Our Collective Identity
Mythology has come up a lot in the book I am reading while sitting where C. S. Lewis sat in the Common Room at The Kilns. The book is Out of the Silent Planet. I had not read Lewis’ acclaimed three volume Space Trilogy and was handed the books shortly after I arrived here for my Scholar in Residence Program. Wow, this is some incredibly thought provoking writing. One such quote from the book is, speaking of the character of Ransom, “It even occurred to him that the distinction between history and mythology might be itself meaningless outside the earth” (p. 169). The distinction between history and mythology lies in their nature and purpose. History is the study of past events based on evidence and facts, aiming to provide an accurate account of what happened. It often relies on primary sources such as eyewitness accounts, documents, and archaeological findings. The primary goal of history is to understand and interpret the past.
A place where the distinction of history and mythology gets blurred is the ideas of legends and heroes: American mythologies also include legends and heroes such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr. These figures are celebrated for their contributions to American history and are often seen as symbols of national identity and values. I believe, however, these historical humans should be studied as human beings and not heroes or legendary myths.
On the other hand, mythology refers to a collection of stories, beliefs, and traditions that are often passed down orally or through written texts. Mythology may include elements of history but also incorporates supernatural, symbolic, and legendary elements. It serves various purposes such as explaining natural phenomena, teaching moral lessons, or outlining cultural values and beliefs.
The concept of the American Dream is a powerful myth in American culture. It represents the idea that individuals can achieve success, prosperity, and upward mobility through hard work, perseverance, and determination.
While history strives for accuracy and relies on verifiable evidence, mythology is more focused on conveying deeper truths and exploring the human experience through storytelling. Mythological narratives can be influenced by cultural, religious, and societal factors, making them subject to interpretation and evolution over time.
Mythologies and history are a part of all cultures around the world and play a significant role in shaping our values, rituals, and understanding of the world. They provide insights into a culture’s history, worldview, and collective identity.
Leading Like A Chess Board
In The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis said, “The ability of the chess player to play chess is dependent upon the rigidity of the squares and the board.” The leader is the board and the squares. This was a great metaphor that compared the role of a leader to that of the chessboard and the squares on it. The rigidity of the squares represents the consistency and predictability that a leader should exhibit. Just as the squares on a chessboard remain fixed, a leader’s actions and decisions should be reliable and consistent. This allows team members to trust in their leader’s guidance and feel secure in their roles.
In chess, the squares on the board provide a structure and foundation for the game. Similarly, a leader provides structure and a framework within an organization or group. They create an environment where their team members can operate and collaborate effectively. The rigidity of the squares in a chessboard can symbolize the structure and order that a leader brings to an organization or group. Just as each square has a specific position and role on the chessboard, a leader sets clear expectations and assigns roles and responsibilities to each team member. This helps create a sense of order and accountability within the organization.
The rigidity of the squares refers to the stability and consistency of the leader’s approach and decision-making. Just like a stable and well-structured board is essential for playing chess, a leader’s consistency and clarity in their actions and decisions are crucial for their team’s success.
All of this highlights the importance of a leader’s role in providing structure, stability, and consistency to enable their team members to perform at their best.
Learning By Falling
I am just about finished reading The Pilgrim’s Regress by C. S. Lewis. It is a fascinating book that has had me thinking and reflecting the entire time I have been reading it. Today while reading one of the characters, History, told John that the person who tries to learn to skate without falling down ends up falling down as much, or more, as anyone else learning to skate, but never really learns how to skate in the end. Genius, right? This goes right along with it being hard to win if you are playing not to lose. We must understand that falling is a part of skating, so we need to stop worrying so much about it happening and just skate.
No one wants to fall while skating and possibly get hurt, but the fact is, the more times we fall, the better we get at recovering, and the less painful it becomes. We need to focus more on what we want to happen, the successful outcome. No matter what we are learning to do, we need to visualize ourselves succeeding, over and over again. When learning skating, or anything new we need to be skating without pressure, without winning or losing. To learn to skate, or again do anything, we must get up after a fall. We can’t learn without falling sometimes – or often.
