Wu wei the philosophy of letting problems solve themselves

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Egbert Haynes
Wu wei the philosophy of letting problems solve themselves

Wu wei is an oriental philosophy that calls us to let problems solve themselves. It is true that we cannot control everything. On the contrary, the more we try to manipulate situations, or cling to them, the more harm we do ourselves..

On the contrary, there are many studies that argue that, if we learn to regulate our emotions, we could achieve serenity.

In this sense, the Wu-Wei philosophy is very useful because it really helps the mind to focus on calm..

Contents

  • What is wu wei?
  • Wu wei and non-action
    • Examples of Wu wei
  • How to live according to Wu wei

What is wu wei?

Wu wei is one of the most relevant concepts in Taoist philosophy. In fact, the expression Wu wei means "no action", or inaction..

That is why, in our Western culture, this is not so easy, since we are always focused on taking action, anticipating the facts and solving everything, even before things take place..

The value of this concept so highly valued by the Orientals is found in the Tao Te Ching, or book of virtue. In this work, which constitutes a treasure of universal literature and was written in approximately 600 BC, we can find the essence of wi wei.

According to this philosophy, the Wu wei consists in that the order of nature prevails and that we are on the sidelines, without taking actions, so that everything that has to happen happens spontaneously and fluidly..

This is related to what was expressed by the Taoist Chuang
Tzu, when he said:

“From the emptiness of the sage comes stillness. From stillness, action. From action, achievement "

Taoist philosophy has gained ground in different areas, such as art, religion, politics and has even guided the lives of many people who consider themselves adept at this position..

Wu wei and non-action

In this Taoist philosophy we can find two important concepts, which are akarma, or inaction, and akarmakR ^ it.h, which translates as "doing nothing".

Inaction requires no effort. On the other hand, when we think of doing nothing, we realize that this task requires a lot of us because it does not occur naturally, well, we always want to be doing something.

What it is about is not to invest efforts to avoid incurring in any action, but to flow through akarma or inaction.

There are times when our action is necessary, while, at other times, investing efforts in a cause is a waste of energy and vitality.

Examples of Wu wei

In nature we can find multiple examples of this philosophy. Well, flowers, for example, grow naturally, without worrying about their petals or roots. It just becomes beautiful with every sunrise.

On the other hand, Wu wei alerts us that many times we spend energy on processes that are not necessary, and we do this by following the concerns derived from the emotions and situations that we imagine and that, many times, do not even have a place in reality..

Likewise, rivers flow and, although they seem to be calm, they may be able to erode rocks..

We can take advantage of the teachings of mother nature to learn to flow without harming ourselves or causing us stress..

How to live according to Wu wei

We can integrate the Wu wei philosophy into our lives in a simple way. Just learn to trust and let go.

When we resist the desires to want to control everything, the universe simply works in our favor.

Thus, Wu wei implies:

  • Have confidence that everything will happen as it has to be.
  • Stop overthinking, even about those tasks that we have already completed.
  • Resist any attempt by our mind to control objects or people.
  • Put aside your worries.

Remember that everything in life has a course, nothing remains immobile or unchanged for long. Just let things happen and trust.

When you learn to trust, fear and anxiety in the future disappear. Just as the earth does its job of turning around the sun every day, so will everything that is happening in your life at this moment..

Things are not always going to happen as we wish; if we shed that intense desire to control, we can conquer serenity and integrate it into our lives.

It is worth noting that Wu wei does not mean having resignation, first of all, but self-care, self-preservation, avoiding acting impulsively and irrationally. Well, in the universe everything is in harmony, there is an order that is natural and, sometimes, it is unnecessary to try to change things at the cost of losing our calm.

Bibliography:

  • Calle, R. (2000). The book of serenity. Spirituality. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0872-3
  • Kort, F. (1995). Mind-body interaction. Latin America. Psicol.
  • López-Pérez, B., & Fernández-Pinto, I. (2010). Anxiety and Stress. Anxiety and Stress.
  • , D. (2012). Stress. In Prevention and coping with work stress.

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