411. Theoretical Burdens

We notice a pattern in some area of our experience, so we give that pattern a name. Then we discover similar patterns that relate to the first pattern and we name those too. Soon we have a whole theory of this domain of experience, which we also name. In doing so, we create for ourselves a new object to study. We can then deploy our reflective and analytical abilities to explore the categories and distinctions we’ve constructed in order to expand and refine them.

All of this activity is supposed to clarify our understanding of our experience. And we often do learn something about ourselves and our world by analyzing it in this way. But when we elevate our theoretical understanding above other kinds of understanding, we tend to transform ordinary life into something far more complicated than it really is. We reify our experience into terms and theories that not only fail to provide clarity but also make simple experiences into complex processes that require careful study to understand.

A consequence of this is that we tend to confuse the problems of life for anyone who is not versed in the theories we’ve constructed. Ordinary people start to think they need the assistance of experts in order to live well when nothing could be further from the truth. A better life is always available to all of us, provided we’re willing to open our attention and honestly investigate our experience. Enormous clarity can be gained simply by stripping away the complications of theory and terminology, and looking at life as it is actually felt and lived.

The problem of living more joyfully is not a complicated one. All that is required is for us to allow our attention to be both open to new experiences and free to explore them fully. When we do this, we will begin to see what we must do in order to create joy, and we will choose to do it because we will also see that it is necessary.