Mistaking Laziness for Surrender
When we examine yin and yang energies, we tend to think of yang as the one that acts, while yin is the one that remains still, simply letting go and going with the flow. Here, I foresee the possibility of a risky perception stemming from the limitations of language.
Could it be that many of us are exhibiting behaviors under the guise of “surrender” that are not particularly functional within the workings of the universe?
“I’ve let it go, if it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t” or “I will use all my strength until I make it happen”: Both of these approaches actually demonstrate how much we separate the masculine and feminine from each other. We, with our rational minds, still believe that one is “other” than the other; however, we are talking about two distinct expressions of an inseparable whole. Mistaking the manifestation for the truth is one of humanity's greatest problems.
First of all, feminine/yin energy does not mean to let go, to give up everything, or to find excuses for not taking action; nor does surrender mean inaction. While passivity may sound like doing nothing and seem easy, we know that’s not how things work. We aren’t listening, we aren’t observing; in fact, we are avoiding every kind of action that requires us to be present—yes, simply to be present. We are confusing feminine energy with dormancy. But feminine energy is alive, it gives birth to itself. Letting life flow from within our passivity is the greatest gift we can give to ourselves and to the universe.
Listening, accepting, inviting, observing, knowing that what I observe is a reflection of myself, being minimal and essential... All these can be developed as skills as a result of how much time we spend with our feminine energy. Feminine energy is about creating space, and yes, we can work on, practice, and learn these. We learn everything in the world through practice, as part of our embodied experience.
I have been observing from a distance for some time now how the notion of “going with the flow and surrendering” is being presented as an excuse for laziness. Surrender is not about letting oneself drift with the current but rather rowing while supporting oneself so as not to be battered by the waves. If we collapse, life will not carry us.
Feminine energy, at its finest manifestation, perceives the whole, instinctively knows it is part of the whole, and moves forward with what the universe offers it. Instead of interpreting feminine energy as “Someone else will pave the way, and I will just walk it,”
may we understand that I am the path, I am the flow, and that laziness is the complete opposite of surrender; it is, in fact, a fear of being.