Editor's note: This was originally sent out in the newsletter on 8/25/19
Welcome to a late Sunday night edition of The Polymath Group. I hope it is finding you well. I just wanted to get out some quick thoughts to help frame your perceptions this coming week.
Mud or Stars?
My son is a fan of the Dog Man book series, at the end of the most recent installment (For Whom the Ball Rolls) there was a page with notes about the story. As I was skimming it over, I saw toward the bottom the author had written;
One of the themes of this book was inspired by Harold’s favorite short poem: “Two men looked out through prison bars. One saw mud, the other, stars.” - author unknown (but variations are often attributed to Dale Carnegie and /or Reverend Frederick Langbridge)
This has really stuck with me since I read it. (For some reason I hear it read by John Green in my head.) I love how simply the idea is conveyed. This idea of perspective. That while looking out the same window, we may all see something different.
There are so many factors that feed into our perspective, everything from genetics to the current weather. Every little thing adds something to our calculation of how we are perceiving what is happening. Most of the time, we don’t even realize that we are continually assessing all of the factors around us and outputting them through our perception. The big ones are easy to spot; have you gotten enough sleep, when was the last time you ate, did someone just cut you off?
The hard part is becoming aware of all of the factors that are impacting the way you see something. Taking the next step is realizing you have a choice; you have power over them. Maybe not complete power, but some power none the less. You choose to look up or down, to see the mud, or to see the stars.
While being stuck on this short poem this week, I also came across this video from Iz Harris. While they are not the exact same topic, I think it is an excellent parallel to having a choice and taking power. We can choose not to let the world, our work, our societies idea of consumerism dictate our decisions. We can choose not to choose. We can decide to let things be good enough. There are so many things that are pulling our attention and pushing us to fit into a mold that just might not fit us. It is ok to say no to all of those things sometimes. Just to take a step back and figure out what you actually want, and what is best for you.
The weather(here at least) has felt like it is shifting to fall, I have been enjoying it. Sometimes the start of the new school year feels like another kind of New Years. I have been doing a lot of organization and preparation for this. It has felt good. I think I said it last time too, but I am looking forward to fall.
Thanks for reading,
Mike