124. Choosing A Life

You’re following a certain path when you realize there might be a better one. When should you change course? If the choice is a minor one, then maybe it doesn’t matter whether or not you switch. But what if the decision will change your entire life?

We’re usually taught that we should make the change when it would help us reach our desired goals more quickly. In doing so, we’re supposed to account for both the potential benefits and the potential costs. The result is that our choice turns into an optimization problem: we should choose the option where the benefits will most exceed the costs. In this way, we maximize the probability of achieving our goals, which is supposed to be the best possible thing.

123. Just Breathe And Be

I’m already rushing when the rain starts. At first it’s only a gentle shower and I ignore it, but it soon intensifies into a downpour. I start to wonder if I should seek shelter. My umbrella is functional but the water is coming down with such overwhelming force that I won’t be able to keep much of me dry.

I pause under an awning and check the time. I’m going to be late for my appointment if I don’t keep moving. I detest being late. Someone expects me to be there, and I should be there. I have to keep going. It’s only four blocks and if I walk fast, I can still make it on time.

122. Radical Responsibility

If I’m forced to do something, are the actions I perform mine? If I’m compelled to say something, are the words I utter mine?

I want to say these actions and words are not mine because they do not come from my own will, and thus they have little to do with me. I want to say that these actions and words are the consequences of systems and laws I do not control but must still follow in order to survive, and thus I cannot be responsible for them. I want to say these things because the alternative is too much to bear.

121. A More Immediate Need

When people with power bring harmful changes to your community, your attention is immediately captured. You cannot look away from what is happening because you know the changes will have meaningful consequences. You feel anxious because you can see that the people you care about will be harmed. You hate what is happening, and you oppose it with every fibre of your being. You are angry at those who are responsible and outraged that such a thing is even possible.

120. Particularly Unimportant

It’s not a particular activity you participate in or a special kind of work you do. It’s not a particular book you’ve read or a set of ideas you possess. It’s not a particular experience you’ve had or have not had. It’s not a particular set of principles you follow or an organization you belong to. It’s not a particular belief or collection of beliefs. None of these things determine whether or not you will act from compassion.

119. From Conflict To Harmony

Creativity seems to require us to abandon rules and order. Growth seems to require us to let go of the structure we have already built. Unity seems to require us to get rid of any distinction between the parts. But we do not need to abandon anything. In the realm of concepts, it is possible to have it all.

When we artificially restrict ourselves to this or that position, we limit our understanding. We can instead allow for both and recognize the advantage of flexibility. Rigid attachment to a single perspective is the source of countless problems. In addition to the suffering it produces, we also become unable to see the full range of possibilities open to us, as we have closed ourselves off from them in advance.

118. No Words For Art

People always want him to talk about his art. But to him the idea is absurd. Words don’t have anything to do with his creations. They want to know about his process, about how he goes from an idea to a form. But for him the art just seems to happen. There’s nothing there to talk about.

When he tries to think about describing his art, he comes up with a sentence or two at most. And then what? His work seems like nothing at all once it’s been reduced to words. The words seem to swallow it whole, almost replacing it entirely. But obviously his work is not nothing. He creates tangible objects that can be seen and even touched.

117. The Pain Of Suffering

The pain of suffering causes you to lash out at what you think is its cause. Your anger is real and visceral, and you cannot restrain it. You want justice and you want vengeance. But what you want most is to be free of your suffering.

I cannot see your suffering but only your anger. Your present situation doesn’t seem to merit anger, and I tell you as much. My response causes you to explode into a furious rage. You dismiss me as a fool and go off in search of others who recognize your suffering and share in your anger. But rather than mollifying your suffering, the flames of your anger are fanned by the anger of the others, and even more suffering is born.

116. A Fresh Start

When everything goes badly, we wish we could go back and do it over again. The day has gone wrong, and we would like to reset from the beginning. We want to replay past events but with the wisdom of hindsight to show us what we should do.

We want to reset because we have regrets. We remember the mistakes we made and these thoughts will not leave us alone. We can now see how we could have achieved a better result if only we had acted differently. Comparing our memories to the ideal past we imagine, we wish we could substitute one for the other and live in the ideal reality instead. But alas, we are forced to move forward through time. So our wish goes unfulfilled and we suffer in the form of regret.