02/11/2026
The Empty Boat: A Taoist Lesson on Anger Management 🍃
Why do we sometimes let the smallest things ruin our entire day?
David shares a timeless Taoist parable attributed to Zhuang Zi (庄子), where a simple encounter between two boats reveals an important lesson about anger and perception.
When an empty boat drifts towards us, we simply move aside. But when someone is aboard that same boat, we may react with frustration, assuming they are deliberately getting in our way.
The situation hasn’t changed. Only our perception of the other person’s intentions has.
In life, we often allow these assumptions to fuel our anger, sometimes carrying that frustration into our work, relationships, and even our sleep.
The lesson? Not every inconvenience is intentional, and not every action is directed against us.
As David often reminds himself and his team, learning to manage our emotions means recognising when something is truly worth our energy, and when it’s better to simply let it pass.
Because sometimes, peace comes not from changing the situation, but from changing how we see it. 🍃
