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Pinocchio and the Power of the Uncarved Block

Pinocchio and the Power of the Uncarved Block

Last updated on: August 30, 2026 at 3:39 am by Gregory T. Smith

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Pinocchio and the Power of the Uncarved Block 2026-08-23T14:01:22-08:00 Gregory T. Smith

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Pinocchio may seem an unlikely guide to Lao Tzu and Jesus. Yet the puppet’s story offers a surprisingly clear window into both.

Like the prophet Jonah, Pinocchio’s belly-of-a-whale experience is an invitation to repent. (Image created by Gregory T. Smith on Canva)

As he learns to become real wooden boy teaches us the Taoist principles of pu—the uncarved block—and wu wei, the way of acting without forcing. Again and again, Pinocchio allows applause, pleasure, and fear to carve him into something he is not. This is a sure depiction of our own deception and over-involvement in the world’s distractions. But his journey home is a parable of truth, self-giving love, and the recovery of his original nature.

Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, verse 37 (McDonald Version)

Lao Tzu describes that return this way:

The Tao never acts with force,

yet there is nothing that it cannot do.

If rulers could follow the way of the Tao,

then all of creation would willingly follow their example.

If selfish desires were to arise after their transformation,

I would erase them with the power of the Uncarved Block.

By the power of the Uncarved Block,

future generations would lose their selfish desires.

By losing their selfish desires,

the world would naturally settle into peace.

A Puppet Close to Pu

Carlo Collodi’s original tale first ran as a newspaper serial in 1881–1882 and was published as a book in 1883. Disney’s classic animated feature premiered in 1940 and has shaped the modern understanding of the story.

Here’s the story. An old woodcarver fashions a small puppet and whispers a wish for a son. Like the Tao, Geppetto doesn’t force an image out of the pine; instead, like Michelangelo carving the statue of David, he lovingly removes what is not Pinocchio. The result is a little boy who is missing only one thing: life. In the night, the Blue Fairy grants what Geppetto cannot force: the boy wakes to life. Though he is shaped out of wood, at heart he is close to pu, the uncarved block. The carving and the breath don’t erase pu; they reveal the pure nature inside. He starts out unguarded and curious, the very posture Jesus calls “becoming like children.” The Blue Fairy charges the puppet to be brave, truthful, and unselfish.

Carved by Applause and Desire

On the road to school, Pinocchio allows himself to be lured by fame and joins a traveling acting troupe. He gets applause, then immediately becomes property—locked in the puppet master Stromboli’s cage. Stromboli represents force—possessive grasping in contrast to Geppetto’s quiet craft and care. Though Pinocchio begins his story as a pure “pine-eye” (a knot in pine—his very name points to wood), the world begins to alter his shape. When he lies to the Blue Fairy about his adventures, his nose grows into a full-leafed branch with a bird’s nest. After he finally tells the truth, she frees him. “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free,” Jesus says. Truth returns him toward pu—and the fairy warns she won’t help him again.

Pinocchio tries pleasure without restraint and begins to turn into a donkey, an apt figure for the jackass his indulgence made him out to be. Pinocchio breaks away, but the ears and tail remain—the “mark” of desire still upon him. The twin knives of reputation and indulgence have left a lingering mark on the puppet who keeps finding himself manipulated by the world. Jesus warns about this reshaping hunger: “What will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”

Illumination, Not Force

When the wooden boy hears that Geppetto has been eaten by the whale, he goes searching for his maker and gets swallowed by the monster himself. Like the prophet Jonah, Pinocchio’s belly-of-a-whale experience is an invitation to repent. Instead of choosing violence against his captor, he opts for illumination. Pinocchio lights a small fire that triggers a natural reaction. The whale’s body does what bodies do—sneeze. It’s the marriage of two Taoist notes: wu wei (effortless action) and tzu-jan (pinyin: ziran), which means naturalness. Jesus points to Jonah as a sign of descent and return. So, just as Jonah’s whale vomited him onto land, Pinocchio’s whale frees its two prisoners.

In the escape, Pinocchio dies saving Geppetto, demonstrating his Te—virtue made visible. Back home, the Blue Fairy turns him into a real boy because he proved himself brave, truthful, and unselfish. The story of Pinocchio shows that while pu can be obscured by grasping, it can also be revealed again. It resonates with the Tao Te Ching’s encouragement to abstain from unhealthy desire.

