What Are You Doing with Your Life?

What Are You Doing with Your Life? Plot Summary

Introduction

In a world filled with chaos, conflict, and confusion, many of us search for answers outside ourselves - through teachers, religions, or ideologies. Yet the profound insights of philosopher J. Krishnamurti suggest that true understanding comes not from external authorities but through deep self-awareness. The art of living, according to Krishnamurti, involves seeing life as it is, without the distortions of our psychological conditioning, fears, and desires. This philosophical framework challenges us to question the very foundations of our thinking and being. How can we live authentically when our minds are clouded by societal expectations? What would it mean to observe our thoughts and emotions without judgment? How might we relate to others without the barriers of psychological dependencies? Rather than offering prescriptive solutions or step-by-step methods, Krishnamurti invites us into a radical approach to existence - one where freedom emerges through understanding the nature of our consciousness, dissolving the boundaries between the observer and the observed, and living in a state of attentive awareness that transforms our relationship with ourselves, others, and the world.

Chapter 1: The Nature of Self and Consciousness

The fundamental question Krishnamurti poses is deceptively simple: What are you? Not according to religious doctrines, philosophical theories, or psychological models, but in actuality. According to Krishnamurti, most of us identify with our thoughts, memories, experiences, and social positions - the accumulation of our past. This identification creates what we call the "self" or the "me," which is essentially a bundle of memories and conditioned responses rather than something permanent or unchanging. This self-structure operates through a process Krishnamurti calls "thought." Thought is the response of memory, the accumulated experiences of the past. While necessary for practical functioning - remembering where you live or how to perform your job - thought becomes problematic when it dominates our psychological domain. The thinker (the "me") and thought are not separate entities; rather, thought creates the thinker. The mind, seeking permanence and security, creates the illusion of a separate entity who thinks, when in reality there is only the movement of thought itself. Our consciousness, according to Krishnamurti, is not individual but collective. It contains not only our personal memories but the entire human experience of fear, pleasure, violence, and sorrow accumulated over millennia. This consciousness is divided into the conscious and unconscious, though this division itself is created by thought. What we call "my consciousness" is actually shared by all humanity - we are the world, and the world is us. Our individual problems are reflections of the collective human condition. The nature of self-knowledge is not accumulative. It doesn't come through books, theories, or practices but through moment-to-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and reactions without judgment or analysis. When we observe ourselves in relationship - with people, nature, ideas - we begin to see the actual operation of our conditioning. This observation is not to change or improve the self but to understand it completely. Through this understanding, we may discover that what we considered our unique individuality is actually a movement of thought common to all humanity. Consider how we respond when someone criticizes us. The immediate reaction might be hurt, defensiveness, or anger. In that moment of reaction, if we observe without judgment, we see the operation of the "self" - the image we have created about ourselves being threatened. This observation, free from the desire to change or justify, brings clarity. When repeated in countless daily interactions, this clarity gradually reveals the entire structure of the self, not as a theoretical concept but as a living reality.

Chapter 2: Freedom from Fear and Desire

Fear is one of humanity's most fundamental psychological challenges. Krishnamurti distinguishes between physical fear, which is the body's natural response to danger, and psychological fear, which dominates our lives. Physical fear serves a protective function and dissipates once the danger passes. Psychological fear, however, is created and sustained by thought projecting into the future or dwelling on the past - fear of what might happen or what has happened. The mechanism of psychological fear operates through thought and time. When we think about losing our job, failing in relationships, or facing death, we create images of potential future scenarios that generate fear in the present. Similarly, memories of past pain or humiliation create fear of their recurrence. This process is not inevitable but occurs because thought, which is the response of memory, projects itself through time. Thought, being limited and conditioned, cannot solve the problem it creates. Any attempt to control, suppress, or escape fear through thought only strengthens its grip. Desire follows a similar pattern. Krishnamurti describes how desire arises: perception of an object leads to sensation, which thought then extends through time, creating the urge to fulfill. The problem is not desire itself but the way thought creates continuity of sensation, leading to endless pursuit and inevitable frustration. Society encourages certain desires while condemning others, creating conflict within the individual. Religious traditions often advocate controlling or suppressing desire, but this approach creates further division and conflict. Freedom from fear and desire comes not through control or suppression but through understanding their nature. When we observe fear directly - not as an idea but as an actual sensation in the body and movement in consciousness - without naming, analyzing, or trying to escape it, something remarkable happens. The observer (who is afraid) and the observed (fear itself) begin to dissolve into a unified awareness. This dissolution is not achieved through effort or practice but through choiceless awareness. Imagine walking alone at night and hearing an unusual sound. The immediate physical response - heightened alertness, quickened heartbeat - is natural and appropriate. But then thought intervenes: "What if it's a dangerous person? What if I'm attacked?" This thought-generated fear can persist long after any actual danger has passed. By observing this entire process - the initial sensation and the subsequent thought movement - without resistance, we begin to understand fear not as an enemy to be conquered but as a movement of our own consciousness that can be illuminated through attention.

