I see you and I had similar childhoods. 😄 It wasn't a reason at the time, but becoming a creative professional has helped me with this immensely. For one, it's now literally my job to question conventions and work outside of them by making something new. I'm more of a "look for possibilities" person than I am someone who defers to conventions anyway, so it's a good fit. It's fun for me.
But new things require risk, and risk is scary. I constantly have to tackle pushback from those who make the final decisions about my work, but are seldom willing to take on the risk that progress requires. This forces constant conversation about what our mutual goals are, how best to reach them, and which approaches provide the closest balance in risk/reward ratio. That's been an invaluable practice for me.
One learns to break rules when they don't trust adults, when they are not being seen or heard or respected(I am thinking back to the shower) Fear can perpetuate a life concerned with power, in order to protect oneself, to be in control. A life well lived is a life where we have truly loved, and to do that we need to love our selves first, and to do that we have 'to feel it to heal it.' Keep writing! Yes!
I like the photo of the tree. Definitely an example of authority, but trees are never authoritarian. They are are elders and set an example for how to live.
Impressive
I see you and I had similar childhoods. 😄 It wasn't a reason at the time, but becoming a creative professional has helped me with this immensely. For one, it's now literally my job to question conventions and work outside of them by making something new. I'm more of a "look for possibilities" person than I am someone who defers to conventions anyway, so it's a good fit. It's fun for me.
But new things require risk, and risk is scary. I constantly have to tackle pushback from those who make the final decisions about my work, but are seldom willing to take on the risk that progress requires. This forces constant conversation about what our mutual goals are, how best to reach them, and which approaches provide the closest balance in risk/reward ratio. That's been an invaluable practice for me.
Thanks for sharing James!
Hi, thank you for sharing this story, I have also written about authority. I thought you might enjoy it:
Space and Place: the seat of authority https://medium.com/@thestoicgopher/space-and-place-the-seat-of-authority-09bb25f05ac9
Very interesting! Similarities between each piece for sure. Thanks for sharing :)
One learns to break rules when they don't trust adults, when they are not being seen or heard or respected(I am thinking back to the shower) Fear can perpetuate a life concerned with power, in order to protect oneself, to be in control. A life well lived is a life where we have truly loved, and to do that we need to love our selves first, and to do that we have 'to feel it to heal it.' Keep writing! Yes!
Thanks Sally 🙏
I like the photo of the tree. Definitely an example of authority, but trees are never authoritarian. They are are elders and set an example for how to live.
Absolutely agree here
Never forget that the people in public school leadership are politicians, first and foremost. And neither you nor your parents are their customers.
This is not a screed about public schools specifically; just a reminder that incentives matter.
Thanks Will. My original draft was a lot more self antagonistic...I’m happy with how this one turned out