12/20/2014

A Meditation on the Art of Not Trying - NYTimes.com

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SCIENCE

A Meditation on the Art of Not Trying

DEC. 15, 2014

Findings
By JOHN TIERNEY

Justbeyourself.
Theadviceisasmaddeningasitisinescapable.Itsthedefault
prescriptionforanytensesituation:ablinddate,aspeech,ajobinterview,
thefirstdinnerwiththepotentialinlaws.Relax.Actnatural.Justbe
yourself.
Butwhenyourenervous,howcanyoubeyourself?Howyoucanforce
yourselftorelax?Howcanyoutrynottotry?
Itmakesnosense,buttheparadoxisessentialtocivilization,according
toEdwardSlingerland.Hehasdeveloped,quitedeliberately,atheoryof
spontaneitybasedonmillenniumsofAsianphilosophyanddecadesof
researchbypsychologistsandneuroscientists.
Hecallsittheparadoxofwuwei,theChinesetermforeffortless
action.Pronouncedoooway,ithassimilaritiestotheconceptofflow,
thatstateofeffortlessperformancesoughtbyathletes,butitappliestoalot
morethansports.Wuweiisintegraltoromance,religion,politicsand
commerce.Itswhysomeleadershavecharismaandwhybusiness
executivesinsistonadrunkendinnerbeforesealingadeal.
Dr.Slingerland,aprofessorofAsianstudiesattheUniversityofBritish
Columbia,arguesthatthequestforwuweihasbeengoingoneversince
humansbeganlivingingroupslargerthanhuntergatheringclans.Unable
torelyonthebondsofkinship,thefirsturbansettlementssurvivedby
developingsharedvalues,typicallythroughreligion,thatenabledpeopleto

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trustoneanothersvirtueandtocooperateforthecommongood.
Buttherewasalwaysthedangerthatsomeonewasfakingitandwould
makeaperfectlyrationaldecisiontoputhisowninterestfirstifhehada
chancetoshirkhisduty.Tobetrusted,itwasntenoughjusttobea
sensible,lawabidingcitizen,anditwasntevenenoughtodutifullystriveto
bevirtuous.Youhadtodemonstratethatyourvirtuewassointrinsicthatit
cametoyoueffortlessly.
Hencethepreoccupationwithwuwei,whoseancientsignificancehas
becomeclearertoscholarssincethediscoveryin1993ofbamboostripsina
tombinthevillageofGuodianincentralChina.Thetextsonthebamboo,
composedmorethanthreecenturiesbeforeChrist,emphasizethat
followingrulesandfulfillingobligationsarenotenoughtomaintainsocial
order.
Thesetextstellaspiringpoliticiansthattheymusthaveaninstinctive
senseoftheirdutiestotheirsuperiors:Ifyoutrytobefilial,thisnottrue
filiality;ifyoutrytobeobedient,thisisnottrueobedience.Youcannottry,
butyoualsocannotnottry.
Thatparadoxhaskeptphilosophersandtheologiansbusyeversince,as
Dr.Slingerlanddeftlyexplainsinhisnewbook,TryingNottoTry:TheArt
andScienceofSpontaneity.OneschoolhasfavoredtheConfucian
approachtoeffortlessgrace,whichactuallyrequiresagreatdealofinitial
effort.
Throughwillpowerandtherigorousadherencetorules,traditionsand
rituals,theConfuciangentlemanwassupposedtolearnproperbehavior
sothoroughlythatitwouldeventuallybecomesecondnaturetohim.He
wouldbehavevirtuouslyandgracefullywithoutanyconsciouseffort,likean
oratorwhoknowshisspeechsowellthatitseemsextemporaneous.
Butisthatauthenticwuwei?Notaccordingtotherivalschoolof
TaoiststhatarosearoundthesametimeasConfucianism,inthefifth
centuryB.C.ItwasguidedbytheTaoTeChing,TheClassicoftheWayand
Virtue,whichtookadirectshotatConfucius:TheworstkindofVirtue
neverstopsstrivingforVirtue,andsoneverachievesVirtue.
Taoistsdidnotstrive.Insteadoffollowingtherigidtrainingandrituals
requiredbyConfucius,theysoughttoliberatethenaturalvirtuewithin.

