Easy is Right
We live in a culture that rewards effort and glorifies struggle. “No pain, no gain,” a mantra most of us were taught from childhood. “Praise the effort, not the outcome,” as goes a prevailing parental wisdom for raising successful children.
Somewhere along the way, in our subconscious, effort became a measure of virtue. Easy, on the other hand, became equated with lazy, lack of ambition, or even moral weakness. We’re conditioned to grind, to strive, to choose the hard path as proof that we’re doing something worthwhile. The harder something is, the more meaningful it must be—or so we’re told.
But in my recent contemplations, a quiet phrase keeps returning: Easy is right.
My whole body relaxes when taking these words in, sensing a deeper truth within. The easy I speak of does not mean avoiding efforts. It signals alignment with our true nature.
It carries the spirit of Wu Wei, the Taoist principle of effortless action. Contrary to the literal translation of “non-doing,” Wu Wei doesn’t mean doing nothing. It points to a state of flow, where action arises naturally, without force.
Just like a leaf carried by a flowing stream—it does not move; it is moved. That is Wu Wei in its purest form: action in harmony with the Dao, the greater flow.
We human beings yearn for this kind of ease, this deep attunement with life. And yet, modern society teaches us to distrust it, as if following our nature is an indulgent luxury, or worse, a threat to our survival.
Such kind of cultural programming is subtle but runs deep. Phrases such as “Water flows downhill, but man must trek uphill” live in our bones. Rewiring them with “Easy is right” requires courage and conscious practice. To go against the mainstream and (re)program our children with this? It takes extraordinary audacity.
Easy is right doesn’t mean to avoid doing hard things. It is a reminder for us to take on responsibilities or challenges that are right for us. To align our actions with our inner knowing. To pause when we find ourselves forcing. To look for light from above when the path in front of us is dark. To experiment with letting go of resistance and allowing the life force within us to move us.
And to trust the Dao—not because it’s easy, but because it’s right.