Humans are the only creatures whose lives are driven by desires and expectations – and the only creatures knowing the meaning of misery!
I have said in the article about perfect happiness that the pursuit of happiness is futile. Happiness is not a thing to pursue. The real thing is contentment where there’s neither happiness nor pain; and contentment alone is bliss.
To attain contentment in life you must give up each and every type of expectation and all your desires. Here’s where the difficulty is. How can you be free of desires and expectations?
It’s not easy to be free of desires and expectations unless you have understood that the world you are living in is all unreal, and know what and how the real life should be.
You are living in a perfectly self-centered world. The only thing which is looked after in this world is self-centeredness at all levels. This is the core philosophy of intelligence-driven human living. What are desires and expectations? They are nothing but the ugly products of one’s ego – the self. Where there is ego, there can not be harmony. Ego always, always stands alone. In reality, all your friends and relations, as they are perceived by you, are fictitious. They all are living for their own ego; not for your wellbeing. The entire matrix of relationships is just an illusion of harmony. It’s merely the system by which people can use each other for their own wellbeing; which is again for the most part today, sadly, material in nature. It’s imperative to know that no one in the world – not even your God – is here to make your life better, and that you are your own shepherd. You digest this fact, and you are free of expectations. (You may like to read the article titled: Is friendship driven by purposes?)
As for desires, they are easier to get rid of than expectations. You just have to learn from your experience. Desires are also a kind of pain. When you desire something there begins in your mind some unrest which continues until you have got the thing. This unrest is psychological pain. When you get the thing the pain comes to an end and what is then felt is happiness. But how long does it last? Not for long time; because that’s not the mind’s nature. In some time your mind again slips into the state of neutrality – wherein you can choose to find contentment. But what you do instead is again desire something else and give way to another pain and so the cycle continues. Will you ever in your life learn the lesson that you can not find contentment unless you put an end to your desires?
Here arises another question: Human life seems to be all made of desires and expectations. What would you do if you had neither any desire nor an expectation?
And the answer to that question is: You should be living your life by natural instincts. By natural instincts, I mean something like “natural desires”. In other words, it’s your disposition towards the actions and things which is intended for living by Nature, and not triggered by human intelligence.
That’s how the rest of the world is breathing for billions of years, not to mention without happiness or pain. There’s bliss everywhere. Understand that the desires and expectations are essentially human things. They can not arise except out of the human intelligence. If you observe the Nature, humans are the only creatures whose lives are driven by desires and expectations – and the only creatures knowing the meaning of misery!
You may not be able to decide which actions and things are intended by Nature and which ones are triggered by human intelligence. But that’s fine. Just try to see Nature and understand natural way of living; and then by bringing gradual simplifications in your life try to keep it close to Nature.
If you believe that all the joy of life comes out of material possessions (result of desires) and human relationships (result of expectations) then you are utterly wrong. The greatest joy is when you are living by natural instincts alone, and experiencing everything that is there to experience in Nature.
One might think that the only way to live in this way is to renounce the human world and live in the secluded place where the life is closest to natural. Well, that’s the best way, for sure; but not the only one. You can attain perfect happiness or bliss right here too. All it needs is some practice and conscious perseverance. And once it is attained, no one can take it away from you.
I have talked about how to attain bliss without renouncing the human world here.
8 Comment(s):
Hi Darshan!
I could be right and I could be wrong, but I have started seeing a pattern in your writings.
You have denounced human intelligence, and have recommende living close to 'nature'. Two things have always troubled me in your thoughts, here - the respective definitions of the two. For me, that I am able/trying to understand what you are saying is also an outcome of intelligence. We do not use wings because we do not possess them. 'Lower' animals do not use intelligence because they do not possess it.
In many interactions, the definitions we use for various words can be different and can result in limited understanding. Hence, I would like you to define human intelligence as and when possible. For me, it amounts to: ability to classify events into 'cause' and 'effect', being able to determine the probability that a cause would result in an effect, and making out other factors that could further influence the cause-and-effect interactions. That was my definition of human intelligence. Would you like to alter or substitute the idea with some other?
Likewise, though I am totally against short sighted destruction of the eco system, I guess you are meaning something different when you say living close to the 'nature'. Again, to define nature is very difficult.
If I am not mistaken, you have tended to exclude acts of humans from the course 'nature' takes. But I do not believe so. Just like a plant reduces carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and ALTERS the status of the atmosphere (nature), humans transform matter present on Earth itself into carbon dioxide or something else.
Then, how is what plants do 'natural', but what humans do, not 'natural'?
I hope, you get my doubt and contention by now. Where do we draw line between 'natural' and 'unnatural'?
Birds' using wings is natural, so is humans' using intelligence!
Also, I realize there is one fundamental difference between how you and I perceive the Universe, which is what makes see things in such a disparate fashion. But do correct me, if this perceived difference is incorrect.
You probably think that the Universe/nature is purpose driven, as in, there are certain states or conditions of the Universe/Earth/Nature that ought to be ATTAINED or PRESERVED. In doing so, you've inadvertently introduced intentionality into the Universe....
...In your frame of view, whether Universe/nature is one way or the other it makes a DIFFERENCE. Nothing wrong with doing so, but that's where my thinking diverges from yours. :) Probably, because my question would be - "whether Universe/nature is one way or the other (outcomes of our manipulating/not manipulating it), if it makes a difference, it makes difference to WHICH ENTITY?"
