Think about how chaotic life can be. When we are born, we mark the moment with the baby’s first cry – a howl with powerful emotions convulsing the whole body, a loud protest against the forced entry into this world.
It doesn’t necessarily get easier after that. As kids, we compete with other kids. Sometimes we fight them. When we grow up, things look a bit different, but the strife remains the same. We still compete against others. We jump into the rat race, trying hard to move ahead, get through the day, and make ends meet. There’s so much happening all at once, it is as if we are caught in a storm.
Where is the Tao in such a life? The Tao is the innermost core of existence; it resides at the center of everything. In a world of constant change, the Tao is the eternal, unchanging principle. In a storm where we are lashed by winds and drenched by rain, the Tao is the eye of the storm.
The human being is a microcosm of the world, so sometimes we can find ourselves going through an emotional storm within. Those who do not know the Tao may find themselves at the mercy of this inner turmoil as it threatens to rage out of control. Those who understand the Tao will center themselves… and move into the eye of the storm at the innermost core of the soul.
We find peace, quiet, and calmness in the eye. It seems completely unlike the chaos of the storm, and yet without it the chaos cannot exist. It is a sort of stillness, but not the stillness of stagnation. Along with its peaceful tranquility, we can sense a palpable power, barely contained. After all, it is the central nexus that drives and orchestrates the myriad actions and movements that circulate endlessly around it. The eye is the silent source of infinite energy.
It is, in short, the Tao.
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