Progress & Growth
By cyclistmike On November 24, 2014
Is progress a good thing? What is it?
Well, what about growth?
Growth is something akin to progress, and perhaps more necessary for the human condition. Progress is a novelty, something external, fancy, new, and improved. Growth is a more personal unfolding or greater knowing. These two things sometimes clash. Ultimately we really want growth, but we confuse the two.
Progress is easier than growth
With progress being an external thing it is relatively achievable and there are plenty of markers that confirm our progress. We have smart phones, internet, and electricity at the flick of a switch! This progress is glorious, we should thusly be appreciative. Progress allows us to communicate instantly, drive, contemplate traveling vast distances across the country, and we even have fresh fruit in the winter time. Progress is great
Where we are today is wonderful, we undoubtable stand at a pinnacle of human progress, but where is human growth?
With advanced technologies such as the smart phone we unintentionally put more demand on growth. With a whole electronic world materializing over a short generation, we have more waterways to navigate these days. One must have discipline in order to learn how to properly swim in this river of external stimulation. Progress demands it! As the world’s horizon’s have expanded exponentially with such marvelous devices of communication, so now we must raise our own standards. We are being asked to grow, as a seed contains the knowledge of a whole plant, so do we. Growth, personal growth is not an action, but an unfolding.
Personal growth is not an action but an unfolding
Growth however is often uncomfortable, and at odd with progress’s aims of creating comfortable spaces. Although we see a clear relationship, we think we can create balance through work. Although work will always be required, we need to let our internal walls down. The self needs relaxation, mindfulness and spaciousness. With a natural balance of continual work and relaxation we grow into a greater relationship personal relationships flourish, and we find ourselves with the ability to swim in the river of external stimulation.
