What's the Point?

I'm sure you are familiar with this question, probably when you have a wonderful idea that you think will be great and some whiner asks, "But what's the point?" But I wonder how much you've thought about the question? It has an assumption built into it, that nothing without a point is worth doing, resulting in the consequence that every single bit of your life must achieve something meaningful. That's quite an assumption, isn't it? Two choices, achievement or a waste of time. But lets apply the question to the subject, what is the point of points?

It seems to me that the point of points is to achieve some change in your environment. The point of going to work is to acquire money so that you can eat. The point of mowing the lawn is to make it more beautiful (or to please the neighbors, or to avoid getting fined by the city). The point of changing a lightbulb is so that you will be able to see. The point of points is to ensure that the environment is altered in such a way as to improve your life. Points seem very useful then, randomly doing things without a point, without a goal in mind, would be a disastrous strategy.

But I want you to consider another group of activities. Consider lying in a hammock overlooking a beautiful bay. A pleasant beverage is within easy reach, bird song calls out from the jungle, you've got nowhere else to go for a week. Where's the point in that? I like to go walking, not hiking, but just walking around. I enjoy looking at things and just moving around. I'm not going anywhere, I'm not really getting exercise, I'm not even really changing my mood from before the walk until after the walk. I don't do it to come up with clever ideas (although that can happen) I'm just walking and enjoying it. How about a nice, long, warm bath? Or listening to music? There's a whole range of activities that don't achieve anything at all, but we like them. We can be ourselves doing them and enjoying it. I submit that generally we prefer these activities to the ones with a point.

But this refrain of "What's the point" still clamors around our lives. This constant push to achieve, make, build, acquire, perfect is everywhere in our lives. But what we really like to do is not have a point. We like to do things for the pleasure of the thing as much as any achievement. Even if what you like to do is build or construct something, if you don't enjoy the actual doing of it, the building or making as much as the having built or made, you are missing the trick. Points and goals are useful things, but only if they have an end to them.

Before you start thinking that this is just the philosophy of a lazy bastard I'm bring in the big guns. Here's Jesus: Matthew 6:25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Here's Lao-Tsu in the Tao Te Ching, Chapter 9: Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity

One of the great common ideals is the concept of freedom, to do as we please. I think the purest form of freedom is to be in a situation where you have the ability to choose to do things without a point, to do just do what seems natural without thought of consequence or wasting time. But the only way that you can have the time and freedom to act in such a way is to organize your life and get the things done that need to be done.

What's the point? The point is to get things done so that there will be no point, so that you will be free. To think of what the point of in an activity is absolutely vital, the more clearly you you can see what the point of something is, the better you will be at completeing and therefore removing the point. The point is to have no point, a concept so startlingly simple that we forget it. I'll finish with two Bob Marley quotes, "In the abundance of water the fool is thirsty," and "Wake up and live!"