My first introduction to Taoism was a cheap, watered-down version of the religion, known as Dudeism. A couple students in my philosophy class junior year chose to present Dudeism for their religion project, explaining how the core principles of the religion were going with the flow, chilling out, and enjoying life as it comes. I thought it was complete nonsense. How could I ever accomplish anything if my philosophy was to simply let things happen?
With my skeptical mindset, you can imagine that when we learned about Taoism a couple weeks later in class, I did not think highly of the religion. Taoism, as I understand it, is an ancient Chinese religion and philosophy that preaches ideals such as inaction, simplicity, and harmony– more sophisticated ways of “going with the flow.” We read excerpts from the Tao Te Ching, the primary religious text of Taoism, translated into English. The Tao Te Ching isn’t exactly known for its clarity, but it is fairly blunt in expressing what the author, Lao Tzu, deemed as universal truths. For example, the Tao Te Ching includes statements like “If nothing is done, then all will be well” and “the more you know, the less you understand.”
In modern western society, the majority of people disagree with these statements. Inaction is the antithesis of capitalism, where hard work is upheld as a virtue. Learning is encouraged, school systems teaching students that knowledge is power. While people joke about going wherever the wind takes them, the only people who truly reject these western virtues are active nihilists, who believe nothing matters.
In my case, I did not pretend to find the laid-back, taoist lifestyle appealing, but rather, expressed my distaste for the religion at every chance I could in class. It got to the point where whenever my teacher brought up Taoism, he would jokingly refer to it as “Emma’s favorite religion.” I could not have been more anti-Tao.
However, my perspective on Taoism was permanently altered on a plane flight I took in November of 2024, where I decided to read the first chapter of “Star Wars: The Philosophy Strikes Back.” The book was a collection of essays relating the Star Wars movies to varying philosophical concepts, beginning with The Phantom Menace. Unpopularly, The Phantom Menace has always been one of my favorite Star Wars films– it has pod racing, Qui-Gon Jinn, and a “duel of fates”– what’s not to like? I was excited to read the chapter on The Phantom Menace, even if it was about Taoism’s influence on the movie.
Upon reading the chapter, I was introduced to a whole new way of thinking about Taoism. The author Russel P. Johnson presented two concepts in Taoism that I resonated with: Symbiosis and concentrating on the moment. Symbiosis is essentially the idea that all things in nature are interconnected, and thus rely on each other. Symbiosis is encompassed in the Yin-Yang symbol, which represents how two opposites cannot exist without each other. Concentrating on the moment is simply not worrying about the consequences of the future, and instead prioritizing solving the issues of the present. I was surprised that I agreed with any statements in the Tao Te Ching, leading me to question my initial perception of the religion.
I had misunderstood Taoism. It is not nonsense advocating for complete inaction; it is a valuable interpretation of how to effectively handle the ups and downs of life. While refusing to learn and doing nothing are far too extreme applications of the religion, having a taoist mindset can have a significant impact on everyday life. Instead of committing myself to one political ideology, I have found value in the opposing party. Instead of writing all of my assignments down in my planner and worrying about them two months in advance, I have focused on my present assignments. Although these might be small changes, they have increased my empathy level and reduced my stress. Despite my initial skepticism, I can honestly say that Taoism has positively impacted my life, and is beneficial in counteracting the pressures of modern day society.