Carrots and sticks

You've done it. I've done it. We turn every experience into evidence of spiritual progress or failure. A moment of peace becomes proof we're "getting somewhere." A flash of anger shows we're "not there yet." Even a sunset becomes a test - did we experience it "spiritually enough"?

The mind becomes an endless auditor: Was that enlightenment? Am I closer today? How far until I arrive? We're constantly measuring ourselves against an imagined future state of perfection. The present moment becomes nothing but a stepping stone toward some grand destination.

Then comes the uncomfortable suggestion: What if there's nothing to achieve? The resistance is immediate. After all, you've invested years in this search. Built an identity around it. Gathered knowledge, had experiences, accumulated insights. Surely it's all leading somewhere?

But look closer at this measuring mind. It creates two fictions: a perfect state to reach and a flawed state to escape. Both are imaginary - mere thoughts about what life should or shouldn't be. And between these two imaginary poles, we miss the startling immediacy of what's actually here.

This isn't about replacing "unenlightened" experiences with "enlightened" ones. It's about seeing through the whole game of spiritual scoring. Reality isn't profound or ordinary - these are just labels we add after the fact. Before any evaluation, before any comparison, experience is already complete.

When you stop keeping spiritual score, something simple reveals itself. Not because you've achieved anything or overcome anything, but because you've stopped turning life into a project of self-improvement. What remains isn't ordinary or extraordinary - it's what's already here, before you try to make it into anything else.