“It is essential to remember that the pursuit of wisdom, and its deployment, thrive on joy. The best recipe for the spread of wisdom is the encouragement of curiosity, respect for the best accomplishments of the past, coupled with a burning desire for improving on them; and all of this within a conception of self that extends to other people, the planet and beyond. When these elements are in place, a joyful immersion in the complexity of life is likely to ensue - an openness to experience, a willingness to dive deep into issues of concern to self and others. If such an attitude develops far enough, then understanding life becomes increasingly rewarding in itself. The person will be seen as wise, and his or her actions also will be considered wise.”
- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
I wrote a blog post a year and a half ago after one of my mentors, Mihaly (aka Mike), passed away. I wanted to express how much I appreciated his imprint of “flow” on me. I’ll never forget spending a few days with him and his wife Isabella in their rustic Montana cabin where we went “joy hunting” one summer.
Recently, I was talking with my friend Steven Kotler whose new book, “Gnar Country: Growing Old, Staying Rad,” had just launched. Steven could write the definitive biography on Mike C as he influenced Steven’s research and his Flow Research Collective. While chatting about Mike, Steven mentioned this miraculous quote from today’s post which I’d never heard or read before. After Steven laid this truth down on me, the holistic world of flow, joy and wisdom came together like a cosmic jigsaw puzzle. I wanted to share it with you, my fellow puzzle pal.
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