One of my favorite writers on meditative practice is Karen Maezen Miller. My blog post today is about not needing things. She wrote and quoted Buddha: Want little and know how to be satisfied. I wrote back: "But, but, but….Is that ok?" She responded,"It will do".
I like "It will do." Such a phrase brings to my mind the work I did on my PhD dissertation. Some mathematical/psychological work on decision-making is about finding the best solution but Herbert Simon of Carnegie-Mellon University said that finding the best can be wasteful and advocated thinking about "satisficing", that is, reaching a useable solution to a problem without worrying too much about finding the absolute best or "optimal solution". A solution that will do may be much easier or less expensive or faster or more fun.
American society is full of examples of people seeking the best, often referred to as "number 1". Who is the #1 hockey goalie? Who is the #1 actress? In an effort to be the best, sometimes people narrow the field: "Who is the best left-handed violinist living in Hawaii?"
I found this distinction important when discussing books. Many people automatically ask something along the lines of "Who is your favorite author?" Putting the question about a number 1 often creates a quick glaze across the eyes as the respondent tries to weigh the pleasure of reading Mickey Spillane (who?) against the earlier pleasure of "The Pokey Little Puppy." We get further if we skip the mostest and simply ask what author comes to mind as someone you like. When we are looking for heartfelt recommendations, it pays to look for intensity of affect and not get hung up on weighing old feelings against each other.
When I come across the word "Do" meaning "to serve adequately", I think of the president of my college. The flu had hit so hard that many students went home to recover. Classes were called for a few days. The president told us not to waste our time, classes or not. He said to take the opportunity to study, to make good use of our time. He said in his day, the word was
Use it up,
Wear it out.
Make it do
Or do without.
