Re-Structuring Within the System
A system is reliant on adherences to tradition. There is an underlying agreement that this is how things are done. Those the system served well (at least, perceptually) tend to place (or find) themselves in leadership positions that perpetuate the system. Bringing their own personality and experience to the role, they are convinced that their presence encourages a more meaningful kind of participation. It is the human element that forges relationships — the prized ward of the state that acts as an arm of the state — keeping things orderly while keeping its customs in tact.
Plenty will complain about the conditions. Most will recognize an off-ness or a longing for the past, when things “weren’t so bad”. But the earlier you had not point of reference in which to compare things to. Those new to the job learn the job. It’s those that have been in the job for a long time that have trouble making adjustments. More and more is expected with less and less, and the stress and strain of it all leave you nothing left to step back and do the hard looking to recognize what “not this” thing is necessary.
In order to even consider seeing differently (and then, potentially, doing differently), the person behind this must have some familiarity with this process. They must know what it feels like to not be the same. They must perceive this as a potential positive. They must be able to act alone, and trust enough in their awareness of feedback to turn, pivot, stay, or proceed forward. They must be patient and observant and willing to try, and believe in their instincts enough to not settle on stagnant satisfaction. As they grow, so too does the vitality (or demise) of everything around them.
All that being said, the following offers a crude blueprint of the conditions and capacity that seem critical to cultivate change in your corner of the world:
1. Establish a strong personal buffer
You have to be able to keep the thing, the thing. One cannot cater to a partner, or a family, and also commit to the thing. Some of you will have to choose. Some of you already have. Confusing a resource with something that asks of your affection (and attention) will break your heart. Should such heartbreak occur, and likely will, the work unsentimentally remains to help you put the pieces together.
2. Align your work as an extension of you
Those dialed in to self-preservation will find meaning here. Be wary, though, of equating this with some sort legacy. Assume nothing will remain after you’re gone. This will prioritize the importance of now, perhaps being the only one who can. The conviction in which you live your life will translate into instinctual directions in which to take things.
3. Build freedom from security
Attach yourself to a system that would destroy itself if outsourced to robots. Look at a tradition that keeps bringing people toward you without a need for marketing. It could be a steadfast pathway of society (like a school), a cornerstone of culture, or a service to provide a tangible physiological need. As the pandemic taught us, nothing is for certain, but establishing a contract of work from a stable source provides you a stable source by which to stretch from. Once there, be better than your standing suggests, almost inconceivably better, so they trust what you do so much you feel like a welcome relief to their oversight.
4. Romanticize working in the dirt
In doing so, you have to be willing to be seen as dirt. Carry it with you as the world’s greatest underestimation. It is responsible for all of life outside of water. Interact with it as if it is gold, and treat it as such. When you find a way to be with something that lets you change it, for the better, you might see it as the secretly-desired mirror, that lets you fully see you.
Feature photo by Joshua Köller via pixels.