X number years doesn't entitle you to anything, let alone the administration of TaoBums. It also doesn't really make it appropriate to write non-sequiturs about my character if I don't comply with what you want. There are many many more members here than you. I'm doing the best I can to create a forum that will please everyone. And I very much appreciate all the help I've received. But it's time to move on from the drama. If it's too difficult for you to give me that same amount of trust you give the webmaster of every other website you visit, then it probably is just time to go. No hard feelings whatsoever. Seriously. And I sincerely welcome you to create another forum if that's what you want. Create ten forums. Let's spread Taoist discussion across the whole web! Just please remember to send me the links so I can visit them and continue learning from you all.

"May a thousand flowers bloom"


Sean.

MAN AT THIS POINT I GOTTA SAY IT, THERE WAS INDEED A CUM-FUSION IN THAT, WE *REALY* WERE MEANIN TO BE A FEWOLDFREINDSFROMHT, YA SEE, WE WERE ALL ORIGINALY INTO MASTER CHIA'S TEACHINGS, THEN HT SPLIT INTO UNNIVERSAL-TAO N HTUSA N SHIT, N WE STUCK TO DA HTUSA BECAUSE M.CHIA SITE AINT GOT NO FUKIN FORUM, SO EVVENTUALY JAMES MC-COCK SMOKED COW'S SHIT N WENT NUTS N ERRASES ALL DA ANNALES O HT HISTORY N KIKED *DA NOTTORIOUS* OUT, AT WHICH POINT WE WERE DISCUSSIN HOW TO BE ABLE TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DA FEW OLD MOFOS FROM DA HTBOARD N AT WHICH POINT YA HERROICULY VOLLUNTEERED N OFERED YER BRAINS N YER BUCKS N YER TIME N UNFORTUNATTELY NOT AS YET YER SISTER, TO DA OLD HT FORUM MOFOS.

SO THAT'S HOW FAR MY MIND WAS, PIETRO'S POSSITION ABOUT EVERYONE OWNIN THAT SHIT BEIN PIETRO'S OWN POINT O VIEW ON WHICH ONE CAN DEBATE FOR AGES AS FOR HOW PRACTICAL IT BE , HOW-EVER, IT WAS ALL MEANT BOTH IN WORD N IN INTENT TO BE WITTHIN DA CONTINNUATION O DA OLD HT FURUM MOFOS.

SO YER LAST STATTEMENT IN ALL HONESTY FEEL LIKE A SURPRISE TO ME AS WELL, BUT HEY NO BIGGIE THIS BE DA LAND O FREEDOM SO I GUES WHAT HAPENS NEXT BE, DA 3-4 MOFOS FROM DA OLD HT FORUM WILL SET UP A SHITY CRAPY FORUM JUST FOR DA FEW OLD DRUNK MOFOS, JUST TO FEEL DA GOOD OLE STINK O HARY PAIN'S HAIRY ASS N DA STENCH O PLATO'S MUSHY ANAL SCHLONGERS N PIETRO'S UNMISTAKABLE GOAT AROMA. JUST A THANG AMMONG US STINKIN PUSY DIGERS, JUST TO KEEP DA FLAME ALLIVE, NO OFENSE MEANT TO NOBODY, JUST AN INTENT THANG.


BYE NOW

RONNIETSU MAHALINGAM AL-SALAAMI

mmmmmm.....

DID YA JUST TAKE DA SALAMI UP YER BUNGAHOLE??????

AARRGGHHAARRGGHHAARRGGHH!!!

BYE NOW


RJ

Dang Bitches!

If many are unhappy here you should set up your own site. There were too many intentions on the old HT forum to fit in one place, so Sean took the bull by the horns and made it happen and both forums have come into their own. It's extremely cool that Winn is posting on the other site and I've gotten some great stuff from it, and that wasn't possible until we left.

The same thing will happen if another split takes place. Then I'd have three really cool forums to follow!

-Yodsters

LOOK I AINT *UNHAPY*. REALY, WHAT I THINK BE, STILL DA OLD WIKKI IDEA, WHERE ALL DA GOOD POSTS GOTTA BE INTEGGRATED SOMEHOW INTO SOME THANG YA CAN READ FROM START TO FINNISH LIKE A BOOK, BOTH FOR POSTERRITY N TO REFRESH THEM MOFOS PRACTICE.

