Construct of life

Life is an odd mix of tranquillity and turbulence; harmony and discord; smooth flow and friction; and triumphs and failures. Even more so in the current times, when life is highly unpredictable and rapidly changing. We all go through ups and downs – such is the construct of life. We win some and we lose some as we move through different stages of our development.

Despite our varying experiences and unique circumstances, we generally learn the same lesson: if there’s anything that is predictable or certain in life, it’s the flux. There are times of hardship and of abundance, but after each back and forth movement, the pendulum swings to a new equilibrium. We can, however, aspire to have a larger-than-life attitude and achieve an optimal living experience within this construct.

All humans are born with a distinct level of endowment. Contrary to common belief, even those starting off with superior endowments are hardly spared challenges that enslave mind and being. People apparently more successful in life, have their share of downturns as well. The construct of life, in all its complexity, largely remains the same for everyone.

The all-time famous boxer Muhammad Ali's boxing licence was suspended for three years as he refused conscription in the army. He was restricted from doing the one thing he loved the most. Muhammad Ali did not give up and kept practising until he won the lawsuit and returned to the ring. These were times overshadowed by discrimination against racial minorities. Such a tough environment would have forced many people to abandon their struggle, blaming fate, but Ali followed his heart. He decided to keep on going – to become one of the greatest boxers the world has ever seen. His effort did not go in vain. Our perpetual struggle is how best we journey through life and master handling its distinct phases. Yet embracing life for what it is – a beautiful constellation of enigmatic experiences.

Our attitude of handling the distinct phases of life defines the quality of our living experience. This is truer today than ever before as we live in a world of truly peoples’ economy, a world where we need to depend more on our capacities and ourselves. Economic history highlights various asset classes that have contributed to growth, wealth creation and jobs in different economic eras. In an agrarian economy, this asset class was land; in the era of industrial economy where people moved from farms to factories, it was physical assets such as machines; and in the services economy it was intangible assets such as patents and software.

The last decade has been largely defined by a move to a knowledge economy. People relocated from factories to office buildings. Companies capitalized on brains rather than brawn. Assets like analytical skills were at the heart of this transformation. More recently, we see these skills being partially replaced by smart machines.

In a way we can think of the current era as a peoples’ economy, with people as its assets. Traits like honesty, trust, determination, entrepreneurship and passion, and capacities such as the ability to collaborate, empathy and creativity are the driving force. These intrinsic traits are unique to humans. People are the real source of strength and innovation – with values and principles rather than just rules. Success today may be simpler as we have to depend less on others and more on ourselves. When we were growing up, we were told the sky was the limit – today only our mind is the limit. We can extend ourselves as much as we like by extending our mind.

While recognizing that there are elements of fate not in our direct control, we must remain alive to the power of making choices. Our responses to the elements of nature and the larger system are indeed in our control. Many of us are not born privileged. At the same time, we may have no absolute control over the challenges we may face in our lives, but it is up to us to work towards developing the most efficient and enlightened version of ourselves. It is in this way that we can live in the most optimal manner possible.

In managing the construct of life, we realize that life is at times about compromises. It is about trade-offs. How we make choices to manage these compromises and trade-offs articulates a better life experience. Invariably, all our choices have an opportunity cost and appreciating what we are letting go helps informed decision-making.

Cultural traditions, religious philosophies and even economic ideologies at times advocate a balance in life as a choice for deriving a higher utility from this construct. Most religions advocate balance, moderation and equity as a principle life choice for oneself and for society at large. Similarly, economic thought propagates functioning at a median level, steering clear of extremities to achieve maximum returns from decisions. The analogy of the Portfolio Theory, used in making optimal investment decisions, provides a good illustration of how we may maintain a balance between mind, body and spirit to acquire a more meaningful living experience.

In our endeavours, we must attain the strength not to surrender after a fall, but to rise and move ahead. We can always improve ourselves from our current status; our real competition is not with anyone else but with ourselves.

The writer is former advisor, Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan.

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