subject: Trusting One's Psychology [print this page] Many, having felt the unwarranted anxiety of extra exertion, may propose that a person should relax! Western man, with his ideas of temporal linearity and progress, is constantly conquering. Life for many is simply, and unknowingly, a dazzling spectacle: a pageant of archetypical warriors parading down a one-way street of time, wondering what riches lie ahead and yet behind them since they sprint backwards, motivated not by the unseen future rewards for their neurotic work, but propelled by the looming shadow engulfing the path of destruction created by their trampling feet. Anything, including others, become stepping stones towards the malleable future in the mad dash away from the unchanging past of not-enough.
Imagine, then, the veteran who begins to think this stretch of road may be a giant treadmill. No amount of additional effort will bring him any closer to the end of this mobius strip. Suppose he drops his Calvinistic work ethic and adopts the practice of karma yoga. By the old adage "work smarter, not harder," his efficiency and, therefore, his leisure increases. His sense of urgency has diminished. He relaxes.
Much psychological toil can be passive. Propose a problem, and instead of actively deliberating, trust the subconscious mind to ruminate. It will chew on the problem while you carry on with leisure, and spit it back into your conscious cognition through one of its bridging mechanisms, such as a dream. All one must do is stay aware. Consider the Pareto Principle: 80% of the results are derived from 20% of the efforts. This means effort is subject to diminishing returns, requiring an additional 80% of effort to produce an additional 20% of results. If one were to perform a utilitarianistic calculation weighing one's time and effort, the most happiness would definitely be generated by shedding the inefficient 80% of effort. The veteran now works less than a quarter of the time he once did, and can still compete if he wishes.
Still a workaholic, the veteran, although content with producing 80% of the results he used to, falls victim to Parkinson's Law. Parkinson's Law states that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." His old work ethic forces guilt upon him, and instead of enjoying himself and not concerning himself with the fruits of his labor, he performs his psychological drudgery. Procrastination, misdirection, and distraction bind him. The key to release the shackles is trust in his own psychology. Procrastination is more often a sign that time can be used more efficiently than a complete disregard for responsibility.
Flowers bloom when they bloom. A snake sheds its skin only at the rate that it sheds its skin. Sometimes, problems solve when they solve. A fly will push against a window until it dies of exhaustion. Maybe, instead of calculating the solution, tweaking the variables will allow the solution to present itself.
