Why we hate practice
May 26, 2011
Many skills are attained only through long and regular practice e.g. playing a musical instrument, meditation. Many of us just give up after a brief struggle. I wonder if this has always been the case or if it is more so now. I suspect the latter.
We are used to instant gratification. City dwellers can instantly satisfy most regular desires: be it for food, entertainment, shopping, communication or transport. Consumer culture makes you expect prompt service. Minor delays cause irritation. Impatience is seen as a virtue in the corporate workplace. Could this contribute to our attitude towards attaining skills? Is it why we expect a serene state of mind even during the initial stages of practicing meditation? Why we expect to be able to play our favourite songs within a month of learning to hold the violin?
There might be another reason. This is the tendency to act only when absolutely essential. We report to work on time as unpunctuality is frowned upon. We take garbage out regularly because it will stink otherwise. We eat food, have sex regularly because it is instantly gratifying. However, not exercising regularly doesn’t present immediate consequences. So we let it slide.We attend to the urgent and forget the important. Isn’t it a sad commentary on us so called free beings that we only respond to the figurative whip?
Someone offered yet another excuse. We don’t care for regular practice because it doesn’t suit our style. We don’t like routine. We don’t like enforced structure. We like flexibility. We say to ourselves, progress is more important than regularity. It is okay to practice irregularly as long as we still make progress. Slippery slope. A Japanese saying goes, “When they are young, give them deep roots. When they grow up, give them wings.” It is often counterproductive to acquire wings early on. Few soar. Most crash.
