The Curse of your Calculative Mind

In life, we often strive to be calculative and strategic, constantly weighing our options and trying to predict the outcomes of our decisions. But what if this mindset of calculation is actually?hurting?us in the long run?

For many of us, life is joyless, miserable, hopeless, anxiety-ridden, and generally unfulfilling. After years of observation, I have figured out a hidden cause for this phenomenon:?your calculative mind.

Why do people calculate things? Whether it's a phone they are going to buy, an institute they want to enroll in, picking between various job offers at their campus, or choosing a life partner they are considering getting married to... People make a lot of calculations.

I am not talking about planning and making a choice after considering all variables. It is good to have a broad plan, a vision, of what you would like.

The devil is in the details of the calculations.

There are always a lot of things to consider while calculating. Many of those inputs are invariably?selfish?acts that will result in gains (probably short-term gains), while those decisions may hurt other entities.

Many of our calculations result in environmental destruction, the slaughter of stray animals, pollution, noise, and, in general, losses or misery for others.

As an example, if I calculate and sell a share at just the right time and in the right quantity, I may gain a few thousand dollars, but it is quite possible that some individual(s) may lose money. Does not matter to me right? I gained money.

We were always taught to be calculative, as life is a race after all.?Hustle harder, they say!?I think that is why so many of us are in misery.

The main focus is always the best deal.

The best way to gain maximum fame, maximum influence, maximum profit, while steamrolling any other person who may come in the way, or even people we do not know would be affected by our selfish calculations.

The truth is, no matter how much we plan and strategize, we cannot always predict or control the outcome of our actions.

Life has a way of surprising us, and sometimes the best things come from unexpected places.?By being overly calculative, we may miss out on opportunities or experiences that could have enriched our lives.

Society Loves Calculative People

Being calculative is expected and second nature to most of us. This calculativeness is prized by society.

Calculative people are called intelligent, responsible, and strategic.

Like these examples:

• Men dumping their existing wife of seven years and remarrying with a younger girl they met in office, are being progressive.
• Women calculating about dumping their existing boyfriend and marrying a rich yuppie are being smart. After all, nothing else matters but money.
• Even companies that fire thousands of loyal employees and then do a ton of marketing, focused on profitability and the bottom line, are rewarded by shareholders.

Money is so important to everyone that people who don’t do productive things all the time are labelled as useless and lazy. They are shunned by society if they continue to be non-calculative for a few months.

Being calculative only serves our own selfish interests, and divides us internally. We start to think in ways our education primed us to:?Survival of the fittest, Us vs Them and the Early bird catches the worm.

Society also hates the do-gooders, a small minority of superheroes amongst us, who do good work without any selfish need. These people, even if they are generating jobs or wealth, are looked down upon because they are not following the social rules and are not dominated by profit and greed. Being non-calculative isn’t good for capitalism, just like minimalism!

A superhero is different from the herd, and acts in the interest of the entire mankind, not just for himself. His non-calculative, non-selfish nature makes him a hero, and he is despised by most people for this!

The Karmic Cycle

What if we are not supposed to just be focused on our own selfish needs and can think of others? What if we could do things that don’t benefit us in the short or even long term, but benefits others? Would you plant seeds of a tree that will blossom in an unknown forest after decades? What good will that bring, you ask?

The law of cause and effect, commonly known as?Karma, tells us that our actions have consequences, whether good or bad.?If we are constantly trying to manipulate situations for our own gain, we may find that the universe has a way of balancing things out, sometimes in ways we never could have anticipated.

Instead of being overly calculative, perhaps we should focus on living with intention and acting from a place of kindness and empathy. When we approach life with an open mind and heart, we may find that opportunities and positive experiences naturally come our way. And even if they don't, we can take comfort in the fact that we are living in?alignment?with our values and treating others with respect.

As an anecdote, I have observed that people without a calculative mind, such as Sadhguru, Mr. Beast (YouTube celebrity), and many others, are enormously joyful and happy. They lead fulfilling lives simply because they are not measuring their actions with maximum gain.

So let us embrace the unknown and trust in the universe's ability to guide us towards our path. Let us focus on sowing good seeds, and trust that they will eventually grow into something beautiful.

Remember, life is not a game to be won, but a journey to be experienced.

Being non-calculative is an act of an authentic human being. A Superhero.

Vikram