Meandering vs Commitment

If this blog has a central theme, it is that of inquiring into Meandering vs Commitment.

A good many schools of thought extol the virtues of commitment. Especially in existentialist philosophy and in approaches to personal development spawned by that. For example, Martin Heidegger held up the ideal of the resolute life, in which a person creates the meaning of their own life by freely choosing its central purpose and mission, which is then to be followed resolutely, in the face of whatever challenges and tribulations may come.

But at the same time, there are schools of thought that extol being-in-the-moment. For example, a text of Buddhism says:

"The Buddha's monks do repent the past, nor do they brood over the future. Hence they are radiant."

And indeed they are often strikingly radiant and have a zest for the present moment, however mundane and routine that moment might seem to most people.

At the same time, they are in another way living a very committed kind of life. Some kinds of Buddhist monk take a vow to save all sentient beings! Which is the very example of the existentialist conception of a resolute life.

It's been said that the opposite of a great truth is also a great truth.


These issues play out on many levels.

For example, in the development field, there is a great debate between those who believe in creating a grand strategy for ending poverty on the planet, and those who distrust grand visions and believe in being pragmatic, and simply doing here and now what they see can really be done, and has a likelihood of working.