King's plan: Noisy, Argumentative, and Unproductive. King's objective: No one is listening to anyone else. King's (Kingdom) goal: Global Community Death through Chaos beholden only to the self appointed king.
Emptiness: There are only three ways out of chaos. All the Ways Trump Has 'Destroyed the Norms' of American Life. One is to to revert to an even more profound community. Another is to recognize away chaos by creating committees and subcommittees; but such organization is never in and of itself "community."The Third way, often told to groups, throughout history is "into and through emptiness." Madman Across the Water With Lyrics!
If a sufficient number of members of the group hear us, what then begins to happen is a very painful, gradual process of the members emptying themselves of the barriers to communication. Darkest Hour | Clip | Reason With a Tiger The most common barriers include expectations, preconditions, prejudices, rigidly of ideology or theology, and the need to heal, convert, fix, or solve. Pirate Pete's Talk Like A Pirate Narration & Characterizations As the group enters this stage of emptiness - the most critical stage of it's learning - it looks very much like an organism that has totally lost it's way. Kaskade feat. Skylar Grey - Room For Happiness Indeed, the feeling is like dying. This is the time of Kenosis. But if the group can hang in there together - as, amazingly, occurs almost all of the time with 'Proper Leadership' - this work of kenosis or dying will "Succeed", and from it Renewal will Emerge.
Community 9 Terrible Leadership Lessons From Trump. When a group's death has been completed and it is open and empty, it enters community. Swingrowers - Healing Dance It is a kind of peace, often preceded and followed by an abundance of individual expressions of personal experiences and emotions, tears of sadness and joy. Tocadisco feat Lenart A Salomon - Get away. This is when an extraordinary amount of healing and converting begins to occur - now that no one is deliberately trying to convert or heal. From this point Community is Born. Tracy Chapman - Give Me One Reason Not every group that becomes a community follows this paradigm exactly. Communities that temporarily form in response to crisis, for example, may skip over one or more stages for the time being. And although spoken glowingly of community when barriers to communication are finally transcended, this does not by any way mean that it is all now easy. Keb' Mo' - More Than One Way Home Once community is achieved, depending on the group's goals and tasks, maintaining it will become an ongoing challenge. But the experience of having 'Grown' from the emptiness leaves a lasting imprint. And the most common emotional response to the Spirit of True Community is Joy and Love.
One of the most important 2020 truths is this: Leadership is leadership,
no matter where you go or what you do. Times change. Technology marches forward. Cultures
vary from place to place. But the true principles of leadership are constant—whether you’re
looking at the citizens of ancient Greece, the Hebrews in the Old Testament, the armies of the
last two hundred years, the rulers of modern Europe, the pastors in local churches, or the
business people of today’s global economy. Leadership principles stand the test of time. They are
irrefutable.
keep in mind four ideas:
1. The laws can be learned. Some are easier to understand and apply than others, but every
one of them can be acquired.
2. The laws can stand alone. Each law complements all the others, but you don’t need one
in order to learn another.
3. The laws carry consequences with them. Apply the laws, and people will follow you.
Violate or ignore them, and you will not be able to lead others.
4. These laws are the foundation of leadership. Once you learn the principles, you have to
practice them and apply them to your life.
TO CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THE
ORGANIZATION, CHANGE THE LEADER.
LEADERSHIP ABILITY IS ALWAYS THE LID ON PERSONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL
EFFECTIVENESS. IF THE LEADERSHIP IS STRONG, THE LID IS HIGH. BUT IF IT’S
NOT, THEN THE ORGANIZATION IS LIMITED. THAT’S WHY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE,
ORGANIZATIONS NATURALLY LOOK FOR NEW LEADERSHIP. WHEN THE
COUNTRY IS EXPERIENCING HARD TIMES, IT ELECTS A NEW PRESIDENT. WHEN A
COMPANY IS LOSING MONEY, IT HIRES A NEW CEO.
WHEN A CHURCH IS
FLOUNDERING, IT SEARCHES FOR A NEW SENIOR PASTOR. WHEN A SPORTS
TEAM KEEPS LOSING, IT LOOKS FOR A NEW HEAD COACH.
The relationship between leadership and effectiveness is evident in sports. For example, if
you look at professional sports organizations, the talent on the team is rarely the issue. Just about
every team has highly talented players. The leadership provided by the coach—and several key
players—makes the difference. To change the effectiveness of the team, lift up the leadership of
the coach. That’s the Law of the Lid.