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A Meditation on the Art of Not Trying - NYTimes.com

Theywentwiththeflow.Theydisdainedtraditionalmusicinfavorofa
funkiernewstylewithabeat.Theyemphasizedpersonalmeditationinstead
offormalscholarship.
Rejectingmaterialisticambitionsandthetechnologyoftheirage,they
fledtothecountrysideandpracticedaprimitiveformofagriculture,pulling
theplowthemselvesinsteadofusingoxen.Dr.Slingerlandcallsthemthe
originalhippies,droppingout,turningon,andstickinittotheManmore
than2,000yearsbeforetheinventionoftiedyeandtheGratefulDead.
VariationsofthisdebatewouldtakeplaceamongZenBuddhist,Hindu
andChristianphilosophers,andcontinuetodayamongpsychologistsand
neuroscientistsarguinghowmuchofmoralityandbehaviorisguidedby
rationalchoicesorbyunconsciousfeelings.
PsychologicalsciencesuggeststhattheancientChinesephilosophers
weregenuinelyontosomething,saysJonathanSchooler,apsychologistat
theUniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbara.Particularlywhenonehas
developedproficiencyinanarea,itisoftenbettertosimplygowiththe
flow.Paralysisthroughanalysisandoverthinkingareveryrealpitfallsthat
theartofwuweiwasdesignedtoavoid.
Howeverwuweiisattained,theresnodebateaboutthecharismatic
effectitcreates.Itconveysanauthenticitythatmakesyouattractive,
whetheryoureaddressingacrowdortalkingtooneperson.Thewayto
impresssomeoneonafirstdateistonotseemtoodesperatetoimpress.
Somepeople,likepoliticiansandsalespeople,cangetprettygoodat
fakingspontaneity,butwereconstantlylookingforwaystoexposethem.
Weputpresidentialcandidatesthroughmarathoncampaignslookingfor
thatonespontaneousmomentthatrevealstheirtruecharacter.
Beforesigningabigdeal,businesspeopleofteninsistongettingto
knowpotentialpartnersataboozymealbecausealcoholmakesitdifficult
tofakefeelings.Neuroscientistshaveachievedthesameeffectinbrain
scannersbyapplyingmagneticfieldsthatsuppresscognitivecontrolability
andinthiswaymakeitharderforpeopletotellconvincinglies.
Gettingdrunkisessentiallyanactofmentaldisarmament,Dr.
Slingerlandwrites.Inthesamewaythatshakingrighthandswith
someoneassuresthemthatyourenotholdingaweapon,downingafew

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A Meditation on the Art of Not Trying - NYTimes.com

tequilashotsislikecheckingyourprefrontalcortexatthedoor.See?No
cognitivecontrol.Youcantrustme.
Butifgettingdrunkisnotanoption,whatsthebeststrategyforwu
weitryingornottrying?Dr.Slingerlandrecommendsacombination.
Consciouseffortisnecessarytolearnaskill,andtheConfucianemphasis
onfollowingritualsisinaccordwithpsychologicalresearchshowingwe
havealimitedamountofwillpower.Trainingyourselftofollowrules
automaticallycanbeliberating,becauseitconservescognitiveenergyfor
othertasks.
Buttryingcanbecomecounterproductive,astheTaoistsrecognized
andpsychologistshavedemonstratedinanexperimentwithapendulum.
Whensomeoneholdingthependulumwasinstructedtokeepitfrom
moving,theeffortcausedittomoveevenmore.
Ourcultureisverygoodatpushingpeopletoworkhardoracquire
particulartechnicalskills,Dr.Slingerlandsays.Butinmanydomains
actualsuccessrequirestheabilitytotranscendourtrainingandrelax
completelyintowhatwearedoing,orsimplyforgetourselvesasagents.
HelikesthecompromiseapproachofMencius,aChinesephilosopher
inthefourthcenturyB.C.whocombinedtheConfucianandTaoist
approaches:Try,butnottoohard.Menciustoldaparableaboutagrain
farmerwhoreturnedoneeveningexhaustedfromhislabors.
Ivebeenoutinthefieldshelpingthesproutsgrow,heexplained,
whereuponhisworriedsonsrushedouttoseetheresults.Theyfounda
bunchofshriveledsproutsthathedyankedtodeath.
ThesproutswereMenciusconceptionofwuwei:Somethingnatural
thatrequiresgentlecultivation.Youplanttheseedsandwaterthesprouts,
butatsomepointyouneedtoletnaturetakeitscourse.Justletthesprouts
bethemselves.
A version of this article appears in print on December 16, 2014, on page D8 of the New York
edition with the headline: A Meditation on the Art of Not Trying.

2014 The New York Times Company

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