One day a six-year-old friend said to me, "Pretend you are surrounded by a thousand hungry tigers. What would you do?" I visualized the situation as he had suggested and, coming up with no viable plan of action, said, "Wow, I don't know. What would you do?" And he replied, "I'd stop pretending."

 What does it mean to "dwell in wu-wei" and "decrease day after day?" In a society where "more" and "bigger" are better, the path of wu-wei seems as far as the edges of a receding universe. However, as more people begin to realize that material wealth and social life cannot satisfy spiritual needs, the teachings of wu-wei are especially pertinent for those who are experiencing a spiritual awakening.