non doing is not doing nothing

Now retired he said to his son in the garden, as he pulled a weed and his son sat lounging, "I'm not sure what to do in my retirement as suddenly, from being a dedicated worker with a set routine, I have nothing to do".

"That's great" his son said "now it is time for you to let your mind regain its youth and to be at one with life".

The son explained an idea known as 'wei wu wei' to his father as the elder moved his position to the next area of garden needing attention.

"I should do nothing?" The man asked his son after the explanation. "Lie there lazily like you?" He laughed.

The younger one explained the contrary. He said how neither of them were doing anything only one of them thought they were. That doing nothing was allowing things to go as they naturally were whilst only being the awareness of the moment and not the doer.

As being the doer, even of a lovely act, is naturally tied to future outcome or past incentive. Being the awareness of the moment, letting life go ahead was instead was so peaceful, even around acts of mayhem as, it's happening anyway, thoughts wont change it.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao