We often idolize those people whom we perceive are able to “get things done”, who are able to take their strategies and implement them in order to reach their goal. For example, the head coach for a sports team is judged favorably for his wins and losses record, these men and women are able to take the “what” (strategy) in their mind and make a “how” (action) that turns into wins on the field or court of play. They give orders, while their players follow those orders; and the players who are the best at taking orders, or have the capacity to implement their orders creatively, are also idolized by society. The coaches and players are in a top down pyramid hierarchy of giving and receiving orders, where they are hired, paid, fired, praised, criticized, idolized, and scapegoated for their efficiency and creativity with how well they are able to implement and act upon their “what” to “how”.
However, the natural hierarchy of life is not binary in their “what” (input) to “how” (output), but rather ternary, where they move from “what” (input), “why” (logic), and after all of the contradictions are removed from in between their “what” and “why”, only then do they finally act with their “how” (output). While this may not seem as efficient as barking and receiving orders, it is ultimately much more efficient and sustainable. This is because a top down pyramid hierarchy appears more efficient in linear time, since those acting upon their orders do not question “why”, as it slows down the process, and undermines the authority of those giving the orders. While it may appear to take longer for the “what”, “why”, and “how” individuals to make an impact in our world, it is ultimately more efficient, because they only act after the contradictions have been removed, which is the unification of the “what” and “why”. In such a hierarchy, there aren’t any authority figures who give the “what”, or order takers who perform the “how”, but just unique individuals who are able to perform the “what”, “why”, and “how” within themselves.
They are an authority to themselves, and from within themselves; they understand “why” they are feeling and acting as they are, and they know how to perform right action. They are self-sustaining because they are not relying on an external authority to give them orders, nor are they relying on anybody to follow and implement their orders; they are both in One body. This is all possible since they have exercised their ability to reason, through asking enough “why” questions, which continually produces understanding and logic. Why, which is causality, is the bridge between the authorities and their obedient followers—and it all happens within.
To learn more about the Trivium method of critical thinking, which is the method of asking “what, why, and how” questions, please click HERE.
