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| A deliberate life (2) | ||
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Activity encourages change
As well as the actual exercise itself, students are encouraged to do more
physical chores. Walking, cleaning, laundry are all good activities for your
body.
Be active. Rather than drive everywhere, walk when you can.
Is your job reciprocal?
Very few people ever find a job that fulfils them. Often they must work for
somebody else and receive whatever pay they are given.
It can feel unfair, one-sided - as though you are giving but not receiving.
Do more work for less money...
Company managers have become expert at asking people to do more work for no
extra money. In many jobs, working late is expected but not rewarded.
Competition, rivalry and tension are deliberately used by managers in order
to create anxiety and stress in the workforce.
Edgy, competitive people overdosed on caffeine are a productive workforce.
But not a healthy one.
Reclaim your life
Taoism advocates finding balance in all areas of your life. If you are
working beyond a seven hour day, it can be useful to ask why.
Exploring the reasons behind your overtime, unpaid work or weekend shifts
can be enlightening.
Ask questions
Do you really need the extra money? Are you financially overcommitted?
Living beyond your means? Debt-financing clothes, holidays, cars or social
life?
Working long hours uses up your life. Tai chi and Taoism encourage people to
slow down, make time for themselves and work at their own pace.
Self-discipline?
People say that they lack the self-discipline to live a deliberate life.
However, when you enjoy doing something and have a genuine enthusiasm for
it, you do not need to force yourself to do it.
You find the time - eagerly and willingly. It is all a matter of
priorities... what is of value to you?
What others think
Most people in the world will have opinions about a wide variety of matters.
This is quite normal. People are entitled to think whatever they like. Not
everyone will agree with what you think...
So what?
Please yourself
You cannot reasonably expect to please everyone all of the time. Let people
think and do as they please, and you do the same.
Is this what you want to do with your life?
Look hard at your life and question how you are living it. In case you did
not realise it... time = life. Wasting time means wasting life.
Is this REALLY what you want to do with your life?
Be brutally honest about your life. Is this what you want? Will you die
happy and fulfilled? What would you like to change?
Starting again
It can be very hard to change. Fortunately meditation teaches us the Way.
The meditation process is where the mind drifts and is gently brought back
to the present moment again.
Despite continual failure, we just start again. This same principle can be
applied to life. Do not be disheartened.
Rusty
Most adults have undertaken virtually no physical
exercise or serious study since leaving school. Their brains and bodies are
somewhat rusty and neglected. You may know the saying
"Use it or lose it".
Not knowing is nearest
Where do I go? What will I do? How will I cope? Can you tell me the
answer? Doubts, uncertainty, risk, insecurity... This is the stuff of
life.
Nobody knows the future. Nobody can say what will happen. Not knowing is
what makes life thrilling. If you want answers, find them out for yourself.
90 minutes
Dr Michael Greger (author of How Not To Die) recommends 90 minutes of
moderate-intensity exercise every day.
The three doctors who wrote The Okinawa Program maintain that
tai chi - with
its ancient origins and incredible health benefits - is the ideal form of
exercise for modern people.
If this sounds like a lot of exercise, why not chop it up into smaller
increments spaced throughout the day? How many people watch 90 minutes of TV
every day?
Inspiration...
Seek out sources of inspiration. There are countless books worth reading;
things that will radically change how you view the world and your place in
it.
Not fictional stories about vampires, werewolves, serial killers or sex
maniacs. Books that have survived the ages and still have powerful lessons
to teach.
Watch Ben Stiller's movie: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Page created
18 March 1997
Last updated
16 June 2023
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