The Joy of Easiness

Recently on a TV Quiz show, one participant talked about the book, “The joy of laziness”. I was amused to discover that there is, indeed, such a book in print. Here is a short synopsis of this book.

“Drawing on both scientific and anecdotal sources, the doctor authors of The Joy of Laziness argue that the much-admired Type A lifestyle of intense exercise, frantic activity, and overwork is detrimental to health and long life. Every human being has a limited amount of life energy, they say, and the speed with which it is consumed determines the lifespan. Citing the scientifically recognized Metabolic Theory, the book explains how being “lazy” — being calm, eating temperately, reducing or avoiding sports, exercising moderately, and limiting ambition — can boost the immune system and increase longevity.”

We may not agree with everything said in this book. But, who can deny the fact that ‘stress’ is the single most killer disease of modern times. 24 hours don’t seem to be enough in a day. There is a rush for everything. We want everything instantly – instant cooking, instant weight loss, instant wealth and instant success. Students are burdened to score high grades and choose profitable careers. Workers and executives are dying to climb career ladders. We are rushing through our meals, travels and meetings. We look for means of exercising that would burn more calories in less time. Even entertainment is fast-paced and confined to digital world – countless 24x7 TV channels, laptop, iPod, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, facebook, etc. Where is the time for a leisurely walk in a park? Where is the time for listening to birds’ chirping and wind blowing through trees? Where is the time for watching sunrises and sunsets? Where is the time for lying on a couch with a book? Where is the time for sitting with older generation overflowing with life’s wisdom? We seem to be doing everything, except living happily.

Everything in the nature is designed to work ‘easily’. Sun rises in no hurry. Flowers bloom in their own sweet time. Seasons change seamlessly. Birds fly with ease. Fishes don’t struggle for swimming. There is a symphony in play. No competition, no enmity and no jealousy. But, we humans seem to defy this principle. We believe in beating the nature. We think that we can get anything out of turn at will. We want to achieve our goals at any cost. Hence, we complicate our lives – by hurrying and worrying. Let’s watch the lives of true achievers. A true painter enjoys every turn of his brush. A great writer may ponder on an idea for several days without writing anything. A great musician plays his instrument effortlessly. A great dancer remains calm while her dance sets the stage on fire. A master batsman makes a difficult shot look easy. Easiness is the common denominator of all true achievers. When this easiness is lost, we become sick. That is why; the other name for sickness is disease (dis+ease). Stress is the symptom of living uneasily. Spontaneity is the sign of easy living.

This does not mean that we should not have goals and ambition in life.  But, we must choose a goal which is in line with our own natural talents. There is no need to mimic any other achiever. True achievers also don’t imitate anyone. That’s why they are called ‘original’. They don’t compete with anyone. When we imitate or compete with someone, we move away from our own centre and shift our yardstick to external factors over which we have no control. Stress is the inevitable result. However, when we work according to our own natural talent, we are naturally at ease. Everything flows effortlessly. We don’t get tired, no matter how much we work. Have we not noticed how easy learning becomes when our hearts are at work? Following our own natural talents, whether we achieve any great heights or not, we remain at peace with ourselves and that is the secret of happiness. A true achiever is always happy.

Last but not the least, each one of us is endowed with a great tool called ‘conscience’, which constantly monitors every thought, feeling and action. So long as our thinking, feelings and actions are at ‘ease’, they are in line with conscience and hence ‘right’ for us. Any deviation from conscience, however small, would cause uneasiness and hence ‘not right’ for us. Let this be the benchmark of our day-to-day activities. The Chinese master Chuang Tzu says:

“Easy is right.

Begin right and you are easy.

Continue easy and you are right.

The right way to go easy is to forget the right way and forget that the going is easy.”