° 10
THE MAKING
OF MEANING
It is not unusual for famous tennis players to be deeply committed to
their game, to take pleasure in playing, but off the court to be morose
and hostile. Picasso enjoyed painting, but as soon as he lay down his
brushes he turned into a rather unpleasant man. Bobby Fischer, the
chess genius, appeared to be helplessly inept except when his mind was
on chess. These and countless similar examples are a reminder that
having achieved flow in one activity does not necessarily guarantee that
it will be carried over to the rest of life.
If we enjoyed work and friendships, and faced every challenge as
an opportunity to develop new skills, we would be getting rewards out
of living that are outside the realm of ordinary life. Yet even this would
not be enough to assure us of optimal experience. As long as enjoyment
follows piecemeal from activities not linked to one another in a meaning
ful way, one is still vulnerable to the vagaries of chaos. Even the most
successful career, the most rewarding family relationship eventually runs
dry. Sooner or later involvement in work must be reduced. Spouses die,
children grow up and move away. To approach optimal experience as
closely as is humanly possible, a last step in the control of consciousness
is necessary.
What this involves is turning all life into a unified flow experience.
If a person sets out to achieve a difficult enough goal, from which all
other goals logically follow, and if he or she invests all energy in develop
ing skills to reach that goal, then actions and feelings will be in harmony,