This is newsletter number 40.
My original intention was to reflect on my cycling journey and share lessons learned and principles discovered. Naturally, the newsletter has moved in other directions, but I think we are a bit too far from home. Therefore, today’s instalment aims to get back into sync by attempting to refine the purpose of this newsletter.
Two basic assumptions of growth
There are two ways to look at growth and development. One is to assume that we grow and improve in much the same way as plants transform from seeds. The second is to assume that we are already complete and that all that happens in our passage of time is discovery. Which of these two do you identify with the most?
As with everything I share, there are implications to picking a side.
#1. The Growth Path
The growth path is premised on the concept of becoming. This transformational stance assumes that whatever one’s circumstances may be, one can change one’s behaviour and achieve new and hopefully more desirable outcomes. Incidentally, this view is the bedrock of Americanism (or should I say the American Dream). America was built on the hopes and aspirations of immigrants who fled (or left) their countries to improve their fortunes.
This growth premise, therefore, assumes that one is not bedridden to one’s circumstances no matter what they might be. It follows that freedom and agency must be part of the deal because for one to change one’s circumstances one must both have the freedom to do so and the belief that one’s actions lead to consequences (good or bad).
In this scheme, one takes responsibility for one’s actions and this is seen as a virtue. However, in the focused pursuit of one’s goals, one becomes inward-looking and may fall prey to believing that all that one has acquired is by one’s own doing. The contrary is true: one may fall into bad fortune and regard oneself as a failure (since consequences are seen as a function of one’s actions).
#2. The Discovery Path
A life premised on discovery assumes that one is already a finished product, so to speak. The purpose of living, in this view, is to discover what already exists. If one believes one has God-given talents, for example, one assumes that the purpose of living is to explore the extent of such talents.
This is an entirely different way of looking at the world. In the growth path, one is not concerned about what one has; one assumes that one can acquire anything by exercising freedom and making choices. In the discovery worldview, however, one assumes that one’s destiny is determined, and one’s life’s purpose is to figure out in what sense. The former is a transformative view of life while the latter is exploratory.
The discovery path also has its weaknesses. Suppose one is born into difficult circumstances. How then does one extricate oneself, if one believes that one’s destiny is determined? Put another way, suppose you were born a slave. Would you submit to the circumstances?
The new purpose of this newsletter
I might have shared this previously but I am officially a student at Wits University pursuing a master’s in applied ethics. Yesterday was my first day at school, as my kids keep reminding me. Funnily, they seem to draw pleasure from the idea of their dad going to school like them.
“So, what kind of student are you? Are you the quiet type? Are you the clown? Are you a teacher’s pet?” My five-year-old asked if I played with my friends at school. This is all amusing but reveals an important insight. We all see the world from our perspective.
The major shift that our professor is trying to instil in us is examining life from a rational stance, devoid of feelings and desires. This does not come naturally to us. However, those who make the leap and see the world through other people’s eyes build better businesses, are regarded as caring and empathetic and generally build better lives.
This is the new purpose of this newsletter. Initially, I intended to reflect on my cycling journey and offer lessons, as I said above. The new purpose, drawing from my studies in philosophy, is to offer a different non-judgemental, rational and critical assessment of issues we wrestle with every day. This newsletter should be seen as a third person in the room; the purpose whose goals is to clarify, offer a different opinion and ultimately seek the best view of a situation.
Unlike other personal growth content where the coach prescribes what one ought to do; this newsletter will become more passive. It will describe what things are from various perspectives, reveal underlying assumptions and allow the space for readers to make their own choices about what to do next.
Although passive, I hope to deliver the arguments engagingly. I hope to entertain, to shock, to challenge and above all to illuminate.
Speaking of Purpose
What is your purpose in life? How did you arrive at that conclusion? Do you believe we are born with a purpose or created by the circumstances we encounter?
Until next week.
Vusi.
