Alone. Alone. Alone. You are alone. As much as you might love another person, you are not that person. Nobody but you is you. Only you have access to your particular experiences, feelings and surroundings. Throughout all time and space there will only be one you. This is it. You can be proud of yourself as a unique living creature, but don’t feel superior.
No matter who you think you are, you’re not superior – just different. Pride, vanity and conceit kill enjoyment.
Humility is the word.
The Philosophy of Enjoyment maintains that life is subjective. It’s just you and the rest of the world which is not-you. You have to put up with irritations, but you can practice a special kind of self-control to keep anger at bay. You can be kind. You can see the humour in people. To feel the enjoyment of a lasting kind you can feel proud of yourself like a duck is of his plumage, but don’t feel superior. You’re not superior. You’re just another duck.
You are an observation post. Your senses and contemplations colour everything. Enjoyment is not dependent upon circumstances, belief or class. People who find a source of real lasting enjoyment don’t need acquaintances or admiration. They don’t need good times. Life can throw catastrophes, but you can find enjoyment even in the bad times. Dedicate yourself to enjoyment like a duck. Ducks enjoy themselves. Enjoyment is not rational. Rationality can squash enjoyment as much as the craziest superstition. Enjoyment comes through you. You are the conduit of enjoyment.
Imagine that you are walking home from work in the late afternoon in April. You are just another two-legged-human-animal-vegetable walking on the earth. You can appreciate the creatures you see. You can imagine yourself as if from above. You can feel the magic of being alive at this time, in this body, in this place. No worries. No pain. No hurt feelings because of pride, vanity or conceit.
As you enjoy going along, you forget who you are. You’re just an observation post. You look up at the blue light filling the sky. You look at a wood duck perched on a branch. You look up over your head and what do you see? Infinity. Not that that it matters. It’s just interesting. You’re getting small – and that’s a good thing. You’re firmly in this body on this earth as it is and as you are.
At such moments: alone with your thoughts, as you feel a light breeze on your face, hear a duck’s song and a distant piston-engine, smell burning leaves and someone’s supper unsure of which is which, you can step away from the modern age of machines and misery. You’re not a slave. Leave the ant-hill mentality of the city behind. Enjoy yourself in this world. Not striving – just experiencing. Such a delicious flash of time can be filed away for later use when you need it like when you’re back in the office or stuck in traffic. At unpleasant times, you can smile and remember the details of this April late-afternoon walk home. You can relive, secretly smile and say, “Yes, we have no bananas.”
No reason. It’s just enjoyment. There’s nothing to explain.
philosophy of ENJOYMENT 