In the Tao Te Ching, there is a line that says something along the idea of “stay in the center of the circle, and let all things take their course.”
In our country (usa) the ideal is being the most productive human, as if we were born to attend to some assembly line of life.
The Tao also talks about the practice of not-doing. I identify with this greatly. If the rest of the world was like me I guess nothing would get done. There would be no skyscrapers. Then again, there would be no planes either, especially the kind that would be flown into those skyscrapers, because the world would be a much more simple place, and the complexities of war would cease to exist.
So what say you of achievement when compared to the inaction I just spoke of? What say you about the practice of not-doing?
It is viewed as a lazy, unmotivated virtue in the West. I could see how some one could adopt such a belief of ideal living through inaction given the hectic, strung out nature of the modern world. However, I don’t agree with the dichotomy of choosing between a complete lacksidasical existence and being a white collar slave in a modern capitalist society, worrying about bills, mortgages, marriage, and the laundry list of problems facing your country/neighborhood/mankind that most of us are burdened with.
What stuff precisely are you getting done if everything falls apart anyway? Tower of bable to reach the heavens?
I say food, shelter, and clothing. Anything beyond that is a waste. Similar to how water dissolves a rock, simplicity will out do complexity any time. Anyone disagree?
As far as ignoring me, it takes some courage to go unnoticed in this world.
As far as inactivity goes, i’ve seen agressive people try to start a physical fight with someone but because the opponent refused to meet the hostilty a fight was avoided.
In this sense, run away and live another day. Sure you might call that person a pussy, but there is no real sense of harm in name calling.
I don’t disagree. It’s easier said than done. As much as someone living in the modern world today wants to, it is unreasonable and unrealistic for them to adopt a purely simple outlook on life. For better or for worse, they were thrown into that conditional state of living in a capitalist society that places importance of self sufficience and work ethic. They MUST adopt that outlook/lifestyle or they have a good chance of perishing in the streets.
The only people I can see truly living in such a way are:
people who’ve never known complexity or have been forced to adapt to such a lifestyle or die.
the well-off in complex societies who can ensure their biological survival and downsize their material possessions, work less or quit work altogether, and smoothly transition into “simplicity”.
Well nano-bug, I have a few problems with your approach. It seems steeped in some form of rationalization. It seems you utilized whatever you gleaned from the Dao De Jing as a literal device, and then you supplanted some form of propaganda to give it curb appeal. I just don’t know nano-bug. Only one word keeps popping up in this whole context. Rationalization.
While I’m not necessarily negating the east meets west implication, I am not really encouraged to explore due to the spirit of the post. It’s probably nothing personal, just an observation. It’s been done before.
Well, blacklung, I completely see what you saying, but there are ways to opt out. Sure if you get tied down with the marriage and the morgage its harder to break out of that cycle.
My lifestyle is very simple and i rarely leave the house. I feel that i dont affect anyone, and in turn, am unaffected. Granted my means of lifestyle is not admirable and depends on the hard work of others; I collect social security.
But even still, if i had no income, i would probably choose to be homeless over working for any other person. Not many people would choose this and thrive on being busy, multi-tasking their life away.
All I know is I sleep in everyday and no alarm will ever jolt me into this reality. I like simple.
I take it you’re an older person who has witnessed the chaos of complexity during your years in the work force?
If that’s the case, I would say that it is far easier for you and other older people to see simplicity as ideal. The young seem unwilling or unable to examine the cost/benefit ratio of leading a complex life and to consider alternatives. Instead, they overwhelmingly accept their fate and work for the day when they have some level of financial security as you do to consider “settling down” and embracing simplicity. Of course, obligations often get in the way, and many end up living hectic lives, cradle to grave.(A vast generalization, I know. Excuse my rambling)
I think inaction is pretty impressive. But maybe there can be inaction in action and action in inaction? I wonder if the Tao is really about not doing anything. History is filled with stories of Chinese hermits coming out of seclusion and becoming important advisers to rulers, or even rulers themselves - also of rulers becoming hermits.
What we are talking here is not simply “Doing Nothing” It is the avoidance of action from actions sake. A Taoist is just as productive, active, and hard working as anyone else. It is just that he recognizes there are times for stillness and is still at those time. This in NO WAY advocates, excuses, or justifies sitting on the couch, smoking dope, and just ‘digging the heaviness’. Taoists are big on balance, and they recognize the necessary balance between action and inaction and take appropriate measures.
The translation of “wu wei” as “inaction” is a rather clumsy mistake. Not that I don’t understand why it was done, but I think it is important to put the notion straight. “Wei” in this case should be understood as “willful/contrived action”. In Laozi’s vision, I would wake up every morning, go to my job (farming, in his ideal world), have dinner with my family, and go to bed. Anything else, any concern beyond what is immediately right in front of you, would be seen as contrivance and something to be avoided. But that shouldn’t be conflated with “not doing anything”. They are very different concepts.
The metaphor that is often used is the change of the seasons. The seasons change, right? We all recognize that. Especially if we consider that “seasons change” was meant to refer to the climate in the Chinese Heartland, as opposed to a place like Panama, where the seasons don’t really change. But the seasons change at their own pace and by their own volition. The seasons don’t think, “Uh-oh, it is January first, I’d better be at five below!” but despite that lack of initiative, the seasons progress along their own lines.
Exactly. This is a adequate definition of primitivism basically which I adhere to.
Most people however delude themselves into thinking that there is somthing other than what already is even if they have never expirienced or seen such a fiction themselves. It is almost like a religious absurdity perpetuated in every generation.