I recently noticed that I was delighted in the experience of discovery itself. This delight occurred in the instant after the recognition that I had discovered something that was new to me. What came to mind was that maybe it does not matter at all what I was exploring, or had discovered, but that perhaps what I was seeking was simply delight. This took me right back to the premise I made in Choice and Appreciation that appreciation (described as delight in this current experience) was part of the fundamental process of creating beauty so that it might be appreciated. It also brought to mind that Freud’s “pleasure principle” – that entities seek pleasure and avoid pain – is visible in this pattern.
I wondered if it was possible that the Family Traits that I had pointed to in an earlier essay also had the same feature, that of evoking delight, pleasure, enjoyment, appreciation, or whatever other adjectives point to that range of experiences.
Here is an excerpt from that essay:
If, to borrow a phrase, we were “made in the image and likeness of God,” then it makes sense that we still reflect the “likeness” of our parent energy, which some call god. It also makes sense, from a purely evolutionary point of view, that the essence of what we evolved from would still be embedded in us, much like the DNA in our bodies. And where those likenesses are most visible in a relatively undiluted form is in young children. Initially it takes time to bring their attention into our perceptual ranges, but as they do they are insatiably curious. They observe, then explore and enjoy. They investigate and try things out long before they have the use of language.
Their behavior exhibits a pure “what is this?” – the true beginners mind – and “what can I do with it?” There is typically some level of delight or fear in discovery.
My guess is that the following are innate to all human beings, and perhaps other creatures as well:
Observation, distinguishing, curiosity, imagination, creativity, discovery, wonder, awe, engagement, enjoyment (pleasure), sharing and play. Of these, I might say that wonder and awe may not be attributed to other animals, but most of these traits seem to at least show up in the juveniles of many mammals.
What I’m “wondering” is if these experiences are all, each in their own way, enjoyable. Discovery is a delightful experience – the “Oh Wow!” experience – creativity is fulfilling, imagination is expansive and freeing. There are innumerable ways that human beings use to arrive at these pleasures but it does seem, at least to me in this moment, that the pathways may ultimately be of little particular interest to us. Perhaps it is the longing for the experience itself that drives us to act as we do. The experience following a discovery, for example, and not the route to it, may be what is calling to us. We rationalize the particular path that we are invested in but in reality we may be just gravitating to common pleasurable experiences, which may differ only in the space from which we approach them.
Our travels provide a wide array of options to reach these experiences. Though each pathway provides unique differences, it may be true that what calls to us may be a more fundamental source, that of simply enjoying life.
The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. – A. Einstein
This ties to the idea that we seek the experience of flow because of the endorphins produced by stretching our capabilities. Only you are placing the purpose as the enjoyment rather than the expansion of knowledge, skill, or product–which would make the purpose of evolution more about being than becoming, eh?
Without the Becoming part, there would be nothing there to enjoy so, in totality, one cannot exist without the other.
As a second point, there is no escaping flow. It is ubiquitous and universal. There are only preferences within the flow.
I wonder if you articulate this in the form of energy and energy fields, then we might have an insatiable appetite – especially for those energies that bring joy and positivity to us. I guess this is the same as the drive for the evolution, of which we are part of and it at the same time. In either case, the I wonder when and how we apply discernment – allow certain “curiosities” and not allow others. We can’t do it all. How we shape our experiences in maybe a bias way. Of course, as you say, there is no escape so we have to experience from some state.
It is my opinion that our individual identities are the result of ALL of our previous choices, going back to the beginning of time. Thus, before there was even this particular incarnation, there were preferences from which it arose and those preferences likely guide, and limit, the possible choices available within our experiential range. In this model, the Milky Way is the result of some long ago choice, the “Becoming” energy of the cosmos, and this planet, and we, are its offspring. So, yes, we are influenced and our choices are mostly automated but they have been planted by our own historical choices. We are always, ultimately, responsible for them. The confluence of all of those choices interacting and overlapping certainly make it difficult to note which one arose to be selected and upon what others it rested, particularly since the vast majority are entirely unconscious in our current frame of reference. But that does not mean that they are unreachable, as some mystics do seem able to articulate perspectives that do feel fundamental.