Doing vs. Being.
“Doing is never enough if you neglect Being. The ego knows nothing of Being but believes you will eventually be saved by doing. If you are in the grip of the ego, you believe that by doing more and more you will eventually accumulate enough 'doings' to make yourself feel complete at some point in the future. You won't. You will only lose yourself in doing. The entire civilization is losing itself in doing that is not rooted in Being and thus becomes futile.” - Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
Recently, I had a dream. There were two characters at the start of a running race. Both runners were me, but one had a running vest that said “Doing,” and the other said "Being."
When the gun was fired to start the race, Doing rushed out to a big lead, and it seemed like everyone in the grandstands was cheering it along. Being started running but slowed down to a saunter noticing some dandelions on the sidelines in the grass. Being just sat there in the grass, smelling the fresh aroma.
In the meantime, Doing had done six laps around the track, clocking about six minutes a mile, but was now slowing down at half its pace. Doing was exhausted. Being noticed this, jumped up and started jogging on the track. Suddenly, Being flew into the air like a bird, where he completed six laps in six seconds, crossing the finish line with a burst of speed and a sonic boom, just a second ahead of the stumbling Doing.
As the crowd looked on in amazement, Being lifted into the sky and disappeared into thin air. Doing smiled at the empty sky, noting that there was more than one way to get where you wanted to go. Doing also realized that the next time it competes in a race, it will ask Being to be its partner.
