Becoming an agent for the whole
A journey that's uniquely yours, yet one we must take together
I’ve written about the challenge of fitting in. I’ve written about healing self in relation to whole. I’ve attempted to express the vulnerability I feel due to the significant gap between what the world currently values (‘pays’ for) and what the world needs. And more recently, I’ve expressed how deeply the idea of ‘becoming an agent for the whole’ resonates with me, given the lived experience (including all of the suffering) I am now benefitting from.
All of this is part of an ongoing developmental process of complexification, where my subjectivity, through trials and tribulations of all kinds, becomes increasingly aware, open and adaptive.
Here’s my latest attempt to briefly allude to this ongoing process:
“Like you, I am greater than the sum of my parts; a complex system, an evolutionary process, a minded-animal and cultured-person attempting to balance being, doing and becoming in service of a good life that supports flourishing of the whole.”
Regardless of the specific words I am using, do you feel a relation to what I’m attempting to describe? Does this resonate with you? If so, how? If not, why not?
It’s my experience that this type of process does in fact resonate with plenty of folks. It’s something that feels part of why we’re here (regardless of one’s metaphyscial stance.. Well, to some extent at least). It’s something that we don’t seem to be able to run from without consequence (I’m not going to expand on this right now, but realise it deserves thorough clarification). It is, perhaps, one of the greatest challenges and privileges of being a cultured-person (here I refer to Henriques’ Unified Theory of Knowledge work and the fact that we are both minded-animals and cultured-persons).
I bring this up because I recently re-watched (maybe for the seventh time) this talk.
Although you may want to debate or discuss different ideas or claims or definitions, it’s the overarching flow, narrative or ‘gestalt’ that I believe is most valuable (regardless of what may emerge from questioning and challenging specific ideas contained within).
With that said, the thing that really, really sticks out to me (if I have to choose one thing), every single time, is that we are a truly unique subject (I ‘know’ this, but the reminder seems to really help me). There never has, nor will there ever be, another like us. As a result, we each have unique contributions we have the potential to make. And, here’s the kicker, not making them is almost like a ‘misfortune for the universe’.
Note, these are my words, not Daniel’s. Also note that none of this is to negate the nuance of what this - being a unique subject that can contribute uniquely, where doing so is ‘good’ for the universe - means in the real (given socioeconomic status, gender, country of birth etc. etc.). I’m going to skip over that due to practical constraints.
I’ve come to relate to this as being something like the process of healthily balancing my modes of being, doing and becoming.
Being is attending to the beauty that is, mindfully, without the desire to change it.
An example might be playing with your kids, or staring into the eyes of someone you love. The world can slip away. You get wrapped up in what is. You live eternity in every little moment (lol). You’re having a real fucking experience.
Doing is an active and directed process where one attempts to add new beauty to the world (or protect the beauty that ‘already is’).
An example might be writing a book, cultivating biodiversity in your backyard or anything else that can truly contribute to overall good, at any scale.
Becoming is an ongoing process, where one reflects, considers, and attempts to evolve their character / whole self in relation to valued ways of being and doing.
An example might be guided contemplation, dialogical practice, expressive writing or saying mirror mirror on the wall (this is a joke about ‘taking a hard look in the mirror’).
These three modes exist in dynamical relation. Sometimes there in tension. Sometimes they may conflict (for a variety of reasons). Sometimes they’ll blur and feel confusing. Other times we will do a kinda shit job at any one, or all of them.
Even though this is the case, being with the process enhances our agency (we get better at clarifying what truly matters, then living our life in closest relation to that). And this - enhancing our agency by developing ourselves - is how we can become an agent of and for the whole.
If it isn’t already obvious, we need more agents of and for the whole. We need more folks uniquely contributing, as only they can. We need to find ways to effectively coordinate diverse collaboration so that many agents act together in service of the whole. And, amidst this living process, we need to also realise our sameness. We need to see ourselves in each other and the world. And we need others and world to reflect our self back on us.
We are same. We are different. That seemingly paradoxical truth cannot be avoided if we are to find better ways forward together.
Why did I publish this half baked mini rant? Was it to make a joke about bums (specifically my bum)? No, but that is tempting. I published this in the hope that you pick up what I’m putting down in such a way that more of us can come together to support each other in this complex developmental process.
With love as always.