"Neuroscientists are now finding evidence for what the Daoists have known for millennia: that in any given moment, the mind is engaged in a tug-of-war along two fronts."

"The first front is the mind’s tendency to aimlessly wander. To let thought bounce around from one point to the next, and to do so in an uninhibited manner."

"The second front is the mind’s tendency to fixate on one specific thing. It has the keen ability to ignore the innumerable sensory inputs that are competing for attention, and to instead direct it toward an identifiable object of focus."

"And as this happens, all the thoughts about what you need to get done and what you need to accomplish take center stage again."

"In essence, this is simply how the mind works. In the same way that darkness cannot be identified without the knowledge of light, wandering cannot be understood without the ability to focus."

"We all know that rest is important, but what is it exactly?"

"Interestingly, the answers to all those questions can be “yes,” even if they contradict one another."

"And the reason is that ultimately, rest is when you’re not associating your self-worth with what you have to do next."

"There’s this stark reminder of something that snaps you out of the moment, and pivots your mind to the future."

"Whenever you’re thinking of something you have to do next, you are no longer resting. And chances are, whatever you have to do next is either to fulfill a responsibility to another or to prove to yourself that you’re competent."

"There is a subtle notion of self-worth being smuggled into the picture, knowing that you what you have to do next occupies the domain of interacting with others."

"That’s why rest is ultimately about doing things that have nothing to do with the furthering of your place in society."

"The reason why a still lake is the archetype for a still mind is because it flows without any intention. The currents softly rise without breaking, and in the instances where it does, it happens without aggression."

"Rest is to take those moments to understand that you’re not defined by what you produce, and to be okay with whatever you are."

"It’s to allow that emptiness of mind to prolong whenever you see something beautiful, and to understand that this is not an anomaly, but a glimpse into the reality of what truly is."