Peace of mind is great, but not at the expense of losing our savings, job, reputation, friends and family relationships. Can we afford to practise Lao-Tzu’s philosophy? Is it really worth it to seek balance and harmony?
The images of Zen monastic poverty are not appealing to the Western mind. Asceticism may look cool in a martial arts movie, but how many people are willing to adopt such a harsh lifestyle? I personally do not know anyone willing to pay such a high price to achieve so-called balance and harmony.
If the cost of finding harmony proves exceedingly high, few people will be interested. Taoist philosophy sounds appealing, but I would not be willing to sacrifice my standard of living to achieve so-called spiritual independence. I want to have peace of mind, but I also want to stay productive and socially active.
Chapter 64 of the Tao Te Ching teaches us the path to peace of mind at reasonable cost. It is not about giving up our desires and ambitions, nor about renouncing the pleasures of the world and living in dire poverty. No, the key to Taoist harmony is to steer away from problems as soon they emerge.
If we fail to do so, the cost of solving those problems might become unaffordable. The idea that Taoism demands passivity is profoundly misleading. It does require letting go of losing propositions, but it also requires alertness and initiative.
Alertness and initiative
Like Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu concentrated on problem avoidance because they regard it as much easier than problem solving. The same applies to troublesome individuals. If we minimise our contact with them, we will not be affected by their erratic behaviour.
If we keep the roof of our home in good condition, we won’t have to worry about storms. If we do regular maintenance on our car, we won’t have to worry about it breaking down. If we eat healthily, we won’t have to worry about minerals or vitamin deficiencies.
Taoist harmony becomes affordable if we take action early in the game, but the longer we postpone it, the more expensive it becomes. When problems become daunting in several areas, the solutions become so expensive that people might choose to give up all hope.
In his essay collection “Parerga and Paralepomena” (1851), Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) made the same observation as Lao-Tzu, although he employed a different reasoning. While Lao-Tzu called for preventive action to keep disruptions away, Schopenhauer called for countermeasures to protect ourselves from our worst impulses.
Both philosophers have gained their philosophical insights from observation. In ancient China, Lao-Tzu had witnessed the deleterious effect of blind conformity at the Zhou royal court; and in the nineteenth century, Schopenhauer had witnessed the anxiety and suffering caused by short-sighted actions.
Harmony entails foresight and self-reliance. Without those, it becomes practically unaffordable. I’m particularly suspicious of gurus that promise a quick solution to one’s problems when those are deeply rooted.
I have never seen anyone solve his financial, professional, social, health and emotional problems in one go. I consider overnight transformations as realistic as fairy tales. They sound interesting and optimistic, but I’m afraid that they are bound to remain fairy tales.
Metaphor of the duck’s legs
Wise individuals accept facts for what they are, and build their success upon them. Taoist harmony is based on respecting natural law, and taking steps to let it work in our favour. Solid peace of mind is based on realism, not on delusion.
Lao-Tzu advised us to assess situations, identify problems, and address them by imitating the qualities of water. Chapter 78 of the Tao Te Ching exhorts us to behave with softness and flexibility, so that we can circumvent or dissolve problems.
We will attain harmony much faster if we align our actions with the Tao. If we respect natural law, things will work in our favour. If we fail to respect natural law, we will just be digging a deeper hole.
Two centuries after Lao-Tzu, Chuang-Tzu rated the desire to alter natural law as delusional. A duck is a duck, and a crane is a crane, he argued. It would be counterproductive to stretch the duck’s legs, so that it becomes as tall as a crane, or cut the crane’s legs, so that it becomes as short as a duck.
Harmony ensues automatically when we align our thoughts and actions with natural law. The respect of natural law entails, amongst other things, saying no to excessive demands, keeping our promises, and pursuing our goals steadily and patiently.
Taoism does not endorse recklessness, impatience and blind ambition because those tend to lead to disaster. They’ll prove as ineffective as the short-sighted actions criticised by Arthur Schopenhauer. They are likely to produce short-term pleasure at the expense of long-term catastrophe.
What’s the best Taoist metaphor for balance and harmony? I personally love the Taoist comparison of balance and harmony to a free-flying mosquito. When the mosquito is free to seek its path, it keeps flying happily, but if we try to place a mountain on the mosquito’s back, it will collapse and fly no more.
Let’s learn the lesson conveyed from Lao-Tzu and repeated by Schopenhauer; let’s take steps each day to prevent problems and steer away from troublesome situations. If we keep doing so, balance and harmony will automatically ensue.
If you are interested in applying effective principles to real-life problems in all sorts of situations, I recommend my book “The Philosophy of Builders.”