The Tao

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Recently I saw this statement on the side of a bus and thought this might be a good theme for the year. On the surface it appears frivolous almost hedonistic. But if you look more deeply it describes a legitimate approach to living in this world.

A couple of quotes from The Second Book of the Tao by Stephen Mitchell:

"The Master doesn't interfere.

She perfects the whole world in her heart."

"Are you worried about the world?

Do you think that it needs your guidance?
Don't the heavens turn by themselves

Don't sun and moon find their place?

What masterminds all this?

What creates all the connections?

What, without effort, makes everything happen in its time?

Do things just happen to turn out exactly the way they do?

What without any effort stirs up this unfathomable joy?"

So, we do what we do in the world, "act without doing"; and then let the Universe take care of how it all turns out. We can let go of the illusion of control over anything! We can choose to go with the flow of life, and leave the driving to "us"; known, by some, as the Tao.