Fearlessness
“I think happiness is not a good orientation. Fearlessness is a much better thing. You will never be free of fear, but it is the best orientation” — Ido Portal
Utopia cannot exist. Apologies for bursting the bubble, but it is a fact of the human condition.
Happiness is a wonderful feeling, and I think we all crave to be happy as much as possible as frequently as possible.
However I think we can all admit that happiness tends to be fleeting and ephemeral, and is certainly not ever-present in our lives (despite how we depict ourselves on social media). A more realistic narrative involves the acceptance and embracing of the suffering and obstacles that comprise our day to day lives. The definition of which can take many different forms for different people.
There are two primary reasons why I agree with Ido Portal’s assessment that fearlessness is a better orientation.
1. As The Ithaca Diaries has consistently put forth, personal growth is almost directly correlated with your degree of discomfort. Actively seeking out challenges that make you uncomfortable and stretch you is a sure way to improve your life. The paradox of this is that your levels of happiness actually increase. While from a micro perspective in any given moment you may feel overwhelmed or ‘not happy’, when you take a step back and view yourself at a macro level you will have a much greater sense of fulfilment and purpose. Pursuit of goals outside of our reach provide us with satisfaction and meaning.
2. Based on evolutionary biology, anecdotal reference, and objective psychological theory, omnipresent happiness is simply not a real thing. Nor is it even a desirable state because as a species we need something to strive towards. The ying and yang of life necessitates that without the bad times, we cannot appreciate the good times. Suffering is a companion of happiness. Without one, we do not have the other. Our sweetest achievements tend to be the ones that required the most effort and struggle.
Most of us in the West live in a very sheltered environment — the disparaging “snowflake generation” term is often allotted to us. I think millennials have enormous potential and sometimes get an unfair rep, but there is significant truth to the “snowflake” concept.
We demand instant gratification, avoid anything that challenges or offends us, and expect that our visions for our life will magically manifest themselves whilst completely negating the fact that if you wish to have the audacity to live life on your terms, you will have to work until your eyes bleed (proverbially) for the guts of probably a decade or so. You will have to make some serious sacrifices, sacrifices that go against the grain of what society expects of you. Are you willing to do that?
I always said I was willing, but never really acted it out, truly. Now though I believe that I have found my “why” and I have never felt more focused or determined (I find ‘motivation’ can be a misguided and misinterpreted term). Getting up early or ‘hustling’ late in the day don’t feel like a chore because my “why” is so bloody powerful. Sacrifices don’t feel like sacrifices, because they are contributing to a greater good.
Fearlessness has helped. Of course I am not always happy, but I have never felt more directed in pursuit of my purpose since adopting this orientation. Life has a way of rewarding those who take the road less traveled, who take risks, who test themselves continually, and who “do not go gentle into that good night”. Choosing such a path is infinitely rewarding.
Be fearless my friend.
The Ithaca Diaries
