The Tao and the Hidden Architecture of Life
Have you ever noticed moments in life when things seem strangely connected? It’s not always dramatic like we see in the movies, but they often exist in subtle patterns that are easily overlooked if careful attention isn’t applied or if we move too quickly. Sometimes a having a conversation with someone that gives us the kind of guidance we need specifically at a difficult point in our life. Or sometimes we lose people unexpectedly and while we grieve, that passing also redirects us toward growth in another area. Or sometimes we see things over and over again like it is baiting us in order to stop us just long enough to stop and investigate. In situations like these, I think life feels less and less like a set of random experiences. It starts to feel like there is a pattern of moments and feelings occurring just below the surface that we can’t often articulate into words.
Depending on what day you ask me or what mood I’m in, I usually stand on the premise that life is just a set of chaotic events. Once event fuels one thing which, in turn, fuels hundreds of other things. There is little order or the order of things that actually cause change are so granular that our normal perceptions wouldn’t even pick them up. But if you’re asking me today, I would like to introduce the principle of the Tao from the Taoist philosophy. The Tao is routinely translated as “the way.” Now you, like I did originally, think that “the way” is like a map or a compass showing you which way to head. But here the Tao is not simply a road. It recognizes the underlying flow and order of existence. It’s an unseen movement that lives beneath the visible life. It is a hidden design that holds things together especially the parts that we cannot fully understand.
What I have gathered from the philosophy of the Tao is that it can be of a very subjective nature in that it can be found on someone’s own timing and terms but at the same time, it refers to a rhythm or a deeper order that exists in life. Given this, it’s not uncommon to reflect on the idea humans tend to want concrete answers and rules and things that we can see and make sense of. But honestly, we all struggle with that, not realizing that while we feel we may be limited in what we can do, the world may not operate with those same limitations. Let’s be even more honest – we want certainty. We want immediate answers with immediate explanations. We want guarantees that things will make sense and we instinctually try to force understanding onto life. What we fail to realize is that when we do so, we demand answers from moments and experiences that have not yet finished blooming.
This is why I felt the Tao so important in the Kind Rebirths space. It reminds us that not everything is meant to be revealed all at once or on our timelines. Some of the things that we need to learn, the experience, is often rolled out slowly and our understanding is gathered through our participation in life itself. In Kind Rebirths, we speak to awareness, recognition, and mindful clarity in real time. Connection to the Tao increases our conversation because it welcomes us to stop treating life like a game to win or battle to conquer. Rather, life exists as something we should learn to move with. Important note, however. We move through it with purpose, not blindly or passively, but with mindful attention.
Life in the modern world conditions us to believe that wisdom is the same as being in control. Because our goal should be to connect with ourselves, connect with others, and connect with the present moment mindfully, we have to learn to separate ourselves from the idea that we need to predict and dominate. We need to consider separating ourselves from the necessity to optimize and master all things and outcomes.
The Tao suggests something else. It suggests loosening the grip we have on life in order to find connection with it. It suggests that order may already exist, albeit unseen, that does not require force from us. Awareness of this possibility can help us notice patterns and in-grained beliefs that we overlook. In the race to clarity, attentiveness overcomes domination.
In my mind, this is why certain moments feel like a rebirth. It’s not because life suddenly loses all the conflict and hardships we face. Nothing becomes perfect. But at least for a second we have stopped resisting long enough to see what was truly already there. And that underlying rhythm is already in place and much of our angst arises from fighting it in order to place it under our will. That hidden structure was always present, but we have been operating on autopilot moving too fast to notice it. So consider letting your rebirth be that return to mindfulness that you need in order to see it.
Stay Mindful.
Rebirth.
