Brain Food #855: Moving in the same place
Adapting within one's environment when the ground holds no promises
Thoughts of the day
Across history, geniuses tended to cluster together in specific places at specific moments in time. You could be anywhere, but where you were mattered, as seen by the flourishing witnessed in Ancient Athens, Florence during the Renaissance, and Silicon Valley, in more recent times.
Alan Watts’ writings are filled with observations on how we are forever bound to the environment we are in: “And so, in the same way, the inside world and the outside world are not different—in the sense that they’re not separate. They’re different, yes: one’s inside, the other’s outside. But they’re not separate. They move together.”
In Atomic Habits, James Clear highlights the importance of our environment in determining our outcomes, influencing both our expectations and how we fare:
“Our environment determines the suitability of our genes and the utility of our natural talents. When our environment changes, so do the qualities that determine success.”
In simple terms, Clear suggests that the same trait that makes you good in one situation might make you bad in another, and vice versa (the same could be argued for compatibility in relationships). There are environments that help one thrive, and others that might make things just a little harder.
Our wellbeing is largely a byproduct of our behaviours and talents, and the environment in which we perform them—forever inseparable, forever evolving. How one chooses to position oneself will determine, to a large extent, how one will position one’s life.
Sheaves are bundles of agricultural stalks that have been reaped and tied together. In Louise Bourgeois’ untitled drawing of sheaves, they represent a childhood memory of her family hanging string beans from the ceiling. To Bourgeois, hanging them from the ceiling represented a safeguarding of their vulnerability, turning their weakness into a strength. It is a form of adaptation, though not necessarily one that implies compromise. When your environment is unchangeable, you might still be able to change your position within it, to move while staying in the same place.
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“These are sheaves hanging from the ceiling and they trail together. They do not need to be grounded anymore. They don't have to; they hang. When they hang, it is because they can’t find an equilibrium on the floor, so they find another point of reference on the ceiling. The ceiling suggests that you have a different kind of permanence. It is a search for equilibrium, and you have it if the things hang, whereas the floor has revealed itself to be a difficult situation because people can push you over. Since you are drawn to a point, you’re very vulnerable.
[…]
And in the middle of the winter, it was a delight and a claim to fame to have these string beans to cook. It was a delectation.”
— Louise Bourgeois
Place yourself in a position of advantage, in situations that are more likely to feel good or provide the right opportunities. When the ground does not hold any promises, look at the ceiling.
I like the insight that traits that may lead to thriving in one environment, could be a problem in another. That is why people who don’t adapt seem to be banging their head against the wall.