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Wu wei is all about matching pace with the "existing harmony in all things in the Universe" or Tao, so that any actions taken by the person meld into the harmony and are hence effortless.

Going with the pre-existing current, and acting spontaneously only when required to maintain the equilibrium of natural existence, is recommended by Laozi : "The Sage is occupied with the unspoken/ and acts without effort. /Teaching without verbosity,/ producing without possessing,/

creating without regard to result, /claiming nothing,/ the Sage has nothing to lose".

This way of understanding and reacting to life may seem quite impractical in the modern context where the level of competition in order to merely survive is high, ambitions are boundless and the desire to excel and win is strong. If Wu Wei is seen merely as inactivity, then indeed it is anachronistic in our times. But Wu Wei is not just a lack of purposeful action, it is alert quietude and watchfulness, it is action only when and where required to restore the balance of universal harmony.

Seen in this context, the philosophy of Wu Wei rings true to our times. One of the fields in which it can be applied for the benefit to one and all is education. Our present system of education depends more on external enforcement of standards on the child instead of expecting him or her to create and strive towards standards of their own. But following the principles of Wu Wei, it might be possible to encourage a child to learn on his or her own, possibly with better results than we have with the traditional system.

A baby learns about the world though Wu Wei, even the most unprivileged child knows how to speak its mother tongue, and learns about the world around it as it grows. This comes from the natural human quality of curiosity, which propels the child to explore its environment and imitate the people that surround it. Growing up is instinctive, and the more natural it is allowed to be, the better the chances are for the child to flourish.

Having said that it is easy to see how this very simple, instinctive process could be allowed to guide a child as it grows up. Surrounding a child with external stimuli whether tactile, audio, visual or intellectual and letting the child's natural abilities and propensities take over could be the best way to let him or her learn what he or she is best at. Absorbing information from the environment is effortless for a child and is one of the best learning methods possible. It is also the method of Wu Wei.

This method of learning on the principles of effortless action can be adopted by the child as he or she grows up, and be a guide in various facets of life, be it human relationships, career choices or hobbies and interests. By teaching a child "without verbosity", we may be able to make our future generations capable of "producing without possessing", who would be in perfect harmony with the Tao within all of us and all around us.

A generation reared on Wu Wei may become naturally adept at "creating without regard to result, /claiming nothing", and this would reduce the amount of strife we come across in today's world. They would be in tune with their environment, realizing intrinsically how their actions affect their environment.

The essential harmony that lies disturbed today, leading to discord between men, and also between man and nature, could be restored and the world could slowly become a better place to live in. The results of welcoming Wu Wei into education would be very slow in coming, but if they Wu Wei is embraced without any expectation of results, the natural harmony or Tao would restore its own balance sooner than can be imagined today.

Learn more about this author, Damyanti Ghosh.
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