As ever, Mandy Brown casually drops a blog post that makes you examine the everyday meaning of words:
One of the imperatives in contemporary, professional work culture is to “grow.” There is often a sense of height or largeness with that imperative, as if growth must be measured in your distance up the ladder, your territory across the way. In The Soul’s Code, James Hillman implores us to think rather of growing down, of growth not of branch but root, of becoming more grounded, sturdier, less able to be pushed around by the whims of others.
One of the imperatives in contemporary, professional work culture is to “grow.” There is often a sense of height or largeness with that imperative, as if growth must be measured in your distance up the ladder, your territory across the way. In The Soul’s Code, James Hillman implores us to think rather of growing down, of growth not of branch but root, of becoming more grounded, sturdier, less able to be pushed around by the whims of others.
I love this idea of “growing down”, becoming more rooted and sturdy.
It got me thinking about the word “growth”.
Contemporary usage of the word in business often communicates human intervention and imposition against an otherwise natural outworking.
“Growth” in a forest is different than “growth” in business.
In business, we talk about “growth hacking” as if the natural cadence of growth isn’t sufficient. It requires modification because we deem it insufficiently slow.
We “engineer” growth instead of tending it.
Personally, when I say I want to grow, I mean like a tree. Not like a cancer.
Tree growth responds to its environment and integrates with its ecosystem. Growth is sustainable, balancing expansion and repair. It scales in harmony with its context.
Cancer growth is selfish, consuming resources at the expense of its host. Growth is uncontrolled until the system that supports it collapses. It scales through extraction until failure.
When we talk about the growth of technology in the 21st century, which kind of growth do you think best describes it?
“Hey, {social media | AI} grew so big, we all sat together under its canopy and enjoyed the shade.”
Said no one.
More likely: “Hey, {social media | AI} grew so big, it metastasized beyond what society could bear and now look at the mess we’re in.”
