“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that their Creator endowed them with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
| DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE |
In life we are always moving towards something. We are always heading in a certain direction, towards some goal. or some dream, or individual search that for one reason or another we have defined for ourselves. We are in constant motion, even when we are standing still. When we’re not physically going anywhere, our minds start to go haywire. We begin to ask ourselves questions. We doubt if we will ever get where we want to go. We wonder if we will find the things, the people, the careers that we always dream of. Sometimes we are confident, convinced that we are achieving it and that we will get there wherever there is. Other times we are tired, really exhausted, and we don’t know if we will ever reach the goal. We chase the things we love, hate, buy, sell, need, want. We chase the truth. We pursue satisfaction, tranquility, productivity, fullness.
We are in a constant state of searching. But each of us defines it in a different way. Some of us seek to help others. Some of us seek financial success. Some of us look for love, find it and feed it. Some of us chase titles, braces, and attention. Some of us are looking for career opportunities, while others are looking for opportunities to travel. Most of us seek all of these at the same time. The United States Declaration of Independence refers to it as the pursuit of happiness (appropriately vague). This notion of persecution permeates all aspects of our lives. It is one of the fundamental reasons why autocratic or semi-autocratic regimes fail and free democracies succeed. Autocracies stifle growth, both social and economic, because they restrict our natural inclination to persecute. It’s what we were born for.
A chef searches for the best ingredients. An artist anguishes over the perfect composition. The philosopher reflects on the most challenging questions. The scientist tries to answer them. The athlete wants to dominate the competition, over and over and over again. A mountain climber travels the world climbing peaks in the hope that one day he will have the opportunity to conquer Everest. The housekeeper wants to support her family. The man sitting next to you on the bus is looking for the love of his life. We all want something, and most of us want many things simultaneously. For our purposes here, we’ll call it the Pursuit Principle.
So how do we get what we want?
How do we satisfy the ravenous desires that burn deep within our Soul? There are countless theories out there. Countless books address the Search Principle and how to maximize its potential. With the rise of weblogs, the availability of material has skyrocketed to immeasurable heights. The premises of the most successful blogs revolve around the Principle of Persecution. They all want to offer us something. It is about how to do this, or how to achieve that. Ten steps to maximize productivity. Twenty steps to a fitter, healthier and more nutritious lifestyle. They try to provide an easier way to… chase.
One theory, from a blogger I greatly respect, Leo Babauta, is simple: Learn to want less. And on his blogs, mnmlist.com and ZenHabits, he offers advice, tips and strategies on how to update the old adage that “Less is more” in his own life. He firmly believes that by conditioning our minds and bodies to need/want less, we will reduce the amount of time we spend chasing after what we think we are after, and enjoying the things we have, and eventually giving some of it away as good (once that you realize you don’t need them either).
Another theory, outlined in books like The Secret and Think and Grow Rich, emphasizes the opposite side of the equation. The position here is that we are entitled and, in fact, gifted by the Universe to receive all the things we could possibly want, be it in the realm of money, love, success, and everything in between. They suggest that we want as much as we want, and even more, and then we focus all our attention, focus, and effort on getting it. By consistently practicing visualization techniques, somehow, and exactly how has never been clearly defined, we will begin to attract what we desire. Proponents of this line of thought refer to it as the Law of Attraction.
In his book, The Pursuit of Perfect, Tal Ben-Shahar talks about aspiring to a life that is not only happier, but perfect. We not only want to be happy, we seek perfection. He makes the distinction between positive (optimal) and negative perfectionism. Ben-Shahar notes that “The perfectionist rejects failure, painful emotions, success, and reality. They just worry about failure, which leads to anxiety and procrastination. The optimist, however, accepts failure, painful emotions.” , success and reality; live the full scope of the human experience. Although the optimist may fail, accept the reality of the situation and move on.” (so keep chasing)
No matter which of these you subscribe to as well, and I think each has merit, there is one thing you should always remember. Life is search, and nothing more. So tread carefully. And be a Ben-Shahar optimist. We are naked without the things we pursue, even if what we pursue is having fewer things. Once you realize this, you’ll be in a better position to enjoy the ride.