Taoist Butcher and Life Path 🔪

I’ve been thinking about “The Dextrous Butcher,” a Taoist parable from Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou. In this story, a butcher invites us into his devotion to the Way that allows him to use the same knife for nineteen years without sharpening. His attunement to the ox-carcass is the kind of relationship I aim for with life. Personally, as an organization, and a relatefulness practice ecosystem. And his awareness of the emptiness of his blade is the relationship I cultivate with myself.

I liken the knife to each person’s unique personality, and butchering the ox to carving out a unique life path. With our careers or love lives or whatever, we “listen” to where things flow, allowing spirit to move into the-space-between instead of trying to force what we want. There are tough joints where staying relateful means “slow down, watch closely, hold back, barely moving the blade [of my life action]”. This is not an excuse to refrain from action. The butcher has masterfully slaughtered thousands of bulls. I think it means hard work that feels joyous. Like parenting, or playing a sport you love.

With love, Jordan