The Uncarved Block and Pre-Death Simplification

The pu—uncarved block—represents original simplicity before society's demands fragment the spirit. Memento mori asks: what would you change if you knew you had one year left? The Taoist answer is to live now as the uncarved block, unshaped by others' expectations. Laozi warns that the more we carve ourselves into roles and possessions, the further we drift from authenticity. Death renders all carved complexity meaningless; the uncarved block endures. When contemplating mortality, ask: which carved-away parts of myself—suppressed gifts, abandoned values, performed personas—would I reclaim? Simplification is rehearsal for death's final stripping. Living as the uncarved block daily means releasing unnecessary social armor, excess possessions, and false ambitions. This practice makes mortality less a shock and more a return home.