SIGNIFICANCE
SIGNIFICANCE
"Younger women and bigger 'gators"??
A few years back, while watching a nature program on TV, I heard a gnarled gentleman alligator-farmer from the state of Florida state his philosophy of life: "Younger women and bigger 'gators."
I was amused. Yet at the same time, as a male research biologist and long-time reptile enthusiast (the bigger the snake, the better), I was struck by the simplicity and power of that particular world-view. Sexy ladies and raw reptilian power. Quite a "macho" scenario. Very tantalizing. But could it all really be that simple?
One of the Great Questions is: "What's the meaning of life?" Are we just smart animals, self-aware chemical robots, temporary expressions of energy-driven matter---or are there greater Truths to be discovered? And within any such Cosmic Constructs, how should we conduct our individual lives?
In your life, what is most important: and why? Life is very short. Even if we happened by luck and smarts to make it to 120 years, the outer-limits of a human's life-span, it's only 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 short decades, and it's over. Then, your body crumbles into dust and your heirs sell off your possessions. Except for a very few remarkable individuals, the world forgets we even existed.
In our brief time on this planet, did we accomplish anything of "significance?" Should we care? What, indeed, is "significance?" How do you say that one thing is of special note, worthy of others remembering that we did it? Why is something even worth your precious, brief time in the first place?
Jobs, families, careers, possessions, physical achievements, mental feats, money, creative endeavors, philosophy, exploration, religion, social enhancements, medical advances...on and on. The list is endless. Is "significance" merely what interests you at the moment? Do Cosmic Constructs color and inform our interests? Or is it all just a fruitless exercise of Brownian Movement (random heat-generated activity) in a dying Universe?
It's my hope that our mutual exploration of important aspects of Religion, Quality, Personal Growth, Speculative Fiction, and Biology will help us both come to a better understanding of the nature of Significance.
I encourage you to post your thoughts in these different areas in the Discussion Forum. By sharing your honest, good viewpoints with others, they (including myself) can broaden their perspectives. Also, by your learning about what others think, you too may take your understanding of this mysterious thing we call "Life" deeper and wider.
Widely known as the Father of the Quality Movement in the last half of the 20th Century (although he fervently denied the title), Dr. W. Edwards Deming was famous for his incisive, illuminating, and practical directives when brought in to consult for a company or organization. One of his first questions would be: "What's your Aim?"
Just what are you trying to accomplish? What's your top priority? What's most important to you or your organization? What's your main objective?
That really focuses your mind. You know, it's so easy to get caught up in the every-day bustle and hustle, responsibilities and problems, time-demands and routine, that we never sit down and ask what it is we're trying to accomplish. The inertia and momentum of our lives just carry us forward. Sometimes it's just easiest to go with the flow and not worry too much over where the flow is taking us.
But are we really going in the direction we want? Do we have a stab at getting to where we want to go? Or are we just headed in the direction that the ebbs and currents of life have by chance taken us?
AIM implies a direction and a magnitude---like a "vector. " If you 've ever taken a course in physics, you know that you can draw arrows on a three-dimensional chart to describe data or some event. Then, if you "resolve" all the vectors you can come up with an overall Vector---that sums up where the entire thing is going.
Dr. Deming was very keen on organizations understanding their "System"---in which many different "Processes" each contributed their own direction and magnitude. To have the most effective organization, getting the most "bang for the buck," Dr. Deming advised the executives to understand their System and optimize their Processes---especially in terms of overall AIM.
Be clear on what it is you want to achieve, what your main objective is. Then examine all the many parts to your life to see if they are supporting your AIM---or are they nonaligned, conflicting with each other, throwing you off your desired course, and keeping you from reaching your consciously-desired "Significance?"
After the executives of the organization had wrestled with their priorities and figured out their main Aim, then Dr. Deming would crisply ask: "By what methods?"
Are your methods the best for achieving your Aim? What a great way to periodically take stock of the effectiveness of what you are doing! First of all, get clear on what you're trying to achieve. Then ask if the many Processes within your System are appropriate to supporting reaching that objective. It is a logical, reasonable, effective approach.
And it's tough.
Often, it's very difficult to even recognize what you are doing in your own life, let alone to analyze and improve. Often that requires an outside viewpoint. Dr. Deming was also very matter-of-fact when it came to bringing in outside consultants to provide that broader perspective. The broader perspective was critical to enhancing the effectiveness of the organization.
Hopefully, some of the materials available at LylePublishing may be useful in helping you in expanding your perspectives. The posted writings and photos on the WebSite are here to stimulate new and different ideas. The published works available for purchase go into more detail. The Discussion Forum allows anyone to share their own viewpoints with others, get feedback, and learn from the good ideas of other people.
Are the different parts of your life in alignment, going in the same direction, supporting your main objective? If so, great! If not---then you might want to consider adjusting the individual parts or modifying your overall Aim.
"How will you know if you are succeeding in meeting your Aim?"
This was Dr. Deming's third question to organizations he consulted for. It's fine to set a clear and compelling AIM. It's great to optimize your processes, so they all support the AIM. But especially for future, visionary objectives---it's easy to get off course. You might start out fine, but still end up way far away from where you intended.
If your Aim is to travel from the West Coast of the United States to the East Coast, how will you know if you are succeeding? I myself did that in 1990 when I changed jobs. I rented a large U-Haul truck to transport all my huge, dismantled reptile cages and boxed-up critters (a herpetological Noah's Ark...), attached my Fiero to the rear of the truck, put my two dogs up front with me in the cab, and boldly headed out across the vast continent. My objective was to travel from Southern California to Rockville, Maryland, as rapidly as legally possible (my animals wouldn't survive a long trip). Quite an adventure. I made the entire journey in five days, stopping occasionally to catch a nap on the side of the road.
How did I know I was succeeding? Indeed, I'm quite good at getting quite lost! Especially when I haven't been down a route before. And here I was traveling down many long roads, across many states, where I'd never even been before!
Well, first of all I had a map. Second, I made sure to check the signs along the way. And I kept doing it. So the few times that I did end up taking wrong turns and wound up going in the wrong direction, I was able to quickly determine that something was wrong. I was lost! I was heading to where I didn't want to go! I was wasting valuable time, money, and limited personal energy!
What are the "sign posts" along the way that will say you're getting to where you want to go? How do you know you are making "significant" progress? (versus say spending too much time going sideways or backwards?) Worst of all, are your wheels spinning but you're going nowhere at all?
What's your AIM, are your METHODS appropriate, and how will you know if you are succeeding? (periodic EVALUATION).
All of this is critical to determining and achieving SIGNIFICANCE.
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Copyright © 1999 Daniel B. Lyle
