Acquiescence: the secret to joy

To attain to the state of perpetual joy, the ancient Taoists stressed the importance of acquiescence, the ability to roll with whatever’s happening with perfect faith in the flow of events, knowing in your heart that the Great Way, the Tao is producing your highest possible good at all times, even and especially when it looks as if everything is conspiring to do you in.

Underlying all movement of all phenomena is the yin-yang dynamic, that constant cycling between phases of contraction (yin) and expansion (yang). Hence when things appear to conspire against you, the Taoist way is to roll with that in gratitude (definition of grace), because you know what follows is the total opposite. By the same token, when things appear to be going your way (yang), roll with that in gratitude too, because you know it’ll swing eventually, hence make the most of it while you can.

But all the way through at the core of all motion, at the still point on the seesaw, there you are, relatively unmoved, breathing in and out, centred, still, calm and collected, hence able to enjoy the miracle of being alive, regardless of how well or badly things appear to be going.

I wish you joy.

Love, D