In Chapter one of his book “Self Renewal” The individual and the innovative society,” author John W. Gardner wrote the following…
“Suppose one tried to imagine a society that would be relatively immune to decay...an ever-renewing society. What would it be like? What would be the ingredients that provide the immunity?
We now know enough about the nature of human organization to specify the ingredients of such a society-not one that will last forever, but one that will extend its vitality far beyond the usual span.
If longevity were the only virtue of such a society, the whole venture might prove to be numbingly dull. But a society that has learned the secret of renewal will be a more interesting and a more vibrant society, not in some distant future, but at once. And since continuous renewal depends on conditions that encourage fulfillment of the individual, it will be a society fit for free men and women.”
That was in 1965….the last line was true then and is true now. Mr. Gardner makes the case for the vitality of institutions and individuals as the same thing. I first read this work in 1983 and have never forgotten the wisdom in it.
Forty five years later the issues and conditions that contribute to the decay of both the individual and institutions are many and span all sectors of our society. My concern is that the decay at the heart of our institutions, a decay that is ironically the handiwork of the individual men and women of these institutions, is making conditions for individual vitality and sovereignty elusive for too many average people. This blog is a place to talk about that. What say you?
It's time to roll up our sleeves as individuals and DO THE WORK of creating a better society. Owen Edwards writes in his book: The Big Squeeze.
ReplyDeleteProcess is a drag, marketers have been telling us for a century or so: delay, drudgery, an exhausting gap between the starter's pistol and the finish line. Process is boring. So out with the tedium, in with joy! As we drift toward our digital dream, process seems eradicable, like smallpox. Thus we are asked to celebrate what could be one of the great hidden disasters of our technological era...because process matters as much to human endeavors as results. In our endless quest to eliminate work, to find effortless fulfillment and the grail of One E-Z Step, we deny the ultimate value of the grind.
Who has done the grind very effectively? Our men and women in the armed forces. They have packed up their "Suitcases" and dedicated their lives to the "Freedom" of all of us while living under a Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that stole their freedom from expressing who they truly are.
How can we as individuals do the grind?
Decay is an interesting thing. It is perhaps the most natural of all phenomena. All things gradually die. There are no exceptions; the proverbial circle of life to reference that most sacred of Disney films, The Lion King. So, we can’t ultimately do anything about decay, but we can do something. That something is the continuous renewal that John refers to in his opening salvo. In my business it is called continuous process improvement. In my life it is called simply “becoming.” There is a real difference between who we are and who we are capable of being. I’m not your father’s Oldsmobile. I choose to become.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy for me to choose to become because I love change. But what about the vast number of people who are afraid? There are comfort zones, boundaries, political correctness, Seinfeld moments of “not that there’s anything wrong with that.”: little restrictions that act like a thousand knicks before we notice the deepness of the wound. All this helps in the effort to generate civilized society; a society that is safe; a society that does not offend; a society that lulls you toward acceptance. Taken separately, each knick is understandable, a small sacrifice for the greater good. Slowly, safely we slouch toward Gomorrah. And so we’re afraid. Afraid to be different; afraid to say, “dude, you’re not wearing any clothes!”
I believe the decay is inevitable. I believe the rebirth is inevitable. I choose life. I choose to become. There is only one thing that can delay my birthing. It is oppressive government. When the desire for humans is to control other humans, irrespective of the motivation, the end result is decay. When the desire for humans is freedom the end result is becoming. Our societal problem is not an environment of decay. We’ll always have that. Our problem is an environment in which we expect to have someone else take care of us. New Hampshire has it right: Live Free or Die.