It’s barely 5 days from the Big Day but then as you draw closer to ORD, it becomes increasingly overrated; but it’s not. Too often we have unrealistic expectations of things in the future and when they come closer, we become somewhat disappointed, unaware that we’ve dreamt too much. Dreaming has helped to sustain hopes but when reality floods in, one needs to be objective.
ORD is a great thing; as far as I remember, National Service is somewhat dreaded for the freedom it rein from young boys/men and to be liberated is a wonderful thing. No doubt you could have continued booking in and out of camp and working as usual but it makes a great difference when you know that you’ve the power to decide when to stop doing that.
In Daniel Pink’s recent book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, he talks about the stuff that motivates us. We often thought of them as money but he figures out that it’s about “autonomy, mastery, and purpose”, which makes a lot of intuitive sense. The incentive systems in the military is pretty screwed; it gives you money and arbitrary respect without the satisfaction and purpose that would drive ordinary souls to excellence. There’s a need for the organization to examine what truly motivates us.
The ideas in the book relates closely to Richard Sennett’s documentation of the philosophy of craftsmanship, The Craftsman (reviews here and here). His definition of craftsmanship, “an enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for its own sake” sounds like a logical consequence for a well-motivated individual.
Another implication for Daniel Pink’s work is probably an increased complexity for the idea of utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham. It seems that the idea of utility, which he derives from the two sovereign masters of every individual – pain and pleasure, would require some reviewing to include more complex emotions/feelings. Of course, the idea of autonomy, mastery and purpose can go towards pleasure but linkages will have to be made carefully.
Moral of the Story: ORD is great, don’t let it lose its flavour just because yours have come and gone; savour the liberation for the rest of your life and allow yourself to be motivated by the virtues of work and life and not deterred by the fear of punishment.
