That You Become II
Back in February of last year, I wrote a post entitled, “That you become,” which asked all you Fluid Imagination readers “How much better do you need things to get?,” and also, “What kinds of things do you need to get better?” We came up with the following:
- We want more money
- We want more material goods
- We want more time for personal development (art, travel, etc.)
- We want more time for personal relationships (friends and family)
That’s what we need to make our lives better.
But now I have another question for you. What would you do to make yourselves better?
Let me give you just a little background, so you know where this question is coming from. I recently watched Al Gore’s interview with Charlie Rose (which is great, by the way). They discussed, among other things, the Vice-President’s new book, the reason he isn’t running for President, and, of course, the global climate crisis. When the interview was over, I sat back in my chair and thought to myself, “Man, I wish I would do something to help.”
I wish I WOULD do something to help. Not COULD do something, but WOULD do something. Because there are dozens of things I could do. But the fact is, I don’t.
Sure, I do the little things: I recycle, I compost (though not as much as I should), I eat local food (though not as much as I should), I try not to waste energy (though I could always do better), and I try to spread the good word about each of these things. But there’s so much more I could be doing.
The question is why? Why don’t I do all that I could?
The answer is simple. I am content and I am lazy.
This is not about the fact that I sit in a chair all day. I work over the Internet and I am trying to make my mark through the type-written word. No two ways about it, I’m stuck in a chair (and happy there).
And it’s not about global warming either.
It’s about improving myself, and yourself. When I sit back and I ask, “How would I make myself better?”, I come up with the answer that I would have myself “Do something.” I would be more ACTIVE.
Again, this does not mean physical exercise. It means that I would have myself TAKE ACTION. So much of what I do — as a professional and as a person — is concentrated on the theoretical, on the contemplation of abstract systems. I rarely, if ever, surrender myself to those systems.
When I ask myself how I would make myself better, I arrive at the answer, “I should just dive in.”
That’s how I would become a better person. How about you?