System Failure
Scott Miker
I’m currently about 50 pages into a book titled Work the System – The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less by Sam Carpenter. It is one of the best books that I have read in a long time!
Carpenter describes how he came to realize the systematic nature of things. He takes the reader through a change in perspective so great that it completely changed his life.
Part of the reason I am enjoying the book is because it mirrors my own systematic realization. I, too, found myself seeing things differently and suddenly asking different questions, to which I would suddenly find answers.
Carpenter then talks about the systematic failure that so many people experience but don’t fully comprehend. He says, “Few people think their problems are a result of system failure. Most see their troubles as isolated events, blaming fate, horoscopes, bad luck, karma, God, the devil, neighbors, competitors, family members, the weather, the president, Congress, liberals, conservatives, global warming, too much TV, lack of money, too much money, the educational system, or just a world gone bad. And most see problems as overwhelming in number: an onslaught from ‘out there,’ only to be fended off by superhuman efforts. For many, the excuse/blame list is endless. I had been a lifelong resident of that camp, but when the systems’ vision engulfed me, there was zero chance I would ever live in that place again.”
We all have a choice to live in the event-based world or to break away from it and see life from a higher perspective. We can start to see the systems in the world. It will change us permanently because we will start to realize that we can’t just go on blaming everyone else, it is us that is a direct participant in the system.
When you come face-to-face with an obstacle, stop and start to think about it from a systems perspective. Start to look for elements that repeat. Start to look for elements that are interconnected but might not be obvious at first.
Doing so will start to unlock a new way of thinking about your whole life. And it will start to give you a better understanding of how to proceed in order to get the systems to work for you instead of against you, causing system failure.