There is something to be said for doing things slowly. It may seem,
at least initially, that with some things (particularly with what
most people would consider mundane tasks) it is better to do them
quickly and to get them out of the way. I don't think so. I think
that there is something to be said for taking your time. Experiencing
all of the feelings that may be associated with a particular act. In
a way, perfecting things, even mundane tasks, will lead to them
becoming faster and more enjoyable over time. And if the goal of life
isn't to enjoy ourselves while we are on the ride, then maybe I don't
know what life is about at all.
I
read a while back that some of our ideas of what it meant to be a stoic, to the stoics,
was very different than the idea that most of us have about them in
the present day. I have to say that this entire idea intrigued me. It
calls back to a lot of what I have read about Buddhist and Zen
practices; living in the moment, trying to focus on exactly what you
are doing and not what is happening in the future or in the past. The
idea that the stoics had was to focus on experiencing things in the
present, because you may never experience them again.
Imagine, if you will, what that glass of water you had earlier would
have been like if you had, in your mind, the idea that you may never
have another glass of water for the rest of your life. How would it
have tasted? How large or small would the sips have been? All of
these things may have been different. Conscious. It is this type of
thinking that can help to bring us to a greater enjoyment of the
present. Not held back by the past and not pushed down by the future.
Just living in the present. There isn't anything wrong with this.
I think that society places a bit too much emphasis on thinking and
planning for the future constantly. It is to the point where a lot of
people, even those well prepared, feel as though they are being
weighed down by the pressure of making all of the right decisions and
subsequently beating themselves up about everything if anything
doesn't go the right way. The idea is not to stop planning or
thinking. The idea is to have goals and to work toward them by
deciding what to do now. Too much planning and thinking is just as
bad as no planning at all. So the next time you decide to set a goal
like cleaning up your house, just do something to get doing and focus
on that. Go do the dishes. Focus on getting them as clean as
possible. Focus on how it feels. If you find your mind drifting, just
let the thoughts pass on by and go back to thinking about what you
are doing. This will help build discipline and will, ultimately, help
you become a more focus driven person.