Chapter 3: Relationship as a Mirror for Self-Knowledge

Relationship is the foundation of human existence. We exist only in relationship - with people, nature, ideas, and society. Yet most of our relationships are characterized by conflict, dependency, possession, and fear. According to Krishnamurti, relationship serves as a mirror in which we can see ourselves as we actually are, not as we imagine ourselves to be. Our reactions, attachments, jealousies, and demands in relationship reveal the hidden corners of our consciousness. The central challenge in relationship is that we rarely relate to others directly. Instead, we relate to the images we have created about them. When you say you know your partner, what you actually know is your accumulated memory of that person - your interpretations of their behaviors, your expectations, your pleasures and pains associated with them. This image-making process prevents actual communion. Two images relate to each other, creating the illusion of relationship while maintaining separation. Dependency forms the basis of most relationships. We depend on others psychologically for comfort, security, and escape from loneliness. This dependency inevitably breeds fear - fear of loss, abandonment, or rejection. Where there is fear, there cannot be love. Krishnamurti makes a radical distinction between attachment and love: "Attachment destroys love." When we are attached to a person, we are concerned with what they give us - pleasure, comfort, security - rather than with the person themselves. True relationship becomes possible only when we understand and dissolve the center of self-concern. This doesn't mean abandoning practical relationships but transforming their psychological quality. When relationship is no longer based on need, exploitation, or escape from loneliness, a different quality emerges that Krishnamurti calls love. This love is not an emotion or sentiment but a state of being that arises when the self-centered activity of thought subsides. Consider how we often use relationships as means of self-fulfillment. A mother may live through her children, projecting her unfulfilled ambitions onto them. A husband may treat his wife as property, something that belongs to him. A friend may maintain the relationship only as long as it serves their needs. By observing these patterns without judgment, we begin to see that what we call love is often disguised self-interest. This seeing is not to condemn but to bring clarity that might allow a different quality of relationship to flower - one not based on images, expectations, or psychological needs.

Chapter 4: Meditation Through Attention and Awareness

Meditation, in Krishnamurti's approach, bears little resemblance to conventional practices. It is not a technique, ritual, or method to be performed at specific times. Rather, meditation is a way of living with total attention. It is not concentration, which implies forcing the mind in a particular direction while excluding other thoughts. Instead, meditation is an inclusive awareness that embraces the totality of experience without selection or rejection. The foundation of meditation is self-knowledge - understanding the movement of one's own consciousness. This understanding comes through observing our thoughts, feelings, and actions in daily life without judgment, analysis, or the desire to change what is observed. When we watch our reactions in relationships, our pursuit of pleasure, our avoidance of pain, and our search for security without condemning or justifying, we begin to understand the structure and nature of our consciousness. Attention differs fundamentally from concentration. Concentration is exclusive, focused on a particular object while resisting distractions. Attention is inclusive, embracing everything that arises in consciousness without resistance. When there is complete attention - to a conversation, a sensation, a thought - the division between the observer and the observed begins to dissolve. In this state of attention without a center, the mind becomes extraordinarily quiet, not through control or discipline but through understanding. The quiet mind that emerges from this attention is not dull or inactive but highly sensitive and alert. It is capable of seeing what is without the distortion of personal desire, fear, or conditioning. This silence is not an achievement or a state to be maintained but a natural outcome of understanding the entire movement of thought. In this silence, something entirely new can emerge that is not a projection of the known. Consider how we typically listen to another person. We listen partially, with our attention divided between their words and our own internal commentary - evaluating, comparing, preparing our response. But there is another way of listening: with complete attention that has no center, no self-interest. In such listening, there is no listener separate from what is heard; there is only the act of listening itself. This quality of attention can be brought to every aspect of life - to nature, to relationships, to our own thoughts and feelings. This is meditation in daily life, not as something separate from living but as the very art of living itself.

