Today I thought I’d start writing this entry with no plan or intention, and immediately I’m reminded of the spirit of the podcast I record with Saqib Rizvi (What is Now?). We begin by sitting in silence for one minute, and then discuss whatever arises in the moment. If there is no plan, you might ask, what’s the point? The point is to not have a point, and for that to be okay. But is it even possible to do anything without at least a hidden preconceived motive (a “point”)? It seems to me this is the great question explored by Taoism, which has much to say about the art of doing without intending to do, acting without trying to act, being alive without the added element of trying to be alive in a particular manner. Human consciousness is a double-edged sword in this way, as it provides us with great thinking power, but that thinking power also can make it quite challenging for us to simply be as we are and act in accordance with nature. That’s a frustrating statement: it is challenging for us to simply be as we are. But maybe that’s also an exciting statement as it points to the possible uncomplicated-ness of being a whole human: just be as you are.

Even in writing this I’m caught somewhere in the dynamic between plan and no plan, contrived action and letting it flow. At some point this morning I had the idea to write a post without preparing an idea, but that also was an idea and a sort of plan. It seems to me that life can be viewed as a wavelength of this planning and non-planning, or Doing and Being. When I find myself constantly planning, I can let go and re-open to just what’s actually happening right Now, and when I feel ungrounded and without purpose, I can move into some sort of plan of action, back and forth, like the breath.

Below, I’ve shared a video from the mind of Alan Watts that was actually shared with me by a close friend yesterday, and now I’m thinking that his share subtly implanted the idea for this post in my mind. The video briefly explains the Taoist principle of “wu wei,” which can be translated as “action by inaction” or “not forcing.” And if you’re interested in learning more about this concept, you could explore (or re-explore) the poetically simple Tao Te Ching (I’ve linked my favorite translation here).

When I say,

”do something
with no intention,”

what do you do?

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