I wish that we could all attain happiness by simply bringing the Yin and Yang into balance. The Yin and Yang doctrine is easy enough to apply. Even determinedly unprincipled people are able to make a list of dichotomies in each situation and find some kind of balance.
Unfortunately, such an approach does not work. Why not? Because it is extremely unrealistic. First, because the concept of balance is highly subjective; and second, because there are a myriad of factors to be taken into account.
Who will decide which factors are to be taken into account in each set of circumstances? And what is the weighting to be attributed to each factor? Do considerations about hostility and friendship play a larger role than those about cold and warmth, winter and summer, or rigidity and inflexibility?
Chapter 46 of the Tao Te Ching formulates the principle of “enough is enough” or the principle of contentment, that is, a condemnation of the human tendency to always ask for more.
I must clarify that the Taoist principle of contentment also applies spiritually, not only materially. That’s because our time and energy are limited. The human lifespan cannot be extended and we should use our days wisely.
Counterproductive behaviour
It is counterproductive to always seek additional wealth, eat more food, and travel longer distances. Similarly, it is harmful to always ask more questions, develop additional theories, and complicate things further.
In every area of our lives, there is a point where we should call it a day, a point where enough is enough, where it does not make sense to put in any more time and effort. This Taoist idea contradicts the Western paradigm of unlimited ambitions, goals and achievements.
Curiously enough, some Taoists will not apply the principle of contentment to their own philosophy. If the writings of Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu are sufficiently clear, why do we need to complicate things by adding new concepts?
As intellectual tools, the concepts of Yin and Yang can add value to our analysis of problems; they can help us avoid black and white statements by prompting us to look at the full picture and at secondary consequences.
However, if we adopt Yin and Yang as our primary tool for assessing problems, we will be putting the cart before the horse and the sunset before the sunrise. We should not confuse cause and effect, especially when the effects look perfectly balanced, proportionate, and symmetric.
In particular, Chapter 44 of the Tao Te Ching presents ample possibilities of philosophical overkill, whereby straightforward concepts can be complemented by questionable clarifications about Yin and Yang balance.
Risk diversification
In Chapter 44, Lao-Tzu is warning us against assigning too much value to any single asset or quality to the detriment of all others. Indeed, human beings possess various traits and own a wide array of assets.
It would prove counterproductive to regard one moral trait, for instance “kindness,” and the only determinant of a person’s goodness. It would be as irrational as saying that real estate is the only solid investment. Lao-Tzu correctly predicted misery and woe for people who make such a mistake.
Conversely, it would be equally unrealistic to maintain that a person, in order to achieve happiness, needs to keep all his character traits in perfect balance. He should be generous but without being reckless; proactive, but without being reckless; good-mannered without being subservient; and so on.
Such a depiction of perfect ethical balance corresponds to the doctrine of the golden mean proposed by Aristotle (384-322 BC) in his “Nicomachean Ethics” and “Eudemian Ethics. I regard Aristotle’s attempt at defining virtue through balance as impractical as the attempt of using the Yin and Yang for ethical guidance.
There is no way in the world to strike the perfect balance in all areas of life. Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu didn’t ask their followers to devote their efforts to fine-tuning the Yin and Yang. I can only lament that Aristotle made the same mistake when he defined virtue as the golden mean between extremes.
Chapter 44 of the Tao Te Ching conveys the opposite idea. I regard it as a call for risk diversification, not for balance in all areas of life. In order to enhance our self-reliance, it is enough if we acquire a well-rounded, solid personality and spread our investments across different assets.
Chuang-Tzu and the sacred turtle
Perfect symmetry, balance, and proportion are not required, and if we attempt to achieve them, chances are that we will end up wasting time, decreasing our effectiveness, and increasing our risks.
If Yin and Yang are not reliable determinants of moral value and effectiveness, should we discard them completely? Not at all. There are many situations where Yin and Yang can be used advantageously to make quick, accurate decisions.
I’m talking about situations where, if we choose one option, the Yin or the Yang will be obliterated. The correct decision in those cases is to keep both the Yin and the Yang in play, even if one of them temporarily takes a secondary role.
Take for instance Chuang-Tzu’s short story in which a high position, wealth and honours are offered to a philosopher, only to meet his refusal precisely because, if he accepted them, he would place himself in a perilous, dependent position.
In the story, Chuang-Tzu compares the honours and income from a high office to a sacred turtle that is placed in a shrine after death; at that point, the turtle has been deprived of the joy of being alive and couldn’t care less of being placed in a shrine.
Perilous situations mean that we are getting everything Yin or everything Yang. They are either all cold or all hot, all night or all day, and for this reason, they constitute an unacceptable level of risk.
If we think in terms of Yin and Yang, we will perceive those traps early enough and adopt countermeasures. The absence of Yin or Yang will make the situation untenable over time. That’s enough information for us to say no and move on.
Without the concepts of Yin and Yang, we run a higher risk of being overwhelmed and duped by golden promises. Like the sacred turtle in Chuang-Tzu’s short story, no one can benefit in the long term from situations in which some essential element is missing.
If you are interested in putting effective ideas into practice in all sorts of situations, I recommend my book “Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief.”