Beautiful action flows like water,

Not from duty's heavy stone,

But from the heart's natural inclination,

As a seed grows toward the sun.

-

When we act from within,

Not because we should, but because we are,

The distinction between self and world dissolves

Like morning mist in gentle dawn.

-

Beautiful action requires no thought,

No weighing of moral consequence.

It emerges naturally, like the breath,

From our deepest understanding.

-

We do not protect the river

Because it is our duty to the earth.

We protect it because we and the river

Are not two separate things.

-

In the midst of ecological crisis,

Beautiful action plants itself without strain.

The child who loves a flower needs no command

To tend the soil where beauty grows.

-

This is not the nobility of sacrifice,

But the grace of being wholly present.

When we see with clear eyes,

Right action unfolds without effort.

-

Beautiful action teaches us

That sustainability is not a burden to bear,

But a way of moving through the world

That feels like coming home.

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Poem inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh and Arne Næss ' philosophy on Beautiful Action 💮

Tijn Tjoelker on Substack