When Selfish Desires Return

Lao Tzu offers an illustration of an entire world transformed by following the Tao. But it is possible, after a society is transformed into the Taoist ideal, for selfish desires to return. This is human nature. Pinocchio’s problems all stem from those times when he acted outside of his true nature, and pursued pride and pleasure. In response, Lao Tzu says, “If selfish desires were to arise after their transformation, I would erase them with the power of the Uncarved Block.” By the power of pu, or the Uncarved Block, future generations would lose their selfish desires. By losing their selfish desires, the world would naturally settle into peace. This peace could easily be called “salvation.” Jesus frames it similarly as learning his gentle way— “learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Rest, not force.

Salvation as an Ongoing Return

Many Christians talk about salvation as if it were a one-time event in their lives. Some can tell you the date and time that they “got saved.” Others seem to keep getting saved over and over again in an endless cycle of repentance and re-baptism. But perhaps both are oversimplifications.

Salvation is better understood as an ongoing process by which we are continuously being renewed. This does not come without its relapses. James says, “But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when desire has conceived, it engenders sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.” The devil doesn’t make us do it; we do it to ourselves—as Pinocchio can attest.

Repentance and the Kingdom Now

Lao Tzu’s solution is the power of the Uncarved Block. Jesus puts it a different way, in a famous two-sentence sermon: “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven has come near!”⁸ What does Jesus’s shortest homily mean?

The first part is simply rethinking. It’s being transformed by the renewing of the mind, as Paul puts it. Jesus encourages us to reconfigure our old reality by changing our thoughts. The Greek word metanoia implies more than just changing an opinion. It’s a complete exchange, a restructuring of heart and mind. Repentance doesn’t ask us to become wooden; it asks us to let the carving stop. When desire loosens and we act without forcing, the Way does its quiet work—and the child reappears.

In the second sentence of his sermon, Jesus tells us what to focus on: The kingdom of heaven is NOW! There is no past to elicit feelings of guilt. There is no future to struggle towards. When you inhabit this immediate space of awareness, you meet life as it unfolds—open, receptive, and unforced.

Jesus tells us the same thing that Lao Tzu did. Returning to the Taoist state of the Uncarved Block, we turn ourselves into a blank slate. We do not impose our own desires upon ourselves or others. We rest in the “I AM” of this present heartbeat. When the kingdom of heaven is at hand, we do not try to impose it on anyone. It simply is, and we simply are. If the whole world could live in this kingdom, then every creature would be at peace.

Ponder…

Back home, the Blue Fairy names what the Tao reveals—virtue stepping into the light. Pinocchio becomes a real boy because he has proved brave, truthful, and unselfish. That is Te—the quiet power that appears when desire quiets and Love leads. Jesus would call it life indeed. Lao Tzu would call it the fruit of the uncarved.

Name one Stromboli in your life—where applause is carving you. Tell one plainer truth instead.

Name one Pleasure island—where comfort owns you. How will you skip one indulgence this week and notice what grows back?

Name one Monstro—your Jonah-like opportunity to change direction. Light the fire. Find illumination and let nature lead you home.

For related reading, check out my other articles:

Enjoying my Jesus and Lao Tzu series? Be on the look out for my new book, Jesus and Lao Tzu: The Way of Love, available on Amazon, September 22, 2026.

If this reflection on Pinocchio, the Uncarved Block, and the transforming Way of Love gave you something to ponder, consider supporting my work on Patreon. Your support helps me continue exploring the places where Jesus, Lao Tzu, and everyday life meet—and where ancient wisdom might still lead us home.

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About Gregory T. Smith

I live in the beautiful Fraser Valley of British Columbia and work in northern Washington State as a behavioral health specialist with people experiencing homelessness and those who are overly involved in the criminal justice system. Before that, I spent over a quarter-century as lead pastor of several Virginia churches. My newspaper column, “Spirit and Truth,” ran in Virginia newspapers for fifteen years. I am one of fourteen contributing authors of the Patheos/Quoir Publishing book “Sitting in the Shade of Another Tree: What We Learn by Listening to Other Faiths.” I hold a degree in Religious Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and also studied at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. My wife Christina and I have seven children between us, and we are still collecting grandchildren. You can read more about the author here.

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