Challenges- Arnold Toynbee quote
Challenges
Civilizations, I believe, come to birth and proceed to grow
by successfully responding to successive challenges. They break down and go to
pieces if and when a challenge confronts them which they fail to meet.
Arnold Toynbee 1889-1975
Let me tell you how I came across this quote. This morning
the word “challenge” came to my thinking. It’s a familiar word, but I’ve
learned to dig deeper when I assume I know what a word means.
challenge n : a call or summons to
engage in any contest, as of skill, strength, etc.
difficulty in a job or undertaking that is stimulating to one engaged in
it
to have a claim to, invite, arouse, stimulate
to question, dispute, inquire, search out
Webster’s Dictionary
I wondered if anyone had written about this subject and that’s
when I ran across Arnold Toynbee. Toynbee was a prolific historian, researcher
and philosopher of history who analyzed 26 civilizations to write the 12 volume
A Study in History.
His observation seemed particularly hopeful because it holds
promise for navigating problems facing the world today. It gives a sense that
solutions are possible as long as societies rise to meet challenges through
inquiry, searching, and creative problem solving. Of course, civilizations are
made up of people, so while this quote specifically addresses a macroscopic view,
it can easily be applied to the individual.
Whether we challenge ourselves with a new project or an entirely
new activity, we are summoning ourselves to a contest with ourselves. We call
forth all our skill sets to meet a specific problem and demonstrate what we
have learned from previous experience. Then we “proceed to grow.” That’s the
goal, and the opportunities to do this are endless! Could there be anything more
exciting?
We may have varying degrees of success with each challenge,
but that’s just an evaluation of the product, not the growth. Weighed against
the possibility of not growing because we don’t challenge ourselves, taking a
chance on trying something new is well worth the risk. Keep it in perspective. Even if our efforts “flop”, they have far less
consequences than efforts that effect the rise and fall of civilizations.
😉
Note: When doing research on Arnold Toynbee, I googled the
last name, which sent me down another path. I thought I’d share it with you; you
know I like a good mystery.
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