Act By Not Acting (And Why It’s the Best Thing to Do)
Driving a Stick-shift Car
To act by not acting, what does this mean? Chapter 63 of the Daodejing talks about acting by not acting or doing things non-coercively (wu-wei) As this concept of wu-wei is the foundation behind everything I do, I’d like to reflect on what it actually means. The literal translation of wu-wei is no action or non-doing, but as a concept is probably better translated as effortless action. It’s not exactly doing nothing, but it’s avoiding doing anything that doesn’t come natural. It is an ancient concept about which every great Chinese sage had something to say.
Confucius
Arguably the most famous Chinese thinker, Confucius, for example, believes that wu-wei might be achieved by means of carving and polishing the Self. By practising the correct rituals and continuously trying to do something the right way, you will internalise a process and embody it effortlessly. In other words, by trying very hard to not try, you may achieve wu-wei.
Laozi
Another ancient Chinese giant, Laozi, in the Daodejing, takes a far more radical approach. Instead of trying and learning, the Daodejing teaches wu-wei as embracing an uncarved block, or going back to nature. The argument made is that we should forget what we’ve learnt, as social learning merely corrupts our natural preferences. We should stop trying to achieve wu-wei and instead rely on the Dao to make everything fall in its rightful place. An example of this I can personally relate to is travel. On the one hand you could spend weeks meticulously planning your itinerary, looking for the best ticket prices, booking all the hotels, get insurance and so on. Or you could just leave home and see what happens. From personal experience I know that the latter option tends to lead to far more memorable trips.
Mencius
Next in line is the Confucian thinker Mencius, who believes that both Confucius and Laozi have got it partially wrong: to achieve a state of wu-wei we should try, but not too hard. In other words, we should take the initial steps, but we can’t force the wanted outcome. One of Mencius’ stories tells about a grain farmer who sowed his seeds (initial action). Once the seeds sprouted, the farmer eagerly tried to help them grow (forcing the outcome). Naturally, by pulling up the sprouts, he pulled them out of the ground and so they died, rendering his action futile. If only he’d waited for nature to take its course, his initial action of sowing the seeds might have resulted in fruitful crops.
Zhuangzi
Finally there’s the sage Zhuangzi, who believes all his predecessors were looking in the wrong direction. To achieve a state of wu-wei, he says, we shouldn’t try and we shouldn’t not try, we should just forget about it! Zhuangzi argues that our minds hinder our ability to do things effortlessly. Therefore, we should try to overcome the mind’s repression and get in touch with what it is we are doing; we should go with the flow or enter the zone. Machiavelli’s sculptures might be a good example of this. Allegedly Machiavelli didn’t really think about or plan how to make his sculptures, instead he simply released a sculpture he saw locked inside a block of marble.
(Wu-Wei) Act by not acting
To sum it up, I don’t think achieving wu-wei is something that can actively be pursued, but it comes from the successful cultivation of actions. Probably the clearest example is driving a stick-shift car. We’ve all struggled when learning how to drive, stalling the engine, making the wrong decisions, shifting gears too early or too late. But once we mastered the basics and stopped thinking about it, we got into the flow and changing gears became an effortless action; we’re acting by not acting.
[T]here you are.
