Basic HTML Version
RACE
THE REALRACE
"------
-
--
-
-
-
growing people. They find it isn 't
a tta inment of prestige. wealth. o r
success that keeps people ha ppy as
m ueh as it is the
pursuit
or
direction
that gives them joy. Enthusiastic
pursuit of a goa l give people con–
te ntment.
lt is not enoug h for you to have a
general idea of where you want to
go : it is not eno ugh Lo convenicntly
declare your desires wi th the same
ca refree s pirit you displ ay in pre–
dicting tomo rrow's weathcr. Yo u
mus t be tota lly committed to your
goa ls.
The very act of involv ing you r
resources in the tota l
pursuit
of a
goal will send hidden energies for–
wa rd for full utilization .
T he j oy ga ined from pur uit has
b ee n c lini ca ll y o b served by
The
PLAIN TRUTH September 1976
Dr. Csi kszentmihaly i, a Univers ity
o f C hicago psycho logis t who has
conducted many experiments con–
ce rning what he ca lls " ft ow.' '
Psy–
c hology Today
covered hi s
experiments in a n a rticle ent itl ed
"The Fun in Fun" by William Barry
Furlong. This articl e described th e
power. j oy, and ha ppin ess th at
comes with complete involvement in
a n a thl etic or a rti stic event. lt s tated
that " ft ow" can be ex peri enced in
cveryday life. Says Furlong:
"Fiow ... develops when ...
we are completely immersed
in what we are doing. In this
state the person loses a self–
conscious sense of himself and
of time. He gains a heigh tened
awareness of his physical in–
vo lvement wi th the activi ty . . ..
lllusrrallon by Garry Haggerry
" Fiow can make a person
feel an almost Godlike sense of
control. All the dichotomies,
polarities and conflicts of lite
are resolved .. ..
1
feel
immensely strong....
1
have a
general feeling of well-being ,
and that
1
am in complete con–
tro l of my world" (June 1976,
pp. 35, 36).
l fa man ru nni ng in one direction
can ach ieve joy, fulfillment , and
conti nu ing ene rgy. how empty must
men be who have
no
d irectio n. or
who lose it in
confu~ion
somewherc
a lo ng the way?
AMan Without Dlrection
When a man wit h ability and poten–
ti a! can ' t find a direct io n to which
he can commit himse lf. he will suf-
27