Brokenness
Psalm 147:3
Many people around me at the moment are in a period of change. Things of the past are no longer functioning efficiently, for whatever reason, and so now friends, colleagues, people, are faced with decisions, big decisions.
I believe that we are all broken, and that only through faith, we are able to live completely, the idea of "enlightenment" if you like, living in a peace - a stillness - which (as a Christian) reflects God's love onto ourselves and others. However, it is not until we accept our own brokenness that we are able to reach this stillness, this peace. Somedays I think I've reached it, but normally not. So I was surprised when my Masters study today touched on this idea whilst discussing 'Human Agency'...
I was asked to think of a situation in which I had been able 'act on the world purposefully'. Then, in the commentary that followed this task, the Guide drew out a discussion that referred to the idea that there were others involved in this situation, like "enablers", who assisted you in that situation.
However, what struck me more than the idea of needing to reach out to others when you face something new, or when you are trying to move forward is that 'Understanding and having ownership of your goals are a key to knowing how to act and feeling able to act.' (The Open University, 2013, p. 27).
Goals, i.e. to "fix" - correct or improve - something that is "broken" in our lives (lose weight, think positively etc), affect our everyday actions. Goals can be achieved but they can also be changed, adapted, modified, erased completely or joined with someone else's on the route to achievement. But, if you have no goals in the first place, what the hell do you do when you have to make a decision? Time needs to be invested in securing the "ownership" of your goals, so that when a fork in the road appears in front of you, you can own the decision, and be able to live with the consequences, even if the chosen path turns out to lead you somewhere completely unexpected...but more importantly take the decision and the consequences as an opportunity for learning.
And that, folks, is my view of the "meaning of life" for today. I'm pretty certain it will be different tomorrow!
References
The Open University (2013) E846 Study Guide, Milton Keynes: The Open University.
Many people around me at the moment are in a period of change. Things of the past are no longer functioning efficiently, for whatever reason, and so now friends, colleagues, people, are faced with decisions, big decisions.
I believe that we are all broken, and that only through faith, we are able to live completely, the idea of "enlightenment" if you like, living in a peace - a stillness - which (as a Christian) reflects God's love onto ourselves and others. However, it is not until we accept our own brokenness that we are able to reach this stillness, this peace. Somedays I think I've reached it, but normally not. So I was surprised when my Masters study today touched on this idea whilst discussing 'Human Agency'...
I was asked to think of a situation in which I had been able 'act on the world purposefully'. Then, in the commentary that followed this task, the Guide drew out a discussion that referred to the idea that there were others involved in this situation, like "enablers", who assisted you in that situation.
You can probably think of many instances where a quick word with someone whom you thought would know something helpful has enabled you to move forward. The key to such agentive experiences is connecting with what you do not know, knowing who does know and being proactive. It follows from this that a person can be prevented from acting or feeling able to act because of a lack of know-how or of knowing whom to connect with to get that know-how.
The Open University, 2013, p. 27
However, what struck me more than the idea of needing to reach out to others when you face something new, or when you are trying to move forward is that 'Understanding and having ownership of your goals are a key to knowing how to act and feeling able to act.' (The Open University, 2013, p. 27).
Goals, i.e. to "fix" - correct or improve - something that is "broken" in our lives (lose weight, think positively etc), affect our everyday actions. Goals can be achieved but they can also be changed, adapted, modified, erased completely or joined with someone else's on the route to achievement. But, if you have no goals in the first place, what the hell do you do when you have to make a decision? Time needs to be invested in securing the "ownership" of your goals, so that when a fork in the road appears in front of you, you can own the decision, and be able to live with the consequences, even if the chosen path turns out to lead you somewhere completely unexpected...but more importantly take the decision and the consequences as an opportunity for learning.
And that, folks, is my view of the "meaning of life" for today. I'm pretty certain it will be different tomorrow!
References
The Open University (2013) E846 Study Guide, Milton Keynes: The Open University.
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