Wu Wei: the philosophy of non-action

This philosophy of Chinese culture vindicates the good of living naturally and simply.

Today's frenetic pace of life, together with the crisis situations that surround us and the need for speed and immediacy that our own conscience of Western culture transmits to us, causes us to wander through life overconcerned. This causes immense psychological wear and tear 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, an Eastern philosophy, proposes. which, through "non-action" or natural flow, encourages us to understand problems in a different way. From a much calmer and slower perspective.

What is Wu Wei?

Of Taoist origin, Wu Wei is a powerful philosophical concept that can be literally translated as "non-doing" or "effortlessness". From this translation, we can better understand what this school of thought is all about.

According to Wu Wei philosophy, the best way to deal with a specific life situation or circumstance is not to act. However, this concept has been widely misinterpreted in Western culture, since Wu Wei does not advocate passivity, but rather the idea of not forcing the situation..

For the Wu Wei philosophy, not acting does not imply doing nothing, but doing things without overexertion and through personal growth. In other words, this dynamic of oriental thought advocates doing things in a simple and natural way, without seeking to force the situation.

In defense of non-intervention

As we said, this philosophy is far from indifference or unconcern. According to Wu Wei, inaction is a natural occurrence.. A very recurrent example is illustrated by the growth of a plant. It grows through inaction, it does not force its growth; however, it continues to develop perfectly until it can even become a strong tree. On the contrary, if we look at those occasions when we try not to think or not to 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 to let ourselves go or flow.

This is the reason why a large number of people who start meditation end up giving up. The traditional Western concept of meditation has traditionally been that meditation is to impose not to think and try to leave the mind blank, but this is impossible. However, if they would just let themselves be carried away by inactivity or "non-action" they would concentrate and relax more quickly.

This idea of letting go through "non-action" is what Wu Wei philosophy is all about. It does not consist of remaining inert or indifferent, but in the moments in which we must do something to face a conflict, problem or decision, we do it while we flow. Wu Wei is a state of mind in which we are able to discern between that which really requires effort and that for which such effort will only be a waste of our time. effort will only be a waste of our time and energy..

As a general rule, in our day to day life we are influenced by our mood and our mental disposition or condition, making all kinds of decisions based on these conditioning factors and not rationally, taking into account only the facts.

All these worries, tribulations, prejudices and concerns are the direct antonym of Wu Wei's 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 let ourselves be influenced by intrusive ideas, we allow ourselves to be influenced by intrusive ideas about what might or might not happen, imagining all possible scenarios and wasting an immense amount of energy. This is the opposite of Wu Wei.

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Inaction vs. passivity

As we have specified in the previous point, the Wu Wei does not advocate passivity, but rather the opposite, the knowing to do things spontaneously and naturally.. Without letting ourselves be carried away by restlessness or uneasiness.

To be more precise, one of the most important principles of Wu Wei is the one that literally says "nothing should be left undone", only that the idea is to achieve all our goals with the least possible wear and tear.

To do this, we must change our way of dealing with situations, taking into account two basic aspects:

• We must learn to We must learn to trust in events.
• We must take advantage of the circumstances that are presented to us.

Following the principles of Wu Wei does not imply giving up our dreams in order not to face a series of challenges; but to remain alert to those opportunities that present themselves to us and take advantage of them to achieve our goals with the least possible effort or wear and tear.

Likewise, Wu Wei defends that once the situation has passed or we have solved the problem we should not think about it, otherwise we may get stuck in it, wearing out our mental health and interfering with our ability to perceive new opportunities.Otherwise, we may get stuck in it, wearing out our mental health and interfering with our ability to perceive new opportunities.

The idea of Wu Wei is to keep our calm despite the conflicts or problems that may appear along the way, because sooner or later they will be solved.

How can we practice this philosophy?

It is common that, due to our culture and the western rhythm of life, we are programmed to face situations as we do, with worries, haste and anguish..... However, although at first it may be difficult, if we decide to change these dynamics, we can adopt the philosophy of Wu Wei and its benefits.

To do this we need to develop two basic skills in Wu Wei:

1. learning to stop worrying

The first of these skills is to learn or get used to not worrying. This step does not is not to ignore conflicts, but rather to put things in perspective and give them the objective importance they really and giving them the objective importance they really deserve, and then developing the relevant coping strategies.

This philosophy can best be understood under the famous precept: "If there is a solution, why do you worry? and if there is no solution, why do you worry?

2. Learning to trust

Finally, the Wu Wei the need to maintain confidence in the course of life and events, as well as in our own and events, as well as in our own capacity to face them. This, and only this, is the only way to keep a clear mind and be attentive to the opportunities that appear to us.