Getting better is the real game?
The pursuit of happiness is a right that comes with no instructions as to how you do so, it was a game that everyone knew they want to play and it was important enough to put in the constitution because even as they were just trying to survive and prosper in a new land, they knew it was not sufficient. There was more to life than just bread on the table, clean water, family, property rights, civil society and safety, those alone do not bring you happiness, they can stop you being unhappy because you do not have them, but joy is more elusive and yet hiding in plain sight, it is the pursuit that makes you joyful and full of life, it is the hunt, it is improving yourself as a hunter, becoming more skilled, wiser and stronger, that is what you should be chasing, getting better and in the pursuit of that goal you will find joy.
Happiness is in the pursuit, it is in growing as a being of consciousness and awareness, it is opening your eyes and discovering that you live in the valley of a giant mountain that you have never noticed before, as you have been so busy working at digging your fields. It is only by accepting where you are, what the cards are that you have been dealt, that you are able to stop looking down at your own feet and complain, that you are not going anywhere. It is only by giving up our stories about ourselves that we are able to start our journeys, as there are a million stories about why you should not take action in this world, we do not want to hurt others, or lower their opinions of us, we do not deserve good things, we can not do something because of some limitation or other. Rather than asking what can I do now, we think of all things that we can not, that are not possible, we get in our own way and end up doing nothing, that is not pursuing anything.
That is the kind of awareness that is invaluable, the awareness that you are not having an effect in the world or even on yourself which seems like a shame. I know you might be a perfect being who is perfect in every possible way, I am not, even slightly, there is a list of improvements in my life that are not just nice to haves or wish list items, but really basic should have sorted that a long time ago kind of improvements that impossibly seem to get longer not shorter as I get older. It is the kind of list that would scare Santa, “I am not sure how I should wrap self-confident as for the unicorn, stuff it,” however it is a gift of awareness that I am even able to know about the existence of a list. There are people who do not even know they need a list, and would be weighed down by the obligation to pursuit even if they did know about it, though I personally find it to be a source of joy, it is the start of an adventure, a fresh pursuit and it is the awareness that these are the things that bring me joy, that allows me to enjoy it in the moment that it is happening.
Every new and fresh pursuit represents a chance to give up thinking about me. The central blessing and curse that effect everyone I know is that we spend an extraordinary amount of time thinking about ourselves. This is a natural phenomena as people who think about their place in the world have higher social intelligence and even the anti-social have a high level of such intelligence compared to most intelligent of monkey. I
rarely give absolute advice, but never invite a monkey to a tea party, the bad manner are the least of your worries, even the worst of people do not try to wear cups as hats and certainly do not do that to a currant bun. However all that time thinking about our place in the world gives us the impression that we are just those thoughts, whilst the truth is we are more and less than them at the same time, we are the witnessing presence that listens to those thoughts, but it does not have to get lost in those thoughts.
It is actions that frees us from being lost, they get us back on the path, and it is action all the way along, your thoughts do not get you food from the shop, they do not build, create or inspire, they do not make people feel like they have been listened to or loved. We require action to effective in the world, to make a change for the better in your own life and others, a meaningful action have a real effect in the real world and the focus of those actions should be outwards towards other people, even when you are improving yourself it can be with the intention to serve other better (as long as you do so) and it is in alignment with the goal of getting better. It is the only game in the town, you never get to win but you do get to play and you get to be grateful for the opportunity to play every day. That is where your real joy is in life, it is getting to play again today with your
friends and family, who get to play the same game and if you are on expert level, you get to win together, you get to help others to play the game better as well, either by example or teaching them, after all you only really understand something if you can explain it.
And if it the only game in town, it is worth becoming a connoisseur of the game, enjoy it's little Easter eggs, the hidden secret and delights, small moments of satisfaction and the obvious wins that so few of us stop to enjoy. You can obtain mastery of anything that you want, just by bring your awareness and acceptance to it, washing up does not have to be a chore but an event, radio on and dancing feet can be included. A cup of coffee can be a delight, a little process, grinding and hot water, awareness can make it into a highlight of everyday, but only if you spend the time rather than money on bring that awareness into every sip you take. There are so many games to play in the day, and the only one that matter is the game of getting better, no matter which form of it you are playing right now, play your cards with gusto and enjoy the results no matter what they are, and in the game of life, you are always losing, the best you get to do, is to lose by the numbers in good order and grace, and any day you do not lose is really a winning day, so take the glory of surviving and getting to fight the next day again.