SO HOPEFULY WE CAN SET UP A WIKKI TYPE O SHIT THAT CAN BE LINKED TO FROM HERE WHERE ONE GOES AS A *REFFERENCE* TO ALL DA DIFERENT TEACHIN N EXPERIENCES ETC.

SO NO BIGGIE, ALL BE WELL, PUSY TALKS, PUSY SINGS, PUSY KNOWS.

I JUST *LUV* PUSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RJ

Hey Ron, it definitely started as a continuation and anyone from the old or newly revived HT is more than welcome to post here. The thing is, there were a lot of members from the old HT that came here when it crashed and not all of them made infeasable co-ownership ultimatums. You, for example, expressed appreciation from the beginning at TaoBums-as-gift.

I've been patiently interacting with this community for months, looking for people I felt were suited to handle more responsibilities. Believe it or not, Pietro was actually at the top of my list, at one point, of people I had in mind as potential future-admins. But in my subjective experience he became pushy and overly-argumentative and eventually flat out slanderous which are not qualities anyone wants in an admin.

This doesn't have to be dramatic though. And it's not either-or. Pietro can still post here whenever, and I hope I am allowed the same freedom on his latest experiment. I sincerely wish the best for him and his team in their new endeavors and hope they are practicing the Inner Smile on my heart as frequently as I am on theirs.



Sean.

I've been rethinking this whole thing and trying to figure out a solution to allow just that, because it's an awesome concept.

Would you mind bringing your feedback on this to the Regarding Forum Complexity thread? Particularly what the advantages a Wiki have over a Contributed Articles section? I'm really open to your feedback on this, and willing to swallow my Wiki-phobia if necessary and put it back in the top-header links.

Cheers!
Sean.

MAN DA POINT BE THAT WHEN PEOPLE INTERRACT FOR YEARS, EVEN IF JUST THRU A FORRUM, THEN A PSYCHIC ENTITTY ARRISES WHICH PUT YA IN TOUCH WITH THOSE PEOPLE. YA GOTTA UNDERSTAND THAT, IT'S A COMON EXPERIENCE. JUST ABOUT ANY TYPE O STRONG GROUP TEND TO ABUSE NOVICES N RESPECT VETTERANS. WHY SO? BECCAUSE DA VETTERANS HAVE BEEN SUBCONSCIOUSLY PRACTICIN CHI EXCHANGE AMMONG THEM N DA DIFERENCES O THEM CHI HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT COMBINNED INTO A PSYCHICH CAULDRON. THAT HAPENS IN DA MILITARY, IN JAIL, IN HI SCHOOL, IN A STREET GANG, ETC ETC. N IT HAPENS ALSO IN A FORRUM OVER TIME.
NOW IN A FORRUM IT'S MORE DIFICULT TO DO THAT, BUT HERE YA HAVE A FORRUM O CRAZY TAO PRACTITINERS WHO EXPERRIMENT WITH ALL KINDA CRAZY PRACTICES SUCH AS GETTIN INTO FISTFIGHTS N EVVEN SWORD-FIGHTS WITH THEM DREAM-BODIES, THEN THERE YA HAVE DA PSYCCHIC CAULDRON N DA CHI ALCHEMY.

SO YA CANOT EXPECT TO CREATE THAT KINDA ALCHEMY IN NO TIME N NO PASSION. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YA HAVENT SEEN DA TAO WARS OVER DA HEALIN TAO FORRUM BACK WHEN DA DRAGON MASTER WIFE DIED, YA HAVE MISSED SOME BIG EXAMPLE O PSYCHIC BLOWS EXCHANGED OVER A WEB FORRUM.

LOOK I HAVE ABUSED A LOT O HT MEMBERS, SO IF PIETRO FEELS HARRASSIN TO YA, WELL YA *JUST* DONT KNOW HOW HARRASSIN I CAN BE WHEN I SEE DA FUN N DA POINT IN DOIN IT. BUT FOR YOU I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN KIND N GENTLE BECAUSE I THINK YA TEND TO BE A KIND N GENTLE PERSON YERSELF N ALSO TEND TO DA DEPPRESIVE SIDE, SO I DONT SEE ANY USEFULNES IN HARASIN YA OR INSULTIN YA.

