“We need to stop thinking about infrastructure as an economic stimulant and start thinking about it as a strategy. Economic stimulants produce Bridges to Nowhere. Strategic investment in infrastructure produces a foundation for long-term growth.”—Roger McNamee
Municipalities often grow faster than their investment in infrastructure—i.e., roads, schools, utilities, emergency services, etc. As I consider proposed growth in and near my own community, the historical lack of planning in surrounding communities and the required level of infrastructure necessary to support proposed growth got me thinking about the role of “infrastructure” in one’s personal growth plan. Often, we jump into goals and begin to pursue dreams without adequately addressing “infrastructure”. As a result, we are disappointed or find ourselves in a position of struggle.
Over the course of the next several days, I am going to address this idea of “infrastructure” as it relates to one’s “well-centered fitness”—i.e., the Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Social. It may require more than just a handful of short blog posts, but it is something I want to begin to consider.
Spiritual.
I actually found myself saying to someone recently that “it all goes back to ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’” (the 1969 article by Garrett Hardin—an article that I got to read and consider as a university undergraduate student and that continues to shape my worldview). My personal views of the Spiritual dimension are largely influenced by ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’ and the Bible, as a foundation—my “infrastructure”, so to speak. I consider the Universe to be my commons. I know that I cannot take indiscriminately from the commons without making comparable contributions. As members of the commons, we cannot fail to consider others in the decisions we make—family, friends, neighbors, etc. Our actions always have a compounding affect. Unfortunately, many people (and from time-to-time, myself included) do not consider the needs of others in making decisions. The consequences may appear small, but they are never limited to this one seemingly inconsequential situation. The consequences grow and magnify across society. I believe this to be well-demonstrated in the mix of society and politics, today. So, if we want to “fix” society, we need to begin with ourselves and the Spiritual infrastructure of our personal growth, our families, and our communities.
Spiritual “infrastructure” can be a delicate subject to address. First, the term “spiritual” can be quite nebulous. It has diverse meaning and can be easily misunderstood or misrepresented. I consider the Spiritual dimension, simply, to be the notion that there is something greater than self. In other words, one considers that they are not alone in a vast Universe, and we are all connected on some level. One’s religion and faith practices can support or hinder one’s Spiritual growth. Thus, being “religious” does not necessarily equate to being “Spiritual”, nor does one’s “spirituality” equate to religion. These are both separate and unified considerations in the Spiritual dimension of well-centeredness.
Labels erode the Spiritual infrastructure. Labels of religion, race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, citizenship, etc. serve only to divide people and, thus, work against Spiritual well-centeredness (to destroy the “Commons”). I concede that we may not be able to get completely away from labels in society (though we can surely try), but we need to understand the negative effects they have on our communities—particularly when we consider diversity as divider as opposed to a unifier. (In my humble opinion, most efforts by well-meaning folks who purport to promote diversity actually have the opposite effect.)
For our Universe to be truly Spiritual, we need to understand the blessing of diversity. We need to understand that diversity is understood as the unique contribution of every individual not the categorization of people. We don’t have to agree to be unified. We simply have to make it our mission to want the best for everyone.
Religion and politics are especially damaging to Spiritual well-centeredness. As a person who claims to be a Christian, I am particularly concerned by the statement made by Jesus: “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…. Many will say… ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me evildoers!” (Matthew 7:21-23, NIV). I view this statement as a stark reminder that it is not what I claim to be as much as who I am that matters. I do not want to build my infrastructure on doctrine, personal interpretations, and political ideology. Rather, I want to build a foundation of understanding and compassion.
In my interpretation of the “wellness model”, the dimensions are interconnected, but the Spiritual and Physical supply the base to what I consider a pyramid of “well-centeredness”. Thus, these dimensions provide the “infrastructure” for the other dimensions. These also have their own necessary “infrastructure”. Personal growth begins, then, with the Spiritual and Physical dimensions. Spiritually, we begin by understanding that we are not the center of the Universe and that everyone has a unique Purpose and contribution to make and to be accepted.
Grace and peace.
Carpe momento!