"Learn how to watch things change. Keep your mind focused on this process. Nothing else will build a stronger mind."
Louis Braille went blind when he was three years old. When he grew up, he wanted to read. The schools for the blind only had books with massive raised letters. The books were heavy, and tracing the letters was incredibly slow. The system was terrible.
Society didn't have a better answer. The established method was just a habit. Braille didn't wait for the world to accommodate him or ask for a new law. He just built a better system.
He heard about a French military code. Soldiers used raised dots to read messages in the dark. Braille took that basic idea and completely re-engineered it. He built a six-dot cell that a finger could read in a single touch.
He invented a completely new way to interact with the world. He was fifteen years old.
Marcus Aurelius tells us to study how things change. We look at our society and think its rules are permanent. They aren't. They're just the accumulated habits of the people who came before us. If the current system doesn't work for you, you don't have to accept it.
You don't have to wait for a committee to recognize your struggle. You just have to look at the materials in front of you and figure out how to arrange them differently. Build the tool of change yourself.
Errors & Corrections
- Don't wait for accommodation. You want the company to change its software to fit your workflow. They won't. Build your own macro or write your own script. Fix the problem from your own desk.
- Don't accept the standard. The raised letters were the standard. They were still garbage. Just because everyone does a task one way doesn't mean it's the best way. Challenge the friction.
- Don't mistake habits for laws. Society's rules are just agreements. They can be rewritten. If the current agreement blocks your work, write a new one.
Applications to Modern Life
Work
Your department uses a massive spreadsheet that crashes every day. Everyone just complains about it. Build a simple database on your lunch break. Replace the broken tool.
Leadership
Your industry relies on terrible hiring practices. Everyone says it's just how the business works. Change it. Build an apprenticeship program that actually trains people.
Athleticism & Sport
You have a weird injury. The standard physical therapy routine hurts you. Work with a coach to invent a custom variation. Build the exact movement your body needs.
Politics
The local city council meetings are held at a time when working parents can't attend. The system excludes them. Don't just complain. Set up a camera. Livestream the meetings and build a digital voting block.
Social Media
The platform's algorithm forces you to create cheap clickbait to get views. Refuse to play that game. Move your work to an open-source platform. Build a direct connection with your audience.
Interpersonal Relationships
Your family has a tradition of fighting over politics every holiday. It's a broken system. Invent a new tradition. Go volunteer at a shelter together instead of sitting around a table.
Maxims
- Build the tool.
- Habits aren't laws.
- Don't wait for accommodation.
In-depth Concepts
Metabole (Change)
The Stoics viewed the universe as a state of constant flux. Nothing is permanent. When you understand metabole, you stop fearing change. You start wielding it as a tool.
The Social Construct
The way we do things right now isn't magic. It's just an agreement. Braille recognized that reading was just a social construct. He didn't need eyes to read. He just needed a better construct.