When I taught Introduction to Philosophy at Front Range Community College, I started the semester with a long quote from Kierkegaard, as featured in William F. Lawhead's A Philosophical Journey: An Interactive Approach.
Speaking through a fictional character, Kierkegaard bemoans the fact that everyone is fixated on making life easier through the modern (19th century) inventions of railways, telegraphs, and encyclopedias. What was the cost of such convenience?
Kierkegaard writes:
"Out of love for mankind, and out of despair at my embarrassing situation ... moved by a genuine interest in those who make everything easy, I conceived it as my task to create difficulties everywhere."
Lawhead then asks his readers to "stop and think":
In what ways could a philosopher like Kierkegaard make life more difficult for his readers? And why would we want to read the words of someone with this stated goal?
Contrast Kierkegaard’s noble difficulty with the Taoist ethical ideal of wu wei, often translated as "effortless action" :
"The master does nothing, and nothing is left undone." - Lao Tzu
This "doing nothing," we know, is deceptively simple.
It takes energy and spirit to accomplish actions without effort. Years and years of practice. Of active unlearning.
To make this distinction, my first teacher of Taoist philosophy emphasized wei wu wei: action without action. What we do to make our doing easier. How we act to align with our natures, the wellspring of our vitality.
How hard could it be?
What if … this were Easier?
"It's not so much that geniuses make it look easy; it's that they make it look fast." - Sarah Manguso
There's some wonderful secrets here that aren't so secret at all.
How we use our attention. Jenny Odell writes beautifully about reclaiming our attention in her landmark 2020 book How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy.
How we see ourselves. How we ask for help, and how we cooperate. We know from experience that "many hands make work light." Survival of the most cooperative.
How we approach our work. In a great interview with Tim Ferriss, Morgan Housel (who wrote the Psychology of Money) shares some truly terrible writing advice : If it's not easy, it's not good. Struggle is a sign that the writing isn't aligned with who we are, with what's important.
I'm compelled. Optimizing for ease — or at least doing what we can to alleviate anxiety arising from unnatural wants — seems a noble goal. It gives us more energy to do the work that matters: to show up with the people we love.
Asking ourselves again and again, "What if this were easier?", we pare down to the essential.
News from Sean Waters & the Sunrise Genius
🎉 We released a new song on Friday. It’s an indie-folk-rock devotional about presence. It’s called “Easier," from the refrain in the chorus:
“Growing deaf to my temptations
Is easier with you by my side.”
From a nice little write-up from a cool blog written from Madeira, Portugal:
“Written by Sean Waters, Easier celebrates the power we have to make each other's lives easier and how we can overcome the power of our unhealthy temptations. This message is beautifully conveyed through Sean's lovely, expressive vocals which soar effortlessly over intricate acoustic guitar riffs, cool rhythms and steady drum patterns. The overall atmosphere of the song is quite warm and comforting, making it perfect for a laid-back weekend.”
Thanks Caesar! If you give it a spin, we hope you enjoy it!
“Easier” on Spotify
“Easier” on Apple Music
Also, if you’re in Fort Collins and considering hosting a holiday party, we’ve got a great duo going, and we’d love to perform at any small house concert!
👋 News from the Wisdom Workshop
(1) 2024 Cohorts for people in transition start in February 2024:
Join the Maybe-List for The Arts Living Beautifully
Join the Maybe-List for Writing the Good Life
(2) 2024 Custom Wisdom Workshops for Professional Development
If you work on a team that is interested in improving working relationships and individual well-being, schedule a call to discuss our custom facilitation services.
(3) Get your 2024 Lifelong Learning Reimbursed with 2023 funds
A few of our alumni have gotten tuition reimbursement through their employer’s professional development funds. If you work for an organization who values deep engagement, relational health, and individual well being, it might be worth inquiring before the end of the calendar year to see if there’s leftover L+D funds. We can help.
Thank you for being here,
Wishing your a warm and wonder-full holiday season!
Sean
I’m with Kierkegaard. Intentional injection of entropy can break us out the trap of short term compliant easiness and release us to long term committed equanimity.