Destined to Chase

A thought experiment

Let us start by doing a thought experiment. Let us think of all the things that we want to want, the missions we want to accomplish, and the goals we want to reach. Now visualize that you have got everything. Try to now visualize your life. Stay in this place.

 What will happen to you? Your life?

I think at this time –you will probably have a question – now what?

Destiny

At that point – you will not have a choice. You have to live. Life must go on even beyond the point of your highest accomplishment. This means you will end up finding the next item to chase. You will keep chasing.

This is true for every mortal soul. There is nothing personal about it.  

We feel it is personal – but it is happening for everyone – only the situations and surrounding are different.

It is not something that we do – go for the next goal. Get attracted to new things. It is something – we cannot help doing.

Doing it is not a choice – it is a compulsion.

That is why the rich want to be richer, and the famous want to be more famous. It is not they decide that they want to be more rich or famous. They cannot help it.

Then the question is what does it all mean? What do I do?

I think the answer is we have to make the chasing itself enjoyable. It means we do not chase to reach a goal. We pursue and the pursuit itself must be enjoyable.

If we love to write or paint or whatever we do, let us do it for the activity itself. Let us engage in activities that are intrinsically enjoyable to us. The challenge becomes that we tie these activities to rewards. This is the place where life tends to take over and make us chase the goal.

A word of caution though. This must be done within limits and these should not overtake our life. At that point, it becomes an addiction.

Conclusion

We do not run our lives, life runs us. Nature has created us not to send us somewhere but to keep life going. You have to move on and you have to keep going. And when there is no finish line or the destination is empty.

Freedom lies in a creative endeavor that is intrinsically enjoyable. By pursuing such activities, detached from the lure of external rewards, and having a guardrail to avoid addiction, we truly enjoy life.