Zen; the cure for the rat race?

Chasing happiness has become an all too common practice in our modern world. If it is not the promotion we are chasing it is the boat or the car. Why is it that many of us are always in pursuit of those last few pieces of our lives that we believe will give us our ideal life? Why is it that the ideal life never comes? It is most likely because there always seems to be a few acquisitions in the way. At least this is how much of society travels through life. After all, this is the foundation of our economy. If no one buys no one makes money, and then no one gets a paycheck, and then no one buys. It is a vicious cycle into which many millions of dollars are put, to ensure its survival. This is what we all know as, "the rat race". It is the promise of a brighter tomorrow by striving today.

Unfortunately tomorrow never comes, the only moment that we can ever really control is the "now". Zen has been teaching this for years, but our society has been screaming otherwise. Many of our commercials, tv shows, books, and movies, promote a life as being better with “more”. We are in essence being programmed to spend and strive, constantly thinking that the next acquisition will be the difference. Zen teaches us that our possessions are baggage, which will imprison us if we let them. Let’s look at this idea a little closer.

I recently heard a story of a young woman who received a promotion at the local bank. As she got this news she went straight out and purchased a trendy new car on loan for 5 years. And of course she needed to get some custom seat covers (she saw on a movie), a state of the art cd player (like her best friend’s), and some speakers (up sell) which she too got on loan via her credit card (it’s just that easy).
Now let’s suppose she prescribed to the thinking that all she needed to be happy was this promotion, and the new car it afforded her. Let us too suppose that this new station like that last began to bore her in less than a year of starting it. Now there is no promotion in site due to lack of growth in her branch, and thus she finds herself in a literal dead end job. She would like to go back to school to pursue her passion but doesn't have the time or money. She couldn't quit her job because she has a car for which she is indebted. She can't sell the car because it is not worth what she owes on it even with the upgrades. Now she finds herself a slave tied to her boring unrewarding post to pay for her possessions. Does she really own the car or does it own her. Examples like this are everywhere and contrary to most peoples' opinion, when you make more money you also tend to accrue more debt.

Now understanding the problem, how can we change our belief system so as to exit the rat race and actually obtain the carrot at the end of the stick immediately? Zen gives us some basic beliefs that can help us do this and they are relatively easy to implement.

1. Live in the now. Now is the only moment over which you can exercise control. Choose to be happy now, and live as if you have all that you really need at this very moment, after all YOU DO. Time is the only really limited resource, not money. Once you realize this you won't waste a second whether it is at an unrewarding job, or in pursuit of one of your life passions.

2. Let go of your possessions. Don't let them control your life, enjoy them but don't live for them. You are not your possession and they are not you. Find ways to get in touch with the real you, love that person and you will find possessions won’t be nearly as important.

3. Pursue enriching relationships. This is the great thing about living in a society, there are so many people from which to learn. Everyone is profoundly "genius" at something, therefore everyone has something to teach us. When I first started exploring this principle I ran into a fellow with very little education. Many of the people who knew him discounted him because of his bad speech and unique appearance. They treated him as if he had no value with which to add to the lives of others. Well, as I found myself one day in a busy city in Southern California of which I was unfamiliar (as was this gentlemen I might add) I found myself quite dependent on his knowledge of the bus system. Though he was from Maryland he was so proficient that he would simply glance at the spider web like maps in the bus pamphlets and instantly knew the where and when to get us to our intended destinations. Having grown up in Utah where very few people ever ride the bus I was very grateful to this gentlemen for letting me be a beneficiary of his genius.

4. Do one thing at a time with patience of mind. Tiger Woods the best golfer the world has ever known is an excellent example of this principle. As you watch Tiger close out a tournament there is one thing on his mind, golf. He is not thinking about what he is going to do after the 18th hole or what happened in the last tournament or even what the other people around him may be thinking about him for that matter. He is squarely focused on the here and now. This being the case he doesn't rush what he is doing. He takes his shot when he is ready, patiently analyzing the variables, and all this in his own time. No wonder he is so good, if each of us approached our tasks and passions with this mentality we too would be accomplishing great things.