Taoist philosophy · Stillness · Slow living

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A quiet place for Taoist philosophy, stillness, simplicity, and the art of living with less resistance. One character at a time, one week at a time.

01
This week's character
The character we are living with now.
Week 10 · Month 2 · Character 5
Róu
Softness · Yielding · Supple strength

柔 does not mean weakness. It means the quality of being supple, pliable, and responsive, the opposite of rigid, not of strong. The living are soft and yielding; the dead are rigid and hard. Softness is the signature of life itself.

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02
Where to begin
The concepts people return to.
無為
Wú Wéi
Effortless action
Shuǐ
Water
Simplicity
Emptiness
知足
Zhī Zú
Knowing enough
03
From The Still Letter
Recent essays.
Róu · Softness
What softness really means

We are taught that strength means hardness. The Tao Te Ching says the opposite, and the proof is in every living thing.

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Shuǐ · Water
The hidden strength of water

Nothing is softer than water, yet nothing is better at wearing down the hard and strong. What it teaches about patience.

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知足
Zhī Zú · Knowing enough
The problem with more

The wanting mind never arrives. To know sufficiency is to discover the wealth was already here, under your feet.

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The Still Letter

A quiet letter for a restless world.

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