The power of no desire

Reading chapter 37 of the Tao te Ching

“The way never acts yet nothing is left undone. Should lords and princes be able to hold fast to it, the myriad creatures will be transformed of their own accord. After they are transformed, should desire raise its head, I shall press it down with the weight of the nameless uncarved block. The nameless uncarved block is but freedom from desire, and if I cease to desire and remain still, the empire will be at peace of its own accord.”

If one follows the Tao, desires, identity, goals, and desires will dissolve. That is great on the road to inner peace. Desires create anxiety and dissatisfaction. But the thing is that if these things dissolve, there is also no motivation anymore. Why should anyone do anything if they are at peace because they have let go of building identity, striving, and having goals? If there is nothing you want to achieve, there is also no reason to do anything anymore right?

In chapter 37, it reads “The way never acts yet nothing is left undone.”. Desire is named as something that is against the way. Desire pushes us to act. Living according to the Tao means living without desire. Outside the Tao, action requires desire. If you want something then you have to do something. But the Tao operates without desire. And it even states in this chapter that if desire arises, it needs to be pressed down with a focus back to nothingness, emptiness, stillness: “After they are transformed, should desire raise its head, I shall press it down with the weight of the nameless uncarved block.”

Things still get done in the Tao. So there must be a different source of action. The famous idea of wu wei means effortless action. If you live according to the Tao, you still act and things still get done. So one needs to shift to another source for action that is not about identity, goals, desires. Once these things are gone, another source opens up. That source is presence, flow, and alignment to the moment. Effortless engagement means being engaged but to without the need to succeed. Being fully present in the moment means allowing life to express itself through you instead of the ego expressing itself through life. Motivation from desire actually stands in the way of being fully present in the moment. If one is busy with one’s own desires and desires, one cannot listen and observe without agenda.

If desire is gone, actions will find their source in being present in the sense of presence, in the flow, and the alignment with the moment.

• The mind becomes more open and curiosity arises spontaneously. You might find yourself drawn to explore, create, or engage with the world simply because it feels natural or interesting, rather than because you’re chasing an outcome.
• When identity and outcome are no longer dominating your behavior, you might find yourself acting from a place of play or creative expression. The action becomes its own reward, not a means to an end.
• A deep sense of connection with others and the world can emerge when the self-centered framework dissolves. Actions motivated by care, love, and compassion can arise naturally without needing to be tied to a personal goal or sense of identity.
• When there’s no attachment to outcomes or ego, action can become more spontaneous and responsive to what the moment calls for. You’re not acting because you want something; you’re acting because the moment invites it — like a dance with reality rather than a struggle against it.
• There’s a kind of effortless engagement that can come from simply participating in life without the pressure of success or failure. Joy arises not from achieving but from being fully present with what you’re doing.

So, motivation shifts from being about getting somewhere or becoming someone to simply participating in the unfolding of life as it is.

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