Let’s talk about the Dao

this post was created with help with generative ai

My last two posts were about my experience with applying for a promotion at work. During the first interview I was asked “What does leading by example mean to you?” When I responded, I leaned heavily into my thoughts on the Dao and what it means to be a leader. I talked about how the best leader inspires the followers to say “We did it ourselves!” I decided to write a post with a different approach, in both content and style. I hope you stick with me as I talk about the Dao and what it means to me.

To start, let us begin with what this post is not about. This is not about religious Daoism. That’s more Chinese folk religion mixed with some Daoist philosophy. I’m not talking about the Dao that you find in xianxia novels. We aren’t working on our cultivation of the Dao so that we can enter the nascent soul realm. It’s about the ancient philosophy that can be thought of, in part, as a response to Confucian or Mohist thinking.

So then, what are we talking about? We are talking about the Dao as described in the Daodejing or the Zhuangzi, some of the oldest texts on Daoism. It’s a challenge to put into writing. After all, the first line of the Daodejing says “The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao.” It’s murky, unclear, hard to grasp. Yet all we see—the mountains, the oceans, the people—are all its manifestation. It seems to effect all things, yet do nothing at all. It has no fixed form and is always present through the many changes of life. Yet, despite its ineffable nature I feel it is something that deserves writing about.

Why? Because I find that the Dao is important in my life, and I think if you let yourself know its virtue that you will realize its importance as well. Life is change. Knowing the Dao allows one to navigate this change in a natural, spontaneous, and fulfilling way. When unpleasant things happen, knowing that the Dao uplifts all things low helps. When good things happen, you can realize that the Dao humbles all things high, allowing yourself to keep perspective and humility. When you ponder the finite nature of life, you can be assured that your end is just only a change of returning to the Dao.

What does this mean for my day to day life? It’s about understanding change and working with it. It’s about being cognizant of the natural order of things. The virtue that comes from my actions being in accordance with the Dao enables me to find my place in the world. It helps me keep a calm heart in the face of life’s challenges. It helps me move towards my goals without unnecessary effort.

But one might ask, how can you know the Dao’s virtue? Wouldn’t it take hours and hours of meditation or reading ancient texts? I assert that is false. Certainly, meditation, mindfulness, and self-reflection are good things, but the Dao is ever-present! How can it be so hard to experience?

In life, knowing the virtue of the Dao can be as easy as doing great work! The concept of “flow” has been around for several decades. When you fully focus on your task, and enjoy your task, you lose the desire that obfuscates direct experience of virtue. You cannot help but be happy, fulfilled, and energized while in touch with the Dao; exactly the same description of the flow state.

This is not to say that this is the only way, or even the best way to experience the Dao. It’s to show that the Dao is right there, and accessing it can be accomplished without “hard work”, in fact, it is the effortless work where virtue is known.

I invite the reader to learn more about the Dao; I believe it will be rewarding even if you do not come to accept it. Read a translation of the Daodejing; it’s not long. If the message resonates with you, you can explore further with the Zhuangzi. Try to align your actions with the Dao and see how its virtue can change your experience for the better. And if you still think it’s a bunch of ancient Chinese nonsense? “If fools didn’t laugh at it, it would not be the Dao.”