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Taoism and the Tao Te Ching: Wu wei and intoxication

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  1.  # 1

    I wanted to air my thoughts about doing not-doing. I feel like I've got a handle on how keeping to the deed that consists of taking no action and having little thought of self helps us achieve our personal ends. It seems to me that while not consciously concentrating on chasing our desires, we'll unconsciously take actions that result in us moving closer towards our goals, and in not actively striving, we'll be less likely to sabotage ourselves in these attempts.

    Of course, if this is the case, it seems to require a certain frame of mind, for one, sobriety. Now, I've been smoking marijuana for many years, and frankly, the extent of inaction that it brings is really too inactive to achieve anything. I always figured that worrying about things wasn't worth much, so getting high would stop me worrying, and then things would take care of themselves (this was, in fact, in the time before I discovered the TTC). However, I'm now starting to think that if I was sober, I'd eventually be spurred into unavoidable action, which would lead me naturally into improving my life, without too much conscious thought of my own desires.

    Maybe I've just got to the point where my desire to be sober exceeds my need to stay high all the time. I don't know... I'm trying to stop contending and let things happen to me naturally, but just at the moment, I seem to be riddled with doubt. Any thoughts? I'm sure quite a few people have come to Taoism after spending years mired in drug problems or rocky relationships, I'm here through both, and I haven't dropped the weed yet, that's all.

    • CommentAuthorCarl
    • CommentTimeMar 8th 2011 edited
     # 2

    A desire for intoxication is a symptom of underlying need. Often desire leads us to actions than don't resolve the need, but rather mask it enough. Allow us to cope.

    It takes a certain degree of courage to drop the 'mask' and see what may actually be there. The courage is facing the unknown, dropping that which worked 'good enough' in the attempt to stumble upon something that works better.

    This is essentially the same pioneer spirit that moved people to leave behind the known and venture into the unknown. Taoism is essentially a journey into that realm of the unknown, principally because it poo-poos the one crutch onto which we cling that gives us the illusion of thinking we know.

    "The teaching that uses no words, the deed that consists in taking no action". These are outcomes of dropping our trust in names and words.

    • CommentAuthorRIVER_DOG
    • CommentTimeMar 10th 2011
     # 3

    Hay Dan
    Smoking weed expressly some of the skunk can really mess with your head, and maybe if you do decide to bin it of, your goals might change?
    You might find new interests and through that new people in your life?
    I think the wu wei aspect is about not making a conscious decision to do a particular thing but to have lots of options that you can do,

    I always figured that worrying about things wasn't worth much, so getting high would stop me worrying, and then things would take care of themselves

    This sounds more like burying your head in the sand,
    Maybe bro this is just YOU TIME to change. It looks like you have been giving it plenty of thought, and what have you got to loose? If you don’t like it?
    One think you might not of thought about you might end up loosing some of your friends that you have had for years? The thing about being riddled with doubt that will be the weed loll
    I have had a similar thing about going out with my mates all the time getting pissed up
    But if I was you bro I would defo give it a go I really hope you become all you can be

    Vincere vel mori bud

    RD 8-)

    • CommentAuthorCarl
    • CommentTimeMar 12th 2011 edited
     # 4

    A desire for intoxication is a symptom of underlying need. Often desire leads us to actions than don't resolve the need, but rather mask it enough. Allow us to cope

    I was thinking more about this in regards to my "desire for intoxication" via tobacco. I finally quite because some of the underlying need was met in other ways. Also, because I began to realize the 'mask' had its own drawbacks (I wanted to finish being a slave to tobacco).

    I suspect that we only truly change when we either replace the activity with another than fills the underlying need, and/or (and probably both), we realize the activity isn't really giving us what we need any more. This helps induce us to look elsewhere. Slowly but surely, circumstances bring us to maturity.

  5.  # 5

    Thanks to you both. You're both saying what I'm thinking anyway. As it was, last week I tried to drop tobacco, weed and my ex all at once and I think I over-faced myself. So now, I'm cutting down slowly and carefully... in fact, insofar as it's possible, I'm trying to allow it to happen to me naturally, and that seems to be having some success. Indeed, I'm just letting circumstances bring me to maturity.

    • CommentAuthorCarl
    • CommentTimeMar 15th 2011
     # 6

    I hear you. Patiently waiting for 'It to happened to us naturally' is perhaps the difficulty to which we most need be alive.

    • CommentAuthorRIVER_DOG
    • CommentTimeMar 18th 2011
     # 7

    sorry dan i thought you ment weed (we live and we learn ay bro)

  8.  # 8

    I did mean weed. Why, what did you think?

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