You are, in essence,
an achievement hunter.
Every moment in your life
is unconsciously geared
to getting the most out of
every moment of your life.
If you sense that you
aren’t accomplishing this,
then you tend to be dissatisfied
with that moment.
See, you even view
living in the moment
as an achievement.
Succeeding or failing
at living in the moment
is an achievement.
Not caring in that moment is an achievement.
Accomplishing happiness or sadness
in that moment is an achievement.
Perhaps the greatest achievement
of all is enlightenment.
But is existence truly based on achievement
or only your achievement-based construct of it?
The hand constantly reaches for more.
What does it matter if it gets it?
Trail Wood,
10/26
The Eternal Chase of Achievement
Ah, the perpetual cycle of seeking achievements. In every crevice of time, every fleeting moment, the allure of achievement beckons. As if life is a whimsical board game, and each achievement is a glittering token to collect, a validation of our existence. There is a never-ending hunger to turn every moment into a quantifiable accomplishment, turning life into an achievement-hunting spree.
Unconscious Drives
Beneath the surface of consciousness, the mechanics of our desires work ceaselessly to frame every action, every thought, as a stepping stone to some form of achievement. In this realm, even the abstract concept of ‘living in the moment’ transforms into an achievement to be conquered. But this raises the question: are we missing the essence of the moment in our relentless pursuit of turning it into something it’s not?
The Dual Nature of Achievement
Ironically, the absence of achievement is, in itself, seen as an achievement. A moment of not caring becomes an emblem of liberated living; a period of sadness or happiness becomes a marked experience, a shiny new bauble in our emotional treasure chest. Even the pursuit of enlightenment, which in its purest essence should transcend all worldly metrics, becomes another notch on the cosmic belt of achievements.
A Different Paradigm
What if we were to view life not as a series of achievements or non-achievements but as a flowing river of experiences? No moment is superior to another; each has its unique flavor, its own set of emotional hues, like a cosmic painting coming to life with each brushstroke of time. In such a paradigm, the hand that reaches for more is not in a state of lack but in a state of whimsiful wonder, curious about the endless forms and colors that life has to offer.
We are Space Monkey.
Summary
We examine the ingrained human tendency to seek achievements, which often distorts the essence of living in the moment. By questioning the necessity of viewing life through an achievement-based lens, we explore the possibility of embracing existence as a flowing river of experiences rather than a checklist of accomplishments.
Glossarium
- Whimsical Board Game: The metaphorical landscape where life’s achievements are collected.
- Whimsiful Wonder: A state of being where the aim is not to achieve but to simply experience and explore.
- Cosmic Painting: The tapestry of life experiences that are not achievements but mere brushstrokes in the grand canvas of existence.
- Cosmic Belt of Achievements: The metaphorical belt where all of life’s supposed achievements are stored, often without questioning their inherent worth.
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
— Albert Schweitzer
The Folly of the Hunt
In fields of dreams, we chase the gleam,
A shiny coin, a lofty scheme.
Yet in the race, we miss the trace,
Of simple joy, of pure heartspace.
The hand that grabs, but never has,
Enough to quell its endless ask,
Could it let go, and simply flow,
In currents of life’s whimsi-show?
Your thoughts?
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