Few years back, some days I used to cycle to my college, I used to love it, It was not very far away, nor was it an athletic exercise. The most part of the journey to the college was plain road. And then there was an overpass (flyover) in the midway. The road below was still connecting either ends. I had an option, either to take the flyover or take the smooth road below. I always took the flyover.
Reason was childish, though extremely vexing to make a climb on a rather steep-up to the top of the flyover, the downwards was speed and the wind hitting on the just oozed sweat from the toiling climb, like a balm soothing a pain, bought me instant unadulterated happiness. It didn’t last long. Never does. It was my emotional down up – the hard climb and the fast-finishing slopes. This was my break from beaten paths.
But, here is the trick in it – me knowing that sliding down the slope on the cycle would get me joy. It is very person and situation specific. Changing the circumstances to me walking, I would prefer to avoid the overpass. If I was on a cycle yet on a tour de france circuit, my idea of joy would be in completing the circuit rather than a fancy overpass.
I think that summarizes a great deal of my understanding. One must define an attribute of happiness for every doing. If there is none in it, or is exhausted – settle not – quest towards the nearest action will bring you to it, experiment if you know not. Joy is perishable, seek newer ventures, higher hills, tougher passes, greater joy. You must find the joy that sets you free. Constantly.
This spirit alone seems to have laid pillars of human progress. Individuals obsessed in exercising efforts to gratify their joys – manifests into excellence and by doing this, pushing the humanity by how much ever little.
Its not where you go, its how you go. Go in spirit – the spirit of an unending adventure.
And you tell me not to “waste human effort” when I do such things. What man!
True i don’t know much. i m learning.
Yes, Don’t waste human effort! Respect it!
but not necessarily your effort. it could even be my human effort. say i painfully select something for you and you very casually reject/go-numb/disregard it (like a room, food, movie etc.,)
I never said your trekking etc, were a waste of human effort. But yes, i will continue to tell you, not to travel routine distances in mindless traffic on same roads.
Say, i had to walk instead of going on my cycle, i would have second thoughts on getting over that overpass, I suddenly find it tasteless. If there was a nice breeze blowing atop the bridge or something like that, then may be… otherwise i consider it a waste in human effort. a needless toil. an inefficient means of commute.
amount of effort i put in, to the outcome of joy must be proportional. How do i know it? I got to experiment, but then i m don’t have to walk on the overpass a hundred of times hoping for the breeze to blow by, giving me joy that i seek. I am going to try, if it doesnt serve i ll move on to experiment other things, After all i m not going to live forever. One needs to know what gets one joy and hence
Find the joy that sets you free.
Or maybe i don’t know… this post needs edits.
hah! Got this man to be diplomatic! “May be I don’t know”!
Wasn’t referring to your advices regarding my travel through traffic. There were other instances, wherein the situation was pretty much similar to the one you’ve written about here. To cite one, a petty one, from my vague memory, like when both I and GRV wanted to go to get something home- the walk was what we were looking forward to. But now that you’ve referred to the travel, may be I can take that extra pain to come back home, to meet the person whom I’d really like to. In that case, I might do all that travel through mindless traffic on same old roads, but only when I don’t have another option (like Hosur is an option now
).
“Its not where you go, its how you go.” It’s also, probably, for what you go, as well.
And yes, may be, even I don’t know.
PS: Contradicting oneself is a good way to learn, may be.
@9 are you sounding like me?
Chaitu, during the 100 km ride, we avoided most of the over bridges. And each time, I avoided one, I got reminded of this post. If the whole ride was about “the spirit of adventure”, why was I avoiding the over bridges. :-/
I am making some edits following some of your comments. re-read.
makes more sense now.