This is a book about the self-renewal of an individual as
well as renewal of organizations and
societies. Anything which is susceptible to decay , is capable of regeneration. How can we
design a system that will continuously
renew itself , beginning with specifiable
ills and moving on to ills we cannot foresee.?
Gardner lists five
methods:
1.
The habit
of self development leads to
self-renewal. For self-renewing persons , the development of their potentialities
and the process of self -discovery never
end.
2.
Self-knowledge is also necessary to facilitate self-renewal.
George Herbert said:
“ By all means use some times to be alone. Salute thyself: see what thy
soul doth wear?”
This is a goof self-renewal doctrine.
3.
We should
be willing to risk. Fear of failure
should not stop us from exploration and
experimentation for self-renewal.
4.
Accept love and give it. This is one attribute
of self-renewing people.
5.
The self-renewing person is highly motivated.” Wipe
the slate clean and do one little
thing that you really care about deeply,
that you could do with burning conviction.”
Our education should teach habits of mind that will be useful in new
situations- curiosity, open-mindedness, objectivity, respect for evidence and the capacity to think critically.
Education at its best develops the inner
resources of young people the point where they can learn on their own.
Many of major changes take place through a series of small innovations. We have
to provide for a hospitable
environment for the release of
creativity.
To
achieve renewal, we need to understand
what prevents renewal. As an
organization becomes old, it is governed by rules , customs and procedures ,
which destroys zest and creativity.
These rigidities need to be broken. As individuals develop vested interests , the
organization itself rigidifies. Vested
interests produce rigidity and diminish
capacity for change.
Society
should recognize the need for renewal. This requires protecting the dissenters.
Similarly, writers and artists need freedom in the area of their creative
activity, freedom to speculate , inquire and imagine.
Top
executives should periodically take a look at unprocessed reality. This will
protect them from filtered experience.
Self-renewing people never feel that they have “ arrived”. They know that really important
tasks are never finished—interrupted
perhaps but never finished-and all the significant goals recede before one.
No
society is likely to renew itself unless
its dominant orientation is to future. In
such a society , people not only welcome the future but also believe
they can have a hand in
shaping that future. Such people believe
that they can make their own history.
The first
step in moral renewal is the
confrontation of precept and practice, and stripping the hypocrisy.
A society is
being continuously re-created , by its
members. Self-renewing individuals make a self-renewing society.
John Gardner , with his brilliant career as a civil
servant , and founder of Common cause,
has written this masterpiece for self-renewal.
It is stimulating as well as inspirational. I recommend you to read it.
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