Filosofia

(Drawn awhile ago, but found recently)

"We all start with preconceived notions of what we want from life.  These include the basic needs programmed by our genes to ensure survival - the need for food, comfort, sex, dominance over other beings.  They also include the desires that our specific culture has inculcated to us - to be slim, rich, educated, and well liked.  If we embrace these goals and are lucky, we may replicate the ideal physical and social image for our historical time and place.  But is this the best sure of our psychic energy?  And what if we cannot realize these ends?

We will never become aware of other possibilities unless, like the painter who watches with care what is happening on the canvas, we pay attention to what is happening around us, and evaluate events on the basis of their direct impact on how we feel, rather than evaluating them exclusively in terms of preconceived notions.  If we do so we may discover that, contrary to what we were led to believe, it is more satisfying to help another person than to beat him down, or that it is more enjoyable to talk with one's two-year-old than to play golf with the company president."

- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience