Wu Wei: The Art of Doing Nothing or How to Change the World Without Really Trying

Some people might call me lazy.

I often go with the flow or wait for things to happen. If I have a big problem or project I like to let ideas drift back to my mind for awhile before I make a decision (I call this "marinating"). This is often a trait that is unappreciated.

It turns out I was practicing "Wu Wei" my whole, lazy life.

Wu Wei is one of the central tenets of Daoism. Daoism is the ancient traditional philosophy/religion/wisdom from China that places emphasis on non-action rather than action - on our ability not to force something but to act "within opportunity". Wu Wei is literally translated as "non-action" or "without action".

The concept asks us to stop trying so hard and to be patient. We can't fight fire with fire, so stop trying already! In class I often use the example of "fighting" a cork to stay under water. Of course, when I first had the idea to actually demonstrate this in class, I didn't have a cork, only a rubber toy (and since that's going with the flow, that's how I roll).

Here I must quote from the classic, "The Tao of Pooh" to illustrate the point;

"The harder you hit (the cork) the more it yields; the more it yields, the harder it bounces back. Without expending energy, the cork can easily wear you out. So, Wu Wei overcomes force by neutralizing its power, rather than by adding to the conflict. With other approaches, you may fight fire with fire, but with Wu Wei , you fight fire with water".

There is a reason it's a classic. So, do yourself a favor and go read it.

My other favorite example of Wu Wei is Tim Duncan.

 Spent four mintues looking for a Wu Wei Tim photo and figured that was not "going with the flow"

 so I just gave up and clicked on a random one.

I've never seen a more patient or possibly unselfish player. The guy never cared about stats (at least his game never showed the usual flashes of selfishness displayed by many of the great ones). If Timmy was posting on the block he would wait to see what the defense would give him before taking action. If he had a weak player defending him, he would bully in. Stronger or athletic defender he might take a jump shot or try to draw a foul. If he had a double (or in his peak a quick triple) team, he would pass out and trust his teammates to knock down the open shot. Just recently Tim had an opportunity to complete a triple-double, as he was one assist short when he re-entered the game.  His quote after the game reveals a true wu wei attitude;   “I wasn’t trying to get it, it was just the flow of the game and the plays being called.”


It shouldn't have been a surprise that Tim and the Spurs have been called boring because they didn't force their offense or defense. They didn't overpower or overwhelm, they just reacted accordingly to their opponent's strategy and/or players.

Wu Wei is hard for many Americans to "get". We are taught to be "go-getters" and to "make a name for ourselves". We are told to create are our opportunities. Our dreams lay just beyond our reach, only waiting for us to get to work achieving them.

These myths often work against our very self-interest that they seem to be promoting. We take a career path or the first job offered because it's a good salary and we're trying to make something happen. Later, we find ourselves miserable because the career or job isn't a good fit for our personality. We force ourselves into relationships because it's what we're "supposed to do" and later find out we're highly incompatible with our mate.

One of my favorite quotes from the Dao De Jing shows that working for ourselves just leads to ruin:

"There is no greater mistake than following desire; There is no greater disaster than forgetting contentment; There is no greater sickness than seeking attainment; But one who is content to satisfy his needs, Finds that contentment endures."

So, if we can't trust ourselves to find happiness - who or what do we trust in to find happiness, purpose and meaning into our lives?

That will all be explained in part two.....if I feel like it.

sad day

9 years ago on a Friday night I almost died.  I was driving north of Brady, Texas at dusk (otherwise known as the middle of nowhere).  I veered my truck in a lame attempt to dodge 2-3 deer who wanted to cross the road.  I not only managed to hit one of the deer but fliped my truck at least 4-5 times.

My left arm was bleeding pretty bad and I knew I was starting to experience shock.  As my vision faded in and out, the thing I remember most was just wanting to live.  There was no baragining with God or reflecting on how I had lived life - no pain, no fear - just a desire to live.

Eventually, I had to be cut out of the truck and had to be taken to the hospital.  I had a fractured wrist, 2nd-3rd degree "road rash" burns on my left arm and hand and had over 40 stitches.  I was blessed to make it out so nicely.  I was happy to be alive and trying to figure out what it all "meant".

I was a full-time graduate student and a part time substitute teacher so I didn't have to go to work and had no plans to work for at least a week. Having experienced my own existential crisis on Friday made Tuesday all the more real and emotional.

Tuesday morning, my mom woke me up (I was living with my parents) to tell me a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. This was still very early so the media was still trying to figure out if it was an accident.  Like everyone else, the rest of the day had me glued to the television like no other time before or since.

I had a class that night and reluctantly left home. As I drove to school I realized that we would probably bomb someone for this. I had already realized that's just what the murderers probably wanted. It was a test they knew we would fail.

Tonight I think back with regret and sadness for that day. I think back with a heavy heart to the toll that 9/11 took on the world.  Not only in its impact that day but for the foreign policy nightmare that started the very next day.

9 years later and hundreds of thousands more dead, we've seen more blood, violence and tears than we could have imagined at the time. Now we're saddled with the never-ending political football called "The War on Terror".

It's enough to make you cry all over again.