A sports team with a long history of leadership and effectiveness is Notre Dame. The
school’s football teams have won more national championships than any other team in the
country. Over the years, the Fighting Irish have won more than three-fourths of all their games
(an incredible .759 winning percentage). In fact, two of their former head coaches, Knute Rockne
and Frank Leahy, have the highest winning percentages in NCAA history.
Back in the early 1980s, Notre Dame hired Gerry Faust as its head football coach. He was
following two great coaches: Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine, both of whom had won national
championships during their tenure and both of whom were eventually inducted into the National
Football Foundation Hall of Fame. Prior to coming to Notre Dame, Faust had compiled an
incredible record of 174-17-2 during his eighteen years as the head coach at Moeller High
School. His teams experienced seven undefeated seasons and won six Ohio state titles. Four
teams he coached were considered the best in the nation.
But when he arrived at Notre Dame, it didn’t take long for people to discover that he was in
over his head. As a coach and strategist, he was effective, but he didn’t have the leadership
ability necessary to make it at the college level. During his five seasons at the university, he
compiled a 30-26-1 record and winning percentage of .535, third worst in Notre Dame’s one
hundred-plus-year history of college football. Faust coached only one other college team after
that, the University of Akron, where he finished with an overall losing record of 43-53-3. He was
another casualty of the Law of the Lid.
Wherever you look, you can find smart, talented, successful people who are able to go only
so far because of the limitations of their leadership. The good news is that getting rid of the leader isn’t the only way you can raise it. To reach the highest level of
effectiveness, you have to raise the lid—If he’d been a good leader, the organization wouldn’t be in the mess it’s
in.
THE LAW OF PROCESS
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPS DAILY, NOT IN A
DAY.
The secret to success is to have spent most of ones life building their worth.
Whether stock’s values went up or down, they never sell off in thought, I’m finished
building; now it’s time to cash out.They stand firm in the long haul, for the really long haul.
He should start leading with the decency and resolve that we deserve. I’m not holding my breath.
LEADERSHIP IS LIKE INVESTING—IT
COMPOUNDS.
Although it’s true that some people are born with greater natural gifts than others, the ability
to lead is really a collection of skills, nearly all of which can be learned and improved. But that
process doesn’t happen overnight. Leadership is complicated.
It has many facets: respect,
experience, emotional strength, people skills, discipline, vision, momentum, timing—the list
goes on. As you can see, many factors that come into play in leadership are intangible. That’s
why leaders require so much seasoning to be effective.
The many aspects of leadership with clarity: LEADERS ARE LEARNERS: IN A STUDY OF NINETY TOP LEADERS FROM A VARIETY OF FIELDS, LEADERSHIP
EXPERTS WARREN BENNIS AND BURT NANUS MADE A DISCOVERY ABOUT THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROWTH AND LEADERSHIP: “IT IS THE CAPACITY TO
DEVELOP AND IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS THAT DISTINGUISHES LEADERS FROM
THEIR FOLLOWERS.” SUCCESSFUL LEADERS ARE LEARNERS. AND THE LEARNING
PROCESS IS ONGOING, A RESULT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE AND PERSEVERANCE. THE
GOAL EACH DAY MUST BE TO GET A LITTLE BETTER, TO BUILD ON THE
PREVIOUS DAY’S PROGRESS.
THE FOUR PHASES OF LEADERSHIP
GROWTH. PHASE 1—I DON’T KNOW WHAT I DON’T KNOW. MOST PEOPLE FAIL TO RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF LEADERSHIP. THEY BELIEVE
THAT LEADERSHIP IS ONLY FOR A FEW—FOR THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP OF THE
CORPORATE LADDER. IT’S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE AS LONG AS A PERSON
DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HE DOESN’T KNOW, HE DOESN’T GROW. Consciousness and Competence.
PHASE 2—I KNOW WHAT I DON’T KNOW.
USUALLY AT SOME POINT IN LIFE, WE ARE PLACED IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION
ONLY TO LOOK AROUND AND DISCOVER THAT NO ONE IS FOLLOWING US.
THAT’S WHEN WE REALIZE THAT WE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO LEAD. AND OF
COURSE, THAT’S WHEN IT’S POSSIBLE FOR THE PROCESS TO START. ENGLISH
PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN DISRAELI WISELY COMMENTED, “TO BE CONSCIOUS
THAT YOU ARE IGNORANT OF THE FACTS IS A GREAT STEP TO KNOWLEDGE.”
