Returning Home
In Taoist thought, the concept of “going home” is more than a physical journey—it is a return to one’s nature, a movement toward harmony. “The journey of a thousand miles,” which begins beneath one’s feet, (whether to a physical home or an inner state of balance), is rooted in the present moment.
To go home is to return to simplicity, shedding the unnecessary burdens that distance us from our true selves. The Taoist sage embraces the way of nature, moving like water—without resistance, without force. Home is not merely a place but a state of being where one aligns with the rhythms of existence.
Taoism teaches that return does not imply possession or nostalgia. To return home is not to grasp at the past but to flow effortlessly with the changes life presents. Return can be natural, inevitable, and embraced without resistance.
Effortless action is central to Taoist thought on returning. One does not force the journey home; rather, one allows it to unfold naturally. In the same way that a bird does not struggle against the wind but moves with it, the Taoist way of return is one of surrender—trusting that the path home is already within us. True return is the dissolution of the ego’s grasp, the release of the need to control. The sage does not cling to the idea of home but lives as one who is always at home in the present moment.
Thus, going home and returning, from a Taoist perspective, is not simply about place but about presence. It is about living in alignment with the Tao, embracing change, and allowing oneself to move effortlessly with the currents of life. Whether we travel great distances or remain in one place, true return is always to ourselves, to nature, and to the flow of the Tao.