Previous: Chapter 27: To Choose and Not to Choose
Honoring the power of action brings me great mastery, but sometimes greater mastery comes from not taking action.
After Roark received his first commissions, his stream of clients dried up. Strangely, he did nothing. He went to his office every day and sat in silence and inactivity. Did he know that he had to wait patiently for the time when he could succeed?
There is a time for action and a time for inaction. Many things cannot be achieved directly. Can I directly achieve happiness, enlightenment, dignity, beauty? No. These are things that must be built slowly, over time. I can approach them only from the side, not head on. In the Tao Te Ching, this is called action through non-action.
Next: Chapter 29: To Feel and Not to Feel