With the guidance of a moral leader, disparate components unite to form an entire system that gets more robust and more vibrant and results in collaboration, creativity, and prosperity.
The fog is lifted. The rain stops. The roaring wind slows down to become a relaxing breeze. With time, the most violent affronts to nature will eventually fade away.
Does it mean that dissipation can be an excellent thing? It’s only sometimes the case. We don’t want our physique, investment, or assets to disappear. We can enjoy clear skies and go back to outdoor activities; however, resource depletion makes us vulnerable to circumstances and predators.
Can you do this both ways?
While the term dissipation is a description of unwinding or weakening, the dissipation property can manifest itself as strength, growth, and renewal. Therefore, this week’s update of the Ethical Lexicon:
Dissipative (dis*si*pa*tiveor ‘di-s@-‘,pa-tiv) adjective
Dissipation’s property is contained, breaking down, and releasing components or resources.
Entropy is a law that teaches that the energy needed to keep an orderly system constantly decreases as energy levels drop, as does its strength and shape, as seen in regular weather patterns, such as rain and wind.
A dissipative system, however, is a distinct thermodynamically active phenomenon, constantly changing energy and matter. A whirlpool, a tornado, and waves are all dissipative forms that maintain their condition and shape by replacing their constituent parts. In a paradox, they are stable and dynamic.
WE ARE WHAT WE WILL BE
Human beings are also dissipative. Our bodies are constantly producing new cells to replace dying ones. In the course of seven or 10 years, substantial parts of our bodies are entirely different from what they used to be.
This should prompt us to think: What exactly is our identity? We are more significant than the molecules that make up our blood and flesh. We constantly transform with a static appearance as a constant transformation occurs inside us. Every one of us is the wave that rolls along the shore and breaks against the beach without breaking up.
It is believed that the Hebrew words for “waves” are a gal that comes from the same source Gilah, which means the pleasure of discovery. There is no greater satisfaction than living in a continuous state of creation. The feeling of unlimited possibilities grounded in reality can only unleash a torrent of unbridled joy.
Human beings aren’t meant to exist merely. We are designed to grow in our development and advance forward while remaining on our own. As Bob Dylan sang:
- From the fool’s mouthpiece comes the hollow Horn
- It is a waste of words and a warning to be a warning
- The man who isn’t busy being born is dead.
WE CAN BE ALL WE ARE
It’s not a novel concept. The 18th-century European spiritual leader Moses Sofer taught that we aren’t required to change who we are. We need to discover who we are. In popular culture, your goal is to develop into an improved version of the person you are.
How do you achieve this? When asked about the process that led to their most well-known sculpture of his, Michelangelo is said to have responded that David was trapped in a block of marble and waited for an idea to let him go. The ability to visualize where you want to take your next step will be the initial step toward reaching your goal.
A constant pursuit of development, improvement, and discovery is the key to living a whole life with genuine happiness and lasting success. The joy that comes from this kind of pursuit arises naturally from an ethical perspective, constantly asking: what am I doing to be more effective than what I did yesterday? How can I improve myself even more tomorrow?
This is why ethical leaders must are required to ask themselves:
- What’s the point of my work? If your only goal is to earn money, you will not draw loyal fans or enthusiastic collaborators.
- What have I learned yesterday that I needed help understanding the previous day? If the answer is no, you’re not paying attention to life’s lessons.
- Have I earned the people’s trust? If your answer doesn’t read yes, it’s probably not.
An enterprise or business is a dissipative organization too. The structure either grows through positive energy generation or feeds itself until it collapses. The survival of an organization is dependent on its culture. The company’s culture is dependent on the character of the leader.
Douglas Adams observed that no raindrop was responsible for the flooding. If we think of ourselves as individuals who are not connected, our power diminishes or, worse and unfocused in ways that lead to catastrophic destruction. Under the guidance of ethical leadership, the disparate elements come together into an entire system that gets more robust and energetic, creating collaboration, creativity and success by combining the essential components into a dynamic, unified entire.