BUT IF I DID, IT'D BE *JUST* AN EXCHANGE O CHI, JUST A PHASE O DA FUSION O DA ELLEMENTS, DA ONLY WAY TO JUDGE DA WHOLE PROCESS BE, *IF* N ONCE YA GET DA END RESSULT, THEN YALL KNOW THAT ALL WARS WERE ALL INGREDDIENTS FOR DA FINAL PEACE.

SO LETS NOT BE AFFRAID O FIGHTIN, AS LONG AS WE DONT GET STUCK IN BELIEVIN THAT WAR N EVEN HATRED BE ULTIMMATE N EVER-LASTIN REALLITIES.

BYE NOW

RJ

btt

btt

OMFG I can't believe the hidden skeletons behind this whole site.
Estan locos estos batos!!!

ROTFL xoxoxo rosie

Funny to see this get dredged up. It was a very different site back then!!

Bones and Sludge?

Every Tree Has Roots.

Community Connectivity

Absorbed into Dissolution?

why this.....now ???

:boing:

Why this now? Who knows..... but I enjoyed reading it. I'm glad Sean took charge.

Ron Jeremy's posts are very hard to read....
Interesting stuff back then -
I agree with Darin - Sean is a great moderator for this forum.

Interesting affirmations fellows hear.
Reading between all the lines.

Its hard to swallow medicine so fine.
Easier has beens bellow here.

The path before/behind demands a certain account of it's history.
In creative endeavor a wake never ever parts from forever.

I remember exactly when this site was created I was walking around the campus of Arizona State University when the Healing Tao board crashed and I thought how much it would suck if the community that had been created there no longer had there little spot in cyber space to chat.

Then like the next day or something, maybe a few days later I saw the link on the new HT board to TB's. It took a few months for different elements involved in the boards creation to come to some sort of peace or resolution, but it was ultimatly resolved in a good way.

I would say I have personally benifited alot from this site and I know others have as well. There are quite a bunch of characters here. Definetly some of the most interesting people I have met in my life are posters here. I am sure in another 3 or 4 years from now the site will have developed in all sorts of amazing ways as the online Taoist community develops and people start to make real connections with authentic teachers and practices.

Cam

Oh you such a sweetie baby, do you speak any Spanish? How old are you?

xoxoxo bye Rosie

Haha. I leave to pursue capitalism and you bitches are at each throats. Here's the REAL skinny. None of you have ANY claim to this site but Sean. He pays the bills. Don't like it? tough titty. He's a good enough bloke not to tell Pedro and his cohort to piss up a rope. Pietro is a self serving know it all wanna be. If we ever meet I'm going to see if he'd like to repeat some of his comments in person. I think not.

Sean could shut the lights off tomorrow and then where will you whiners be? Winn's or Stumpjumper's cults? You should thank your stars for every day Sean keeps this joint afloat.

Wow you must have big guns judging by the way you talk. Care to show us some? Or it's all just a viagra high you're on? Any beef with Pedro or La Raza?

bye sweetie watch out la viuda negra ur gun may go flop xoxoxo

Rosie Evergreen Locaz 18

evolutions solution to the problem of delusion
entertaining complaining waned training confusion
language dissolution solidifies truthful revolution

trying to push on the rope of history
folding in upon perceived polarity
hanging upon a noose of mystery
blown in the wind of one mans charity

sing song sayings
for a man spraying slayings
may peace flow within
akin skin straying
play sways praying stays
begin again gaining
these are the days

reigning arcane rains

Ahh... this is all water under the bridge. Just an old misunderstanding when things were first starting here. Pietro is truly a great guy, and hopefully this year we'll be working together to add some brainy new features to the forum here.

Blessings,
Sean

Sure Sean downplays it, but those were the days... We would send out our dragons and duke it out in the astral realm... with lots of capital letters, servers crashing, tempers flaring... but we all fought for a better world and our fearless warlord, Sean, finally brokering a new age of cyberpeace. Long live Sean!

Here, here!!

In-Deed. History in the making.