My coach once told me, “run fast or run slow, but not in between”. Run fast when to work on speed, improve strength, or feel like a bird (his words). But run slow for everything else. This is the only sustainable way.
I think a similar thing applies to life. We should either focus fully to get things done, or work leisurely to appreciate the beauty and nature of it all.
A moderate, default zone is when you are neither working nor relaxing – a great mode to let life pass you by.
A translated interview with Grandmaster Ding Liren, the new World Chess Champion:
“What is the meaning of playing chess? Ding’s answer is very realistic: “There is no better alternative for me”.
What about the meaning of life? Ding pondered for a moment and said, “The meaning of life should be in those special, those sparkling moments, not in the daily life, those ordinary days, but in living for those unique moments.” In Ding’s eyes, love is also very important because it is the happiness in this lifetime, and he likes to read novels and movies that depict love. “You probably want to get good results in chess, to be famous for ages, to be remembered by people in the future. Some people may have lived a miserable life, but they left something behind, wrote something down, and their goal was to be immortal. But I am not that great, I value happiness in my life as well.””
