definitions of progress

first assuming progress is a good thing... (for most of us, "better" is more desirable than "good", at least until one sees through the illusion of reality, achieves enlightenment, etc etc, i.e. any of the higher level things that i don't get yet)

so, what are the aspects that we can progress on?

material - more earthly possessions

physical body - healthier body

knowledge - understanding the things that make the world tick

wisdom - gaining through age and experience, particularly from bad ones

morality - hurt less people, and if possible, help more people

the spirit - this, i can only imagine the result - the almost mythical sense of true, constant peace.

running in place

on the rows of treadmills, everyone's doing their thing. some are jogging at a leisurely pace, watching tv. others are sprinting away, earphones firmly plugged in, eyes on the prize. still others, are just walking, just gazing out of the windows.

we all are on the treadmill of life. we walk, run, sprint, but in the large scheme of things, we're not really going anywhere, and at the end, we always just get off.

there never is a right way or wrong way. but it does end, no matter how easy or hard your run is. so how do you want to run your life?

non-linear progress

sometimes, great progress happens with our initial tries. then progress seems to stall. we continue to try, and try, and things seem to go nowhere.

till the one day, suddenly, we break through the plateau and move to the next level. we wonder what the big fuss was about. there, the hard work paid off.

then, we reach another plateau. only that this plateau is flatter, longer, and much harder to breakthrough than the previous one.

we forget the progress is non-linear and sometimes it takes a lot of practice and effort before we actually perceive incremental improvement. sometimes, we just have to trust that it will happen. that's when you know if it's important enough for you. and whether you have the faith to perservere even there might be no reward at the end of the day, and you are doing it for the sake of doing it.