Determination

Determination in male-dominated situations is often confused with competition or aggression. This is unfortunate. Determination is more helpfully perceived as part of a conversation within the self. It is the ongoing conversation about values and goals in life which constitutes part of a daily practice.

 

Getting wrapped up in constructs based on will power or morality is not usually very motivating in the longer term. Looking to a positive outcome in a situation and pursuing that outcome with focus and applied energy constitutes practical determination. This form of determination is not about racing to an end by any means. It is about laying one brick after another to build a foundation for eventual success at achieving a future which entails living ideals and values.

 

Modern urban life is plagued with pressures which make instant results appealing. Losing touch with agrarian understanding of planting, growth, harvesting and recycling for a new year has made urban life less humane and more stressful. The constant competition promoted by capitalism has led to a conformity of stress and dissatisfaction among those who must work harder and harder to support the small minority at the top of the economic pyramid.

 

The humanist can take the first exit off this path with a simple daily determination to stop playing by the rules of competitive conformity and frustrated materialism. By framing daily behavior in terms of promoting health and happiness within the self first and then in the environment, the humanist begins to live humanism. The beginning of this basic determination can lead to subsequent determinations which refine humanist practice, day by day.