The Paradigm of Life

Like a match stick, life begins when one ignites it. The flame symbolises one’s life. It depends on what you want to use it for. You can either use the flame to bring light and warm into darkness, brighten up your life and those of others or use it to burn down forests and houses; and bring harm to others. The purpose of life, therefore, depends on what you want to do with your one precious life.

Life is not just about being successful or rich. The word “LIFE” stands for Living It Fully, Everyday. It is a journey that continues even after death as the legacy that you leave behind may impact current generation and live through many subsequent generations. You can find meaning in life, if you want and choose to. The mental map or the paradigm that you hold influences your thinking and affects the path that you take to find meaning in life. Life can be meaningful and complete if you are willing to change your paradigm and see things from other people’s paradigm.  Immanuel Kant, a philosopher, once wrote “We see things not as they are, but as we are”.

Dr. Covey defines paradigm as a perception, assumption, theory, frame of mind or lens through which we view the world. He believes that if you want to make minor, incremental changes and improvements in your life, work on practices, behaviours or attitude. But if you want to make significant, quantum improvement in your life, you need to work on your paradigm.  

We do not live all by ourselves. We live in an interdependent world. Our actions and decisions affect others. We should always take action and decision based on a complete paradigm of the situation. There is no absolute right or wrong. In every right, there are some wrongs and in every wrong, there are some rights. It all boils down to the paradigm that we hold.

There is a story about a preacher who was very disappointed when he saw a man slept through his teaching. He told himself that he is going to reprimand the man after the session for showing disrespect to him and the audience. At the end of the teaching, he stood up and walked towards the man. Before he would reach the man, the man’s wife came forward to him and apologised on behalf of his husband. She said. “Sir, my husband has contracted cancer and he is in a terminal stage. The doctor has given him a month to live. He doesn’t want to waste his last days resting at home. He insisted of coming here to listen to your teaching. Unfortunately, he was too sick to concentrate on your teaching and I am sorry for that.”  The preacher was stumped and he felt ashamed of himself. He realised how shallow and petty he was. We tend to see the world as we are rather than it is.  We are more likely to make a better decision and take better action if we seek to embrace the complete paradigm of the situation.