MAC Week 2 - Response to Lional Jacques

MAC Wk2 – Reading: The Art of Possibility

This class we are using a wonderful book called The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander.  It has been a wonderful read so far and this week the class has gone over chapters 1-4 of the book.  I wanted to discuss and share a few areas and items that really struck home with me in these opening chapters starting with a little blurb by Benjamin in the Intro chapter. 

Ben discusses a cello lesson when he was 11 in which after trying three separate times on a passage he grew frustrated and put down his bow.  His teacher, and elderly man, gave a sarcastic quip about young Ben not being able to learn the piece the THREE minutes he had worked on it.  This is one of those facets of life that I feel either gets glossed over or just isn’t picked up on by some folks.  Everyone pursuing something they wish to do must practice in order to master the skills and improve – even those who are naturals for a particular talent.  I never thought I could draw, and certainly know that I couldn’t ‘doodle’ out a picture on a napkin that was inspiring or amazing.  However I ended up at one point in my life in life drawing classes – to better understand physiology and aid my sculptures.  I grew to love drawing and found that with time and effort I produced quality pieces that I was ‘mostly’ happy with.  I didn’t have the knack of a five-minute sketch – but over a few hours I could happily work and refine the image I was trying for.  It took practice, hours and hours of drawing and gestures, to get to a point where I ‘could draw’.  Practice – it really makes anything possible.

Ok back on task!  The book opens by discussing perceptions and how we view the world through our own set up mind filters and preconceptions.  It was a great bit and through it you really get an appreciation for ‘why’ kids are in their own little world and maybe a bit of inspiration on how to handle that with positive reactions and responses.

The start of the book had some very interesting discussions on measuring vs possibility.  Discussions on the world of measurements and how it is one of the driving forces in our lives, measuring success, grades, etc and pushing to end up ‘better than you were’.   Our world is a filter of measuring things, comparing them to other things or our selves, or contrasting things to highlight the differences.  Then it moves onto a slightly different view with possibility and even better – how to work the two together in balance to have a better life. 

‘A’ eye opener of a chapter follows, the moment it started with the ‘1/3 get C’s to the discussion of mastery and performance.  Grades are part of our measuring and comparing world.  They key part of the discussion for the chapter isn’t necessarily grades – but the fact that the competitive aspect of them can strain us.  Giving an A as the chapter says is not a “gradingism” but more a thought process.  You can give A’s to everyone you meet in life: it is more about helping them make the most out of their life even as doing so helps make the most out of yours.  It is a great chapter and one that encapsulates how by being the best person you can be can help others be their best as well.

So the start of this book has been an inspiration, far from being the ‘text’ I expected from our discussions of copyright laws and publishing.  I am happily continuing my trip through the pages of this book and will certainly be picking up some copies to share with friends and family. 

Response:

@ Lionel

Great post on the Art of Possibility reading! I too was swayed as I read these chapters a second time through as the first time I was still set in my ways that this would be a boring read. Once I got the idea of what the book was trying to convey, I had to start over and re-read it from the beginning.  I definitely agree with your assessment that many need to consistently practice on anything they do to get good at it. This generation is steadily slipping into the instant gratification stage where the kids want things now, without working for them. The world is indeed a filter of measuring ourselves versus others or comparing us to others. We really need to get out of this line of thinking, of needing to be competitive as it tends to hurt us as individuals. The 'Giving an A' chapter was an informative chapter to say the least, and your assessment of it was pretty much spot on. We really need to increase the ways of making most out of life instead of fighting each other for it. This does help others get the most out of their life as well as yours. I did like the book and I am glad that we both were able to gain some good knowledge that we could apply to our classes that we teach.