In which direction to stretch? / by Alexander Lyadov

“Lie down!” - I give my dog a command in the hallway before I feed him in the kitchen. It’s stamina training because he longs to be near food. Not daring to break my command, the dog does the hack. Lying on his side, he turns his face in my direction so he doesn’t miss the bowl being filled with food.

If you’ve seen documentaries about African animals, you’ll remember the special hyper-focused stare that predators get into their prey long before the final attack. Instead of eyes, the cheetah now has a telescopic sight, and the body has been transformed into an arrow of a Mongolian bow. In that moment, the world around the predator collapses into a single object, and all other desires and problems recede to the periphery. Is the target hit? Yes and no. The boar is still carelessly nibbling on the grass, while the leopard is already greedily consuming its information body.

When it comes to something vital, there is not much difference between a lion, a dog and a man. The body is self-targeting the target, investing resources with the right priority. Is there nothing in the way? The arrow arm fires to nail the object. Are there obstacles? The mind ingeniously solves them one by one. No opportunity to get closer? The body strives at least to lie in the direction of the target. If the ideal is kept in sight, sooner or later ways to achieve it will be revealed.

However, unlike animals, driven by a wise instinct, humans are adept at hindering themselves. First, by constantly being distracted by temptations and squandering their invaluable resource. Second, by devaluing their ability to achieve anything ambitious. Well, and most importantly, not bothering to openly and explicitly admit to themselves what they are really striving for.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander


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