This quote seems to say that it is not as beneficial to Provide as it is to Teach. I actually believe it’s a Dynamic Balance. Providing for others what they cannot presently provide for themselves is an act of love (#Fast Offerings, #DisasterRelief, #Handicapped, #Children). Teaching them incrementally how to provide for themselves and others is also an act of love. Because we are all changing and growing beings (#Dynamic), there are times in our lives when we need to be provided for more than we need teaching and vice versa.
When we provide for our own children, our hope is that they will, upon tasting the
goodness of the “fish,” be motivated to help themselves as much as they are
able instead of taking advantage of us or disregarding the gift all together. When I have provided “fish” to my children,
my hope is that they will both be motivated to learn how to fish themselves and
to have compassion on others.
As most of those who read my blog know, I use the word Cause to describe parents, teachers,
mentors, coaches, trainers, providers, exemplars, evaluators, etc. Even though a Cause can be male or female, I use the male pronoun for simplicity's sake.
In the last blog post, I wrote about the voices outside of
our head as contrasted with the voice inside our head. The voices that influence us whether inside
or outside our head are our Cause. If
two Causes conflict in regards to our goal achievement journey, we have to make
a decision who we are going to listen to. Causes play the roles of Examples and Evaluators. But they also play the roles of Provider and
Teacher. A single person can play all of
these roles but it is also common for a team of people to work together as a
Cause united in purpose for a Child or group of Children (#ItTakesAVillage).
If we have been reliant on a Northwest Provider-Teacher, we
will most likely be motivated to progress in our Northeast to obtain our goals. This is because
a Northwest Provider-Teacher does it all himself. He pays for everything, buys everything. He doesn’t realize the value of allowing us
to contribute to obtaining the goal. He
answers all the questions himself. He
doesn’t ask questions of those he is responsible for. He doesn’t provide enough challenges or
opportunities for progress. He believes
asking them to sacrifice anything is doing them a wrong. Trusting others to contribute to achieving the goal is
very difficult for him. He’d rather do
it all himself instead of taking the risk of relying on someone else. He can’t train incrementally because of his
impatience with imperfection or the unbelief that people have the ability, desire,
and need to change and grow. If we are
reliant on a Northwest Provider-Teacher, our motivation to achieve our goals is
stifled.
If we have been reliant on a Northeast Provider-Teacher, we have most likely been forced to progress in our
Northwest to obtain our goals. A Northeast Provider-Teacher
leaves those he is responsible for to fend for themselves too soon.
They are overwhelmed with having to provide
so much for themselves and others that they usually end up relying on
imbalanced processes like cheating or stealing to get what they want
(#OliverTwist). A Northeast
Provider-Teacher pays for as little as possible. He doesn’t realize the value of
his own contribution to their goals. He
leaves them to answer all the questions themselves. He doesn’t share with them some of the
answers he has found through his own experiences, preparing them to be able to answer their own. He is insecure, unsure, and doubts what he
has already found to be true. He leaves those for whom he is responsible to
face too many challenges than they can handle at a time. He forces them to progress too quickly. He trusts the judgment of others more than he
trusts his own. He’d rather they do it
themselves because he fears he can’t do it right or doesn’t want to be blamed
for messing things up. He doesn’t know
how to balance providing for and challenging his children. If we are reliant on a Northeast
Provider-Teacher, our motivation to achieve our goals is driven by fear.
When our Cause acts as a Teacher and challenges us in dynamic balance, we have the opportunity to learn and grow. We become increasingly stronger Providers over time. When our Cause acts as a Provider for us in dynamic balance we are taken care of and we learn about what love and compassion are. Since we need both it makes sense that we choose dynamic Northern Causes who are able to play both these roles for us.
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