Spontaneity: Better To Live Spontaneously

To a large extent it is better to live spontaneously. Mencius and Daoist have different interpretations on spontaneity. Mencius emphasizes on expanding humans’ innate good nature, which leads to spontaneous moral cultivation. On the other hand, Daoist spontaneity is emptying ourselves and follow the nature of the outside world without human interference. In this essay, I will first describe the concept of spontaneity in both Mencian and Daoist views, and then I will argue that it is better to live spontaneously, in terms of psychological wellbeing and quality of decision in life.

From Mencian view, human nature (xing) is inherently good. Mencius 6A/2 states that humans’ good nature is like water’s nature to flow down, even if we do bad things,

Living spontaneously is good for our life because it can make us happier. Spontaneity can reduce the stress of making decisions. If we do not follow the nature dao, we have to think a lot in making decisions, which increases the stress as we have to deliberately think about everything in our life, bringing unnecessary annoyance to ourselves. If we can follow the concept of wu-wei, we can act naturally, without the interference of our desire, and we can free ourselves from doubt. In ZZ Book 1, Zhuangzi says if the tree can be planted in a field of wild grass, the tree can be free and easy by wu-wei. The tree in ZZ Book 1 illustrates a status of doing nothing (wu-wei) and by doing this, it follows the nature, and there is no need for deliberate thinking, and hence it is free from stress in making deliberate

I argue that living spontaneously is not pessimistic. In Mencian view on moral cultivation, it is optimistic that human nature is good, and everyone can be as virtuous as sages. Mencius 6A/7 states that we are the same kind as sages, the only difference is that the sages have already got what the heart is approved of. Mencius 6A/6 and 7A/3 also states that we can get it (morality) if we seek it. Mencius 7A/3 and 7B/24 explicitly argue that morality is natural to us, hence we should treat it as fate, which we cannot control. Hence, in Mencius view, being spontaneous is surely not pessimistic or