Literally seconds before publishing this post,
I was made aware that Mr. Einstein once said...
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again,
but expecting different results.
Is it not the same thing with humans?
Humans succumb to becoming that
which they think they must become.
And this loop repeats itself over and over again.
An insanity kept barely in check by their forceful pretense.
And this is stated not by only considering the menial
positions of clerks, accountants, front-desk,
network, or office administrators, analysts,
engineers, pharmacists, lie (social-media) evangelists,
or truth evangelists,
but also the glorified positions of
C-level execs or advisors, hedge-fund owners
and managers, serial entrepreneurs, and the like.
One must realize...
If the world knows a human only by a label,
it is because the human succumbed to their Mind.
And I will re-stress,
how glorified or looked-down-upon the label, does not matter.
For labels allow for the human to mask their visceral reality.
You see,
man is continually looking to convince
himself that he is something.
Why his Mind does that, is diving head-first into a goose-chase.
Leave the goose-chases for those who are beyond
saving from the thoroughly self-convinced labels of "researchers"
that is reflected both in their wardrobe and permanently flexed eyebrows.
Let us settle with The Truth that it does that.
Driven by this itch to become that which he is,
man spends life merely catering to it.
Most fall for the relief that comes from the itch.
While others like the act of itching itself.
No one bothers to dig past the itch,
and understand what is causing it in the first place.
But why would he?
The rush of climbing the ladder of becoming this
and that is the only thing that keeps him "sane".
When the ladder of becoming is overdone,
he takes on another hierarchy - one of doing things.
He thinks if becoming these things did not satisfy him,
he has to do a whole bunch of unrelated things.
It all unfolds something like this,
right after he enters puberty...
He looks around relentlessly - "Who am I? Who am I?"
and "What do I do? What do I do?"
Add to this the other humans around him,
and his Mind impregnates itself with competition, FOMO,
ambition, peer-pressure, and other such sentinels.
He becomes a high school stundent first.
Then an undergraduate student.
He part-takes in various societies and excels or fails. Fine.
Then he looks for the next thing.
He learns of labels of doctor or engineer or accountant. Picks one.
Then he looks for the next thing.
He finds CEO, CTO, VP, Trader, investor. Picks one.
Then he looks for the next thing.
He travels, buys houses, cars, and befriends and dates others. Does it all.
Then he looks for the next thing.
He gives it all up and pursues an athletic or artistic career.
Then he looks for the next thing.
He fills the pockets of retreat organizers.
Then he looks for the next thing.
He visits India, Bhutan, Burma, Indonesia, or China.
...
It does not stop.
Why?
Because he does not stop.
Because he does not know what he is looking for.
All he has done, in his whole life,
is succumbed time and again to two
of the "innate" tendencies
of the Mind...
1. I am this
2. I have to do this, that, and then those.
A CEO can be much more than a CEO.
What else? Athlete? Mountaineer? Guitarist?
No, I did not say those things.
I am also not saying that he will have to stop
doing his "CEO things",
and religiously follow some "Truth" that I will lead him on.
I am pointing towards something superior.
His company or companies can continue.
His family can continue to be overseen by him.
His house, investment portfolio, insurance, need not be touched.
And no, of all things, he does not have to do anything.
He has to Want to take the label "CEO" off
once and for all.
He has to Want to become that for which
his heart beats.
Thank you.