“Change is never painful, only the resistance to change is painful.”- Unknown
One of many things I have learnt to live by from the Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, is softness and how to be flexible, not so much with my body but with my mind, being more open to change and learning from other people.
I was brought up to stand firm by my believes, to stay steadfast with them no matter what! It is what a strong person does, to stand by his/her believes and argue with another if they ever try to disrespect them.
But the Tao has taught me to be open to new possibilities and that things change constantly….. To flow with nature, believes are constantly changing, the circumstances that surround the believes are also changing.
As DR Wayne Dyer says it ;-
“What was true in the morning has become a lie in the afternoon.”
This quote above, means a lot of things to do with the shift of life, but the main thing that stands out for myself is that views and opinions can change with time, like the Tao teaches us, to surrender and let go, to go with the flow, to become soft and flexible.
Verse 76 of the Tao Te Ching;
Translation by Jane English and Gia-Fu Feng
A man is born gentle and weak.
At his death he is hard and stiff.
Green plants are tender and filled with sap.
At their death they are withered and dry.
Therefore the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death.
The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.
Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle.
A tree that is unbending is easily broken.
The hard and strong will fall.
The soft and weak will overcome.
Rigidity can be very damaging for any person….
For example,
If you say something on Monday and have the same opinion on Wednesday, regardless what had happened on Tuesday, is a very dangerous thinker, The Tao teaches us to flow like water to change with change, be soft and open is the way.
People change, things change, circumstances change, The Tao has taught me to surf through life rather than to swim against the current.
To Quote Bruce Lee:-
“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.” – Bruce Lee
Thanks for reading, Take care, Lance.
"Explore your soul" 