No, I am not talking about that!
What I mean is... I was raised by my dad to work hard as if it was some kind of virtue. I have since come to realize it really isn't, and have written about that elsewhere. My dad was likely raised the same way by his dad, and his dad was likely raised that way by his father, etc. Sure, hard work won us a couple of world wars and built society as we currently know it. But we also worked very hard in Vietnam, Irag and Iran. Didn't do much for us there, did it? And is society as we currently know it really, at its heart, all that good? I would argue that it is not, that we as humans could do better. I would say that we are using a system designed hundreds of years ago, and that we are perpetuating belief systems from that time, trapping our children in the perfect mentality for wage slavery.
I keep reading around here about how hard it is to start your own business. I keep reading in various self-help books how hard it is to change one's beliefs. And I know it is hard to change one's beliefs, because I have done so, gone through a belief systems crash, and come out the other side. But I wonder if we are a little too obsessed with how hard, or how difficult, a thing is. As if anything that is easy or effortless is somehow lazy and of less value. I think we are programming ourselves to expect things to be hard, and only once they are sufficiently frustratingly and maddingly difficult do we think they are good, or right, or whatever. And I think that is absolute bullspit.
We throw around the phrase, "if it were easy everyone would be doing it" but there are a few hidden assumptions here. First of all that no matter how easy something might be that everyone would jump on board. But I would wager that most people would just stay stuck in their old, comfortable habits and routines. In fact I know my dad wouldn't, because he would instantly be suspicious of anything easy, as that is against the doctrine by which he was raised. And that brings us to the second assumption, that a thing must be difficult in order to be worthy. If it isn't a challenge and doesn't work up a sweat, it ain't worth it! Right? WRONG!!!
Ever done Tai Chi or Qi Gong? Pretty simple, easy, flowing movements. Which is better do you think? Pushups, situps, hours on an excerise bike or running machine, or Tai Chi? It's Tai Chi. That's why you see millions of Chinese elderly people doing it every afternoon. The Chinese manufacturing systems might be absolute garbage, but they are light years ahead of us when it comes to understanding the energetic AND physical properties of the body. Tai Chi is easier, do you see everyone doing it? No, of course not! Here in America everyone is at the gym, where if you ask if they have Tai Chi or Yoga sessions they look at you funny.
Did you know the best way to learn piano is also the easiest? It is not trudging through an endless series of exercise books. It is by learning chords and having fun playing things that sound good right out of the gate! How do I know this? Because I taught myself to play piano, as an adult. I tried the traditional route and the "learning by chords" route and I was actually able to play with the chords route. Do you see a lot of people playing piano using the easier route? Or teaching their kids the easier route? Of course not! But you certainly see a lot of well-paid piano teachers using the traditional method!
Here is my final question... Does the path to an immediate burst of wealth absolutely have to be challenging, difficult or hard? Must we automatically assume that any easy or effortless system is either a scam, subpar or worthless? Why? Where is it written that this whole thing has to be hard? I want to see the rule book, and question its author!
Just wanted to vent here and cause folks to think about some of their assumptions.
What I mean is... I was raised by my dad to work hard as if it was some kind of virtue. I have since come to realize it really isn't, and have written about that elsewhere. My dad was likely raised the same way by his dad, and his dad was likely raised that way by his father, etc. Sure, hard work won us a couple of world wars and built society as we currently know it. But we also worked very hard in Vietnam, Irag and Iran. Didn't do much for us there, did it? And is society as we currently know it really, at its heart, all that good? I would argue that it is not, that we as humans could do better. I would say that we are using a system designed hundreds of years ago, and that we are perpetuating belief systems from that time, trapping our children in the perfect mentality for wage slavery.
I keep reading around here about how hard it is to start your own business. I keep reading in various self-help books how hard it is to change one's beliefs. And I know it is hard to change one's beliefs, because I have done so, gone through a belief systems crash, and come out the other side. But I wonder if we are a little too obsessed with how hard, or how difficult, a thing is. As if anything that is easy or effortless is somehow lazy and of less value. I think we are programming ourselves to expect things to be hard, and only once they are sufficiently frustratingly and maddingly difficult do we think they are good, or right, or whatever. And I think that is absolute bullspit.
We throw around the phrase, "if it were easy everyone would be doing it" but there are a few hidden assumptions here. First of all that no matter how easy something might be that everyone would jump on board. But I would wager that most people would just stay stuck in their old, comfortable habits and routines. In fact I know my dad wouldn't, because he would instantly be suspicious of anything easy, as that is against the doctrine by which he was raised. And that brings us to the second assumption, that a thing must be difficult in order to be worthy. If it isn't a challenge and doesn't work up a sweat, it ain't worth it! Right? WRONG!!!
Ever done Tai Chi or Qi Gong? Pretty simple, easy, flowing movements. Which is better do you think? Pushups, situps, hours on an excerise bike or running machine, or Tai Chi? It's Tai Chi. That's why you see millions of Chinese elderly people doing it every afternoon. The Chinese manufacturing systems might be absolute garbage, but they are light years ahead of us when it comes to understanding the energetic AND physical properties of the body. Tai Chi is easier, do you see everyone doing it? No, of course not! Here in America everyone is at the gym, where if you ask if they have Tai Chi or Yoga sessions they look at you funny.
Did you know the best way to learn piano is also the easiest? It is not trudging through an endless series of exercise books. It is by learning chords and having fun playing things that sound good right out of the gate! How do I know this? Because I taught myself to play piano, as an adult. I tried the traditional route and the "learning by chords" route and I was actually able to play with the chords route. Do you see a lot of people playing piano using the easier route? Or teaching their kids the easier route? Of course not! But you certainly see a lot of well-paid piano teachers using the traditional method!
Here is my final question... Does the path to an immediate burst of wealth absolutely have to be challenging, difficult or hard? Must we automatically assume that any easy or effortless system is either a scam, subpar or worthless? Why? Where is it written that this whole thing has to be hard? I want to see the rule book, and question its author!
Just wanted to vent here and cause folks to think about some of their assumptions.
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