Taoism would claim that a private purpose is going against nature, thus was called Wei. On the contrary, if one follows nature like water, just like the man in the story at the beginning, it would be claimed as Wu Wei. Additionally, Wu Wei can be translated as trying not to try. Although one shall not try to tell what Chuang Tzu’s theory (as Tao cannot tell), here I would view this as a Oneness concept.
Chuang Tzu concluded that each person lives in co-exist world, that means all human are bond to the infinite universe. From Chuang Tzu’s lens, the world is connected internally, just like William Blake wrote: To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour. Chuang Tzu did not try to solve the conflicts, but undoing conflicts themselves.
Taoism suspects the reliability of language, instead of building language or concept, Chuang Tzu believed that language is constructed. He even questioned the reality, as he wrote in his Butterfly dream?am I dreaming the butterfly, or is it the butterfly dreaming me? Hence, he accepted the world as it is, but against the rational dimension towards the world.
One of the major differences between Chuang Tzu and Confucius would be the way to individualization. Confucius persuaded people to learn and try hard; Chuang Tzu suggested giving up learning but focusing on sensible skills. Kung Fu is a concept that combined psychical and spiritual practice, not as Kung Fu movies, it refers merge oneself into long term practice, and by capture that unspeakable essence, one can have Kung Fu towards skills and life.
Individualization is not a result but a process, Chuang Tzu inspired us to view it as an ever-changing journey, and each individual is different, there is no standard that shall bound or label a person, one shall seek Tao inside rather than searching outside. For pain and sorrow, Chuang Tzu enlightened that is just a temporary process, even death was seen as days turning into nights. Be free is free from trying. It influences Chinese descendants to view self-in-movement and to simplify the desire and being in the moment.
Chuang Tzu’s idea seems to be more negative than Confucius. However, those promotions might be difficult to understand but can be realistic to operate. For Confucius created a high standard of being a person, Chuang Tzu never intended to teach or to moralize people, but encouraged one to search for their own understanding of life.
