Do Nothing: A Lenten Commitment Follow-Up

If you haven’t read the comment posted with my last blog entry, you should do so. I’m taking the good advice offered . . . sort of.

Instead of giving something up for the Lenten season, I am going to do nothing. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to do anything. . . I’m just going to focus on doing nothing.

There’s a Buddhist/Taoist practice, wu wei, that speaks of doing nothing, or acting with effortless, natural action. It's my plan to study this during the Lenten season and work (with least effort, and in the most natural way) to make this practice a part of my life.

Here’s a link to the Wikipedia page on wu wei,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_wei

for those who don't want to read so much, here's a brief definition without the historical background:

Wu wei (traditional Chinese: 無為; simplified Chinese: 无为; pinyin: wúwéi) is an important concept of Taoism (Daoism), that involves knowing when to act and when not to act. Another perspective to this is that "Wu Wei" means natural action - as planets revolve around the sun, they "do" this revolving, but without "doing" it; or as trees grow, they "do", but without "doing". Thus knowing when (and how) to act is not knowledge in the sense that one would think "now" is the right time to do "this", but rather just doing it, doing the natural thing.

Wu may be translated as not have or without; Wei may be translated as do, act, serve as, govern or effort. The literal meaning of Wu Wei is "without action" and is often included in the paradox wei wu wei: "action without action" or "effortless doing". The practice of wu wei and the efficacy of wei wu wei are fundamental tenets in Chinese thought and have been mostly emphasized by the Taoist school. The aim of wu wei is to achieve a state of perfect equilibrium, or alignment with the Tao, and, as a result, obtain an irresistible form of "soft and invisible" power.

There is another less commonly referenced sense of wu wei; "action that does not involve struggle or excessive effort". In this instance, Wu means "without" and Wei means "effort". The concept of "effortless action" is a part of Taoist Internal martial arts such as Tai chi, Baguazhang and Xing Yi.

In Zen Calligraphy, Wu Wei has been represented as a circle.

Sorry to those who were excited about my giving up judgment. Maybe next year - or after some particularly inspirational reading or church service. It’s good to have something to strive for.

Now Taking Lenten Sacrifice Suggestions

Two years ago I gave up worry for lent. Yup, worry.

I made that decision when:
I was on my own for the first time,
my dad was declining w/ Alzheimer disease (therefore his level of care and the cost of his care was on an incline and
despite my fear of numbers I was doing his finances),
my dog was having leg surgery,
I was dating for the first time in years,
and I decided to give up worry!

It was absolutely life changing and for the most part, it has stuck. It takes several weeks to form a habit – and lent proved to be long enough. I have to admit that I read a LOT of Buddhist works (Thich Nhat Hanh and Pema Chodron were on speed dial) and more than a few bible passages to get there, and there have been plenty of mini-setbacks, but it is truly freeing to accept what is, live in the moment, and not utterly freak out about the future.

So. . .that was so successful that I tried to give up judgment last year.

I’m not that judgmental, in fact, I’m rather easy going. It seemed like a doable task. A few of my co-workers could give you the exact timing . . . I think it lasted about two hours. I’m not sure why those little judgmental thoughts keep creeping in. They just do. So. . . giving up judgment is still on the table as an option. I’ve given other Lenten sacrifice options below, and I’d like to hear what you’d suggest for a meaningful, challenging, sacrifice.

Some possible, yet unoriginal, ideas:
1) Taking the train three days a week (declared that as a New Year’s Resolution and haven't exactly - or not at all - followed through)
2) Healthy eating (did I mention unoriginal?)
3) Giving up chocolate (working on this one by not constantly raiding the candy drawer at work – a successful resolution). Isn’t this on a list handed out to kids at catechism?

. . . . see . . . I need suggestions!

So. . . feel free to throw your ideas in the ring.

Unless something amazing comes up, lent 2009 will be a judgment-free time in my life.

update on Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

Consumer Product Safety Commission Announces One-Year Stay on Implementation of Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
January 30th, 2009 | Category: Government Information, OGR

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today released an announcement to the Federal Register staying implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) until February 10, 2010. Click here to read the announcement.

Libraries now have a little room to breathe, but this announcement is not an end to this problem. Since we know children’s books are safe, libraries are still asking to be exempt from regulation under this law.

While the CPSC and Congress continue to toss the burden of responsibility back and forth, libraries are caught in the middle. ALA will continue to work with members of Congress and the CPSC to ensure that a year from now, this matter is resolved once and for all, and America’s libraries remain open and welcoming to children.

Emily Sheketoff, Executive Director
ALA Washington Office