Pay The Price

No matter what we do in life it will come at the price of not doing something else that we could have done. We all start out with a seemly infinite number of possible realities or selves. As we get older we have to make decisions that begin to narrow and restrict those possibilities. If we do this correctly than our reality of who we are will be a reflection of our interests in life and what we want. The only way to expand the possibilities of a given reality is to restrict other possible versions of ourselves we could have been. It is like going into a doorway, you cannot go through two doorways at once and so you make a choice and go through one. Once you go through you have more expansive decisions that can be made from inside that couldn’t have been made without restricting the potential you could be and going through it. Another way to think of it is if you go to college you will want to pick a major. When you pick a major that eliminates the possibility of working on another major during that time. At the other end it opens up possible realities not available had the work not been put in on one goal. Sacrifice is a prerequisite. This process is called growing up and becoming an adult. This seems like a fitting term given that some will refuse to make a choice and do nothing, which in itself is a choice.

One issue is if we refuse to make choices and the necessary sacrifices then we will slowly loose the possible realities over time. What happens when we do nothing or engage only in short lived hedonistic activities? The range of possible outcomes, possible selves gets limited and restricted for us without promising possibilities opening up. This is what it means to dig your own grave, you create a living hell. We live in a create or disintegrate reality. We are goal driven beings, we need to have something worthwhile to aim at. This is why we will often have more joy in the anticipation of a good thing than in the realization of it. Like we were kids getting a new toy was so much fun on the first day, then you get used to it and soon you want the next new one. When a goal in life is realized we often begin looking toward the next milestone we can achieve. Those without goals operate similarly but destructively. They will do or consume something that offers a hit of pleasure then after the high wears off they are after their next hit. The real difference is one leads to expansion of the self to a higher and rewarding end. While chasing a hedonist hit of dopamine can lead to an expanding waistline and a feeling of complete emptiness.

To overcome ourselves we must decide on goal based on our individual interests then begin taking steps (or crawling) towards the completion of those goals. These goals can be whatever will make the suffering worthwhile. For example if you want to look a certain way you must control your eating habits and make yourself move doing cardio or lifting weights. Completion of these goals in the beginning should be realistically small so that you can create traction. Not that you don’t want great things but you must build up to the greatness you desire. It may help to write down your goals so you can see them and articulate them to develop and clear vision. Writing them down will also help keep track of them and give you something to look back on during days you struggle.

It is up to each of us to map out the life we truly want to lead and take the proper steps towards it. If we do nothing than that is a sin, by the root definition hamartia. Hamartia is a Greek archery term meaning to miss the mark. The surest way to miss is to not even take aim. To get what we would like in life we must figure out the aim. Then orient every aspect of our life to make the attainment of that aim possible. Not doing so leads to a wasted life and thus is by definition a sin. Putting in the effort and making the prerequisite sacrifices isn’t easy, but it sure beats the alternative. I know from doing both.