Wu Wei and Similar Philosophies

[Sloppy Zhang]

All right, so I was reading and browsing around some articles. I won't say who they were affiliated with because I really don't want to get caught up in that one system, rather, I'd like to examine this philosophy holistically.

 

Many here are familiar with the idea of "wu wei", effortless effort, doing without doing, actions happening without forcing them. To get people to practice this, many forms of meditation and qigong have been made that attach to this philosophy. By learning to feel energy, one can learn to flow with the energy happening all around them. By being present and not focusing and attaching to some desire that is going to lead you every which way, you can get this true "attainment". Stuff happens seemingly by synchronicity.

 

But this article described a guy who operated a factory, and he taught this meditation/qigong to his employees. Then a manager came and evaluated the factory, and said, "your workers are great, they arrive early, stay late, don't slack on the job, and do whatever their boss tells them to do without complaint, a marked improvement!"

 

And, I dunno, it seemed that this whole, "stay in the moment, be present, let go of all desires, and what will come will come" sounds like a convenient way to control a population- if they get rewarded it's because of their non-action, and if they don't then they shouldn't worry about it because if they do it's attachment

 

 

Thoughts?

[Marblehead]

Hi Sloppy,

 

Yes. You have presented a paradox of the concept of 'wu wei'.

 

Can we say that the factory situation is 'wu wei' with intent and therefore not really 'wu wei' afterall?

 

But then, 'wu wei' is directly connected with the concept of mindfulness so even in the factory situation it is really is 'wu wei' afterall?

 

I think that in the factory situation we must consider the concept of control but I have no comments to it at the moment. But then, if everyone is doing what they should be doing is that really control or is it idealism actually working?

 

So many questions - so few answers.

 

Peace & Love!

[zanshin]

Did they really? I doubt the evaluating manager followed around individual workers. Managers mostly look at numbers and assume that productivity is connected to long hours. Maybe could start and stop times a little more flexibly- some came early some stayed late, they focused on doing their job til it was done or they took breaks when they were tired instead of doing sloppy work and arguing about stupid stuff-thus great productivity and harmonious environment.

[soaring crane]

"your workers are great, they arrive early, stay late, don't slack on the job, and do whatever their boss tells them to do without complaint, a marked improvement!"

 

I don't see what happy, content, relaxed employees have to do with mind control or enslavement. Were they being exploited or abused? Would it be better if they were all a bunch of pissy, unhappy, half-assed slackers who hate their job (which describes about 95% of the workforce today)? I guess the idea of "doing what the boss says without complaint" has become anathema to the American Spirit over the past few decades where everyone thinks he's a co-chief enjoying equal status with the bosses.

[Sloppy Zhang]

I don't see what happy, content, relaxed employees have to do with mind control or enslavement. Were they being exploited or abused? Would it be better if they were all a bunch of pissy, unhappy, half-assed slackers who hate their job (which describes about 95% of the workforce today)? I guess the idea of "doing what the boss says without complaint" has become anathema to the American Spirit over the past few decades where everyone thinks he's a co-chief enjoying equal status with the bosses.

 

All I'm saying is that I was shocked at how "convenient" it was for the employers to have workers who were happy doing what they were doing, and how they are more productive because of meditation/qigong.

 

Obviously there are a lot of different ways to look at the situation.

 

If they are happy, then does it matter? If someone is happy does it make a difference if they are a minimum wage day laborer doing heavy factory lifting, or if they are a CEO? Plenty of happy and sad people on both sides of the fence.

 

It's just incredibly convenient that even if you tell a guy to do a tough or crappy job, and he's "content" (or is at least trying to cultivate a sense of internal contentment, rather than looking externally), they won't complain, question why they are there, and they will instead dutifully carry out the task in the moment, trusting that the "Tao" (boss?) will provide them an opportunity if they just carefully observe the timing, and move without effort.

 

I'm not saying we should all start complaining, and I'm not saying that you should stop doing what you are told. Every successful operation requires a team of people doing work- if you have too many chiefs and not enough Indians, you won't win the battle, or if you have too many captains and not enough sailors you aren't going anywhere.

 

It's just, you know, convenient for the one or two chiefs/captains to be all like, "don't complain, make peace with what you have, find inner stillness and content, and have patience for the Tao to take its course, whatever needs to happen will happen, if it comes down in your favor, more power to you, if it doesn't, then it wasn't meant to be"