It’s been months since I’ve been to my Tai Chi class, and I’m starting to feel itchy about it. So even though I’ve been doing my Tai Chi Chuan at home, it’s not the same as doing it in a group. One of the things I’ve done to console myself is to go back to re-read the Chinese classic Tao Te Ching.
On another note, as I’m approaching my 10th Toastmasters speech, to complete my Competent Communicator, the first manual. I’ve decided to start with a quote from Bruce Lee, which he repeated in the famous Lost Interview with Pierre Burton. However, watching the entire interview, I came across a reference to Tai Chi Chuan. Pierre Burton asks him to explain all the fancy moves he sees people doing on the rooftops of buildings. Bruce goes into an explanation of Tai Chi Chuan and the philosophy behind it. And this quote from Bruce just struck me as applicable to relationships as well, “I mean to them the idea is ‘running water never grows stale.’ so you’ve got to just ‘keep on flowing.'”
When you realise a relationship has run its course, it’s very likely because you’ve stopped flowing. When things become too predictable, when you become bored or tired all the time. The passion you may have had and the physical attraction die down. Now, of course, you can resurrect it with some effort. But you’re missing the point. The whole idea behind Taoism is effortlessness. Many people seem to think of an end goal to relationships being marriage. I believe this is a fundamentally flawed presupposition. And therefore, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Again, most self-help books on relationships will persuade that relationships or marriage is hard work. It shouldn’t be hard work, it should just flow.
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