The issue with the need for reasons
I’ve always been used to justifying, to myself before anyone else. Incidentally, this is something I see a lot of people doing, often unconsciously.
Then I found out there’s no need to have any reasons, let alone a good one.
In particular, doing what I love is more than enough reason in itself. And the reasons that lie behind anything at all aren’t necessarily relevant or helpful.
The main takeaway
At a deeper level, knowing why we do what we do is really powerful.
But sometimes we don’t know, or maybe we just can’t spell out our motives.
Fixating upon reasons can lead to self-denial, misalignment and inner conflict.
A quick parenthetical
Utilitarianism came to mind for some reason (pun intended).
When I first learned about that, it just made sense to me. Back then I was much younger and, the way I see it now, over-reliant on logic.
It took me some time to understand that there cannot be a single philosophy to live by, because what’s right on one occasion can be wrong on the next one.
(There would be a whole lot to elaborate, but that’s not what I meant to write about now, and I don’t feel like going off on a tangent. Maybe some other day.)
A recent event
I’ve been to a festival. Lots of people dancing, playing music, having fun. When I came back, a sudden realization hit me: anything we do is self-expression.
Our movements, looks, words, actions… they just are. They can only have the reasons we fabricate for ourselves, whether individually or collectively.
So, why not give priority to what we want, simply because we feel like it? Why place business before pleasure? Why never allow pleasure to be our business?
Self-denial might make you a better monk, but outside of the monastery it’s a pretty horrible way to live. Knowing what I know now, I couldn’t do it.
—Leon Feingold, Poliamory (TEDx Bushwick)
An older note
While wondering about this, I remembered I’d already written something alike.
I went through my notes, and I found one I saved last year, on 18 September 2022 (trivia: that’s the same exact date of the one about Softness).
I’ll paste it below. After all, the reason why I have this blog is to share ideas! 😜️
Having a problem is the second-best reason to act. The best one is having none.
When you have no problems, you don’t need to do anything. Therefore, you can do something just because you want it – with full intensity and presence.
If you think about it, that’s also what lies behind the urge to solve a problem: you feel the need to act because you want it gone.
The only difference is: where does that urge comes from?
When you have a problem, it comes from the outside. When you don’t, it comes from the inside.