Living in the present moment contd...

In response to the last blog "Living in the present moment: outcome to process", I received replies from many of my friends. Most of the replies are on the lines that they agree that focusing on the process makes life more fulfilling and meaningful than focusing on the outcomes. However, most of us struggle to keep our minds focused. Since childhood, we have been deeply conditioned to be centered around outcomes. After all, it is the student who comes first and gets the award and the best of the colleges and universities. The best-performing employee in the organization gets all the glory and promotions. The Nobel Prize is also awarded to the scientists who have finally succeeded. Only those who win the elections become the ministers. Losers do not have an easy life. They are often disrespected by the society.

On the surface, all these logic and explanations appear to be very solid, and "focus on process" seems to have lost its case. However, let us give the "process" one more chance. Let us see the praises for the "outcome" and reprimands for the "process" once again.

First of all, we need to set the context right. What is the ultimate aim of life? is it harmony or evolution? harmony is a very static concept. Evolution is dynamic. Evolution requires the destruction of present-day harmony. The evolution of the internet into 5G is a death knell to 4G and 3G. The evolution of the railway's locomotives into electric means the end of the diesel locomotives. Evolution of the mobile telephones has resulted in the almost disappearance of landlines. While we are setting the goals in terms of an outcome, generally, we are trying to ensure harmony in the known world. Nobody sets the targets in terms of destruction of the known. While evolution is always based on the moving beyond the known. In that context, all outcomes, set by the human mind, are actually sub-standard. While being in the domain of the known, our vision is clouded by the known and therefore the targets are always inspired by the known world.

The next generation's inventions have always been the product of the enjoyment of the processes. Oppenheimer wanted to explore the powers inside the nucleus and that is how he made the nuclear bomb. He never had the target of destroying Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Einstein enjoyed the process of inquiry into the quantum world. He could not have fixed the target of his inventions when he commenced his journey. These inventions came naturally to him, as he continued to enquire. So, outcomes are always defined with a narrow mind with a limited understanding of reality and that is why the targets are always sub-standard and limited.

Secondly, even if somebody focuses on outcomes to achieve the targets in the world known, focusing on outcomes definitely takes the focus away from the process. If we do not focus on the process, our efficiency is definitely going to reduce and the chances of achieving the intended outcome are going to reduce. That is what Krishna told Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. If Arjuna focuses on the outcome, he will never be able to focus on the battle. That happens with all of us being too concerned about the outcome. The moment we focus on the exams, we are not able to concentrate on our studies. The moment we focus on the result, we are not able to focus on writing the exam. The moment we focus on the approvals, we are not able to focus on the project report. The moment we focus on the appreciation of the boss, we are not able to focus on the quality of the work.

Thirdly, there is always a difference between "setting the target" and "fixation with the target". Columbus started in search of India and finally landed in America. That does not make the entire discovery meaningless. Similarly, we plan to visit a place and see certain monuments there. When we reach the place we find more places and monuments to visit. Why should we remain fixated on the targets that we set initially? We improvise with the new set of information received in the process and that makes the process enjoyable.

Last but not least, survival can not not a target. It is a functional necessity. The target of a batsman can not be to just stay at the crease. That is a functional necessity if the batsman wants to play. The joy of the pudding is in eating and not saving the same for the future. Similarly, the joy of life is in living and not somehow surviving. Even if we survive with a passive life for hundreds of years, it serves no purpose. I have seen many bureaucrats who do not want to make decisions to stay safe and remain very dissatisfied for the whole of their lives. In fact, too much fixation on survival is counterproductive and makes life even more dangerous. If one tries to drive the car at a speed of 40 on a highway with a speed of 100, he enters into a greater danger zone. Thus, survival is a functional necessity and not a target.