GROW SOME (Pt. 2)

Image courtesy of Foto76/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Well, finally I have gotten round to writing the second part of this entry on GROWTH.

My apologies for being so late and taking so long. Moving and other matters ate up most of my time and the rest of it fell victim to relentless procrastination unfortunately. Self discipline is a virtue (as long as not excessive) that needs to be continuously worked on (in between breaks of course).

So back to the post. If you can't quite remember what I was getting at in Part 1, I suggest you have a quick read through that entry, as I would like to build on it.

Growth, in the broad sense, is in my opinion central to what it means to be human. We are born, learn continuously, grow physically as well as mentally and are given the gift of being able to influence the world in the same way that we influence ourselves. We can gain understanding, deepen our knowledge, perfect skills and achieve successes that in turn shape who we are and who the people around us are. It affects our direct community and society in broader context and of course it also affects our physical surroundings, the world that we live in and the many complex systems that we are part of.

Each individual and each group has huge potential for growth inwardly and outwardly.

This is precisely why I find it a shame that our thinking is often so restrictive. Our ideas and thought processes are all too often constrained into narrow channels of protecting what we have, of acquiring more of what we have, instead of growing something out of it or creating something new.

We think of growing the economic output, protecting our assets, ensuring our security and having a great career and having a family as goals. And when we have achieved these, we can finally retire and enjoy our success...But I bet you that by that time (after 50 odd years?) you will have forgotten how to really savour and properly enjoy.

And to us it may seem that we are growing as we scramble along, it may seem that we are achieving something, but in fact all of these things are only an accumulation of small goals, a ticking of boxes until we get to the bottom of the list. And when we reach the bottom of the list or even just reach half way (mid-life crisis?), we realise that these achieved goals feel quite insubstantial.

But why? This is success isn't it? Well unfortunately our thinking is infected with goals and success, from when we are kids in the school sports team up until we are gunning for that better job.

Compare it to the reading a great book. If you are primed for success, you have one goal: finish that book quickly. And then be proud of how quickly you read this book, probably faster than all of your friends.

But Why?  If the book is well written, has a good storyline and is enjoyable, why rush it? You will only end the pleasure faster and in the process miss out on being able to savour a beautifully crafted text that is supposed to evoke emotions and inspire thoughts. You rob yourself of the exploration of yourself and of new ideas. You rob yourself of real growth.

Growth is a matter of savouring, of taking pleasure in what you do and in improving personally and building slowly.

This goes back to one of the most true proverbs around (I am wording it freely here): "Not the destination is the goal, but the journey" (This supposedly dates back to Confucius, unfortunately it is not easily worded in English.)

Our societies and also the increasing speeds at which we live perpetuate the folly of focusing entirely on the end goal, when real pleasure and fulfilment come from the "doing" along the way.

My personal example of this would be shaving (as a male). The movie "Pan's Labyrinth" by Guillermo del Toro had a scene were the bad guy (as far as I remember) was shaving with a straight rasor. Beard growth is widely seen as the mark of being a man, hence shaving becomes a very symbolic act that for me implies strength and the essence of being a male. The fact is however, that electric and disposable shavers are plastic gadgets that require little skill and feature very little risk if any.

In a sense they are the perfect example of our world today: Minimising risk and saving time. By minimising risk you take away all excitement and by saving time you essentially degrade a ritual to a mere nuisance.

At the time I saw this movie, the straight rasor epitomised the ideal image of being a man for me, as it requires skill and can actually be quite dangerous if not handled properly.

Accordingly I ordered a rasor and all the necessary gear and never regretted it. Its a skill that requires you to invest time and that makes you think about what you are actually doing (unless you want to end up with nasty cuts on your face).

Not only would I consider it more fun, but it actually provides a better shave and is of course way cooler than shaving with some rubbish mass manufactured piece of plastic (A straight rasor in fact needs to be sharpened by hand every few months)

This may all tie in to the current "fad" regarding mindfulness but it is true. Approaching life in this manner is more fulfilling then simply seeing the day as a set of tasks that need to be completed.

Why don't you as an experiment pick a few activities in your life and invest your full attention and effort into them. E.g. instead of rushing the cooking and making something halfheartedly to just fulfill a need, deliberate on what you would like to eat and consciously create something that gives you and others joy instead of simply quelling the urge of hunger. Make it an art from. Of course you won't be able to do this all the time realistically but give it a go.

 Find the passion in the things you do and you will grow and improve automatically.

Now finally as a disclaimer, I am not saying "don't be ambitious, don't have goals and don't strive for success". Life has many facets and we have increasingly let healthy competition and drive for success swamp everything else. Take a step back and stop rushing to the end. Otherwise you will be dead before you know it.