OfPonderingWandering

One day you will- I will- We all will die, and there is nothing we can do about it. Such is life, broadly split into two categories: what we can control, and what we cannot control. In my recent read through of the Bhagavad Gita and similar Hindu thought, I stumbled across an interesting concept that I would like to share with you all. 

We cannot control outcomes. We are only responsible for controlling our actions.

Much like the Stoics, this line of thought works to understand what we can control vs what we cannot control (the dichotomy of control). Yet, the action vs outcome line of thinking is richer in a sense that it is much more accessible and applicable than the dichotomy of control. As Action vs Outcome shifts responsibility from controlling the outcome (which is impossible) to controlling our actions, which is something that is immediately accessible to us (even in this moment). 

Now, even the context of Memento Mori (Remember death) adds to the ‘power’ of action vs outcome. The ultimate outcome of anything is death, or rather cessation; this is the one thing we cannot control. The only thing that we can control is the actions we take in our lives, which ultimately lead us towards death. 

In this blog, I will go over some reflective/introspective tips to help strengthen our choice of action, before wrapping it up with a reminder of Memento Mori. 

Actions are one of the few things in life that we can control. Despite this, actions can oftentimes work against us- impacting the life we want to live. The concept of the ‘Karma Garden’ (Concept featured in a Dr K video) does a great job at teaching us how to guide our thinking.

Know your crops!

A good farmer knows their crops. To prepare an effective harvest, a farmer must know what crops grow well in what season, as well as some genuine research about the growing conditions and maintenance of their crops. 

Much is the same with our actions; we need to plan for the harvest (goal) well in advance. If our goal is to lose weight, then we must begin to research or experiment with the types of actions we can undertake. For example, hitting the gym, dieting, and daily physical exercise are great crops that we can grow. Yet it requires a degree of maintenance (discipline) to undertake. Which is ok! But what about your habit of binge eating on Friday nights? That, my friend, is a weed. 

Weeds are a pest of every garden, but they’re not just dandelions! Weeds are any plant that you do not want to grow in your garden, draining valuable energy from your goals. Hence, we must learn to identify our weeds vs our crops.

‘Does this action take away or give into my current goal?’

‘How can I change this action into something meaningful. Or do I have to stop this action altogether’ 

For example, sometimes we can use our laziness to our advantage, task efficiency. That is meaningful change. Yet sometimes, with overeating, we are forced to abandon it altogether. 

It’s through the introspection of our actions that we can start to build up the necessary momentum to bring us to the next stage. Yet, there’s still much more to the puzzle. Each action has a cause and an effect. Fruits grow from different seeds, and their growing conditions can determine their quality. Much is the same with the actions we take. We must become aware of the actions we take, including their causes, which we can determine through journaling practices and inner searches. Intention, focus, and awareness are when we take the action. As well as a non-attached understanding of what the action may ripen into. Firstly, we must understand where we come from.

The Roots 

The roots of action can be challenging to understand; yet, it is a worthy undertaking to pursue. Often, a few of the simplest distinctions we can make are understanding if we are acting (self-guided with an intentional focus) or reacting (an externally based, almost compensative method). For example, if we look towards forming relationships, we can see dating as both an ‘action’- someone who is intentionally getting to know someone, with the hope of pursuing a relationship. And we can also see dating as a ‘reaction’- someone who uses dating to compensate for a lack within their life. This distinction is crucial to make, and can allow us to begin to form awareness around our actions, and begin to take back control of our lives- with conscious, intentional actions. 

Intention 

A good farmer is intentional with their garden. Some farming methods, such as the ‘three sisters’ planting method, utilize mutually beneficial relationships to aid in plant growth and increase the quality of the harvest. By raising awareness of our actions, we can cultivate the same amount of intention. 

If we want our actions to cause a meaningful effect (gym -> healthier body), we must focus on our task. Split equally between carrying out the action, understanding the action, improving the action, and understanding the alignment of our actions. Carrying out, enhancing, and understanding the action is too broad to comment on. However, alignment is not. Alignment is understanding what crops grow well with what crops, all for a specific goal. For example, the goal of getting high grades in school includes the alignment of studying, resting, learning, and practicing. We must first identify what actions align well with each other, and then we can begin to analyze the alignment of our actions. We study, learn, and practice, but we never take sufficient rest. Then what happens? We can’t effectively consolidate, and we burn ourselves out; later on, our harvest is not as bountiful as it could be! 

So, to increase our efficiency, we must act with intention around our actions and keep the principle of alignment in mind! With all of this knowledge, we are ready to consider the effect of our actions.

Purpose 

Keeping the purpose of our actions in mind goes without saying. Aside from relaxation, we should first acknowledge the effect that we want to work towards. Let’s say buy our first car, then take actions to work towards that goal… Save, work longer hours, etc… 

This is boring, though, so let’s throw in a little philosophy in there. The ultimate effect of every action we take is working towards death (or cessation). We must keep this end in mind and use it to guide our actions. 

Imagine that you are on your deathbed, and there is a window that you can look out of, and onto your garden that you have spent your life cultivating. Are you content with what is there? With each action that we take, we must ask ourselves, ‘What will I think of this upon my deathbed,’ or more so, ‘What domino effect will this cause? Can I handle that in the future?’ We must remember that our actions can have lasting consequences that can follow us up to, and even after, death. 

Our dying view of our garden becomes a guiding star for us to reflect upon when we take action. For little actions create momentum, and momentum can move mountains. We must keep this in mind and cultivate our garden carefully. 

In conclusion, death will come- it is uncontrollable. Yet, the garden we tend along the way is not. It is yours to grow.