Captain Michael: There is an old Taoist image I have always loved.
Water.
Water does not argue with the shape of the land.
It does not
There is an old Taoist image I have always loved.
Water.
Water does not argue with the shape of the land.
It does not complain about the rock in its path.
It does not stop and wonder whether the river ought to be somewhere else.
It simply continues.
Sometimes quickly.
Sometimes so slowly that you can hardly tell it is moving.
It yields to almost everything it meets, and yet given enough time, it can wear down stone.
Lao Tzu wrote:
“Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water.”
There is something worth considering there.
We spend an awful lot of our lives pushing.
Against circumstances.
Against other people.
Against ourselves.
Against things that simply are what they are.
Sometimes pushing is necessary.
But sometimes the wiser question is not:
How do I overcome this?
Maybe it is:
Where is the water trying to go?
A sailor understands this better than most.
You can curse the tide.
You can argue with the wind.
Neither one cares.
Or you can pay attention, trim the sails, and work with what the day has given you.
Maybe there is strength in that, too.
This week, I think we’ll follow the water awhile.
See where it takes us.
#Taoism, #LaoTzu, #TheWatercourseWay, #WuWei, #Philosophy, #SailingLife, #LifeAfloat, #LiveaboardLife, #Wisdom, #TheWay, #CaptainMichael
Captain Michael: There is an old Taoist image I have always loved. Water. Water does not argue with the shape of the land. It does not co
There is an old Taoist image I have always loved. Water. Water does not argue with the shape of the land. It does not complain about the rock in its path. It does not stop and wonder whether the river ought to be somewhere else. It simply continues. Sometimes quickly. Sometimes so slowly that you can hardly tell it is moving. It yields to almost everything it meets, and yet given enough time, it can wear down stone. Lao Tzu wrote: “Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water.” There is something worth considering there. We spend an awful lot of our lives pushing. Against circumstances. Against other people. Against ourselves. Against things that simply are what they are. Sometimes pushing is necessary. But sometimes the wiser question is not: How do I overcome this? Maybe it is: Where is the water trying to go? A sailor understands this better than most. You can curse the tide. You can argue with the wind. Neither one cares. Or you can pay attention, trim the sails, and work with what the day has given you. Maybe there is strength in that, too. This week, I think we’ll follow the water awhile. See where it takes us. #Taoism, #LaoTzu, #TheWatercourseWay, #WuWei, #Philosophy, #SailingLife, #LifeAfloat, #LiveaboardLife, #Wisdom, #TheWay, #CaptainMichael
There is an old Taoist image I have always loved. Water. Water does not argue with the shape of the land. It does not complain about the rock in its path. It does not stop and wonder whether the river ought to be somewhere else. It simply continues. Sometimes quickly. Sometimes so slowly that you can hardly tell it is moving. It yields to almost everything it meets, and yet given enough time, it can wear down stone. Lao Tzu wrote: “Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water.” There is something worth considering there. We spend an awful lot of our lives pushing. Against circumstances. Against other people. Against ourselves. Against things that simply are what they are. Sometimes pushing is necessary. But sometimes the wiser question is not: How do I overcome this? Maybe it is: Where is the water trying to go? A sailor understands this better than most. You can curse the tide. You can argue with the wind. Neither one cares. Or you can pay attention, trim the sails, and work with what the day has given you. Maybe there is strength in that, too. This week, I think we’ll follow the water awhile. See where it takes us. #Taoism, #LaoTzu, #TheWatercourseWay, #WuWei, #Philosophy, #SailingLife, #LifeAfloat, #LiveaboardLife, #Wisdom, #TheWay, #CaptainMichael
