Goalless action
Why are humans so fixated on being driven by goals. Be it in education or career or even personal activities like exercising, we need defined goals. Achieving those defined goals is considered progress and we love to flaunt our progress to the world. It strengthens our self identity, our sense of being. The whole concept of success in material world is centered around goals.
It is not hard then to understand why we are so scared and reluctant to enter the realm of goalless action. It doesn’t suit our mental constructs as our minds are more at ease with compartmentalizing and quantifying. Our mind needs gratification. Goalless actions don’t hold that promise. Learning to get degrees or certificates which are then used to get a job or a promotion which in turn takes us closer to having that bank balance, that house, that car. One goal feeding the other. You see how this entire chain works psychologically. Western culture that stands on the foundation of materialism and consumerism is a great champion of life driven by goals.
On other hand in modern society being goalless is equated with being lazy, procrastination, escapist attitude. But what does goalless action really mean? How about goalless learning to being with. Imagine learning a skill or a subject without any objective to clear an exam and get a certificate, just driven by the joy of learning. Or practicing your profession not driven by monetary aims but like a craftsman immersed deeply in his craft to create something beautiful. Exploring the world around without the boundaries that goals keep us constrained in. How do you think the biggest innovations in any field came about?
Eastern philosophy is a great proponent of goalless action. The famous teaching in Bhagwad Gita regarding just performing action without being concerned about its result is centered around the concept of goalless action (akarma in sanskrit). For if the action was done with a goal in mind, how can you not be concerned with the result? Think about it, what brings you joy? Chasing goals or exploring life unconstrained.