PHASE 3—I GROW AND KNOW AND IT STARTS TO SHOW.
WHEN YOU RECOGNIZE YOUR LACK OF SKILL AND BEGIN THE DAILY DISCIPLINE
OF PERSONAL GROWTH IN LEADERSHIP, EXCITING THINGS START TO HAPPEN.
PHASE 4—I SIMPLY GO BECAUSE OF WHAT I KNOW.
WHEN YOU’RE IN PHASE 3, YOU CAN BE PRETTY EFFECTIVE AS A LEADER, BUT
YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU
GET TO PHASE 4, YOUR ABILITY TO LEAD BECOMES ALMOST AUTOMATIC. AND
THAT’S WHEN THE PAYOFF IS LARGER THAN LIFE. BUT THE ONLY WAY TO GET
THERE IS TO OBEY THE LAW OF PROCESS AND PAY THE PRICE.
TO LEAD TOMORROW, LEARN TODAY.
LEADERSHIP IS DEVELOPED DAILY, NOT IN A DAY. THAT IS THE REALITY
DICTATED BY THE LAW OF PROCESS. BENJAMIN DISRAELI ASSERTED, “THE
SECRET OF SUCCESS IN LIFE IS FOR A MAN TO BE READY FOR HIS TIME WHEN IT
COMES.” WHAT A PERSON DOES ON A DISCIPLINED, CONSISTENT BASIS GETS
HIM READY, NO MATTER WHAT THE GOAL. Trump must remain in power to stay out of prison: Watch what he does after Senate acquits him.
While most presidents of the United States reach their peak while in office, others
continue to grow and become better leaders afterward, such as former president Jimmy Carter.
Some people questioned his ability to lead while in the White House. But in recent years,
Carter’s level of influence has continually increased. His high integrity and dedication in serving
people through Habitat for Humanity and other organizations have made his influence grow. And
now he has been recognized in Mali where he was knighted for his work eradicating Guinea
worm disease. People now are truly impressed with his life.
FIGHTING YOUR WAY UP.
THERE IS AN OLD SAYING: CHAMPIONS DON’T BECOME CHAMPIONS IN THE
RING—THEY ARE MERELY RECOGNIZED THERE. THAT’S TRUE. IF YOU WANT TO
SEE WHERE SOMEONE DEVELOPS INTO A CHAMPION, LOOK AT HIS DAILY
ROUTINE. FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP JOE FRAZIER STATED, “YOU CAN MAP
OUT A FIGHT PLAN OR A LIFE PLAN. BUT WHEN THE ACTION STARTS, YOU’RE
DOWN TO YOUR REFLEXES.
THAT’S WHERE YOUR ROAD WORK SHOWS. IF YOU
CHEATED ON THAT IN THE DARK OF THE MORNING, YOU’RE GETTING FOUND
OUT NOW UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS.” BOXING IS A GOOD ANALOGY FOR
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE IT IS ALL ABOUT DAILY PREPARATION.
EVEN IF A PERSON HAS NATURAL TALENT, HE HAS TO PREPARE AND TRAIN TO
BECOME SUCCESSFUL.
One of this country’s greatest leaders was a fan of boxing: President Theodore Roosevelt. In
fact, one of his most famous quotes uses a boxing analogy: It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where
the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in
the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and
comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends
himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and
who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be
with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
Roosevelt, a boxer himself, was the ultimate man of action. Not only was he an effective leader,
but he was the most flamboyant of all U.S. presidents. British historian Hugh Brogan described
him as “the ablest man to sit in the White House since Lincoln; the most vigorous since Jackson;
the most bookish since John Quincy Adams.”
NAVIGATORS SEE THE TRIP AHEAD.
LEADERS WHO NAVIGATE DO EVEN
MORE THAN CONTROL THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THEY AND THEIR PEOPLE
TRAVEL. THEY SEE THE WHOLE TRIP IN THEIR MINDS BEFORE THEY LEAVE THE
DOCK. THEY HAVE A VISION FOR THEIR DESTINATION, THEY UNDERSTAND
WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO GET THERE, THEY KNOW WHO THEY’LL NEED ON THE
TEAM TO BE SUCCESSFUL, AND THEY RECOGNIZE THE OBSTACLES LONG
BEFORE THEY APPEAR ON THE HORIZON. Why Trump can’t change, no matter what the consequences are.
LEROY EIMS, AUTHOR OF BE THE
LEADER YOU WERE MEANT TO BE, WRITES, “A LEADER IS ONE WHO SEES MORE THAN OTHERS SEE, WHO SEES FARTHER THAN OTHERS SEE, AND WHO SEES
BEFORE OTHERS DO.”
