spontaneity

We human beings have two ways to respond to any moment in our life. One way is the thoughtful way. Society approves of this way very much. With thought, we can consider whatever is happening in the moment; compare it with our past experiences; dwell on what society, what others expect us to do in this situation; weigh up pros and cons; consider all the options; and finally, from this thinking process, there comes an action. But this action is borne of our conditioning. It is never in the moment which has led to the action. For thinking takes time, maybe only a few seconds, maybe days or months or years, but thinking takes time.

The other way to respond is with spontaneity. In the very moment that something is happening, a response comes from within us. This spontaneous way of acting is not premeditated in any way. It comes in the moment, the same moment that we are responding to. Because of this, it has the possibility to be new. That is, our actions, when spontaneous, are creative. They are not coming from a memory, not coming from a conditioning. They are coming as a creative, spontaneous response to the moment, uniquely.

If you watch young children playing, when they’re happy, not worrying too much about what parents are saying, you see they respond in the moment this way, joyfully. It is even joyful to watch them because somehow there is an unpredictable element in their behaviour. Unfortunately, as a society, we condemn unpredictability. Through education, through conditioning, we try to make everything predictable, including our own behaviour. Something is lost in this. A part of us is killed when we lose our spontaneity.

The lucky ones have returned to the spontaneous way of being. With this, there is a breath of fresh air in life. But to come to this, we have to worry not what others may think of us. We have to worry not much about consequences. Instead, we have to live playfully, joyfully, in the moment. This is the spontaneous way to be. In fact, in reality, it is the only way to be. For anything else is but a shadow of being. So return to life. Become alive once more. Become spontaneous.