Day 10.184 I Can Live with That

Three topics I have been thinking about all day.

Differentiation. What makes a person, place or thing different from all others in a crowded field.

Comparison. We have been instructed that to do so is a no-no. That it only leads to disappointment.

Judgement. The intellectual classification of value as filtered by our refined set of biased and subjective understanding.

I think these are tough ones. We use them every day, sometimes subconsciously, to make sense of chaos, to ease the decision making process, or simply to help us cope with the complexities of the modern world.

Why is something better than something else? What makes them unique, special or useful? How else am I to make an educated guess if I don't have some type of judging process available?

Those represent the positive. The negative comes barging into play when our responses are less than accurate, objective and true. Or if we draw the wrong conclusion which leads us into deeper shadow.

Here is the example du jour. I referenced the Navy SEALS last night in class. I spoke of their courage, their devotion, their dedication. What differentiates them from the ordinary Joe is what they do and how they do it. I am not interested in becoming a SEAL, but I am interested in taking a page from their playbook and using it to increase, enhance or motivate my own training. There is a powerful example in their character from which we can learn.

I see the difference, I make the comparison and judge accordingly.

This is all positive. Unfortunately, not everybody sees this and some are immediately aghast at the mere mention. Kinda like a Korean War or Viet Nam memorial. Good people dying in bad wars.

SEAL training is a wholesome model to which we can aspire. In comparison mine is weak, lacking, borderline pathetic. Seals and me should only be used in the same sentence when talking about the ones that can balance a beach ball on their nose while treading water in front of a large audience.

There is the difference, the comparison and the judgement. My take away is this:

I will work harder to uphold the standards they have set. If (when) I fail to achieve them, I will honestly accept that the value lies in the effort, the path, the practice and not the outcome or destination.

And can live with that.