The Pursuit of Pursuing: Stop Neglecting Your Interests
“The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, or gives you a sense of meaning, joy, or passion” ~Terry Orlick
We human beings are told to spend the entirety of our lives searching for this so-called “pursuit”. On a more traditional level, it simply boils down to one’s career pathway.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” the middle-aged man questions the little boy. Two separate generations peering at each other, while one is eagerly waiting to pass down wisdom he’s taken away from his 40-something years of being alive, as the other attempts to scan his brain for an answer, like a celebrity who is trying to come up with a vague PR response. “An astronaut” he responds, after which the middle-aged man scowls internally. It’s okay, he’s just a little kid who doesn’t know better, he thinks.
The term “pursuit”, known as the action of chasing after someone or something, is frequently associated with vocation or occupation. In an institutionalized society where there are unspoken instruction manuals for how one should live their life, anything that is not already inscribed as a guideline is deemed invaluable.
But, we now know that that is far from the truth. Gen Z’s Aquarian nature of rebellion and innovation, meshed with America’s individualistic culture has proven this statement false. But, we still see remnants of it in several members of our society, regardless of the generation they belong to.
It’s mostly the people who grew up with the notion that the concept of life is analogical to money. They believe that life is a transactional relationship where you give something for the sole purpose of receiving something equally worthy. At face value, it seems like a reasonable philosophy, until you realize that money is simply a sub-facet of life. Thinking on a surface level means that you’re stingy with your energy and effort, similar to how the common folk act with their wealth. You won’t engage in anything unless you are monetarily compensated for your hard work. You won’t wholeheartedly entertain human beings who can’t offer you anything useful.
These individuals are fully convinced that they’re the chemists of their lives. They hypothesize that happiness and money have a positive relationship, and predict that an increase in monetary concentration will cause happiness levels to go up. Unfortunately, correlation is not always causation.
To me, a pursuit is anything that intrinsically motivates me and brings positive value to my life. It’s something that I do with great pride and hold dear to my heart. My pursuits manifest in the form of people, hobbies, music, etc. I do not consider my job to be one of my pursuits. As much as I’d enjoy the career I’m headed towards, I don’t particularly like the idea of working continuously in rigid conditions — most people don’t. This work is what I’m doing to assimilate into society as a young adult, and, to put it bluntly — survive.
Money is inevitably valuable in our modern civilization, and I need plenty of it to sustain myself. Thus, I will never take even a penny for granted, and I will forever spend my life working hard and immensely respecting those who work hard to obtain it. However, I will never become so greedy that I allow it to seep into my head like a ghostly vampire, sucking the soul out of things that truly bring me joy. I never want to become so materialistic that the only words in my mental vocabulary are rich, social status, power, clout, networking, etc.
People who think like this are deliberately closing themselves off. It’s not a matter of them being wrong or right. When their outlook on the world is surface-level and straightforward, they shut off the possibility of expanding their lives in more authentic, fruitful ways. There is no singular, cookie-cutter way of pursuing things. You don’t have to weigh out the pros and cons of each pursuit, with the end goal of picking one. You can do multiple things! As cliché as it sounds, the possibilities are truly endless.
A pursuit can be anything you genuinely desire, not just a job. But, it can also be a job. If your pursuit isn’t a job, you don’t have to choose between both. You can do both. Do you enjoy art but also need a high-paying job? Work your job and have artistic side hustles. Don’t like this lifestyle? Change it up if/when circumstances allow you to do so. You’re not permanently locked into any decision for life, you can always find a way to change things up or enhance the quality of your life, even if it’s a small change. A small change can eventually create a gateway that leads to a bigger change, which could end up being rewarding. Do not completely ignore or deprive yourself of what truly makes you happy–if your work makes you happy, that’s wonderful. If not, pursue whatever does make you happy, after you’ve met your survival and safety needs.
It doesn’t always have to be this or that, it can be this AND that. Balancing the “this” with the “that” is the key to success.
