When Taoists speak about balance and harmony, they mean something different than what Westerners understand. They do not mean symmetry, proportion or equality. Nor do they mean stability, permanence or predictability. Indeed, the Taoist concept of balance and harmony means, first and foremost, alignment with natural law. It means that, if we let things operate…

Is it true that Taoists are rugged individualists that could not care less about social harmony and balance? No, that’s not true, but the question illustrates a common misunderstanding of the nature of harmony and balance. In contrast to the prevailing ideas, Taoists consider societal harmony and balance as automatic. Harmony is achieved when millions…

While millions of people today struggle to balance out their work and private lives, Taoist do it automatically and without effort. How is this possible? The Taoist work-life balance does not come from applying strict time controls, but from a unique sense for priorities. Diogenes Laertius (third century AD) tells us in his book “Lives…

I can summarise in five words the benefits that I draw from Taoism: a strong sense of direction. The Tao Te Ching enables me to make fast and accurate decisions in complex situations. I would be at a loss on many occasions if I could not rely on the insights gained from Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu and…

I can easily tell a real Taoist from someone who is not. The differentiating factor is the feeling of harmony that the Taoist exudes at all times. The feeling that every element in the world is playing a role that complements everything else. Chuang-Tzu presented this Taoist principle from a slightly different angle because he…