Learning From All Walks of Life

EXCERPS from the Book What's GOOD About TODAY?

So, how do we go with the flow as the Tao guides us? There is no one particular clue to this, and it certainly does not imply that we should sit down and close our eyes and do nothing! To achieve such stillness of mind (our yin), we can abstain from constantly striving, we can remain humble, and we can curb our senses to open us up for the natural flow of things.

Taoist philosophy also adds a component of softness and humility through the water analogy. These concepts are Taoist virtues: humility and kindness as opposed to fighting or resisting the natural flow. Resistance is seen as an egotistical ignorance of reality. (We cannot change reality...) The Tao is gentleness. Gentleness is represented by the water, which is nourishing and yielding. It overcomes hardness (rocks) through the gentleness of its flow. Water has no specific desire or goal—it merely flows.

Of course, we can rush and get things done forcibly, but does that truly enhance our livelihood and peace of mind? We end up spending so much time and energy in the process that we may end up with collateral damage. And what’s the point of that? According to the Tao, a wise person approaches everything in a harmoniously balanced way between action and nonaction; anxiety and boredom...

This is in stark contrast to Western beliefs that prescribe ambition, control, and egotistical striving. The collateral damage of these beliefs are psychoses such as depression, anxiety and sleep disorders, aggression, addiction, burnout, and a range of things that we then have to try and cure. Western culture often looks down upon passivity. Let’s consider this for a moment: Many problems actually solve themselves! According to Roopak Mahadane in his Medium post on Tao (Mahadane, 2019, para 11),

When we look at nature, “doing nothing” makes way more sense than we tend to think. Results do not equal the amount of energy we spend. Results are the consequences of a series of actions. [Much] of this action comes naturally and a task doesn’t need more human intervention than necessary to steer it into the right direction.

Tao shows us how to navigate the river, not to resist its flow. Being in a state of flow removes the repercussions from the past, the pressures from the present moment, and the anticipated anxieties of the future. It means letting go and living with our wu wei.