It amazes me the speed of disharmony and destruction…
There are a few acres of land near our home that are being developed. I wonder it took the trees to grow on that land. In a matter of a day or two, the land is cleared and the trees are gone.
There was a McDonalds near our home that was functioning a week ago. They put a fence around it Thursday or Friday. This morning a Caterpillar digger was barreling through the walls. The entire building was down, and I am fairly certain they started demolition just a few hours before.
We construct life, companies, relationships one moment at a time. We get to lay one brick at a time. And, the truth is that disharmony in a moment can rip away so many bricks at once. With one fell swoop the bucket on the Caterpillar took down a whole wall.
This reality has never seemed fair to me…
You build it one moment at a time over years and years, but you can destroy it in a moment’s time.
How long does it take a tree to grow tall and strong, and how long to chop it down?
Have you seen relationships that lasted decades, come down in weeks?
Have you seen companies built over a lifetime, come down overnight?
It happens…
It makes me sad to see destruction. And, it used to seem “unfair”.
A few thoughts about the speed of construction (harmony) versus destruction (disharmony).
First, so often, structures, companies, relationships seem “fine” from the outside, and so we are surprised when they come down so quickly. But, so often, the integrity of a company, or a relationship or a structure is decayed from within by disharmony.
There are certainly “fell swoops” that happen. One bad or unlucky decision in one bad moment can have consequences. You decide to get behind the wheel of a car drunk. If you are unfortunate and find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time and a mad man finds you with a bullet.
Those things happen. But, they don’t happen often. Most often, when a relationship falls quickly, or a company falls quickly, its been decaying from the inside out. Harmony built the original structure. Disharmony has probably been destructing it for some time.
When someone makes a bad decision as a leader of a company, or of a family, or for themselves, how often is it “out of nowhere” and how often does it stem from the evolution of thoughts and behaviors that have been around?
Second, harmony and disharmony happen on all scales and overlap… there is context to harmony.
The trees that are being brought down near our home, are part of a piece of land that someone bought years ago. The trees being brought down is a sign of a greater harmony. There are more people moving into our neighborhood because there are great schools and it is a wonderful place to live.
Some people stay in the context of the contained disharmony and fail to see the bigger harmony. I always find it amusing. Do they think their homes where always there? Weren’t trees taken down for their homes 20 years ago? Why was it ok then and not now? Keep harmony and disharmony in context. When you see it happen, pan out and pan in, and see what else is going on around it.
Third, it is true. Disharmony and destruction can be more powerful over a short period than harmony and construction. On occasion, there are storms that come and wreck houses and neighborhoods overnight, and there are no storms that come and build them. On occasion, there are market changes, innovations, or unexpected impact from internal or external decisions that make a company no longer relevant or force it into bankruptcy overnight. Those things are part of the absolute truth.
Just because disharmony can outpace harmony in a short time frame, does not make harmony any less powerful.
How many times have we seen companies, families, human beings rebuilt over time? How amazing and inspiring are those stories?
Just because disaster can strike, doesn’t mean it is always absolute, and certainly doesn’t mean that it can or should take away our desire and passion for construction.
On the contrary…
The fact that things that we build over time can be destructed so quickly so should push us to a whole new level of conviction of two thoughts…
1. WE MUST CONSTRUCT DELIBERATELY AND CONTINUALLY. We must use the power of our volition and our minds and our energy to construct all of the time. We must use our behaviors, our words and our actions to build integrity into that which we do. SO THAT we can weather brutal storms, and occasional market changes.
The strength of momentary disharmony should inspire us to build the brick home structures into our relationships and companies, not the ones from straw or wood.
2. WE MUST LEARN TO LIVE AND ENJOY THE MOMENTS.
There are forces beyond our controls. Not often, but there are instances when people we love are taken from us unexpectedly. Not often, but on occasion people, relationships, products, companies, teams fall apart for one reason or another, despite our best efforts. So often it happens due to external forces. Sometimes due to internal forces. Regardless, it happens. Life & people can be fragile. We must use our actions to construct, and we must use our volition also to acknowledge and to enjoy those moments when what we are constructing is there and shinning bright.
Ironically, it is those moments that we celebrate relationships, companies, accomplishments, that helps make them stronger.
Yes, disharmony is a powerful competitor. At times, disharmony can seem insurmountable or all powerful. You can think of moments in time and in history, and in your life, when disharmony seems invincible.
But, don’t be fooled for a moment. Harmony is even more powerful, because it is deliberate and within our control.
As an adult, I am no longer concerned about “acts of God” called disharmony. Those beyond my control.
I am much more concerned about deliberate disharmony, because so often it goes unnoticed until it has destroyed us from the inside out.
I am much more concerned about deliberate disharmony, because so often it is unintended and those perpetuating it simply don’t know the difference.
I am much more concerned about deliberate disharmony, because it is the kind that is so much more often present in our lives, and we have a choice on that one. We have the ability and the power to disarm it – and to transform it.
SO, next time you see a tree coming down in the name of progress, or a new McDonalds going up.
Smile.
Pan out.
And, think about what aspects of your life you are constructing. Think about the integrity you are building into it one brick at a time…
And, keep building so that you can survive the storms.
And, disarm the subtle disharmonies that make you question your resolve…
Everything in life is in a state of construction or destruction… there is no status-quo.
Be deliberate in your construction.
Be deliberate in your harmony.
Yours in harmony,
Nestor