FIRST-RATE NAVIGATORS ALWAYS HAVE IN MIND THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE
DEPENDING ON THEM AND THEIR ABILITY TO CHART A GOOD COURSE. FOR MEANING THAT ILLUSTRATES THIS IDEA. OCCASIONALLY
YOU HEAR ABOUT THE CRASH OF FOUR MILITARY PLANES FLYING TOGETHER IN
A FORMATION. THE REASON FOR THE LOSS OF ALL FOUR IS THIS: WHEN JET
FIGHTERS FLY IN GROUPS OF FOUR, ONE PILOT—THE LEADER—DESIGNATES
WHERE THE TEAM WILL FLY. THE OTHER THREE PLANES FLY ON THE LEADER’S
WING, WATCHING HIM AND FOLLOWING HIM WHEREVER HE GOES. WHATEVER
MOVES HE MAKES, THE REST OF HIS TEAM WILL MAKE ALONG WITH HIM.
THAT’S TRUE WHETHER HE SOARS IN THE CLOUDS OR SMASHES INTO A
MOUNTAINTOP.
Before leaders take their people on a journey, they go through a process in order to give the
trip the best chance of being a success: NAVIGATORS DRAW ON PAST EXPERIENCE: EVERY PAST SUCCESS AND FAILURE CAN BE A SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND
WISDOM—IF YOU ALLOW IT TO BE. SUCCESSES TEACH YOU ABOUT YOURSELF
AND WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF DOING WITH YOUR PARTICULAR GIFTS AND
TALENTS. FAILURES SHOW WHAT KINDS OF WRONG ASSUMPTIONS YOU’VE
MADE AND WHERE YOUR METHODS ARE FLAWED.
IF YOU FAIL TO LEARN FROM
YOUR MISTAKES, YOU’RE GOING TO FAIL AGAIN AND AGAIN. THAT’S WHY
EFFECTIVE NAVIGATORS START WITH EXPERIENCE. BUT THEY CERTAINLY
DON’T END THERE.
NAVIGATORS LISTEN TO WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY: NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU LEARN FROM THE PAST, IT WILL NEVER TELL YOU
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR THE PRESENT. THAT’S WHY TOP-NOTCH
NAVIGATORS GATHER INFORMATION FROM MANY SOURCES. THEY GET IDEAS
FROM MEMBERS OF THEIR LEADERSHIP TEAM. THEY TALK TO THE PEOPLE IN
THEIR ORGANIZATION TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE GRASSROOTS
LEVEL. AND THEY SPEND TIME WITH LEADERS FROM OUTSIDE THE
ORGANIZATION WHO CAN MENTOR THEM.
NAVIGATORS EXAMINE THE CONDITIONS BEFORE MAKING
COMMITMENTS: I LIKE ACTION, AND MY PERSONALITY PROMPTS ME TO BE SPONTANEOUS. ON
TOP OF THAT, I HAVE RELIABLE INTUITION WHEN IT COMES TO LEADERSHIP.
BUT I’M ALSO CONSCIOUS OF MY RESPONSIBILITIES AS A LEADER. SO BEFORE I
MAKE COMMITMENTS THAT ARE GOING TO IMPACT MY PEOPLE, I TAKE STOCK
AND THOROUGHLY THINK THINGS THROUGH. GOOD NAVIGATORS COUNT THE
COST BEFORE MAKING COMMITMENTS FOR THEMSELVES AND OTHERS.
NAVIGATORS MAKE SURE THEIR CONCLUSIONS REPRESENT BOTH
FAITH AND FACT: BEING ABLE TO NAVIGATE FOR OTHERS REQUIRES A LEADER TO POSSESS A
POSITIVE ATTITUDE. YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE FAITH THAT YOU CAN TAKE YOUR
PEOPLE ALL THE WAY. IF YOU CAN’T CONFIDENTLY MAKE THE TRIP IN YOUR
MIND, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO TAKE IT IN REAL LIFE. ON THE OTHER
HAND, YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE FACTS REALISTICALLY. YOU
CAN’T MINIMIZE OBSTACLES OR RATIONALIZE YOUR CHALLENGES. IF YOU
DON’T GO IN WITH YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN, YOU’RE GOING TO GET BLINDSIDED.