Chapter 5: Living Without Psychological Time

Time exists in two dimensions: chronological time, measured by clocks and calendars, and psychological time, created by thought. Chronological time is necessary for practical living - catching a train, planning a meeting, learning a skill. Psychological time, however, is the movement of thought as becoming - the desire to be different from what one is. This psychological time manifests as the gap between "what is" and "what should be," between the actual and the ideal. The structure of psychological time creates the sense of a separate self moving from the past through the present toward a future. We carry the burden of past experiences, hurts, and knowledge, and project ourselves into an imagined future where we will be more, better, or different. In this process, the present moment - the only moment in which life actually exists - is reduced to a transition point, never fully lived. Krishnamurti points out that this movement away from "what is" toward "what should be" is the very essence of conflict. Living without psychological time doesn't mean abandoning practical planning but ending the psychological process of becoming. It means facing "what is" - our anger, fear, jealousy, or violence - without the movement of thought that says "I should not be this" or "I will be different tomorrow." When we observe "what is" without the interference of psychological time, a different quality of action emerges - action that is not based on the past or directed toward a projected future but is a direct response to the present reality. This timeless perception is not mystical or abstract but intensely practical. When we meet each situation freshly, without the screen of past knowledge and experience, our responses become appropriate to the actual circumstances rather than being reactions based on memory. Intelligence functions naturally when the mind is not caught in the process of psychological becoming, which is essentially the activity of the self seeking security and continuity. Imagine encountering a challenging situation - perhaps a conflict with someone close to you. The habitual response might be to recall similar past conflicts, project future consequences, and react based on accumulated hurts or strategies that worked before. This is action in psychological time. Alternatively, you might be fully present with the actual situation - listening completely, seeing the other person and yourself without the filter of past experiences or future projections. This attention without psychological movement allows for a response that is not predetermined by the past but is fresh and appropriate to the present reality. This is living without psychological time.

Chapter 6: Education for Intelligence, Not Merely Knowledge

True education, according to Krishnamurti, goes far beyond the acquisition of information or skills. While academic knowledge and technical abilities are necessary, they represent only a small part of what education should encompass. The primary purpose of education is to awaken intelligence - not the intelligence measured by examinations and degrees, but the capacity to perceive life clearly, without the distortions of conditioning, fear, and self-interest. This intelligence differs fundamentally from intellect. Intellect is the capacity for logical reasoning, analysis, and the accumulation of knowledge. It is a necessary function but limited. Intelligence, as Krishnamurti uses the term, is the integration of thought and feeling, the capacity to perceive directly without the screen of concepts, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge. It includes intellect but transcends its limitations. Intelligence functions when the mind is free from the burden of authority, tradition, and the pursuit of security. The current educational system, focused primarily on preparing students for economic survival and social conformity, often neglects this deeper dimension. Students learn how to earn a living but not the art of living. They acquire information but not self-knowledge. They develop technical skills but not the capacity to question, to doubt, to discover truth for themselves. This approach produces individuals who may be technically proficient but inwardly confused, conflicted, and dependent on external authority. A holistic approach to education would address the totality of human existence. It would help students understand not only mathematics, science, and literature but also the workings of their own minds - their fears, desires, and the nature of thought itself. It would encourage questioning rather than conformity, understanding rather than mere knowledge, cooperation rather than competition. Such education would nurture individuals who are not only capable of earning a livelihood but also of living with clarity, compassion, and creativity. Consider how differently a child might develop in an environment that values awareness and understanding over achievement and success. Rather than being constantly compared to others and pushed to conform to predetermined standards, the child would be encouraged to observe, question, and discover. Learning would not be driven by reward and punishment but by natural curiosity and the joy of understanding. The emphasis would not be on becoming something in the future but on understanding what is in the present. This approach doesn't neglect practical skills but places them within a broader context of intelligence and self-understanding.

Summary

The art of living, as illuminated through Krishnamurti's philosophy, ultimately centers on a profound yet simple truth: freedom comes through understanding ourselves as we are, not as we wish to be. This understanding is not intellectual but perceptual - seeing clearly the movement of our thoughts, emotions, and reactions without judgment or the desire to change what is observed. When we perceive without the distortion of personal desire and fear, intelligence flowers naturally. The transformation Krishnamurti points to is not gradual self-improvement but a radical shift in consciousness that occurs when we see the truth of our condition. This seeing is not achieved through methods or practices but through attention to the actual - our relationships, our conflicts, our search for security and pleasure. In this attention, the division between the observer and the observed dissolves, revealing a dimension of existence beyond the limitations of thought and time. This is not an esoteric state reserved for the few but the natural flowering of intelligence that occurs when the mind is free from the burden of becoming something other than what it is.

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J. Krishnamurti

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