The frenetic pace of today’s life, together with the crisis situations that surround us and the need for speed and immediacy that our conscience of Western culture transmits to us, makes us wander through life overly worried. This entails immense psychological exhaustion and can lead to numerous mood alterations.
However, would we be able to adopt an opposite posture or state of mind? This is what Wu Wei proposes, an oriental philosophy that, through “non-action” or natural flow, encourages us to understand problems in another way. From a very calm and slow perspective.
Of Taoist origin, Wu Wei is a powerful philosophical concept that can be literally translated as “non-doing” or “effortless.” As a result of this translation we will be able to better understand what this current of thought consists of.
According to Wu Wei philosophy, the best way to deal with a specific life situation or circumstance is to not act. However, this concept has been widely misinterpreted in Western culture, since Wu Wei does not defend passivity, but rather the idea of not forcing the situation.
For the Wu Wei philosophy, not acting does not mean doing nothing, but rather doing things without overexertion and through personal growth. In other words, this dynamic of Eastern thought defends doing things in a simple and natural way, without seeking pressure or forcing situations.
In defense of non-intervention
As we said, this philosophy is far from indifference or carefree. According to the Wu Wei, inaction is something that happens naturally. A very recurring example is one that is illustrated by the growth of a plant. It grows through inaction, it does not force its growth; However, this plant continues to develop perfectly until it can even become a strong tree. On the contrary, if we look at those occasions in which we try not to think or not do, we will observe that this requires a great effort on our part. It is very complicated to want to do nothing, therefore, more energy is spent than we let ourselves go or flow.
This is the reason why a large number of people who start meditation end up giving up. The traditionally Western concept of meditation It is to force yourself not to think and try to leave your mind blank, but this is impossible. However, if they just let themselves drift into inactivity or “non-action” they would concentrate and relax more quickly.
This idea of letting go through “non-action” is what the Wu Wei philosophy proposes. It does not consist of remaining inert or indifferent, but rather that in the moments in which we must do something to face a conflict, problem or decision, we do it while flowing. Wu Wei consists of a state of mind in which we are able to discern between what really requires effort and what we do not want. Such effort will only be a waste of our time and energy.
As a general rule, in our daily lives we are influenced by our mood and our mental disposition or condition, making all types of decisions based on these conditions and not rationally, taking only the facts into account.
All these concerns, tribulations, prejudices and worries are the direct antonym of the Wu Wei conception of the term flow. For example, when we think about a situation that we will have to face in the medium or long term, we allow ourselves to be influenced by intrusive ideas about what might or might not happen, imagining every possible scenario and wasting an immense amount of energy. All this is the opposite of Wu Wei.
As we have specified in the previous point, Wu Wei does not defend passivity, but quite the opposite, knowledge do things spontaneously and naturally. Without letting ourselves be carried away by restlessness or restlessness.
To be more exact, one of the most important principles of Wu Wei is the one that literally says “nothing should be left undone”, only the idea is to achieve all our goals with as little effort as possible.
To do this, we must change our way of facing situations, taking into account two basic aspects:
Following the principles of Wu Wei does not mean giving up our dreams in order not to face a series of challenges; but to remain alert to those opportunities that are presented to us and take advantage of them to achieve our objectives with the least possible effort or wear and tear.
Likewise, the Wu Wei defends that Once the situation has passed or we have solved the problem, we should not think about it otherwise there is a possibility that we will remain stuck in it, wearing down our mental health and interfering with our ability to perceive new opportunities.
The idea of Wu Wei is to maintain our calm despite the conflicts or problems that may appear along the way, since sooner or later these will be resolved.
How can we practice this philosophy?
It is common that, due to our culture and the pace of Western life, we are programmed to face situations as we do, with worries, haste and anguish. However, although it may be complicated at first, if we decide to change these dynamics, we can adopt the philosophy of Wu Wei and its benefits.
To do this we have to develop two basic skills in Wu Wei:
1. Learn to stop worrying
The first of these skills is to learn or get used to not worrying. This step It is not about ignoring conflicts, but rather about putting things in perspective and give them the objective importance that they really deserve, to then develop the relevant coping strategies.
This philosophy can be better understood under the famous precept of: “If they have a solution, why do you worry? And if there is no solution, why do you worry too?”
2. Learn to trust
Finally, the Wu Wei transmits to us the need to maintain confidence throughout life and events, as well as our own ability to cope with them. This, and only this, is the only way to keep a clear mind and be attentive to the opportunities that appear to us.
