Denying reality seems like a full-time job for many people. If they are confronted with problems, they will try to play them down and pretend that everything is fine. If the problems grow, no solution will be attempted, hoping that things will return to normal all by themselves.
Finally, when the problems become overwhelming, it dawns on the victims that they should have done something when the problems were still small, but now, it is too late. Like pebbles, the victims will be carried away by the tide and never heard of again.
The same process takes place when the life-work balance is lost. At first, the victims tell themselves that everything is fine, but the situation will keep worsening day after day. Eventually, the unbalance becomes so severe that the victims fall sick, lose their motivation, and regard their problems as unsolvable.
Taoists never end up in this kind of dire situation because they are extraordinarily realistic. I do not mean that Lao-Tzu or Yang-Tzu never made mistakes. They certainly made their fair share of mistakes, but as soon as they realized that something was wrong, they faced the facts and called a spade a space.
Chuang-Tzu and natural characteristics
Like the disciples of Aristotle (384-322 BC), Taoists define entities according to their essential characteristics, and will not accept contradictory definitions. A dog is a dog, a cat is a cat, and so forth, and we can expect them to behave accordingly.
Chuang-Tzu described horses as animals that have hooves, eat grass, and gallop. Horses, he explained, display a horse-like behaviour when they run freely in nature. It is only when they are domesticated, that their behaviour becomes artificial.
Furthermore, Chuang-Tzu points out that natural differences cannot be artificially ironed out or ignored. While ducks have short legs, those of cranes are long. The wise man accepts the differences in nature as they are, without complaining, without trying to change them, and without perceiving them as unjust.
Thanks to their realistic stance, Taoists automatically strike a work-life balance, if not in their first attempt, shortly after. If they detect some unbalance in their lifestyle, they will admit that something is wrong and correct course without delay.
Lao-Tzu and a harmonious lifestyle
The Taoist work-life balance is the outcome of good ideas, good habits, and a commitment to intellectual honesty. Instead of ignoring discomforting clues, the Taoist will immediately see when horses, ducks or cranes behave unnaturally, or when they are being passed off as something else.
Chapter 37 of the Tao Te Ching reveals the solution against unbalances. We can remedy unbalances, Lao-Tzu explains, by adopting a simple, harmonious lifestyle. Once we do that, the world’s problems will stop affecting us. We will feel serene, at peace, happy.
However, I must hasten to add that the Taoist prescription for life-work balance does not mean escapism or passivity. The followers of Lao-Tzu will not initiate revolutions, but they will also not allow themselves to be victimised. Their acute realism enables Taoists to perceive unbalances as soon as they arise, so that they can be adjusted, dissolved or discarded altogether.
Chuang-Tzu describes this strategy as “following one’s own heaven,” that is, following one’s own nature, interests, goals, and tastes. Taoists accept it as a fact of life that horses, ducks and cranes are going to behave according to their nature. The same principle applies to human beings and their needs.
A situation that proves unbalanced for one individual should not be categorized as universally unbalanced. Some people do not like working and will do as little as possible, while others love to work and cannot do enough each day.
Whose legs have the correct length, those of ducks or those of cranes? It would be foolish for the crane to behave as a duck. Taoists respect the differences in mentality in people, and will metaphorically let ducks be ducks, horses be horses, etc.
Taoism and external constraints
Chuang-Tzu recommends letting each individual follow his own nature. I could not agree more, but what happens if there are external obstacles that prevent us from pursuing our goals, interests and tastes? What happens if the environment prevents us from striking the right work-life balance?
Taoists respond to these questions in accordance with the non-action principle. If external constraints prevent us from following our nature, we should move on. Let us relocate, and let those constraints consume themselves and disintegrate.
By looking for greener pastures, the Taoist will avoid fights, regain balance, and keep growing stronger. In contrast, other people might choose to stay behind and put up a fight, possibly risking their lives in the process.
Take for instance the situation in sixteenth-century France. I would define it as constant religious tension with intermittent episodes of raging violence. When confronted with that kind of environment, it does not help to pretend that everything is fine.
Would a Taoist have trusted the Peace of St Germain (1570) to put an end to the religious tensions in France? No, because a piece of paper had not changed the nature of the problem. Two years later, during the Massacre of St Bartholomew, violence erupted again, resulting in twenty thousand victims.
What about the leaders of the warring factions? How much would a Taoist have trusted king Henry III (1551-1589) and his promises? Not much, in view of the background history.
Neither do I think that a Taoist would have been surprised of the assassinations of the key opponents in December 1588, and of the king himself a year later. There are situations where one cannot expect easy, quick solutions.
In order to regain his work-life balance, and balance overall, the situation in sixteenth-century France would have prompted a Taoist to relocate to a more peaceful environment. That’s a message that some people do not like to hear. No problem, let’s wait for ducks to lengthen their legs. It should not take long.
If you are interested in putting effective insights into daily practice, I recommend my book “The 10 Principles of Rational Living.”