In contrast to the demanding physical and mental training shown in martial arts movies, Taoists do nothing special in real life to achieve balance with nature. By “nothing special,” I mean nothing beyond their normal lifestyle. Why not?
Because Taoists view balance with nature as something that should happen automatically. Harmony and balance constitute the normal lifestyle for human beings, not something out of the ordinary.
Unfortunately, the lifestyle of many people nowadays is so out of sync with nature, that they feel driven to find a short-cut to regain the lost balance. I mean “lost balance” in the widest sense, not only physically or nutritionally.
When people speak of lost balance, they sometimes mean a loss of serenity, motivation and purposefulness; others speak of feelings of stagnation, alienation and disaffection.
I attribute the lost balance with nature to the fact that, in our century, the ancient virtues of alertness and self-reliance have been replaced by inertia and conformity.
Lao-Tzu: a balanced lifestyle is hard to achieve
When a self-reliant attitude is looked upon with suspicion, it is no wonder that people are reluctant to pursue their dreams. Even in favourable circumstances, it is hard to practise critical thinking. If circumstances become rigid and hostile, it requires superhuman effort to practise self-reliance and individuality.
Lao-Tzu was acutely aware of the difficulty of staying calm and thinking clearly under pressure. In the years he had spent at the Zhou royal court, he had witnessed first-hand the chaos and violence that characterised the 6th century BC in China.
In Chapter 64 of the Tao Te Ching, he gives his best advice on this subject. How do we preserve balance with nature? In the face of adversity, how can we stay loyal to our principles, continue to practise virtue, and make correct decisions?
I can summarize Lao-Tzu’s advice in one sentence: the only way to do what needs to be done during hard times is to train ourselves to do it during good times. Thus, the way to preserve our balance with nature is to acquire good habits.
Chapter 64 of the Tao Te Ching employs the metaphor of a large, strong tree, which is able to stand tall amidst difficulties. We should not forget, says Lao-Tzu, that the tall tree was born out of a small seed which germinated and grew little by little.
Balance with nature means, above all, balance with human nature. It’s the ability to acknowledge our mistakes and prevent them from reoccurring; and the determination to practise self-reliance, critical thinking, and purposefulness each day.
The Tao Te Ching as the path to balance
In contrast to other philosophies or religions, Taoism doesn’t define balance as conformity or uniformity. Each individual is responsible to find his own balance physically, professionally, financially, and in his social interactions.
In Taoism, balance means philosophical, emotional, social, and physical harmony at an individual level. It is not the result of arithmetical calculations drawn from majority opinions. It is not a mathematical average of what other people believe to be balanced and harmonious.
In Chapter 6 of the Tao Te Ching, Lao-Tzu acknowledges that the Tao “opens the possibility of infinite worlds.” Balance needs to be found by each person in his own world. It requires trial and error, readjustment and realignment, but if we follow the right principles, we should achieve balance automatically.
I am puzzled by the appeal of gurus who preach unbalanced lifestyles, physically, emotionally, financially or in other areas. I find it difficult to understand how they can convince so many people to follow their advice.
To make things worse, when dire consequences ensue, those gurus may even tell their followers to ignore the facts of reality and keep going. I’m afraid that, eventually, the negative results may grow so painful that they cannot be ignored any longer.
Taoism invites us to do the opposite. Instead of persevering on the wrong track, we should humbly recognize our errors. In the face of negative feedback, we should face the facts and see where we went wrong.
Chapter 64 of the Tao Te Ching calls us to regain balance on a daily basis. We should correct our course of action as soon as we detect that we are going in the wrong direction.
“We should prevent problems before they occur,” says Lao-Tzu. We should look for solutions quickly, before small issues grow into daunting troubles. “Small, recent problems are easier to address,” he observes. Let’s get them fixed and preserve our balance with nature.
Balance and the Taoist non-action principle
For Taoists, doing nothing belongs to the art of preserving one’s balance with nature. I mean doing nothing when action appears counterproductive or when situations are so confusing that we cannot figure out which steps to take.
Chapter 37 of the Tao Te Ching explains that balance should be sometimes achieved “by doing nothing,” when the situation calls for withdrawal, inaction or postponement of action.
In real life, how often does it happen that inaction is better than action? I reckon that this sort of situation takes place more often than generally believed.
Personally, I’ve never seen anyone endure losses for saying no to doubtful investment propositions, but I have seen lots of people incur losses for taking action when the situation wasn’t clear enough.
Lao-Tzu also mentioned that balance with nature is attained by demonstrating flexibility. The optimal lifestyle is the result of extensive trial and error, not of divine inspiration. The wise individual constantly re-calibrates his objectives, improves his methods, and reassesses his options.
Chapter 78 of the Tao Te Ching praises people who imitate the flexibility and adaptability of water. Drop by drop, year by year, it can dissolve obstacles or find ways to circumvent them.
Balance and harmony with nature are to be achieved, best of all, by imitating water. When confronted with rigidity and lack of civility, let us take a step back and remain calm. When bad luck or mistakes delay our projects, let’s take a little break and maintain our serenity.
It is by acquiring good habits and practising them each day that we render our balance unassailable. Like the large tree that stands tall in the storm, we can let the wind and rain make their appearance, exhaust their energy, and go away. Balance is what results from having weathered many storms unscathed.
If you are interested in applying rational ideas in all sorts of situations, I recommend my book “On becoming unbreakable.”