What's The Point In Having A Cake If We're Not Going To Eat It?!
If you were looking for a logical reason to enjoy life, I'm attempting to give you one that worked for me!
It's time we cast away the last generations logic of postponing happiness and satisfaction!
(This postponement is sometimes found as the fancily clothed word 'investment')
I say, if there is anything we are doing that is causing us dissatisfaction in the moment for some illusory investment; than the only thing we are truly investing in is dissatisfaction.
We Can Have Our Cake and Eat It Too
(Otherwise it will just go stale)
The more I 'eat my cake' (For me, it is whole-food raw-chocolate) the more cake I have begun to realize there is! In fact, I've found I don't just have cake, there are bliss balls and almond butter cups too! In double fact, I've found myself in a massive factory of beautiful treats! I'd chosen to blind myself to the beauty of our world by my continual choice to deny pleasure.
Metaphor Aside
What I'm saying is the more I gave myself permission to indulge in what I truly wanted out of life, the more I was able to indulge! The more I indulged, the more life presented me with new pleasures I didn't even know I had, for I never gave myself enough time to discover them. The more time I gave myself the more I was able to meet needs long forgotten.
"Rieki, you can't possibly be advocating for people to just start running around chasing pleasures and not investing in their future!"
-Someone's thoughts
I realize that with the conventional logic, 'indulging in life' sounds "self centered" or "selfish".
And it is! There's no denying that. And why would we want to?
What is the problem with being truly selfish? (Truly selfish, as in doing what is actually best for the self. Harming others is not actually best for us as inevitably harm will come our way...) We have been down this path of self-denial for far too long, which only leads to depression (with remarkably high numbers today) which inevitably makes us less able to contribute to our mission of enjoying life and making the world a more beautiful place!
How are we to be able to help others, if our needs aren't being met?
How are we to spread joy and happiness if we continue to deny ourselves joy and happiness out of some illusory piousness?!
Work Hard, Invest, Retire and Enjoy Life Later*, Or Maybe 2 Weeks a Year! (-_-)
(*Terms and conditions apply)
That's what we've been force-fed, right? We're not doing the world or ourselves any favors by denying ourselves the pleasures and beauty of this world! In fact, we're only adding to the false narrative of scarcity. I've lived with people who had less (Financial Capital) than anyone who will read this! Some of those people, were the happiest people I have ever met, not denying themselves a bite of cake the moment it was in front of them. Some may say "they're just livin' day by day" but hey, at least they're livin'! And no, pleasures aren't the same as destructive addictions. As these destructive addictions aren't selfish as they are not what's best for the self. We also find that addictions spring from true needs/pleasures not being met (i.e. NOT being selfish)
I realized I got so caught up in running the race I forgot to look around and realize there was no race to be ran.
I've been asking myself some culturally-conditioned-to-be-difficult questions.
What can I do with my time that I will truly enjoy?
What will bring me pleasure and happiness so that I can better be in service to a more beautiful world?
For me, that was the decision to live in Bali (for the next foreseeable future) and dedicate my time to building a better me, (writing, dreaming, optimizing my health, growing food, connecting with people, re-imagining a new world) opposed to going back to the States and doing the "proper, logical investment" of working for 4 months. Doing a job I couldn't ethically get behind. I have to say, the pay was very tempting, this was part of the reason for it being such a difficult offer to decline. It's funny the abuse we put ourselves through for money (a bit ironic, given that money is supposed to prevent said abuse). This was causing me a lot of grief the past few months as I agonized over what my mind was saying "deny the cake for a 'better' reward down the road" vs my heart "follow your passion and be happy now, creating a more-fulfilled you is always a more worthy goal!" So I invite you to ask:
What joys are you denying yourself?
Are there any narratives that you may be sub-consciously following?
Are you falling into the most dangerous risk?
"The most dangerous risk of all, not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later" - Randy Komisar
So go out there and be selfish! It's good for the world. :)
Rieki
Nice ,it always depend on the definition we atribute to selfishness.
Absolutely. However, I have found that in the culture I once was so entrenched in (that is, the U.S.), that the definition of 'selfishness' often tends to include taking care of oneself? One is often praised for thinking of 'others' before thinking of themselves. However, all this "unselfishness" is leaving people with needs unmet, which is disrupting our ability to actually help others. I believe, it's a downward cycle.
I agree with a lot of this. I've seen that a lot of "very American" ideals are actually being achieved in the opposite ways by other countries I've visited. Know what I mean?
Absolutely!!! I have lived out of the states for over 6 years and I have to say, I've never felt freer! I get a bit of anxiety anytime I go back. Now, I've got a house in Bali and think that I won't be returning to America anytime soon! I mean, there are at least 17 good reasons to not live in America if you're an american! Just my opinion though ;)
IMHO, you're totally right. Bali is awesome. I especially love New Zealand, India and Thailand. Sometimes I actually feel kinda sad when other Asian countries start trying too hard to be more "American" when they're actually pretty awesome just the way they are.
Exactly. Though each country has its own challenges and I don't think one is inherently better than the other. (I know sometimes it can come off that way). It's interesting the underground movements that are near-identical that are popping up in the new generations across the world! It's amazing to see the transition these countries are going through.
Agreed. Which country have you been to that has really blown your mind, culturally speaking? I just blogged about this @joylovestowrite, and I'd love to add one of yours to the list because I have a feeling you've been to some pretty amazing places.