Go Ahead And Love Yourself
The great band Beartooth has an awesome new album coming out entitled, The Surface. One of the songs on the album they have released already is “Might Love Myself” and is incredible. In a press release about the album, Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo said, “This album is the story of my beginnings in the new world I’ve created for myself. One focused on health, self love, positivity, understanding, hard work, and most of all second chances. At the end of the day, life is short for all of us. We can’t escape the end, so why not make friends with it and live in a world focused on living a personally fulfilling life.” In fact I just blogged about our need to prioritize our own needs, desires, and interests in Selfish Or Self-Centered. I believe C. S. Lewis would have greatly appreciated the lyrics of this song. I know I do!
In “Might Love Myself,” Caleb sings, “I’m exactly who I wanna be.” That is a great place to be. Loving ourself means having a deep appreciation and acceptance for who we are as an individual. It involves recognizing our worth, embracing our strengths and weaknesses, and treating ourselves with kindness and compassion. It also means prioritizing self-care – our own well-being. Loving ourselves involves us taking care of our physical, emotional, and mental health. Ultimately, to love myself means believing in my own values and my deserving of happiness and fulfillment. Do you love yourself?
Selfish Or Self-Centered
As C. S. Lewis put it in Surprised By Joy: The Shape Of My Early Life, “The distinction is not unimportant.” He was referring to the distinction between being selfish or being self-centered. He preferred being selfish over self-centered. In fact I believe he was really on to what we now talk about being self care. Being selfish and being self-centered are not interchangeable. Lewis discussed that to find joy we need to have some selfishness. We need to prioritize our own needs, desires, and interests. These are the things I talk about when discussing self-care. This includes setting up the boundaries in a working relationship. The self-centered leader wants us to give up our personal priorities to make themselves look good. Is it selfish to not take emails after 5:00? Probably, but probably good for your well-being and your family’s well-being. Does it mean you are selfish if you may have to give up some of the above and beyond things you do as a great school principal during the next year to spend time finishing your dissertation for your PhD? Yes, but there is no way that milestone in your life will be met otherwise. These are completely acceptable forms of selfishness.
Conversely, being self-centered means having an excessive focus on oneself, often accompanied by a lack of interest or concern for others. This is the person that always needs to be in the limelight. It involves being preoccupied with one’s own thoughts, concerns, and desires, disregarding the needs and perspectives of others. Lewis explained that the self-centered person can never find joy. A self-centered person wants to hear about themselves. This person will constantly steer conversations towards themselves or dominate social situations without regard for others’ interests or feelings. The self-centered person is also unwilling to share or compromise.
I’m glad that in Surprised By Joy: The Shape Of My Early Life C. S. Lewis caused me to contemplate this difference between being selfish and being self-centered. The selfish person can have a healthy focus on himself versus the self-centered person’s complete disregard for others’ well-being and perspectives. This distinction is not unimportant. We must care for ourselves and make sure we are prioritizing our own needs and desires.
Watch Out For Getting Our Tongue Into Our Cheek
In his essay, “On Three Ways of Writing for Children,” Of Other Worlds in the book On Writing (and Writers), C. S. Lewis spoke of a complement an author had gotten. He said, his tongue “never once got into his cheek” (p. 79). He was pointing outhe author didn’t use sarcasm or irony in their writing. Their words were sincere and straightforward, without any hidden meanings or humor.
When speaking about writing for children he he said, But only such good as involves treating them with respect. We must not imagine that we are Providence or Destiny p. 80). I believe I this holds true for all ages. Sometimes when we try to use sarcasm whether in writing or in-person oratory it can be taken wrong. I am not one that prescribed to no humor or sarcasm, as anyone who knows me will attest. But I do know we have to watch that. One, in-person we must know our audience. When in-person with a group we know well or have a relationship with, it can be effective. In written works where we can only predict who our audience will be we have to be very careful – it can be taken wrongly and not even in the context we mean it. This also holds true for groups we are in-person with. I know I have to really watch this and wanted to share.
