wei wu wei - the basis of Taoism
Wei wu wei literally means "doing not-doing". This is often mistakenly seen as a passive stance, but it is far from that. It places an emphasis on softness instead of rigidity, on allowing instead of forcing. For example, compare the suppleness of a living tree to a dead branch. Watch a living tree in the wind: it flexes and bends without breaking. Try to bend a dead branch that far and it snaps. People are that way, too. Those who are rigid and inflexible are at the greatest risk for damage. They tend to have to fight all the way and are often disappointed in things that are around them. You can see the stress in their eyes, their expressions, and in their stances. Tense, stern, angry, afraid. On the other hand, those who are flexible and allowing, who "go with the flow", are calmer and more accepting of the world around them. They are calmer in the face of life's storms and tend to be much better at coping with upheavel. "Doing not-doing" means you act by not acting. Atheletes and dancers know their best performance is achieved by not forcing their performance. They know what the goal is and allow their bodies to work toward it without the mind's intervention or control. They act without thinking. Sharpshooters do not force their aim, rather they allow it to be. They do without doing. Watch an akido master doing not-doing and you will understand the true power of softness.
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