The Path Of Least Insistence

Why are we so complex creatures on the mental/emotional layer?

For the most part, the physical layer isn't the place we spend much of our waking consciousness, especially in terms of awareness.

Unless there's some form of pain that prevents us from drifting with our thoughts and/or swimming across a sea of emotions, we're always floating around in our mental/emotional constructs, especially when doing little to no physical action, which is arguably one of the hallmarks of our current era.

One of the things I find a bit peculiar with this aspect of human nature is it creates a certain disconnect with regards to how we perceive reality versus how we experience it directly.

Peculiar because I'm not sure if this is how it's meant to be or it's how it turned out to be based on aspects of randomness with evolution and varied cultural development.

Peace, Come Here

Sometimes, direct experience will force us to override our personal feelings toward a subject matter despite our strongest held beliefs or most cherished opinions.

I can insist all day long that I know what's best for myself, for example.

But this only reinforces my ego and also prevents me from experiencing life as it unfolds naturally.

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There are more downsides than upsides with adopting a rigid mindset of certainty and control.

And as much as we might want to direct outcomes, we can't force growth or wisdom or even peace to emerge on command.

Main And Only Obstacle

Unlike judging a book by its cover, I think judging a book by its title is sometimes a reasonable shortcut in our information-saturated world.

If I remember correctly, I didn't finish reading The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F**K by Mark Manson.

The reading itself happened only a few years ago and at this point in time, I really can't remember much of what I've read other than the central idea being choosing carefully what you care about.

But the title itself contained the wisdom I needed. The underlying concept of selectivity in our attachments and the path of least insistence is more so about recognizing when our mental grasping becomes the main and only obstacle to what we seek.

Think about how many times you've tried to force sleep when experiencing insomnia. The harder you try, the more elusive rest becomes. It's only when you begin to surrender the desperate attempt to control the process that sleep can find you.

"Wei Wu Wei"

This pattern repeats across many domains of our lives.

We struggle to force creativity, connection, happiness, etc. Some of the things that emerge organically when we stop insisting they conform to our expectations.

Fortunately, eastern philosophies have recognized this paradox for millennia. The Tao Te Ching speaks of "wei wu wei" - doing by not-doing - where effectiveness comes through alignment with natural processes rather than forcing our will upon them.

You have to try first, sometimes for a long time, before the doing does itself.

Partly because, before we can discover that moment when effort dissolves and we become one with the action itself, we must first fully engage with life, oftentimes struggling very hard against our own limitations.

Experientially, there's a certain degree of liberation when this discovery is experienced.

What we truly seek has been waiting patiently for us to stop insisting it appear on our terms.


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