AS BILL EASUM OBSERVES, “REALISTIC LEADERS ARE OBJECTIVE ENOUGH TO
MINIMIZE ILLUSIONS. THEY UNDERSTAND THAT SELF-DECEPTION CAN COST
THEM THEIR VISION.” SOMETIMES IT’S DIFFICULT BALANCING OPTIMISM AND
REALISM, INTUITION AND PLANNING, FAITH AND FACT. BUT THAT’S WHAT IT
TAKES TO BE EFFECTIVE AS A NAVIGATING LEADER.
Educational Share: THE 21 IRREFUTABLE
LAWS OF LEADERSHIP - JOHN C. MAXWELL.
At a time of social breakdown and increasing adversarialism, no greater time than now would be the attempt to resurrect two critical words from a meaningless death: community and civility. Donald Trump has no strategy, no beliefs, and no principles.
For America, community has to do with communication , and real community should imply a sustained and high quality of national communication among its members.
What lacks is the mission plus the skill to teach the principles of community, by which is meant healthy and authentic communication with and between groups. Make yourself stronger than your excuses.
An English gentleman of the last century, Oliver Hereford, who is famed for saying "A gentleman is someone who never hurts another person's feelings unintentionally" may help us to arrive at a more meaningful definition for the greater need of civility. Linguistic Analysis: Without Twitter, Donald Trump Would Not Be in the White House Today
So, within this demonstrated case in point: the key is intention, the meaning was awareness of what your doing, and the moral; awareness always requires consciousness to be civil.
Perhaps, a book on the subject , A World Waiting to Be Born: Civility Rediscovered, sums up Americas 2020 election plight best. Stylistic variation on the Donald Trump Twitter account: A linguistic analysis of tweets posted between 2009 and 2018
The book defines "civility" not as mere superficial politeness, but as a consciously motivated organizational behavior that is ethical in submission to a higher power.
It can be assumed that anyone who made the choice to be conscious wants to be a civil person. But there is a major problem here: in order to be civil, we must be conscious not only of our own motivations but also of the organization - or system - in which we are acing.
Civility requires organisational as well as individual consciousness. Consequently, if we aspire to even greater civility, we must increasingly think in terms of systems. Trump Crime Family | One Percent Takers
The basic tenet of system theory (which is not a theory but a fact) is that everything now evolves around to serve the fabric of that society. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”
As 'We The People' continually wake up to the facts of this reality, system theory (historically) tells us why all levels of 2020's national elections must follow suite: that if you change one component of the system, all the other parts must also change. Conservatism has become a racket, and Trump is the grifter in chief.
Only in the past few decades have we become somewhat aware of this fact, the system some day will eventually awaken into it's own nightmare reality: All repairs under trump mechanics can and will redundantly conk out.
The problem: sycophants either did not know how or were too afraid to calibrate in all of the subtle changes required that would maintain an engines operational system.
Nevertheless, there is no way on earth, that 'We The People' can evolve into a more civil society that the world would recognize or respect under made America's (Trustworthiness) Great Again, until even greater numbers of us are willing to demonstrate, having made the choice, not only to be personally conscious of ourselves, but also to think in terms of whole systems that expanded our awareness's - in order to fill the hole in the mind.
Other-words Simple English: under God's principles, nation proved itself out beyond all shadows of the doubt, to have successfully overcome their narcissistic Goliath's - in no uncertain terms.
Educational Book Share: The Road Less Traveled and Beyond - Spiritual Growth in an Age of Anxiety. M.Scott Peck, M.D.
In some ways we understand much more clearly how people can learn in adulthood by active, deliberate choice.
What we do not understand is why?
We are now confronted with the extraordinary mystery of the human will.
Certain people seem to have been born with a strong will while others seem to be relatively weak willed.
The subject however, however, has never been studied scientifically.
We do not actually know whether there are differences in the strength of will or whether they are genetic or to what extent they are developed or learned.
It is an extremely mysterious matter and represents a wide-open frontier for psychological research.
In any case, it is well believed that a strong will is one of the greatest blessing that can be bestowed upon a human being.
Additionally many believe this not because a strong will necessarily guarantees success - IT MAY BACKFIRE AND CREATE A HITLER, for example - but because a weak will pretty much guarantees failure.
For instance, it is strong willed people - those with the mysterious will to grow - who do well no matter what their childhood or background was like, no matter what the odds. On the other hand, other people who seem to lack this mysterious will to grow may possess all manner of assets-great ideas and talents - yet they sit on their duffs, getting noplace.
