Connecting with Our Gifts

No man can long occupy a position for which he is not fit.

If the age of ascent and that of the separate self-sense is indeed starting to draw to a close, we need to now start working to align ourselves with our gifts.

By gifts I mean that which gives us meaning and purpose, which gives us a sense of belonging.

The age of Ascent has almost totally disregarded community in its search for the “next big thing.” This age has been signified by the commoditization of goods and services. But as we are now starting to see, the availability of new goods and services to commoditize is starting to run thin. Where does this leave us?

I believe it leaves us in a place where instead of spending years and years in work environments that don’t enhance our skills, passions and interests, we should start working on our own psychological development as well as forming communities where our natural gifts can be more readily utilized.

This, in itself can be a messy process as future generations will find out. It’s a process of discovery, of exploration, of mastery, of learning from the people that have gone before us. But, I believe the process is fundamentally necessary if we are to start working with more efficient ways of aligning with our gifts.

I live in Johannesburg in South Africa and whenever I drive through the suburbs I just see these massive walls and inside these massive walls are huge chunks of compartmentalized concrete that we call complex living.

Everyone is shut off from everyone else and this negates our true nature. Our nature of community, giving, sharing of ideas, cooperating and working together to form small businesses that provide real value, fostering environments of learning and development, building apprenticeships and mentoring future generations.

Perhaps it's time that we start looking to history to be more of a guide to where we need to go. To the time before industrialization and the endless commoditization of goods and services.

This is not to say that we need to stop evolving. On the contrary, we can use the advances we’ve made in technology to better serve the growth of local communities, to connect with people with similar interests, to find people who carry the same values, or speak to people who need our gifts.