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- To be or to do?
In this formative period, the souls is unsoiled by warfare with the world. It lies, like a block of pure, uncut Parian marble, ready to be fashioned into - what?
I truly believe we’ve all been victims of our own ego.
Preys of the glittering prizes life offers when our roll call eventually comes.
And at the end of the day, it’s really a matter of us vs. the rest.
What John Boyd referred to as:
TO BE OR TO DO?
A question of purpose rather than action.
John Boyd is one of the several historical figures who has been long forgotten, left to perish in the bulk of people who were never appreciated nor rewarded.
Boyd was one of the most influential strategists and practitioners in modern warfare, yet he remains unknown to most.
Apart from being a fantastic fighter pilot, Boyd was an even greater teacher and thinker.
Boyd’s nickname was “forty-second Boyd” alluding to his skill of defeating any opponent in less than 40 seconds.
As time passed, word spread about his skills and he was soon summoned by the pentagon where his real work began.
He was an important influence in the development of the F15 and F16 fighter jets which reinvented modern military aircraft. Through leadership he instructed and shaped an entire generation of military thinkers. He played an important role in Operation Dessert Shield as well as tutoring hundreds of pupils who later helped shape American military strategy.
Yet, there´s not a single based named after him, nor any battleships. Not even a significant media coverage.
Why?
Well, Boyd embraced what he preached which was perfectly demosotrated in a speech he gave to one of his first pupils:
One day you will come to a fork in the road. And you’re going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go. If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and you will get good assignments. Or, you can go that way and you can do something - something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. If you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won’t have to compromise yourself. You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That’s when you will have to make a decision.
TO BE OR TO DO.
WHICH WAY WILL YOU GO?
Boyd chose purpose.
He chose to make a difference.
Whatever we chose to do in life, soon rather than later, reality intrudes on our youthful idealism and brings us back to earth.
And it’s this realitty check which ultimately thwarts our plans and catapults us into a different direction.
This can be a promotion, a salary, a job title, fame, etc.
Here’s where ego intervenes. It forces us to chose us over a bigger purpose.
Unfortunately we’ve lived in this earth for so long that it seems impossible to maintain a purpose dedicate towards others and not only ourselves.
So the question remains?
How can we avoid derailment?
How can we keep track of our true purpose? Of choosing to make a difference, not by fame but by providing value.
For starters, we need to understand that the first mistake is that we fall in love with a mere image or representation of what success looks like.
That’s when we start deviating from our true purpose.
This can be fame, money, cars recognition, and so on.
So the true quesiton is:
What is our purpose?
What is the reason we’re still here?
What’s the reason (bigger than us) we chose to do what we do?
And if you’re still having trouble. Then continue to ask yourself.
Does this help me? only me? or does it benefit others?
Ego will always put itself first. It will always chose fame and recognition rather than something meaninful towards others.
Try to set your ego aside.
Only then you’ll find your true purpose.