Captain Michael: Taoism has an image called the uncarved block.
Before the wood becomes a chair, a bowl, a statue or a sign, it is simpl
Taoism has an image called the uncarved block.
Before the wood becomes a chair, a bowl, a statue or a sign, it is simply wood.
It has not yet been told what it is supposed to become.
There is something wonderfully simple about that.
We spend much of our lives being carved.
Student.
Employee.
Officer.
Parent.
Successful.
Failure.
Leader.
Follower.
Some labels we choose.
Some are handed to us.
And some we carry so long that we eventually forget there was ever anything underneath them.
The Taoists called the uncarved state pu.
Not ignorance.
Not immaturity.
Something closer to our original nature before the world became so busy explaining who we ought to be.
I wonder how much of growing older is actually an opportunity to return to that.
Not to become younger.
But to put down some of the identities we no longer need.
A boat accumulates things over the years.
So do we.
Gear gets added because someday we might need it.
Labels get added because once they helped us understand our place in the world.
Eventually, both can become clutter.
Maybe the question this Wednesday morning isn’t:
Who am I supposed to become?
Maybe it is:
Who remains when I stop trying to become anything at all?
There may be more of us underneath all that carving than we remember.
#Taoism, #LaoTzu, #TheWatercourseWay, #Pu, #TheUncarvedBlock, #Simplicity, #Wisdom, #SelfDiscovery, #Philosophy, #SailingLife, #LifeAfloat, #CaptainMichael
Captain Michael: Taoism has an image called the uncarved block. Before the wood becomes a chair, a bowl, a statue or a sign, it is simply
Taoism has an image called the uncarved block. Before the wood becomes a chair, a bowl, a statue or a sign, it is simply wood. It has not yet been told what it is supposed to become. There is something wonderfully simple about that. We spend much of our lives being carved. Student. Employee. Officer. Parent. Successful. Failure. Leader. Follower. Some labels we choose. Some are handed to us. And some we carry so long that we eventually forget there was ever anything underneath them. The Taoists called the uncarved state pu. Not ignorance. Not immaturity. Something closer to our original nature before the world became so busy explaining who we ought to be. I wonder how much of growing older is actually an opportunity to return to that. Not to become younger. But to put down some of the identities we no longer need. A boat accumulates things over the years. So do we. Gear gets added because someday we might need it. Labels get added because once they helped us understand our place in the world. Eventually, both can become clutter. Maybe the question this Wednesday morning isn’t: Who am I supposed to become? Maybe it is: Who remains when I stop trying to become anything at all? There may be more of us underneath all that carving than we remember. #Taoism, #LaoTzu, #TheWatercourseWay, #Pu, #TheUncarvedBlock, #Simplicity, #Wisdom, #SelfDiscovery, #Philosophy, #SailingLife, #LifeAfloat, #CaptainMichael
Taoism has an image called the uncarved block. Before the wood becomes a chair, a bowl, a statue or a sign, it is simply wood. It has not yet been told what it is supposed to become. There is something wonderfully simple about that. We spend much of our lives being carved. Student. Employee. Officer. Parent. Successful. Failure. Leader. Follower. Some labels we choose. Some are handed to us. And some we carry so long that we eventually forget there was ever anything underneath them. The Taoists called the uncarved state pu. Not ignorance. Not immaturity. Something closer to our original nature before the world became so busy explaining who we ought to be. I wonder how much of growing older is actually an opportunity to return to that. Not to become younger. But to put down some of the identities we no longer need. A boat accumulates things over the years. So do we. Gear gets added because someday we might need it. Labels get added because once they helped us understand our place in the world. Eventually, both can become clutter. Maybe the question this Wednesday morning isn’t: Who am I supposed to become? Maybe it is: Who remains when I stop trying to become anything at all? There may be more of us underneath all that carving than we remember. #Taoism, #LaoTzu, #TheWatercourseWay, #Pu, #TheUncarvedBlock, #Simplicity, #Wisdom, #SelfDiscovery, #Philosophy, #SailingLife, #LifeAfloat, #CaptainMichael
