There are many definitions of Wu Wei. Many of us have a feeling for what it means. For me, it is “don’t fight nature”. Equally useful for me is “action through inaction”, “Choose your battles”, “don’t be mad at a dog for being dog-like”, and “row, row, row your boat gently down the stream”. There is no need to try to memorize anyone’s exact definition; it is much more useful to “feel it” and re-learn it when needed, letting the definition grow as you grow. Contemplate it when you are on a walk or washing the dishes. Think about how freeing it is to stop fighting, especially those struggles that can’t be won.
This does not mean do not try. This does not mean do nothing. This does not mean that we should not try to improve ourselves or our world. It means be realistic, be kind, and be human-like if you are human. This means be you, 100% you.
Wu Wei is about “how”. The what, when, where, why, and who are eternal. It is not by accident that yoga and Tai Chi and even tea-rituals emphasize the “how” in a spirit of moving towards effortless peace and enlightenment. There is so much to gain, so much to learn, so much to live, and so much to give! We are about “how”, and the ancient masters show us that even the “how” is pretty simple
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We cannot predict the future, so don’t try! We cannot relive the past to correct perceived errors, so stop trying! We will die! We will also live!
Maybe stop reading now. Maybe take a walk. Maybe hug your child. Maybe write passages much better than this one! Maybe decide that today is all Wu Wei. Maybe decide that tomorrow will be.
Study hard, because studying is great, not because an “A” is needed. Eat healthy because eating healthy is kind to your body not because you want to get back into your high-school sized jeans. Maybe you will wear those jeans again or get straight “A’s”; maybe you won’t, but love the journey. Walk confidently, hopefully, and honestly.
To me, this also means that there is no need for anxiety or depression or fear. There is no reason for these “common” profoundly impactful unhealthy ways to spend any time rather than in the sunshine of our lives. They are not real unless we make them real. They hold many of us in their grips, but like so many children’s stories, when we realize that they are not so real or so scary they cease to be!
Enlightenment (or peace or seeing) comes in tiny snippets, fleeting feelings that disappear as quickly as they form. If we can feel this for even one second, we can feel it again. If we can feel it again, we can feel it everywhere and always. Wu Wei is “be courageous”. God or truth or energy wants us to know that we are enveloped in this law of eternally being. We are loved. We are able to love.
