Seeing Through Others Eyes
The French poet Marcel Proust is credited with the paraphrased quote “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” This loose paraphrase is from The Prisoner, published in 1923, and is taken from volume five of his seven-volume work, Remembrance of Things Past. The original statement is even more impactful than the paraphrase. “The only true voyage of discovery…would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to behold the hundreds of universes that each of them beholds.”[1]
This doctoral journey feels much like the ‘voyage of discovery’ that Proust refers to, where one visits unfamiliar concepts and is allowed to view them through the eyes of others. In doing so, learning how that person’s eyes perceive the universe. Your Brain at Work, authored by Dr. David Rock, is one such opportunity. Through his eyes comes a new perspective on how our Prefrontal Cortex consumes limited resources of glucose, practical steps for getting ‘unstuck’ from an impasse, and our declining ability to suppress thought patterns become clear and concise. The practical steps for improvement, accompanied by his technical information around improvements in thinking and emotional engagements, rival those of Eve Poole’s Leadersmithing.[2] Yet it is two specific concepts that beckon a focused look. First is Rock’s research on ‘Away /Toward’ in connection with who Christ is calling us to be. The second is SCARF and how church congregants engage with change and its impact on my NPO.
Away / Toward
Rock builds on previous work around the Limbic System and humanity’s general desire to be happy and stay alive. Quoting Dr. Evian Gordon, he explains that we subconsciously strive to “minimize danger and maximize reward” by avoiding anxiety, sadness, and fear, and that we naturally seek to move towards happiness and contentment.[3] While the subconscious desire exists, the reality that much of humanity nonetheless struggles with anxiety is equally observable.[4] Christ was aware of the toxic effects of anxiety and our inability to avoid it. He gives emphatic instructions throughout the New Testament for how we should interact with it. “Do not be anxious about anything…”[5] “Cast all your anxiety on Him…”[6] Christ cares for you more than the birds of the air, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow…”[7]
So why did God, in his infinite wisdom, give us an unavoidable “away” relationship with anxiety? He knew it would be toxic for us and instilled in us an innate desire to avoid it, but also provided instructions on how to handle it. He knew we would inevitably become entangled with it. Personally, I think he allows us anxiety, and an unavoidable draw in that direction, so we can appreciate the ‘Towards’, specifically in the direction of the Fruits of the Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, and Self-Control.[8] Without the ugly toxicity of anxiety, there would be no beauty in the ‘Towards’. There would be no benefit in its existence and nothing special about its presence. Yet I struggle with the reality that Rock points out regarding humanity’s predisposition to gravitate towards the things represented in ‘Away’ and our struggle to move in the direction of the ‘Towards’.[9] As followers of Christ, we are called to be different. We are called in Christ to have a predisposition in the direction of the Fruit of the Spirit.
SCARF
When considering Rock’s work and my NPO, it’s clear that the local church has a facility that wider sections of the community could utilize; it’s easy to see how the congregation can effortlessly slip into a posture of fear. They perceive a plethora of threats that encompass the full breadth of Rock’s SCARF acronym (Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness).[10] Specifically, a congregation anchors around the concept of Certainty, wanting a guarantee that everything will work out fairly. In doing so, forgetting that Christ does not give such a guarantee, and neither can I.[11]
I am thankful for Marcel Proust’s insight into a true voyage. Unless we can see outside of our current vision, it is difficult, if not impossible, to have true understanding. Seeing a glimpse of how our brains work and how we engage with threats and rewards through Rock’s eyes is valuable, and examining his work through the eyes of Christ only enhances the discovery.
[1] Originally translated to English by C.K. Moncrief.
[2] Eve Poole, Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017), 74–75.
[3] David Rock, Your Brain at Work, Revised and Updated: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long, Updated edition (New York, NY: Harper Business, 2020). 105.
[4] Edwin H. Friedman and Peter Steinke, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix (10th Anniversary, Revised Edition) (La Vergne, UNITED STATES: Church Publishing, Incorporated, 2017).
[5] Philippians 4:6 ESV
[6] 1 Peter 5:7 ESV
[7] Matthew 6:34 ESV
[8] Galatians 5:22-23
[9] Rock, Your Brain at Work, Revised and Updated. 107, 117.
[10] Rock.198
[11] John 16:33 ESV
About the Author
Darren Banek
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Darren –
Your Proust quote really adds another layer of contrast and color to the discussions we’re having in this program–thank you!
I was struck by the articulation of our desire to “be happy and alive,” and how in the space of leadership we are often required to move toward the opposite. Not to be unhappy and dead, but to choose what is better for others over our own benefit (and over our own temprary happiness), and to sacrifice for the sake of others… and, in transformational leadership, to invite people to move away from comfort and safety.
How are you helping make it “safe” to move beyond comfort and safety in your context?