Anna Hull (Upper Sixth, IB)

As part of my IB Philosophy course I have been studying the Tao Te Ching, a classic Chinese text. It’s completely different to the philosophical writing that I've previously encountered as it's written entirely in verse, which has made it both challenging and interesting to study.

I was recently given the task of writing a verse in the style of the Tao Te Ching to explain Wu-wei, one of the key ideas in the text. It can be roughly translated as “non-action”, although this doesn’t mean being passive or lazy – instead, it signifies that we should act spontaneously and naturally. Rather than constantly moving on to the next thing to do, or contemplating what we could have done differently in the past, we should find inner stillness and accept our current circumstances.

This seems like a particularly relevant message during this difficult and uncertain time, and I think we would all benefit from taking a step back and appreciating the present moment rather than worrying about what’s to come.

I hope you enjoy reading my verse HERE.