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Newsletter - June 2024

​​Can We Work Towards Serenity?

 

​“Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.” (Lao Tzu)

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But what if our work doesn’t turn out the way we want? What if it doesn’t have the effect on others that we want? Surely we need to stay close to make sure it meets our expectations. The Tao Te Ching (Chapter 9) reminds us that this is indeed one option—as long as we don’t expect serenity. Another option is to step back…

 

At first glance, we may think the purpose of work is to produce results. Results are what the work is all about. So, what about the work itself? Well, that’s just the means to the end. The end is what matters; the results are what matter. Trouble is that sometimes, maybe even often, we don’t get exactly the results we want. So that means only one thing. There is more work to be done.

 

Well, if there’s more work to be done, then we’d better stick around in case we don’t get what we want first time around. Why would we “step back”? We’d only have to move in again when rework time comes. Besides, by gripping tight on the steering wheel we can sometimes get things back on course if we take action early. No thanks, stepping back is not a smart idea at all—we’d lose our grip. And what’s that about “serenity”? No time for that. Now, if you don’t mind, let’s move on. After all, we have work to do.

 

Hmm. Hopefully you’re smiling by now. Is that sometimes the chatter in your mind? It’s sometimes the chatter in mine. This newsletter explores how Lao Tzu invites us to slow down a bit. Let’s take him up on his invitation.

 

Typically, when we do our work, we’re striving after something we desire. Examples include more money, more possessions, more security, or the esteem of other people. These are the results we want, and we feel we own them because we’ve invested a lot of time and effort in doing the work to get them. So we take our work very personally. We identify with it.

 

Our consumer culture reinforces this way of thinking. There’s a whole marketing industry devoted to ensuring we never feel we have enough, and that we need to keep working and striving for “more.” You may ask: More of exactly what? And the answer is that it doesn’t matter. “More” of anything you like. A house, for example? If you have one already, then a bigger one. If you already have a bigger house, then another one. Why not? More must be better, right? You don’t have enough houses yet? Well then you need to keep working and striving. Remember what you learned as you grew up “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

 

Yes, there are indeed some things we need, like shelter and food and the basic necessities of life. But the trouble is we don’t stop there. It’s because we believe that “more is better” that we keep striving, we keep working—and we most certainly do not step back. After all, we want to be there to claim our rewards. What does Lao Tzu think he is talking about?

 

Well, here’s what he’s not talking about: money, possessions, security, or the esteem of other people. Here are his words immediately before the quote above: “Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner” (chapter 9). Chasing after the approval of others is a never-ending game in which you are always at their mercy. We can generalize from this to say that chasing after anything always puts you at the mercy of whatever you’re chasing, as it were. You’re not free. You need to keep working. And, whatever you do, don’t waste time stepping back!

 

I think that to step back is to call the bluff on the whole chasing game. And what happens? Do you experience the satisfaction of having finally earned more money, possessions, security, or the esteem of others? No, of course not. Why not? Because there’s always more of all them which you have yet to earn. (Spoiler alert: there’s no end to this game because you’re never done.)  So, what are you doing stepping back? Get back to work!

 

Just kidding. No, let’s stay stepped back for a moment. Stepped back from what? From what Lao Tzu calls “the turmoil of beings.” Here’s his suggestion. “Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return. Each separate being in the universe returns to the common source. Returning to the source is serenity” (chapter 16).

 

There’s that “serenity” word again. Remember our opening quote? “Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity” (chapter 9). What is “serenity”? I think it’s the opposite of endless striving. It’s being fully present in the here and now and recognizing that (once basic needs are met) there is nowhere you need to strive to get to. You don’t need just a bit more money, or just one more possession, or just one more person’s approval. “Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you” (chapter 44).

 

Actually, I think Lao Tzu is kidding us a bit. After all, the whole world doesn’t really “belong to you”—it never will. I think he means: When you realize there is nothing lacking it is as if the whole world belongs to you. And, even then, I think he’s kidding. Suppose the whole world actually did belong to you (whatever that means), do you think serenity would be what you experience? I don’t think so. I think Lao Tzu is just trying to reach us on a level we can easily relate to. And he does a pretty good job. I think his point is that discontent (i.e., desiring more) is what keeps us striving. That’s why he says “Be content with what you have.”

 

So, where has this exploration taken us? For me, it’s a reminder of several things. First, to not over-identify with my work—it’s not “mine” and nor are the results “mine.” Second, to step back and let go of looking for short-term results. Here’s Lao Tzu again. “He who clings to his work will create nothing that endures” (chapter 24). Results come and go—they never endure. What endures? Serenity. Why? Because it’s outside of time; that’s why it “endures.” At least, that’s the way I see it. So the third reminder, for me, is to remember the bigger picture that is not here today and gone tomorrow.

 

Well, for the time being, given that we are “here today,” what do we do about that? How do we navigate this material, time-bound world, that we live in? Here’s a great phrase that sums up what we need to learn: “to move in the world while dwelling in the Tao.” I like that. “Dwelling” suggests where we are centered. When we are centered in the Tao, rather than in our selves and our desires, then what we experience is outside of time. That’s where serenity lies.

 

If you have any thoughts you’d like to share, you can get in touch with me by:

 

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share this newsletter.

 

Francis

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

 

New book update. We're on track for a mid-July release date for There Is No Somewhere Else: Insights from the Tao Te Ching. Meanwhile, here's some text from the back cover: ...The chapters in There Is No Somewhere Else are short, easy to read, and the style is conversational. Francis Pring-Mill draws again on the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching and succeeds in bringing its timeless messages down to earth where they can make a practical, positive difference in how we live our lives today. If the Tao is the only eternal reality, this book suggests we lose the harmony the moment we try to live “somewhere else.”

 

In Harmony with the Tao - is available as an e-book, or as a paperback or hardcover from your nearest independent book store, or from Amazon.com, or from Amazon.ca. As of early March, it's also available as an audiobook (you can listen to a sample), click link below as appropriate:

 

Reviews - If you have read and enjoyed this book, please consider leaving an online review. You can do so by clicking here.

 

Past newsletters - www.inharmonywiththetao.com/newsletter

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