The Point is to Not Resist

The parable goes like this: Someone is caught in a strong river current. At first, they panics and struggle desperately to swim against it, fearing where it might take them. They thrash and fight, exhausting themselves, swallowing water, nearly drowning.

Then, they hear a voice, or remember a teaching, telling them to stop resisting.
"Go with the river," it says. "Trust it."

So, they stop struggling and lets the current carry them. At first, it’s terrifying to let go. But soon they finds that by relaxing and letting the river take them, they stay afloat. They can steer gently with small movements, avoid rocks, and conserve energy. Eventually, the river slows and deposits them safely on a calm shore.

This story is used to illustrate the principle of non-resistance. In Taoism, it is called wu wei - effortless action, moving in harmony with what is. In Buddhism, it relates to letting go of clinging and control, letting go of resistance.

It doesn’t mean passivity or giving up on steering your life, but rather recognizing when to stop fighting forces beyond our control, to trust, and to meet the moment as it is, not as you wish it were.

Basically, you go up when you're supposed to go up and down when you're supposed to go down. When you're supposed to go up, find the highest tower and climb to the top. When you're supposed to go down, find the deepest well and go down to the bottom. When there's no flow, stay still. If you resist the flow, it’s painful - it’s tiring and exhausting.

We don’t need to hold so tightly. Anything that feels forced, harder that it should be, or causes pain or distress - we don’t have to hold onto it. Letting go is a power that brings more peace and serenity than being stuck in a situation that makes your heart wound up and heavy.

There is power in letting go. In not resisting. That is to say, there is peace in letting go.

Imagine it… you wake up in the morning (god willing) with a feeling of no resistance and flow. You’ve let go. No grasping, no hanging on, no controlling. You let go. The Taoist sage Zhuang Zhou says, “when clothes fit well you are not aware of them.” When your pants fit properly, they just flow. In the same way, you let go, you stop getting in your own way. You know when something doesn’t fit right.

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