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Being Useful

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Being Useful

Chris Wong
Mar 1, 2023
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Being Useful

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"冇用."  I still remember hearing those words when I missed a spot vacuuming or didn't pick up all the nails or some other chore wasn't done perfectly. 冇 is a negation and 用 means "use."  冇用 means "no use" - useless.  

Since I was small, the worst feeling I could have is feeling useless.  

On a deep level, I feel everything needs to have a point and everything I do can be improved.  I subconsciously want to fix things, to be productive.  To not waste time or effort.

What if I just enjoyed life?  What if I just do things for the sake of them?  What if I stop judging and start doing?

In my life committing to being useful, I never asked the question, useful to who?

Usefulness is subjective, so you might as well do something you enjoy.

Zhuangzi places the notions of freedom and play in opposition to usefulness – and thereby suggest what a life spent wandering with the Dao might look like, a life not guided by the static categories of usefulness and uselessness.

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Being Useful

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