Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Motivation Vs. Discipline



Who hasn't hit the bed at night after an unproductive day and thought - "Tomorrow will be different". Of course, it never is. Motivation is fleeting and inconsistent, discipline is unyielding. It is immune to changing circumstances. Motivation is the cold splash of water that wakes you up at night, discipline is the will that keeps you awake long enough to do something about it.

Humans have the frightening ability to stand in a waterfall of inspiration and not absorb a single drop. No one can inspire you of their own volition. Pretty words on pretty pictures are as saccharine and banal as astrological signs. There's a visible disconnect between the half-hearted intent, and the actual effect.

It worries me that I may not be living up to my full potential. It worries me even more that maybe I am. Motivation works on the assumption that we need a specific state of mind to function at optimal levels, discipline, by contrast forces our hand to perform when there are reasons not to.

This is the faulty thinking that results in countless reiterations of the same logic - "If you don't do something you love as work, then you will remain frustrated and dissatisfied".
I disagree. In the world we live in, we are expected to do things that no one in their right mind would be enthusiastic about. This doesn't mean that you don't do them. Of course, people try to drum up fake motivation but to me, that's not only delusional, but a form of self inflicted hypomania. It leaves you burnt out after short spurts of elation.

Motivation is turning a lever to open the figurative door. Discipline is automating that process. Waiting till you feel like doing something is a self feeding procrastination loop that creates an un-fillable void.

It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it everyday, that's the hard part.

But it does get easier.



Saturday, March 12, 2016

An open letter to everyone: Humanity is Awesome



I don't know what it is about me that screams sarcasm to people. Maybe it's because I use irony to mock people. Regardless, I continue to remain clueless. Another thing that is attributed to me is the distaste for humanity. Nothing could be more wrong. Well, maybe something could be, but this is somewhere near the top of that list. This post has absolutely no reason to go on for longer than one paragraph, which means it almost certainly will be longer than one paragraph. Take it as an open letter of sorts addressed to everyone(~6 people who're reading this).

I love humanity, and it's not some constrained love either, I do not profess to like one aspect of it while completely disregarding most of it. Yes, I like some elements more than others and even dislike some, but that does not mean humanity isn't amazing. Of course, seeing as I belong to it may skew my perspective a bit. I however, stand unmoved, humanity is awesome.                                                         

No one can narrow the spectrums that humanity exists on, it is like a layered cake you're viewing sideways. Even so, I dislike quite a few people. Oh yes, disliking some people is not something I deny and there is
quite a lot of hate for people so few in number. Just because I like humans doesn't mean I like someone specifically. Flaws exist in everything and that is the basis for it to continue to better itself.

Let me tell you why I love humanity. The answer is not because humanity is 'beautiful' or how 'heartwarming' some people are. None of those bullshit vague answers that don't mean anything once you stop reading them. Humans are just as cruel as they are heartwarming. They're just as dark as they're beautiful.
 No, I find people to be the best thing ever. We are sentient, and therefore have the power to control and concentrate our thoughts. We are the only known species that can do this. That outright makes us special, but it is our minds that make us interesting.

Discovery, research, art and so many other fields, whenever there is something new to be found, we find it. And it never ends, one man's life span is merely a hindrance to humanity's quest.

We have always been constantly in conflict with our own limitations. The only way to escape the humdrum is to keep evolving, and goddamnit! aren't we the best at that?

People look for Heaven and Hell when everything to find is over here. We just have to discover it, and that is one of humanity's major selling points. Wherever you look, there's something new to find, something more exciting than anything else found before. And don't even get me started on humans. Everyone's unique. Every. Single. One. This does not mean they're all the same. Their uniqueness is not shared on a linear plane.
Whenever someone proclaims- 'we're all unique, so no one is', I secretly grind my teeth at the profound sounding load of crap. People are different to varying degrees in varying dimensions.

Not all of these people are good. Not many of these are outwardly interesting. But those who are, make it worth your while to go discover people. We have undiscoverable boundaries and yet so many choose to revel in this gift like it's a curse. The ability to understand people and their motivations is something special to us. My faith in humanity is not restored because it never subsided.