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“Running & Philosophy” by Michael W. Austin was a book that I picked up sometime back after I stumbled across it accidently at MPH. As the title implies, it is a book that ties running with philosophy together, exerting that they have a lot in common. And yes, I was impressed by the way Michael puts across some of his ideas… Definitely not an easy book to read, and I have still a long way from finishing this book, but what’s new? Ha…
Here is one small extract about life must be lived as play from this 200+ odd pages of book:
“Most runners don’t run to lose weight or get fit, they run because they enjoy it. It becomes a huge part of their life, of who they are. It was only in running that George Sheehan felt “whole and true and living at the peak of my being”. And such moments of peak contentment are usually times of “absorbedness.”
People are absorbed when they are totally into what they are doing, totally engrossed in the present task and the present moment. Feeling of contentment that often accompanies moments of absorbedness illustrates a fundamental insight about happiness that philosophers call “the hedonistic paradox”. The paradox is this: usually the happiest people are not those who pursue happiness directly, who make happiness their goal. Rather, the happiest people tend to be those who experience happiness as a by-product of other things they value and enjoy, such as loving relationships and engaging in challenging and rewarding work.
Runners understand the hedonistic paradox because they live it daily. They find happiness through sweat, sacrifice, and struggle. To most non-runners this is a complete enigma. Cars pass a lonely runner on a solitary road – lungs burning, knees aching – and the passengers shake their heads. Why anyone would want to do that, they wonder. The runner, in turn, barely notices the car. For her, reality is this road, this moment, this feeling. Soon she will be back in the world of deadlines, piano practices, and endless loads of laundry. But for the moment there is nothing but his road, this feeling of wholeness, the Zen-like effortless effort. For her, journey and destination have fused. Success is now."
Here is one small extract about life must be lived as play from this 200+ odd pages of book:
“Most runners don’t run to lose weight or get fit, they run because they enjoy it. It becomes a huge part of their life, of who they are. It was only in running that George Sheehan felt “whole and true and living at the peak of my being”. And such moments of peak contentment are usually times of “absorbedness.”
People are absorbed when they are totally into what they are doing, totally engrossed in the present task and the present moment. Feeling of contentment that often accompanies moments of absorbedness illustrates a fundamental insight about happiness that philosophers call “the hedonistic paradox”. The paradox is this: usually the happiest people are not those who pursue happiness directly, who make happiness their goal. Rather, the happiest people tend to be those who experience happiness as a by-product of other things they value and enjoy, such as loving relationships and engaging in challenging and rewarding work.
Runners understand the hedonistic paradox because they live it daily. They find happiness through sweat, sacrifice, and struggle. To most non-runners this is a complete enigma. Cars pass a lonely runner on a solitary road – lungs burning, knees aching – and the passengers shake their heads. Why anyone would want to do that, they wonder. The runner, in turn, barely notices the car. For her, reality is this road, this moment, this feeling. Soon she will be back in the world of deadlines, piano practices, and endless loads of laundry. But for the moment there is nothing but his road, this feeling of wholeness, the Zen-like effortless effort. For her, journey and destination have fused. Success is now."
2 comments:
looks like a interesting read. Hows the prep for the race??
Work hard, the sweat and effort you put in will be paid off at the race.
Still trying to make some headway.. But i did try to put in more effort nowadays! At least I ran at east coast every sun! :P
Let's see how it goes at the actual run!
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