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Propensity to Self Subversion Applications to Human Development
People are limited only by their imagination. Oliver and Wilbur Wright believed they could
build a machine that could fly, and they did. Albert Einstein thought he could split atoms, and
he did. Copernicus said the Earth is not the center of the universe, and he was right. Claude
Monet broke all the rules of painting and began producing work that many considered sloppy
because they were outside the lines, and Impressionism was born. Each one of these people
exhibited a propensity to self-subversion.
Although self-subversion can most probably be traced as a reference to the theory expounded
by economist Albert Hirschman, applications of thinking beyond the boundaries of an
established framework is the stuff of invention, innovation and radical thought. Very few of
the greatest people in history were considered “players.” Many of them were considered
eccentric, even crazy, by the society in which they lived. Some became shunned and were
outcasts, until later events proved them right and society wrong. When Walt Disney decided
animated figures could become more than a 10-minute cartoon and produced a full-length
animated feature, people thought he was crazy. Today Snow White and Cinderella are still
being watched by children and Disney theme parks are all over the world.
All inventions and innovations began as voyages of curiosity and discovery, fueled by
imagination and compulsion, and given substance by passion and persistence. It began with a
“what if…” These are considered events and accomplishments that could happen to only an
exceptional few. But human development is limited only by the boundaries set by the person
for himself. Self-subversion is a technique in which a person turned himself inside out and
back again. It requires the minute examination of routines, manners, beliefs and goals and a
rigorous casting about of what direction one should take. Complacent people tend to go with
the flow, maintain the status quo. These are also the people who are least prepared for life’s
surprises and most badly shaken by unexpected developments that people have no
contingency plans for.
Self-subversive people are perennially prepared because they are not confined by self-
imposed limits. Anything goes for them and they welcome change because it prevents them
from getting into a rut. Most people live in the rut because it is the easiest thing to do. They
live but they are not alive. They are shielded from the best and worst of life experiences and
end up living a mediocre life.
A well-examined life is a life that goes beyond what family and society prescribes. If you are
the son of a successful lawyer with a lucrative practice and you have no interest or passion in
the legal profession, but you go into it any way because it is expected and easy, then you
have just wasted a life, your own. It may bring riches and prestige and material success, but
it will be a wasted life nevertheless.
However, self-subversion does not automatically mean different or radical. A person who has
examined and questioned his own life may find that he is exactly who he wants to be, where
he desires to be and what he needs to be, in which case it is a well-lived life. The point is self-
development will only be possible if one is willing to understand that there are many paths to
happiness and fulfillment, and they may not always be the path well trodden. It may be that
there will be conflict between what society expects and what you want, and that taking control
of your life may lead to some disagreeable consequences. But it is important for each person
to discover the self in the clearest light possible because this is the way to a fulfilled life and
effective self-development.
People are limited only by their imagination. Oliver and Wilbur Wright believed they could
build a machine that could fly, and they did. Albert Einstein thought he could split atoms, and
he did. Copernicus said the Earth is not the center of the universe, and he was right. Claude
Monet broke all the rules of painting and began producing work that many considered sloppy
because they were outside the lines, and Impressionism was born. Each one of these people
exhibited a propensity to self-subversion.
Although self-subversion can most probably be traced as a reference to the theory expounded
by economist Albert Hirschman, applications of thinking beyond the boundaries of an
established framework is the stuff of invention, innovation and radical thought. Very few of
the greatest people in history were considered “players.” Many of them were considered
eccentric, even crazy, by the society in which they lived. Some became shunned and were
outcasts, until later events proved them right and society wrong. When Walt Disney decided
animated figures could become more than a 10-minute cartoon and produced a full-length
animated feature, people thought he was crazy. Today Snow White and Cinderella are still
being watched by children and Disney theme parks are all over the world.
All inventions and innovations began as voyages of curiosity and discovery, fueled by
imagination and compulsion, and given substance by passion and persistence. It began with a
“what if…” These are considered events and accomplishments that could happen to only an
exceptional few. But human development is limited only by the boundaries set by the person
for himself. Self-subversion is a technique in which a person turned himself inside out and
back again. It requires the minute examination of routines, manners, beliefs and goals and a
rigorous casting about of what direction one should take. Complacent people tend to go with
the flow, maintain the status quo. These are also the people who are least prepared for life’s
surprises and most badly shaken by unexpected developments that people have no
contingency plans for.
Self-subversive people are perennially prepared because they are not confined by self-
imposed limits. Anything goes for them and they welcome change because it prevents them
from getting into a rut. Most people live in the rut because it is the easiest thing to do. They
live but they are not alive. They are shielded from the best and worst of life experiences and
end up living a mediocre life.
A well-examined life is a life that goes beyond what family and society prescribes. If you are
the son of a successful lawyer with a lucrative practice and you have no interest or passion in
the legal profession, but you go into it any way because it is expected and easy, then you
have just wasted a life, your own. It may bring riches and prestige and material success, but
it will be a wasted life nevertheless.
However, self-subversion does not automatically mean different or radical. A person who has
examined and questioned his own life may find that he is exactly who he wants to be, where
he desires to be and what he needs to be, in which case it is a well-lived life. The point is self-
development will only be possible if one is willing to understand that there are many paths to
happiness and fulfillment, and they may not always be the path well trodden. It may be that
there will be conflict between what society expects and what you want, and that taking control
of your life may lead to some disagreeable consequences. But it is important for each person
to discover the self in the clearest light possible because this is the way to a fulfilled life and
effective self-development.
Positive Self-Development for Sport and Life
Unless you want to miss out on the most exciting information about
self development for sport and life in a Decade!
Self-Development for Sales People
Do you want to improve your sales and your profits? Do you want
to break all the sales records in your office?
Self-Healing and Development
Do you ever feel as though you could do more with your life? Wish
you could have better health?
Understanding Your Dreams
Do you ever wonder what your dreams mean?
Unless you want to miss out on the most exciting information about
self development for sport and life in a Decade!
Self-Development for Sales People
Do you want to improve your sales and your profits? Do you want
to break all the sales records in your office?
Self-Healing and Development
Do you ever feel as though you could do more with your life? Wish
you could have better health?
Understanding Your Dreams
Do you ever wonder what your dreams mean?
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