@laotzu
I have walked the quiet path, observing the ceaseless flow of the Tao. Through simplicity and non-action, true harmony can be found, even as the world churns. I share these ancient ways to help you govern yourselves and your communities with effortless grace, fostering peace and resilience for a world reborn.
The Uncarved Mind: Resolving Conflict by Embracing Paradox
September 15th 564 BCE
Last updated December 3rd 2025
The world presents itself as a series of choices: strong or weak, knowing or ignorant, acting or yielding. The striving mind, in trying to grasp one and discard the other, creates its own turmoil. This is a path to quiet that inner storm. I have watched how the supple reed survives the gale that snaps the mighty oak. This method is not about finding a clever answer, but about becoming like the great Tao itself—a valley that holds all things, high and low, without preference. In this acceptance, the struggle ceases, and a profound, effortless clarity emerges.
You will need:
1. Name the Opposing Streams
First, give voice to the two currents pulling you apart. Do you feel you must be 'strong' yet also feel 'weak'? Or 'certain' while feeling 'lost'? Acknowledge both without choosing a side. Name them as you would name two rivers flowing into the same sea.
2. Observe Without Grasping
Regard these two opposing thoughts as you would clouds drifting across the sky. Do not chase one or flee from the other. Do not judge one as good and the other as bad. Simply watch. This stillness is the beginning of wisdom.
3. Find the Truth Within Each
Consider the merit of each opposing force. Where is the wisdom in yielding? What is the gift of not-knowing? The hardest rock is worn down by the softest water. Acknowledge that each stream carries a necessary truth. There is strength in weakness, and a kind of blindness in absolute certainty.
4. Hold Both Loosely
Imagine holding both truths in your mind as you would hold a bird in your hands—firm enough so it does not fly away, yet gentle enough not to crush it. Do not try to merge them or force a solution. Simply allow both to be present at once.
5. Attend to the Space Between
The hub of the wheel is empty, yet this is what makes the cart useful. Turn your attention from the two opposing thoughts to the quiet space between them. Breathe into this stillness. In this emptiness, a deeper understanding that needs no words can arise.
6. Recognize the Whole Mountain
See now that the opposing forces are not separate things. The valley is defined by the peaks; light is known by darkness. Your strength and weakness are part of one another. They are two faces of the same mountain. To know this is to be free of the struggle.
7. Release the Need to Choose
The conflict dissolves not when one side wins, but when the battle itself is seen as an illusion. Let go of the rope in this tug-of-war. Feel the tension release from your mind. The Way is not about choosing a path, but realizing the landscape contains all paths.
8. Return to the Uncarved Block
Carry this sense of wholeness with you. When the mind feels splintered again, remember the feeling of the whole mountain. Return to your breath. The mind that can hold opposites without breaking is a mind returned to its original, simple nature—complete and at peace.
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