Real Life Tao - Every Act?

Trey Smith

In yesterday morning's installment of the Real Life Tao series, I wrote, "There really are no throwaway actions in this life for EVERY act produces a ripple." Sounds rather profound, doesn't it? But it does beg the question: Do you mean every single act?

It is a fair question. A lot of the things we do each day seem inconsequential -- like deciding which brand of cereal to eat for breakfast or which pair of pants to put on. While I'm typing this, my nose started itching and so, in the privacy of my own home, I picked my nose. How on earth could that innocuous act cause a ripple of any import?

My answer to that is that some of the ripples created don't lead to anything dramatic. Some of the ripples don't travel that far. In the case of picking my nose, that act has led to my nose not itching and, because my nose doesn't itch, I am less distracted. Being less distracted, I feel better about myself. When a person feels better about themselves, they are more apt to be productive.

You see, even the most mundane act leads somewhere. The amalgamation of mundane acts shapes the person you and I become. Our actions are like threads or strands in a spider's web. Viewed in isolation, many of these threads or strands may seem unimportant, but when woven together, those "insignificant" seeming threads or strands become the web itself. Remove one and you lessen the integrity of the whole.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.