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This is a mix of Buddhist, Hindu, and Stoic philosophy: Ask yourself this, why do you do anything? For the sake of Profit? Recognition? Love? Or return of any kind?

Any deed done with reward in mind creates an expectation which, if not met, causes suffering. Similarly, you will end up focusing more on the reward than the task itself and will unable to be loyal to the task. The only reason you must do a task is because you must do the task i.e. it's your duty to do so (either self-imposed or originating from a construct you follow).

This is such a conflicting piece of advice that goes against the fundamental reward-driven human biochemistry. But I've found that in following it, you really begin to tune out suffering and start to discover something that's a bit above being human.

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A task that is autotelic is purposeful in itself (it is it’s own end goal, instead of being a means to another end goal).

This has been argued to be one of the defining characteristics of games.

Summarized into a saying: Treat every task as an end in itself, and you will experience more enjoyment. Enjoyment is a value in its own right. So do it, just for the sake of it.

I think this is more important in craftsmanship than we’d like to admit: striving for perfection for the sake of perfection.

It has also been argued that beauty in itself is a strong motivating force and the best heuristic to aim for in mathematics/physics.

And it's even more important in posts of power and responsibility. Carry the public office not because you want money, appreciation, and power, but because as a qualified person it's your duty to do so. Seek nothing but the joy of having been loyal to the job.

Every action is reward driven and sel-interested.

The suffering stems from the reward being external. If the reward is in the self or from the action itself, then there is less suffering. Self fulfillment.

Less suffering only, to take into account an inability to act.

Interesting outlook this: seek reward, but internal, as opposed to don't seek reward at all.

The last sentence sounds like a reward. Moreover, if I were to follow your advice, it would create an expectation of an exceptional discovery, that would cause me suffering, if not met.

That's a very valid point but I believe you touched upon the answer yourself, follow the advice but not because you want the exceptional discovery. Simply because.

Sure, I get it. BTW initially, when I read your post, I thought to myself - that's how my Roomba lives its live. It does things not for a reward, but out of inevitability. It was just constructed to be that way. Surely it's not on its way to enlightenment. But then I was reminded of the plot of a short film Zima Blue. If you ever find yourself with a Netflix subscription, you should watch it.

Ok but what if the result of contemplating this is overwhelming existential dread? This comment kind of reduces life to a give and take philosophy. One where everything you do is to accomplish a task. I'm not sure that has anything to do with Buddhism. It's my understanding that part of Buddhism is the removal of the self, and appreciating the moment. I agree that focusing on the end result can detract from appreciating being in the moment, but this sounds sounds more like self-deception.

I prefer the Japanese concept that, and I'm paraphrasing here, "every action has a purpose." Putting value on the actions themselves adds an appreciation for the moment you are in, and the process you are doing. It then becomes a sign of respect for you to do everything in your life to the best of your ability. There's a whole philosophy about this, but the name of it escapes me.

A few things I've found that are related: "The was of the peaceful warrior" - Book

This is water - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC7xzavzEKY

Sorry if this is a little rambly, I have ADHD and my adderoll is doing its thing.

Re-program yourself. We're both the programmer and the program that we designed for ourselves.

This idea is taught in The 7HoHEP by Stephen Covey.

This just sounds like finding intrinsic motivation with extra steps. That's a good thing, I think.

Define suffering, because the absolute of what you describe requires life with zero emotion and most would agree that a life like that would be depressing as hell. I've never met a depressed person who didn't say they were suffering.

I've been exploring some of the same schools of thought mentioned by the OP, and for me, one of the most critical aspects of living this day-to-day is a daily mindfulness practice. Emotions are not discarded, but your relationship with emotions changes.

Not meditation in the "focus on one thing to the exclusion of all else" sense, but mindfulness based on the practice of Vipassana, which roughly translates to "see things as they really are" and stems from Buddhism.

As part of this practice, one is taught that emotions are just appearances in consciousness like all other appearances in consciousness (sights, sounds, smells, feelings, physical sensations, etc), and by becoming aware of/observing emotions/thoughts instead of just feeling them and identifying with them, the power they hold fades quickly.

It's hard to describe the anti-suffering impact this seems to have in words, but for me, the difference has been remarkable. Emotions are still just as critical as ever to live a fulfilling life, but how you relate with those emotions can change with practice and re-framing.

I started this exploration as the ultimate skeptic, but have found it to be far more practically helpful than I expected. Having a good teacher seems to be important, as they will continue to help you navigate the earlier stages of figuring out what you're supposed to actually do (turns out it's more about what you're not doing).

I've personally been using Sam Harris' "Waking Up" app, and find that quite useful, but there are many more resources available.

I did say that this school of thought has roots in Stoicism so what you say does indeed make sense. But I guess there's more to it which can only be found if you follow it. There are some things that just can't be described/told and have to be felt.

I think the idea is that emotion should never interfere with your actions.

Sounds like a good bedtime story for a slave owner to tell his slave.

Sometimes just doing the right thing is its own reward.. some even suggest these decisions determine your sense of morality.

Shopping Cart Theory:

https://i.redd.it/ym8g7jqtw6y41.png

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

Better a living dog than a dead lion.