Living in the present moment: Outcome to process

Today, a classical dilemma was going in my mind. Often, we motivate kids to study hard so that they do well in their studies and get a good job. Since there is a lot of competition for each good seat in India, there is cut-throat competition in almost every good college. In such a situation, the kids are asked to delay the gratification that they get from playing with their friends and from everything else other than their studies. They are asked by their parents to study hard so that they can enjoy the rest of their lives. However, once these kids get a particular job, they set another target of a promotion to a better job or going abroad and again delay the gratification. For most of us, the goalposts keep shifting and the moment to enjoy never comes. 

For a few of us, instant gratification is non-negotiable. We do not wish to do away with digital devices, spending time on the net, playing with and talking to our friends. We enjoy the pleasure of all these things at the cost of studies remain back-benchers in the class and somehow manage to pass the exams. We get a job somehow and live our lives as an ordinary person.

Both these ways of living appear to be quite sub-standard. While in the first case, most of the life is spent in becoming. When we become, we lose interest in that and try to become somebody else. From a good career to a good family to properties to respected positions, life ends in chasing a mirage leaving us with a lot of regrets, while lying on our deathbed. On the other hand, in the second case, we somehow settle for the sub-standard life without believing in the immense possibilities we have.

A question arises, as to whether there are two only possible ways of living or if there is a different way of living possible? What if all the divisions of good and bad, rights and wrongs, likes and dislikes disappear? What if we explore this world, not with a hunger to get or achieve something but with a stomach full? 

When I raise these questions, I generally get answers like this. Why would we do something, if our stomach is full? What will be the motivation if we do not prefer one outcome to the other? Probably a hungry mind can not think beyond hunger. We just need to realize one thing the real hunger is quite less and is easily satiable. It is all a psychological hunger that is never going to be satiated. The more comfort we gather, the more uncomfortable we feel. 

To the best of my understanding, the real fun of life lies in the process. Running is more enjoyable than winning. Winning is just a moment, running is the entire race. The moment we realize the temporariness of all the forms, we also understand the futility of the outcomes and enjoy the process. Studying and getting to know the intricacies of different subjects is itself so fulfilling. Marks in the exam are a natural outcome when we enjoy the subject. We may enjoy the work assigned to us in the organization and positions and promotions are natural outcomes. Nobody can take the joy of work away from us. Discussions with friends and exploration into their inner world are also equally enjoyable. It does not matter at all whether that relationship carries a particular name or not. 

It does not matter to a good actor, acting on the stage, what role is he playing, who appreciates the role, and what prizes are on offer. He is so engaged in acting that there is no free space in the mind to think about all these things. In fact, if an actor thinks of the appreciation and prizes at the time of acting, the fun of acting is lost and what remains is merely dry calculations. That is not at all the meaning of life. Life is a beautiful gift of God to all of us to enjoy it to the fullest. Enjoyment lies in the process and not the outcome.