Existential Gravity
LAW 9:
Existential Gravity exists to stymie Existential Growth.
Existential Gravity creates adversarial tugs and pulls that make Existential Growth (EG) difficult. It also seeks to inhibit your motivation to pursue it. It bears reiterating the definition of EG introduced in the first chapter of Book The First:
Existential Gravity (EG): Internal and external adversity that influences the poor exercise of Self-Action Leadership.
Existential Gravity affects everyone in the same way that physical gravity affects everyone (see figure 17.1). At lower levels of Existential Growth, you experience greater and stronger amounts of EG. At higher levels, you experience lesser and weaker pulls of EG. At the highest level, Self-Transcendence (Level 8), you are theoretically no longer subject to its power—you have effectively risen above it. Everyone who has not reached Self-Transcendence must confront EG, which takes many forms (see figure 17.2 two). There are many internal and external forces that work to inhibit and diminish your Existential Growth (figure one). This EG makes it difficult to rise above challenging circumstances and human flaws and weaknesses. It seeks to preclude personal success, fulfillment, and meaningful contribution.
COROLLARY 9.1: Self-action leaders possess power to transcend Existential Gravity over time through knowledge, self-awareness, effort, and guidance and help from others.
Rising above Existential Gravity is not easy, but it is possible. Just as mankind has learned to transcend Earth’s gravity with hot air balloons, airplanes, rocket ships, etc., you can learn to transcend Existential Gravity with others’ help and the engagement of SAL strategies.
It is not always easy to pursue a worthy goal when others around you mock, humiliate, or otherwise seek to foil your success. Moreover, it can be very difficult to break bad habits and overcome addictions, especially when those habits and addictions are deeply ingrained. Nevertheless, you possess the power to overcome EG. Everyone can grow existentially, and that includes YOU.
Existential Gravity creates adversarial tugs and pulls that make Existential Growth (EG) difficult. It also seeks to inhibit your motivation to pursue it. It bears reiterating the definition of EG introduced in the first chapter of Book The First:
Existential Gravity (EG): Internal and external adversity that influences the poor exercise of Self-Action Leadership.
Existential Gravity affects everyone in the same way that physical gravity affects everyone (see figure 17.1). At lower levels of Existential Growth, you experience greater and stronger amounts of EG. At higher levels, you experience lesser and weaker pulls of EG. At the highest level, Self-Transcendence (Level 8), you are theoretically no longer subject to its power—you have effectively risen above it. Everyone who has not reached Self-Transcendence must confront EG, which takes many forms (see figure 17.2 two). There are many internal and external forces that work to inhibit and diminish your Existential Growth (figure one). This EG makes it difficult to rise above challenging circumstances and human flaws and weaknesses. It seeks to preclude personal success, fulfillment, and meaningful contribution.
Rising above Existential Gravity is not easy, but it is possible. Just as mankind has learned to transcend Earth’s gravity with hot air balloons, airplanes, rocket ships, etc., you can learn to transcend Existential Gravity with others’ help and the engagement of SAL strategies.
It is not always easy to pursue a worthy goal when others around you mock, humiliate, or otherwise seek to foil your success. Moreover, it can be very difficult to break bad habits and overcome addictions, especially when those habits and addictions are deeply ingrained. Nevertheless, you possess the power to overcome EG. Everyone can grow existentially, and that includes YOU.