I do not think the Universe/nature 'wants' to be a certain way. I do not believe that Universe/nature 'ought to' be kept in one state or transformed into the other (like, more trees v/s less of them on Earth). Because Universe/nature is NOT a sentient being. The moment you introduce sensitivity into Universe/nature, you are making the same folly, you are asking the typical theists to guard themselves against.
I believe there is no particular purpose or end-point for this Universe to exist. It just exists.
Again, 'purpose' is a human invention. Just as I pointed out with 'creation/transformation' duality, humans are evolutionarily, predisposed to seek purpose. We find it extremely difficult to believe that something happens or exists just like that - with no purpose or goal. To cover up for this inability to accept purposeless happenings, we intent purpose for things even external sentient beings, e.g., "nature", "God", etc.
So while I believe, Universe has no purpose for its existence, it automatically implies, there is no desirable 'end-point' (the 'way' to be, what I also priorly termed as 'state') for the Universe to be.
Even if you or I assign any desirable end-points to it, ultimately they are only outcomes of our respective arbitrary discretion, in turn, outcomes of our thought processes (human intelligence).
Taking off from the ASSUMPTION that there is no 'fixed'/'desired' end-point (anything desired by you or me is a human desire and does not count) to how the Universe 'should'/'ought to' exist, same should hold true for 'nature' (Earth), the eco system, the human race and, me, myself!
Yes, so I very truly believe my life has no external purpose. As in, there is no sentient agency outside of sentient beings on Earth, to whom how I end up would make a difference.
Whatever I do/do not do 'makes difference' only to those on the Earth and the subsequent generation of organisms (for difference to be made, the entity has to be SENTIENT)....
...And if you would see carefully, to all the entities the way I live would make a difference, are all on this EARTH. My next question is: "if suddenly, the Earth were to totally disappear, would it make a difference?" I guess, you must have understood the next question by now, "difference to WHAT"? The Sun? The Mars? Are they sentient? Would they cry? Would they laugh?
That's why I maintain there is no EXTERNAL purpose to my life.
But I am a hypocrite (sic)! I lead as if there is indeed a purpose to my life. I myself assign short-term purposes (goals) to my life. These help me decide how to react in any situation that presents itself. Ultimately, these purposes and goals are largely directed towards experiencing what I call 'happiness'. At this point I'll have to think a lot to distinguish between happiness and contentment, but some other day, I will.
I find nothing wrong with eating a chocolate flavored ice cream if it makes me happy. The practical aspect of all this is, as far as possible, not to intentionally diminish SOMEONE else's chances of seeking happiness. That is a part of a social contract called morality. As of now that "someone else" is limited only to human beings and not other animals and plants. My reasons for that, you'll find here (click).
You'll find a lot of my ideas on purpose of life, etc. in my discussion with Harshad on my post called Futuristic! (click).
And lastly, this is not to put you in an obligatory position, but I do 'desire' responses to my comments! Of course, I totally understand you are keeping very busy, but because you hardly respond to comments on your blog, I wanted to expressedly state my desire for responses. How to treat that desire, however, is entirely your prerogative. ;)
And well, if my memory is not failing me, this comment you see is probably the MOST open I have been on the net. :) And that's because I consider your thoughts (and you) worthy of my doing that.
Take care.
You can attain perfect happiness or bliss right here too. All it needs is some practice and conscious perseverance. << How true! If you tune yourselves into believing that happiness is attainable without such desires n expectations, I guess it's possible.
Nice Read as usual.
I enjoyed reading Ketan’s view also.
I think, desires that disturb tranquility of mind and that force someone to act against one’s conviction need curtailment .Desires that are aimed solely at attaining more pleasure lead to anger , frustration and disillusion.Expectations specially from others, needs curtailment.
The flow of desires should be directed in the inward direction. A journey for a spiritualist is always a path inward where all expectations are centered on understanding of self. As is wisely said “Keep high aspirations, moderate expectations, and small needs”.
in our current life style, living without desires and expectation is impossible for most of us, the best way to deal with this is to fill your life with complete negativity, u need to just fool ur mind with negativity..
Every time i m about to start my pc, i say to myself oh gosh its not going to start, but then it starts and i m "relatively happier". Every time i smoke, i say i m gonna get cancer 2moro, then it doesnt happen and i m happier..
we need to be totally negative and assume the future to be the worst..
for desires, you can add negativity into that asweell, i want to buy a car this year, but its not gonna happen i know.. if it happens i m happy, if it doesnt, i dont care as i already knew about it
Well... I kinda like being half-immersed in desires and expectations... don't want to lose that human experience. :-)
Being an Atheist .... i don't believe in the concept of some other 'real' world ..
For me ..this life/world is all i have .. It relates to all my senses including reason
And desires and expectations are what differentiate me from a 'vegetable'
One who renounces the world may look contented like someone who has attained bliss but i don't think so ..... Even this concept of a life free of desires and expectations is nothing but a desire/expectation deeply rooted in the frustration of knowing that this so called 'earthly unreal' life is all we have
anyways happy new year :)
Post a Comment
Please note that the articles on this blog are subject to further editing and amendments, if found necessary.
Your relevant comments can be constructive in refining my thoughts and ideas.