I’ve already noted that the process of examining one’s life is more than figuring out who you are, but of determining the “ideal you.” Once the ideal is established, a critical examination of who you actually are in comparison to who you would like to be would come next. From this gap analysis comes the steps that should be taken to become that ideal person.
At least that’s how it’s supposed to work.
The reality is of course much more messy. Circumstances change along the way, as do values and perspectives. The person I was (or wanted to be) as a single man of course resembles, but is still quite different, from the person I wanted to be as a married man. It’s not just a broader perspective, either; there are real differences in how I look at the world, and how I want to be perceived.
Additionally, as I get older I find that my view of what’s important changes. Again, there is much more than a passing resemblance to what I thought important when I was a youngster, but there are important differences as well. Some of these are pretty obvious: when I was younger, having enough money to pay my bills was important; any thought of retirement took a distant second place to staying on top of my current obligations, and to doing (and buying) what I wanted. True, the things I considered necessities have also changed somewhat, but I gave little more than a passing thought to having a comfortable retirement. Add to that the rock-solid belief I had that Armageddon would have come long before I would reasonably consider retiring and the need to establish a retirement plan was small in the extreme. Or so I thought! I am now just a short jump from the age most people retire, and there’s no indication Armageddon is any closer than it was when I was a fresh-faced kid. If I ever was fresh-faced.
Anyhow, my basic point is that one’s mission in life, while a long view, must of necessity come under regular review, both to do a reality check to see if you are progressing toward that ideal, but also (and maybe more importantly) to see if that ideal might need to be tweaked a bit. Hopefully not abandoned, but certainly updated. Von Moltke (Prussian general and leader of Germany’s army in the latter half of the 1800’s) said “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy,” meaning of course that the best laid plans cannot possibly cover all contingencies and must be modified as circumstances dictate. Not necessarily abandoned however; simply modified.
Back to our mission statement. I think that part of Socrate’s thinking behind his statement is that one must regularly review where we are, compare that to our ideal, and then determine if a new course is required in our behavior to reach that ideal. At the same time, make sure that our ideal is still that: what (or who) we would like to be. Which sometimes changes.
Hard work, that.
About BigBill
Stats: Married male boomer.
Hobbies: Hiking, woodworking, reading, philosophy, good conversation.
An examined life (part 3)
I’ve already noted that the process of examining one’s life is more than figuring out who you are, but of determining the “ideal you.” Once the ideal is established, a critical examination of who you actually are in comparison to who you would like to be would come next. From this gap analysis comes the steps that should be taken to become that ideal person.
At least that’s how it’s supposed to work.
The reality is of course much more messy. Circumstances change along the way, as do values and perspectives. The person I was (or wanted to be) as a single man of course resembles, but is still quite different, from the person I wanted to be as a married man. It’s not just a broader perspective, either; there are real differences in how I look at the world, and how I want to be perceived.
Additionally, as I get older I find that my view of what’s important changes. Again, there is much more than a passing resemblance to what I thought important when I was a youngster, but there are important differences as well. Some of these are pretty obvious: when I was younger, having enough money to pay my bills was important; any thought of retirement took a distant second place to staying on top of my current obligations, and to doing (and buying) what I wanted. True, the things I considered necessities have also changed somewhat, but I gave little more than a passing thought to having a comfortable retirement. Add to that the rock-solid belief I had that Armageddon would have come long before I would reasonably consider retiring and the need to establish a retirement plan was small in the extreme. Or so I thought! I am now just a short jump from the age most people retire, and there’s no indication Armageddon is any closer than it was when I was a fresh-faced kid. If I ever was fresh-faced.
Anyhow, my basic point is that one’s mission in life, while a long view, must of necessity come under regular review, both to do a reality check to see if you are progressing toward that ideal, but also (and maybe more importantly) to see if that ideal might need to be tweaked a bit. Hopefully not abandoned, but certainly updated. Von Moltke (Prussian general and leader of Germany’s army in the latter half of the 1800’s) said “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy,” meaning of course that the best laid plans cannot possibly cover all contingencies and must be modified as circumstances dictate. Not necessarily abandoned however; simply modified.
Back to our mission statement. I think that part of Socrate’s thinking behind his statement is that one must regularly review where we are, compare that to our ideal, and then determine if a new course is required in our behavior to reach that ideal. At the same time, make sure that our ideal is still that: what (or who) we would like to be. Which sometimes changes.
Hard work, that.
About BigBill
Stats: Married male boomer. Hobbies: Hiking, woodworking, reading, philosophy, good conversation.