The Little Problem with Taoism

I can't help but be in a constant zen-like state at work because I don't really do anything. I usually get all the work I need to get done by 11:00 a.m. so I'm mainly sitting around reflecting on my life until something I need to do lands on my desk.

And in my time of doing nothing today, I thought about taoism and being zen and how it may be the best thing for people. Taoism insists that people stop getting all worked up over the crap that drives them bonkers. There's a principle of Taoism called wu wei, which can be easily defined as "not getting in your way". For example, I would be much more content if I were to casually walk down the street with no destination in mind then if I were to have somewhere to go. If I had a place to be then I would be in a position to stress out about it. Maybe there's traffic and I can't cross the street. What if I'm late? What if I'm meeting someone? What if they aren't there when I get there? What if I'm going to the wrong place? But if I'm just outside walking around, there is no issue.

But as I thought about it, I realized an inherent contradiction in Taoism and wu wei. As it turns out, not having a goal is still a goal. If I say, I'm not going to have a goal today, then I did in fact start a goal. Knowing me (a neurotic defeatist), if my goal in life was to have no goal, I would stress out about not being able to accomplish it. I imagined myself as the person aimlessly walking down the street. I'd be so paranoid about accidentally doing something of significance. Like if I walked into a store and thought that maybe this was my subconscious goal. Then I'd leave in a haste and wonder if it's a goal of mine to leave here quickly in an attempt to preserve my original goal of not doing anything. It's a vicious circle.

But like I said, Taoism and wu wei are good for people because most people are normal. Unfortunately, doing nothing in my book is monumentally important.