Zen Hedonism
Zen Hedonism is the calm determination to impose joy unto the universe.
Zen Hedonism is the passionate embracement of immutable chaos.
Zen Hedonism and the Theory of Relative Calm is a philosophy for artists, writers, musicians, creators, innovators and other inventors of fun and joy.
It is a state of mind, an attitude and an excuse to stay up all night writing and painting and drinking gin.
Zen Hedonism is about embracing discovery. It is about finding joy in discipline and achieving grace in fury.
Zen Hedonism is an inciting incident.
Zen Hedonism is a foundation philosophy. It is a way to apply meditation and mindfulness to establish practical goals and aspirations. It aims to direct effective thinking into successful action.
Zen Hedonism is a way to travel from where you are now to where you want to be and have fun along the way. It is how you get from day-dreams to gentle and joyful world domination.
The Theory of Relative Calm
The Zen Hedonism Theory of Relative Calm is the basic principle of achieving inner calm in the modern world. The aim is to be at peace with the world around us. This does not mean sitting down with your eyes closed, your legs in a knot and saying Ommm until it all magically Goes Away.
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Relative Calm means matching speeds with the world around us so that it appears to be still, or at least manageable. A Zen Hedonist is enthusiastically engaged with the world, with their life. A Zen Hedonist is a passionate participant. Competent. Has their shit together.
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Zen Hedonists not only want to interact with the world, they want to make it a better place, even if it’s just for a moment. Relative Calm is that mental space when you are in sync with the world, you are responding to it and it is responding to you.
Inciting Incidents
In screenwriting there is a phrase to describe the event that triggers the protagonist of the story into action. It is called the Inciting Incident.
Zen Hedonists are inciting incidents.
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Zen Hedonists are instruments of change, of revolution, revelation and Joy. It is in our nature.
Zen Hedonists throw parties.
Zen Hedonists form protests.
Zen Hedonists start everything moving.
A Zen Hedonist makes no distinction between work and play. Seeking a work/life balance implies that your life and your work are two separate things. It implies that life is good and that work is bad. It implies that work is not fun and that life isn’t hard work. For a Zen Hedonist, this theory is problematic. Are you seriously saying that a trauma surgeon should find saving lives less fulfilling, less defining, than spending Sunday evening having dinner with her in-laws?
Work can be fun, life can be hard.
Losing the distinction between work and life is necessary for the achievement of Relative Calm. Your Joy comes from your interactions with the world be they recreational, social, business or even conflict.
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You are a sentient being. Your Work is the actions you perform. Your career as an artist, the children you raise, the business you build, your acts of kindness. Your life’s Work is the sum of all your interactions in the world, the difference you have made, the Joy you have created.
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A Zen Hedonist embraces this and engages with work and play with eager passion.
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Do not create your Work in a cave of ghosts.
Love Your Work