Still, yet, as 'We The People' have redundantly pointed out, all blessing are potential curses, and one downside of a strong will is a bad temper.
It is strong willed people who wrap golf clubs around trees because the damn little ball won't go where they want it to go. Strong-willed people have a lot of learning to do to effectively manage their anger.
In Further along the Road Less Traveled, author wrote that he used to explain to his patients that having a Weak Will is like having a little donkey in your backyard.
It can't hurt you very much; about the worst it can do is chomp some of your tulips. But tit cant help you very much either, and you could end up with a life of regrets for not doing things you thought you should do.
Having a strong will, on the other hand, is like having a dozen Clydesdales in your backyard. Those horses are massive and extremely strong, and if they are not properly trained, disciplined, and harnessed, they will knock your house down.
On the other hand, if they are properly trained, disciplined, and harnessed, then with them you can literally move mountains.
Thus the distinction between the harnessed and unharnessed will is important.
But what to what is the will to be harnessed?
Your will cannot be simply harnessed to yourself. It has to be harnessed to a power higher than yourself.
In his book Will and Spirit, the first chapter of which is entitled "Willingness and Willfulness," Gerald May writes that willfulness characterizes the unharnessed human will, whereas willingness identifies the strong will of a person who is willing to go where he or she is called or led by a higher power.
Furthermore, given the relationship between willingness and a higher power, it is no coincidence as wrote in The Road Less Traveled that the will to grow is in essence the same phenomenon as love.
Defined Love as the will is to extend selves for ones own spiritual growth or another's.
Genuinely loving people are, by definition, growing people.
It has been spoken throughout the Bible many times how the capacity to love is nurtured in one by loving parents, but also noted that parental nurturing alone fails to account for the existence of this capacity in all people.
Thus, as world community we have to come to believe that peoples capacity to love, hence their will to grow, is nurtured not only during childhood by loving parents but also throughout their lives by grace, or God's Love.
Yet we are left with the question of why some people continue to show a will to grow throughout life, while many shun not only growth but the responsibility that comes with learning.
Mysterious though it is, the choice to actively learn as an Adult and Devote one's will consciously to growth and learning is the most crucial decision one ever makes in life.
But when is this choice made? Again, the issue has not been scientifically studied in the way it should.
Mental health professionals have broadly suggested throughout time, there is no evidence that the choice is made in childhood. But it can be made as early as mid-adolescence. People as young as fifteen and sixteen have written letters in response to topical mental health books that affirmed clearly to have already made that choice.
To enter into knowledge and major in all of the hard sciences known would be quite difficult or simply recognized the value behind 'whats the point of majoring in something that's easy for you.'
Sometimes it comes during periods of taking stock, as in the middle of a crisis.
In most cases, discerned, the choice is made repeatedly. Decision evolved into an active learner mode that grew stronger and stronger as remade and remade, till choice recalls the moments that cemented the choice.
Personal style, for the most part of life, is simply defined as having learned from experiences. That is why contemplatives are generally described as the someones who take a little bit of experience and milks it for all it's worth. It's not simply a matter of how much experience you have in life but what you do with it.
We all know people who have accomplished many tasks, or done this and that which seems to amount to a broad range of experiences, but whom seem naive or confused as ever.
Just going around having different experiences is worthless if one does not learn something about oneself and the rest of the world from those experiences.
That's why it is important to be alert not only to external but to internal experiences that serve our Spiritual Growth.
Thus a large part of the willingness to learn must include learning by looking within.
Specific to the point is a quote from the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, who said: "A man may perform astonishing feats and comprehend a vast amount of knowledge , and yet have no understanding of himself. But suffering directs a man to look within. If it succeeds, then there, within him, is the beginning of his learning."
Ultimately, someone whose will has become devoted to learning and growth is someone whose will is clearly in alignment with God's purpose. That does not mean, however, that such person is conscious of this fact, or the they see themselves as being in "harmony with an unseen order of things." They may consider themselves to be agnostic. Yet even many who do not identify God as their higher power may show a willingness to submit themselves to something they consider greater than themselves - perhaps the ideas of Love, Light, and Truth.
In the end, of course, all of these qualities have something to do with God. Nonetheless, it has been within many an impression over time that such people continue over the years and the decades to devote their will to learning and growth, and almost inevitably will fall into the hands of the living God, and their soul will be in a personal relationship with it's creator and nurturer.
Educational Book Share: The Road Less Traveled and Beyond - Spiritual Growth in an Age of Anxiety. M.Scott Peck, M.D.
