? Be like water. Dude, I know how the water that flows and never stops, keeps flowing. Bruce Lee’s famous commentary on the process of his self-realization actually sums up one of the three qualities of water according to Tao, drawn from Lao’s poetry. -Tseu. La wisdom contained in this text is now a great inspiration.
More than 10 years ago, the famous philosopher Zygmunt Bauman gave us the concept of liquid society, with it defined a modernity of fickle values, changing social models and structures and realities marked by uncertainty, in the face of such a fluctuating panorama, in which it is very difficult to stick to something, the only really solid thing is our fears, which constitute a great paradox.
- “Supreme goodness is like water.
- It benefits all things without restrictions.
- He stands firm on a day-to-day life.
- Being flows into the depths.
- He’s honest in the expression.
- When there’s a confrontation.
- You stay nice.
- In government.
- There’s no control.
- If there is action.
- It is in line with time.
- He is happy with his nature and therefore cannot be criticized.
- -Lao-Tze-.
We live in a world where little is characterized by stability, speed and flexibility are necessary to adapt to every change, in labor rotations, in political changes, in new social demands, in variations in our relationships.
In the midst of this dynamic, it is understandable to feel some anxiety and insecurity, so intellectual references from the eastern world, such as Raymond Tang, lecturer and professor at Guangzhou University, encourage us to learn a little more about the philosophy of Tao.
This philosophy teaches us to stay calm amid chaos, it teaches us to achieve balance and security amid liquid uncertainty.
The first of the qualities of water, according to Tao, is humility, it may be a little difficult at first to establish a relationship between this psychological dimension and any aquatic scenario, however, this relationship exists and is inspiring. The water that flows calmly in a river, in serenity and harmony, nourishes nature.
When it’s at its normal level, it reaches the margins, feeds the animals and promotes the ideal balance so that everything works, however, when the river becomes arrogant and brings a bigger current, everything changes, the strength of your chain hurts. It leads to the earth, destroys its environment and affects all living beings.
In any difficulty, there is always a space through which the light of opportunity can pass, no matter how restless our environment is, no matter the changes, the pressure or wall suddenly appears in front of us to paralyze us. . We have to find the gap, the weakness of our opponent or the crack through which a new path opens up, a new opportunity.
Among the qualities of water, according to Tao, there is one that reminds us how agile this vital substance can be, when something is restricted or an obstacle appears to prevent it from happening, there is no doubt about it: it is necessary to apply a relentless force to regain freedom and find the weakest point of this difficulty to overcome it.
We cannot forget that, in a way, water is a great opportunist, water will never think twice before changing shape, landscape or position to keep moving, and every time you see the best options to make your way, it will.
Few elements are as inspiring and tend to change like water, think about it: when the temperature is extreme it can turn into ice or steam, you won’t think twice before changing shape depending on where you are, it will be a glass if it’s inside one, it will be insignificant if it’s in a rock crack, it will regain its immensity if it returns to the ocean and will become food if a living being is thirsty and needs it.
Water has power and personality. You know and understand that nothing is as important as making a change if necessary, because the environment and nature are often hostile and those who do not adapt do not survive, adopting these principles that transmit the qualities of water can not only inspire us, but also help us in many ways.
Albert Ellis, a psychotherapist known for developing rational emotional behavior therapy, once said that there is a monster chasing us every day, a recurring monster who completely vetates our happiness, is our eternal idea that the world should be easy, we know that this is not the case, but we still suffer for every difficulty, for every stone along the way , for every change that is not anticipated or imagined.
We must be like water, as Bruce Lee said, we cannot limit ourselves to seeing the qualities of water as a simple and beautiful metaphor. In the end, we’re also nature. And nature is the expression of the Tao.