Lao-tzu, the mythical Taoist sage, seemed like a dim legend. He arrived in those tales fully formed—a laughing mystic, with no particular details on how he got to where he was. Like the Dude in the Coen brothers’ film The Big Lebowski, Lao-tzu just abides. Timeless. Steeped in the Way. Any suffering in this world is merely a lack of alignment to the Tao. All grace comes from surrender to It. As much as I still find Taoism indispensable while chasing flow in the mountains and oceans, I found it less helpful as a guide through the nitty-gritty of my own confused life on the flats.
