One of the paradoxes of the curriculum at The Pacific Institute (and I mean that in a very complementary way) is the mandate to set a firm goal, and to be flexible with the process that gets you there. Maybe its more of a misnomer than a paradox, because it’s often difficult to identify what is a process or step towards the goal, and what is a goal in and of itself.
I have a lot of goals. One of them involves becoming a better facilitator. Another involves becoming a better communicator. Still another is about being a wise man. A few months back, a local college preparatory school asked if I would be interested in substitute teaching. I identified this opportunity as a process that would help me towards those first two goals, and even provide a little income on the side. After meeting with the administration and learning a little about the school and its values, I agreed and began to substitute a few days per month, for various courses.
While I was there, a funny thing happened. I LOVED it. Now, I don’t mean that it was a pleasant surprise and a welcome change to my schedule. I mean that I could feel something inside of me and around me as I walked through the doors into the hallway. Now, it may be that they pump laughing gas through the air vents, but I think it is more likely that some vivid picture of life that I had in my own mind was being matched by something outside of me. It was the realization of a goal that my subconscious mind had been teleologically fixed to, and I thoroughly enjoyed becoming aware of it.
Still, my goal remained to be a full-time Project Director and Facilitator with The Pacific Institute. I was meeting new people, developing new projects, and collaborating with others for some exciting work in the coming months and years. The goal was fixed, my affirmations were clear, and the plan was moving forward.
Then a door opened.
The head of the upper school called me to inquire if I would be available to fill in for a teacher for the rest of the school year. Without even thinking, I politely declined, citing the amount of time I needed for my projects with The Pacific Institute. Because my goal was clear, and I perceived this new information to be a threat to that goal, I shut the door.
But, as it sometimes does, opportunity knocked again. This time, our conversation touched on the courses that would be on my docket. Subjects like psychology, religion, history, and social studies. She wasn’t asking for me to fill a hole as a warm body. She was telling me that she had interviewed several interested applicants, and still believed that I was the best candidate for the position. She was confident in the positive impact the position would have on me, and the students of the school.
So I did something that I should have done the first time around: I evaluated.
As I looked closely at the opportunity, I became acutely aware that I was not operating within a vacuum. Taking responsibility for my choices and their consequences has been my modus operandi for the past seven months, but I often forget that almost every choice has consequences outside of me as well. It’s another paradox, it seems. I can’t focus just on my own choices and their consequences, and I can’t just be passive and let my life happen to me. It’s a delicate balance, and I was leaning too much on the goal of being a successful Project Director.
But why did I want to become a successful Project Director? Was it so that I could share my own experiences with others in a way that would help them to avoid the pain that I had experienced? Was it to impact people in a meaningful way so that they would find something great within themselves because of something I did or said? Was it to do my part as a citizen of the world to make it a better place? When I took all of those things into consideration, the teaching position was offering me a process towards an even greater goal: not just to be a wise man, but to be a wise man with a legacy for my children.
In the end (or beginning, as it were), I gladly accepted the position and will begin on January 4, 2010. Since I was a teenager, I have had the idea in my mind that I will have my act together (in some way) by the time that I reach 30. If Jesus didn’t really get his game going until then, and Siddhārtha didn’t reach enlightenment before 30, why would I? In February, I’ll reach that magical age, and while I’m not sure that I’m going to have my act together, this new chapter has me very excited about what life (and my students) will teach me as a teacher.
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when he remarked that the man who suddenly got all that he wanted, lived happily ever after.
I’m not sure that I can say that I completely understand Pat’s decision, but recently, it has taken on new meaning for me. From everything that Pat accomplished (3.84 GPA in 3 1/2 years at Arizona State University, while being named Pac-10 Player of the Year, as a 5 foot 11 inch linebacker) to what those close to him said about his drive, it seems clear that he didn’t do very many things half-assed. So how does someone with that kind of focus and resolve just change his path so drastically mid-course?
