Let the Thunder Rumble: Natural Movement with Thoreau and Chuang Tzu

Alan Watts once called change a synonym for life. For if something does not change anymore, does not move anymore, it is dead. Movement is life. Nothing stays in one place forever, as Heraclitus put it, "everything flows". The nature of reality seems to be dynamic rather than static. Everything moves, grows, is in decay, wins, loses, inhales and exhales. It is an up and down that is often hard to accept. Almost by design we as humans seem to want things to be permanent. We want to keep things the way they are. Change provokes insecurity and monotony in change presents us with familiarity. These, however seem to be unrealistic expectations. Reality doesn't work that way*. Taking a look at it usually confirms this: The movements of waves, tides, birth and death all point towards an impermanent reality. It may be argued that all of this is part of a huge cycle of coming and going, yet it is evident that most things do not last, at least not in the form in which they are perceived at the moment. 

*I could insert a "seems to" into pretty much every one of these statements, for making positive statements about the nature of reality seems to (there you go) be rather impossible in my opinion (at least for me). I will however refrain from overusing that expression. Be aware of it though. 

In Buddhism one of the main reasons for Dukkha, suffering, is not accepting the ever-changing nature of the world. And how could we? Whenever we come across something we like or even love, we want to make it last which seems quite understandable. Yet just like the little girl who squeezes her new bunny-rabbit to death with love*, we may reduce the 'aliveness' of our own lives by trying to hold everything in place. Further, resistance is futile. All of this doesn't sound too good, does it? Well, if trying to make something impermanent permanent and ever-lasting is going against 'it', nature maybe, there should also be a possibility of going with it, at least to an extent. Also, do we really want things to stay the same, even pleasurable ones, or does it only seem that way? 

*Paraphrasing Alan Watts here

Being in accordance with nature is a big topic in early Taoist writings. Chuang Tzu is regarded as one of the founders of Taoism and in The Book of Chuang Tzu multiple anecdotes surrounding this topic can be found. Also, Henry David Thoreau, e.g. in his book Walden, depicts a peculiar attitude towards life which can be very much connected to Taoist ideas found in the book of Chuang Tzu. These two shall be our guides now, as we look to understand or at least get a glimpse of this idea of living in accordance with nature.

Henry David Thoreau

"Sometimes I rambled to pine groves, standing like temples, or like fleets at sea, full rigged, with wavy boughs, and rippling with light, so soft and green and shady that the Druids would have forsaken their oaks to worship in them;. . ." - (Thoreau in Walden)

In Walden, Thoreau describes how he spent his time living in the woods by himself near Walden Pond. As the quote above indicates, nature for him was something sacred and things like getting up with the dawn to bath in the pond were considered religious exercises. When the day begun he begun his day. Living literally in and with nature Thoreau seems to be the man to ask in this regard. "Grow wild according to thy nature.", he says. Uninhibited by the tendency towards monotony, grow wild, untamed and ever-changing, according to your nature. Just like the trees in the wild change with the seasons, we as part of all this change naturally as well.

Walden Pond

Now, this does not mean that you have to go live in the woods or worship trees, unless you want to, of course.. Through living that close to nature however, one - if paying attention - will be confronted with growth and decay each and every day. Seeing that clearly all the time might lead to a better understanding of ourselves as part of the whole cycle. It can remind us of not being too rigid all the time because resistance in the end is often futile and only costs us energy. Enter Chuang Tzu.

Chuang Tzu (and also, a frog)

Entering the forest he moves not the grass, entering the water he makes not a ripple.* By being in accord with the surroundings and following the innate nature one acts adequately in any given situation (or at least in some). This is not something that can be taught with words, or achieved by thinking about it. It rather has to be experienced. Instead of thinking up a rigid plan, you roll with whatever life throws at you. Just like in combat sports, you need to adapt to whatever comes next because you cannot know what it will be. A kick or a punch, or something completely different. Accepting the changing nature of everything may be the key. Chuang Tzu tells the story of a drunk falling out of a carriage. Because he is completely relaxed and unaware of the danger he is in, he (which means the whole organism including the body) naturally acts accordingly to the conditions and does not die. Would he have been sober he might have been scared and would have been all tense, resulting in way worse injury.

*This is technically a Zen saying, yet as Zen Buddhism is influenced by both Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism, this fits here as well.

Coming back to Thoreau, in the above mentioned quote he goes on to say: "Let the thunder rumble." Here this means let go of trying to make the world conform to your plans and wishes (all the time) and react to what comes towards you. Let go. Let it rumble. Natural movement therefore is constantly adapting, going along with nature which is ever-changing. John Kavanagh, head-coach of SBGi and coach to the likes of Conor McGregor, has referred to the idea of higher consciousness through martial arts. Martial Arts can be a great way of expressing afore mentioned ideas, as you have to constantly adapt in order to survive. Further, Martial Arts aren't the only way to walk this path. It can be expressed in everything, the way you walk, talk etc. Therefore I humbly propose: Higher consciousness through movement. Moving with it. However, to be able to move freely along with things, without clinging to anything, a certain amount of strength seems to be necessary. Both mental power and physical strength. With mental power I do not mean discipline, but rather what echoes in Nietzsche saying: "I'm not human, I'm dynamite!" Further yet, Conor McGregor - in the Fightland Title Shots-video - goes on to say that he is not even a Mixed Martial Artist, but a Master of Movement. Putting it all together: Roam free and move naturally.