Mastery

Recently, I have considered the consequences of life decisions. They are decisions we all make; who to marry, where to attend school, what career path to follow. Often these decisions are neither; good or evil, wise or unwise. They are just decisions made by imperfect beings with incomplete information that can have terrible or wonderful consequences.

I have tried to understand what consequences are so valued by individuals that the unintended second order effects are unimportant. I believe one is mastery. As I look at the lives of people my age, 60 something, some of the individuals most at peace are those who have achieved mastery.

I have a friend who dropped out of college because he discovered that he would rather work with wood than pursue a white collar career. He never earned a lot of money, but he has always been able to provide for his family. More than that, he became a recognized expert in his field. Builders specified him by name to install expensive doors on custom made mansions. His current employer has structured his job in a way that it is a testament to my friend’s knowledge and depth of experience. The imaginative designs and quality construction of his kitchens are famous in his little corner of the world. My friend is at peace with himself and the world. A long, long time ago, he made a decision to differentiate himself from the rest of his world. He followed his own path and achieved mastery.

His decision was not without unintended second order effects. Years of manual labor has taken a toll on his body. My friend and his insurance company have contributed far too much to the 401k accounts of various orthopedic surgeons.

I believe acknowledging our decisions, as our decisions, is one of the first steps towards wisdom. The second step is accepting the consequences of these decisions, good and evil, as the fruit of our labors. Then and perhaps only then, when we are willing to acknowledge and accept what actually exists; we will be able to address the problems and shortcomings in our lives.

May God have mercy on my soul.