[Learning from Laozi] "Not trying too hard" was the strongest. A way of living without fatigue, learning from "The highest good is like water."

The curse of "I must try harder"

I'm not working hard enough. I must try harder. I must become stronger so I don't lose to those around me. There is no time to rest. If I stop, I'll be left behind.

Modern society treats "working hard" as a virtue. Effort, grit, and patience. Being strong and not breaking.

However, are you exhausted from constantly trying so hard? Even though your mind and body are at their limit, do you feel guilty about resting?

2500 years ago in China, there was a thinker who flatly denied this value of "working hard." It was Laozi, who wrote the "Tao Te Ching."

"The highest good is like water."

There is a phrase that symbolizes Laozi's philosophy.

The highest good is like water. Water gives blessings to all things while never contending. It stays in low places that people dislike. Therefore, it is close to the Tao.

Water is not a symbol of strength. Rather, it is soft, formless, and flows naturally to low places.

Yet, Laozi says that this water is the "highest good."

The reason why water is the "strongest"

Water appears to be a symbol of weakness. However, Laozi also says this:

There is nothing in the world softer and weaker than water. However, for attacking the hard and strong, nothing can surpass it.

It is not a hard hammer that pierces rock, but soft water droplets. Over a long period of time, water wears away the rock.

If you collide with force, you are the one who will break. However, if you are flexible like water, you can flow around any obstacle.

"Strength" is not about being hard and unbreakable.It is about being soft, adaptable, and continuing to flow. This is Laozi's teaching.

The strategy of "not contending"

The core of Laozi's philosophy lies in "not contending."

Because you do not contend, you are never blamed.

Modern society operates on the principle of competition. Winning against others, climbing to the top, and seizing market share.

However, Laozi asks: how much value is there in that 'victory'?

Even if you win a competition, a new one awaits. Even if you stand at the top, someone will appear to try and drag you down. To keep winning is to keep fighting forever.

Water does not contend. It flows to low places and yields the path to others. Yet, in the end, water reaches everywhere and nourishes everything.

Not contending brings the widest influence. It is paradoxical, but this is Laozi's insight.

'Wu-wei Ziran'—The art of not trying

Another keyword of Laozi is **'Wu-wei Ziran'** (effortless action).

'Wu-wei' does not mean 'doing nothing.' It means **'not applying unnatural force.'**

A river flows toward the sea. No one is pushing it. It happens naturally.

Plants grow toward the sun. They are not making an effort. It happens naturally.

We, too, should be able to live 'naturally.' However, social rules, the expectations of others, and the sense of duty we create ourselves bind us like unnatural forces.

Wu-wei Ziran is letting go of those unnecessary forces.

Becoming the 'water' of the modern age

How should we apply Laozi's teachings to modern life?

1. Do not push with force

When you hit a wall, do not try to break through it by force. Look for a detour, wait for the right timing, or consider a different approach.

2. Do not fear low places

Jobs that people dislike, positions that do not get attention, humble roles. However, by remaining there like water, there are things that become visible.

3. Do not be fixated on form

Let go of the fixed idea that "this is how things should be." Change your own form according to the situation. If the vessel changes, the water also changes its form.

"Weakness" can be a weapon

Laozi says:

Soft and weak things overcome hard and strong things.

This is not sour grapes. It is a physical truth.

In a typhoon, it is the hard, large trees that break. The flexible bamboo dodges the wind and continues to stand.

It is not that you lose because you are weak. It is that you break because you try to be strong.

Acknowledge your own weakness and make use of it. Do not try to be hard, but live flexibly. That is the art of living taught by Laozi.

"Laozi"-style practices you can start today

I propose small habits for "living like water."

[Instead of "pushing," "flow"]

When something is not going well, try to be conscious of "finding another flow" instead of "trying harder."

• Is there another way to do this work?

• Is there a different approach to this relationship?

• Is there a chance that time will solve this problem?

When water hits a rock, it flows around it. You, too, should try to find a path that goes around.

Just by changing "trying hard" to "flowing," things can become surprisingly easier.

Summary: The river reaches the sea

At first glance, Laozi's philosophy seems passive. Do not fight, do not try too hard, and stay in a low position.

However, look at the results.

Rivers flow without fighting and eventually reach the sea. All water aims for the lowest point and eventually joins the great ocean.

Rather than exhausting yourself trying to climb a high mountain, flowing to a lower place will ultimately take you further.

The words of Laozi from 2,500 years ago resonate especially well with modern people who are "tired of trying too hard."

Be soft like water. Do not fight like water. Go to the low places like water.

That is the way of living that is least tiring and allows you to go the furthest.

Series: Literary Master Life Hacks

We redefine the great figures from textbooks as "modern-day life hackers" and install wisdom from 1,000 years ago (sometimes 2,500 years ago) into our current lives.

← Previous: [Analects] Was "At forty, I had no doubts" a lie? → Next: [Seneca] Before you lament that "life is short"

If you have any thoughts or requests, please let me know in the comments section.

🎉 This series has been published as a book titled "Literary Master Life Hacks: Prescriptions from 100 Years Ago."

📖 15 literary masters × 20 works
📖 5 exclusive appendices not published on note
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