Thursday, September 18, 2025
ESSAY - CHESTERTON ON GETTING OUT OF SAVAGERY
BY DONOVAN BALDWIN
Gilbert K. Chesterton points out in one of his essays, "A Meditation In A New York Hotel", that getting OUT of savagery is not the same as getting INTO civilization. My metaphor being that leaving New York is NOT getting into California, no matter how fast the plane, or how short the route taken.
It often takes time to get from point A to point B in a lot of things.
One problem I often see in the world is that many people expect something equivalent to the Star Trek transporter when making choices and, especially, when introducing change.
An introduced change in choices and actions often only produces subsequent marginal, or incremental changes, often nearly invisible, in results or outcomes.
However, often these marginal or incremental steps are also cumulative, and, over time, produce something much larger and more lasting than can initially be seen.
In fact, many of these outcomes, at first, can only be imagined, and, the purpose of motivation is to keep us seeing that ultimate, visible outcome. Simply glancing off in the distance once and saying, "Yep, going there...", is usually not enough. We have to keep respotting the goal and reminding ourselves of the purpose of the effort.
Yes, what we do today, even if savages, genuinely or metaphorically, may not move us far from savagery, but, it can move us closer to civilization, or salvation, or, at least... something better than we are now.
So, perhaps, as some say, it IS NOT the destination that's as important as the journey.
We have to travel together. Let's travel as friends.
 |
| Gilbert Keith Chesterton |
It often takes time to get from point A to point B in a lot of things.
One problem I often see in the world is that many people expect something equivalent to the Star Trek transporter when making choices and, especially, when introducing change.
An introduced change in choices and actions often only produces subsequent marginal, or incremental changes, often nearly invisible, in results or outcomes.
However, often these marginal or incremental steps are also cumulative, and, over time, produce something much larger and more lasting than can initially be seen.
In fact, many of these outcomes, at first, can only be imagined, and, the purpose of motivation is to keep us seeing that ultimate, visible outcome. Simply glancing off in the distance once and saying, "Yep, going there...", is usually not enough. We have to keep respotting the goal and reminding ourselves of the purpose of the effort.
Yes, what we do today, even if savages, genuinely or metaphorically, may not move us far from savagery, but, it can move us closer to civilization, or salvation, or, at least... something better than we are now.
So, perhaps, as some say, it IS NOT the destination that's as important as the journey.
We have to travel together. Let's travel as friends.
-----
Like this essay by Donovan Baldwin? You might also enjoy In The Agony Of My Ecstasy.
Labels: Donovan Baldwin. motivation, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, New York
# posted by Donovan Baldwin @ 3:59 PM 