Testing Our Beliefs
In A Grief Observed, C. S. Lewis said, “Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief.” This really jumped off the page at me. Lewis used the metaphor of easily believing a rope could support and save you until you actually needed the rope to support your weight – then doubt sets in. This was a reminder to me that in order to truly understand the validity or truthfulness of a belief, one must be willing to take risks and put that belief to the test. It suggests that simply believing something without any real-world experience or evidence is not enough to determine its truth. Only by facing the consequences of a belief can we truly evaluate the reality or accuracy of a belief.
Another thing I learned from Lewis in this book is that it is okay to question our beliefs. Ultimately, this can make our beliefs stronger. Lewis’ questioning of his own faith and beliefs at the time of losing his wife did not mean he was going to change his beliefs. This curiosity about our own beliefs can be healthy in helping us understand how we came to have a certain belief. It can also help us to understand others’ beliefs. By educating ourselves on issues we can better understand our our beliefs and the origins of those beliefs.
Imaginative Versus Imaginary
In C.S. Lewis: A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Profit, by Alister E. McGrath, we are told that C.S. Lewis believed “imaginative” and “imaginary” are two very different things. Imaginative relates to the creative capacity of a person, while imaginary pertains to things that are fictional or nonexistent in reality. There really is a difference and the two terms deserve to be considered.
Imaginative refers to someone’s ability or tendency to imagine, create, or come up with new ideas, concepts, or images. It is often associated with creativity, originality, and the ability to think outside the box. For example, a person with an imaginative mind may be able to envision new possibilities or solutions to problems.
On the other hand, imaginary refers to something that exists only in the imagination or fantasy, and not in reality. It describes things that are not real or tangible, but are created or perceived in the mind. As examples, imaginary friends, creatures, or places are figments of the imagination and do not exist in the physical world.
Leading Distant From Center
I am continuing my study of C.S. Lewis by reading the great biography, C.S. Lewis: A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Profit by Alister E. McGrath. Already, I am taking lots of notes and finding tidbits for further study and reflection. McGrath’s research and approach is amazing. One description that McGrath gave of Lewis was him being “distant from the center, working at the margins.” As a person that has sometimes been described as operating distant from center this really resonated with me. It is amazing to be learning Lewis’ challenges with this and how he used this to his advantage to be significant, even in the 60 years since his death. By the way; Lewis died the year I was born and on the same day John F. Kennedy was assassinated – 1963.
When someone is said to be “distant from the center, working at the margins,” it means that they are not part of the mainstream or core group. They may be on the outskirts or periphery, working on less prominent or influential tasks or projects. This phrase often implies that the person is not directly involved in decision-making or holding a position of high authority or influence within an organization or community.
A person who is “distant from the center, working at the margins” are significant to society in several ways. First, they may have unique perspectives and ideas that can contribute to problem-solving and innovation. Their distance from the center may provide them with a different viewpoint or allow them to see opportunities that others may overlook. I certainly believe this was the case with C.S. Lewis.
Additionally, these distant from the center individuals are able to focus on specific tasks or projects that are crucial but less visible to those in decision-making roles. As leaders, we need to make sure we are empowering all those we serve to excel in their area of expertise, so they can make a meaningful impact and support the overall goals of the organization or community.
Furthermore, individuals working at the margins often have a deep understanding of the challenges and needs of those who are more directly affected by certain issues. Their proximity to these marginalized communities or areas can enable them to advocate for change and champion initiatives that benefit the underrepresented. I definitely believe this was the case with Lewis and why he was such a sought-after speaker. It is also interesting to me how many wrote to him – and he responded.
Ultimately, being distant from the center does not diminish the significance of a person’s contributions. It merely highlights their unique role and the potential they have to create positive change, even if it is not in a position of high authority or influence. Thank goodness there are those of us who are “distant from the center, working at the margins.”
Next, I want to explore some strategies that individuals at the center can employ to ensure they are not overlooking the valuable perspectives and ideas of those working at the margins. Also, I want to reflect on how individuals who are distant from the center effectively communicate their ideas and contributions to those at the center. Any thoughts?
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