For this week, we had to read chapters 5-8 of the book, Art of Possibility. These four chapters were an interesting read as they mostly dealt with thinking positively and how to go about doing that to change the way you view things in life. I did find the concept that we had two selves, the calculating self and the central self, to be an interesting concept. I do agree that we as a species are always trying to one up others just so we can get ahead, regardless of who it hurts in the process. This concept of the calculating self is one that I can see in just about every aspect of our lives and in how many act and react to other people. Sadly, this is something that has been ingrained into us since an early age to be competitive and to look out for number 1 first and foremost. I do feel that if we could just shrug this notion off and treat others without seeing it as a competition or survival, we would be able to advance much quicker as a society that would allow others to flourish and be able to express themselves without worry or ridicule from others.
Another part in those chapters that stuck out for me was the 'Rule Number 6' that was talked about. This one dealt with not taking yourself so seriously on things. I am all for this rule, though there is a time to take things seriously. Allowing yourself to not be too critical of yourself when you make mistakes is one aspect that I follow quite religiously. Everyone makes mistakes and learning to treat those mistakes as a learning experience and not the end of the world helps you to see the overall picture that goes on around you in life. This rule also keeps you from falling into that self-centered aspect in your life and shows you that you really do not need to be constantly controlling everything around you, as that is just about impossible to do so just take things with a smile on your face. All the drama that happens in a person's life can be turned around and looked at in a positive light as long as you keep in mind that it is just one aspect of life and not to let it drag you down into that downward spiral of negativity.
Really, these 4 chapters were more of a reminder that things are really not so bad as we perceive they are and need to stop thinking and viewing things so critically. Lighten up, think positively, stop trying to impose your will on everything and laugh at the silly things and your life can be a much more rewarding experience!
Kris,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a great point about humanity and how we are always trying to get ahead of each other. I actually heard on NPR this morning that researchers found that the brain seems to be built to feed off of gossip and competition. Just like when we start competing as if it were a survival of sorts, its almost as if we degrade ourselves into animalistic behavior. For researchers to think that we are built for this doesn’t seem too surprising because it happens everyday. What if we really weren’t built for it, but instead adapted to it? I agree with you that chapters 5-8 were a great reminder about how things actually are around us. As a species I think we were trying to evolve too fast and completely missed the opportunity to flourish, and in this process of competition and hurting others to make it on top, we started on a dark road towards conquest. I like how you mention the drama in a person’s life and how it can be turned around into something positive. This is so true and if we can start focusing on that then our competitive nature might gradually cease to exist. It makes me think that there should be something encouraging and inspiring like the content in this book on the front page of every daily newspaper around the world. Maybe then our species might recognize their calculating self and be able to open up to new possibilities lurking around every corner.
Here is the link about the brain and gossip from NPR - http://www.npr.org/2011/05/20/136465083/psst-the-human-brain-is-wired-for-gossip
"Lighten up, think positively, stop trying to impose your will on everything and laugh at the silly things and your life can be a much more rewarding experience!"
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like it could be a mantra Kris!
I agree, so much can be learned from our mistakes, if we only allow ourselves the freedom and grace and forgiveness needed to see them as a teacher.
Thanks for sharing - it's nice to see you connecting to the material.