Are we doing ourselves justice in the quest for specialisation and professionalisation? If we stay rooted in just one path, we develop a deep sense of passion and conviction on the way we do things, and we may become experts in a certain field. But I sometimes wonder whether this pursuit of singular goals will just box us up in a certain rigid perspective which makes us blind to the perspectives of others. We turn esoteric, and turn a high and mighty eye to the dialogues and ideas of others, and worse of all, we do it unconsciously. Yes, it happens to Social Workers, but don't blame us for it, as I see Teachers, Doctors, and other professionals fall into such traps.
How do we prevent it? Some sense of humility perhaps, to be able to accept that sometimes, all of us can be wrong, and being open to the views of others, inside or outside your profession. Humility is but a philosophy we can adopt to promote consciousness building, or expand our "map" of the territory. However, we need to seek the environment to nurture that expansion.
What am I saying exactly?
Get out of that damn box, try other passions, gain new experiences, learn and appreciate new cultures, try something outside your element: Jump of a plane, dive in the deep blue sea.
Then perhaps you may just begin to appreciate the awareness of other realms of perspectives, make yourself a better person, to help yourself, before we start helping others.
Comments