"The softest thing in the universe
Overcomes the hardest thing in the universe.
That without substance can enter where there is no room.
Hence I know the value of non-action.
Teaching without words and work without doing
Are understood by very few."
—Dao De Jing, Verse 43
Action and Non-Action
Amidst varied responses to the coronavirus outbreak, a whirlwind of stress has been stirred. With public health in jeopardy, many governments have chosen to mandate versions of "shelter in place" in a concerted effort to stop the spread of disease. As increasingly many people are confined to individual quarters, a sort of unintentional hermit-like existence may be on the rise, with the majority experiencing acute distress, boredom, cabin fever, and other sorts of unease. Craving activity and stimulation, we feel restless, stir crazy, particularly on edge.
Perhaps offering a reprieve from the storm of pandemic sweeping over communities near and far is the Dao De Jing, a Chinese classic attributed to the hermit-sage Lao Tzu (i.e., Laozi) dating to roughly the sixth century before the common era.
While the majority actively resists the hermit-life, viewing it with suspicion as a form of escapism or passive disengagement, only entering its realm reluctantly under lock-down and not even fully, given other means of escape such as various forms of media, at least a door has been cracked open. Under these conditions, we have the chance to turn inward and evaluate our habits of consumption, if we are willing. We therefore use this opportunity to briefly explore a Daoist hermit's reflections on action and non-action in relation to our present circumstances.
Doing
With so much chaos erupting around us amidst the COVID-19 crisis, we may naturally feel the urge to act, to do something to help. Many might feel guilty for doing nothing. Given a societally-ingrained push toward ceaseless action, we've been conditioned to constantly be on the go in one way or another. Daoist contemplative traditions, however, offer an alternative.
Throughout the Dao De Jing and other classics, a radically different perspective is depicted. As Lao Tzu reflects, "teaching without words and work without doing are understood by very few," illustrating a contemplative pivot. Those teachings conveyed without resorting to the limits of language, that work that flows without effortful action, are too often completely overlooked and neglected.
Non-doing
Non-doing flies in the face of everything taught to us by mainstream, industrialized societies and their obsession with productivity. How can anything be accomplished without actively doing something? Wu wei, a Chinese term of Confucian origin but of particular significance in Daoism, conveys multiple contemplative meanings, mostly centered around "non-doing," "inaction," "inexertion," or "effortless action." Here we find a mode of being that challenges the norms of productivity.
Much more than meets the eye transpires in the absence of obvious activity. Through non-doing, wu wei, we reduce the strain on the system. Whether by refraining from polluting the already declining environment or by refraining from putting our bodies in public spaces where we are likely to become vectors of disease transmission during this pandemic, non-doing goes a long way. "The softest thing in the universe," observes Lao Tzu, "Overcomes the hardest."
Undoing
"I know the value of non-action," reflects Lao Tzu. Such non-action, or effortless action of a kind other than those that attract the spotlight in our overwhelmingly consumerist society, enables us to un-do the damage already done. While certain scars cannot be erased, we can at least mitigate the effects of the climate crisis and COVID-19 crisis through reduction of our consumerist behaviors. Undoing the patterns of consumerist craving that characterize our conscious experience is the basis for regenerative undertakings.
While we pause here for the time being, this conversation is most certainly ongoing, evolving in real-time across the ever-changing terrain of the immediate present and onward. As a parting reflection, we note that just as meaningful forms of assistance need not be limited to activity, the notion of "social distancing" also reflects a major oversight. We may physically distance ourselves from each other for the sake of disease control, practicing "non-doing" as a means of reducing transmission, but that by no means necessitates social or emotional distance or escapism of any kind. We remain connected despite distance, engaged despite stillness, according to the Dao De Jing.
To be continued.
Source:
Feng, Gia-Fu and Jane English. Tao Te Ching (Daodejing). New York: Random House, Inc., 1973.
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