The Most Hard Thing in Life
We tend to believe learning something first time or doing what you fear the most or achieving your dream is the hardest thing. The list isn’t limited as we can all have a different set of parameters to measure the hardest thing in life. For some, it could be solving arithmetic or probability questions. It will go on endlessly.
But nothing is harder than being thoughtless…
Why am I saying this?
It seems counter-intuitive at first. But I am saying this because we’re evolutionarily wired to become past dwellers, future planners, creators, creatives, and problem-solvers.
As Yuval Noah Harari says in ‘Sapiens: A brief history of humankind’ that our mind is still wired as hunter and gatherer of great plains in Africa. It always remains anxious, cautious, and planner.
We’ve survived for long thanks to these skills. It helped us to survive in the great plains against not only predators but also natural elements like fire, ice, and wind.
This made being thoughtless very difficult for them. This might get them killed.
We always remained worried and anxious because we had to find food, water, and shelter in the plains of Africa or Asia on time. Urgency was everything at that time.
We’ve come a long way from that time. Now we are modern sapiens who don’t need to remain anxious to get survived. But we can’t remain thoughtless. It’s so deeply ingrained in our mind that we still have remain anxious and worried — though reasons have changed.
Even though we have developed and entered into modern life where there are no threats from predators and an ever-lasting struggle to find food and water, our traits haven’t left us completely. We are still the same anxious, worried, and always-thinking homo sapiens, who are either thinking about the past or about the future.
It makes it harder for us to stay still, thinking neither about the past nor the future.
If you don’t agree with me, then try to sit down for a few moments. Just embrace the moment. Don’t fantasise the past memories or plan for the future, or dream about something.
If you are in the 99% category, you will realise how difficult it is. Stray thoughts would wander randomly occupying the space and time of your mind.
Savouring the moment is the toughest thing in life. In the process of aiming for higher ends, we forget to relish the smaller nooks. Watching the rising or falling Sun, absorbing the chilly winds of Winter, enjoying a cup of tea, and staying still and watching the surroundings. They all are priceless but underestimated things.
What are the benefits of keeping yourself thoughtless and in the moment?
1. Things become more incredible and beautiful
Once you start accepting things as they are, even mundane things seem more incredible and beautiful.
2. It’s a key to happiness
Most of the self-help books will suggest doing meditation for a while each day to make yourself happy. It’s a scientifically proven technique that will make you a little bit happier than others.
3. Keep your nerves calm
Relentless thoughts flowing into the mind keep it engaged and stressful. Sometimes for mindfulness, it’s better to give a rest to the powerhouse of our body.
