Systems and the Self
A system is a method of getting particular results. It needs individual interpretation and application, however, to keep it alive and viable. Without an infusion of self, both the system and the user remain static. Integrated, everything evolves. Value lies in perceptions of transferability.
Problem solving is not a deliverable service. It is one of convenience and access. You must get to the help or the help must get to you. In the instantaneous moment that presents itself outside systemically trained prepping, you must make your own decisions. Where to go and what to do once the a given path gets lost is a definitive skill of thought.
External assistance should cultivate internal self-reliance. Otherwise, you remain reliant on the external. But it’s hard to sell someone to themselves. We have been culturally programmed to collect instead of connect. Shown what we’re missing and told where it’s kept, we’re constantly a few clicks away from that next level of being.
To clarify, a system is not a program. It is not a list of checklist items to finish. In fact, a system is not meant be completed. It is intended to be referred upon again and again, a flowchart guiding action based on binary options.
Life and circumstance and creativity, though, do not abide by binary rules. They can go sideways and spiral and expose a third or fourth arrow at anytime. Situations make systems obsolete. And they should. They encourage the necessary development of a system upgrade.
To sort information, the number and scope of data must be fixed. There is no subjectivity or examination or tangential strands of thought. You arrange what is. You can’t effectively organize your closet without knowing what’s in there and reflecting on how often it is used. Personal reflection and examination is the most important piece.
You won’t be motivated to organize your closet in the first place unless you get frustrated with a lack of space or how hard it is to find something. Again, a personal connection is at play. You can buy more shelving to fit everything or you can get rid of what you don’t need. This is where a ‘stay or go’ system shines.
Systems are a construct. Meant to operate with interchangeable parts, they must be manually manipulated. While a shelving system is undoubtedly well thought out, it cannot fit every closet nor the needs of every consumer. It must be adaptable. What comes in the box obeys a set standard. You can either confine yourself to one particular type of closet or equip yourself to be able to make the necessary adjustments.
Streamlined thought purposefully avoids abstract thought. Possibility is exchanged for conformity. This is why one person’s method can shift a collective’s consciousness — our thinking is becoming homogenized with those willing to engage in it and present it in a structured format. (Get people to understand the importance of a specific closet, repeatedly explain how yours is best and easy to install, and then watch the orders pour in.) Confirmation bias is systemic, too.
When a process becomes a product, it is given a predetermined value. Designed to be handed off to another, there is already a given perception as to who it is for and what it is meant to do. But the self is dynamic and constantly being crafted. It is inherently protected and skeptical and critical of change. It is discerning to forces intending to upset its belief system.
Consider your personal practice. Is it a replica of what was once offered or a distinctly arranged collection of intimate truths? If it is the former have you ever questioned it? If it is the latter how many different experiences were required to cultivate it?
We can be our own architects. And we we can share in using the same tools (and build our own closets). Still, if we must place one inside the other, let yourself be the bigger box. You may find that you are more than sufficient, and indeed to surer entity.