Integrating the Senses
2/29/08
For those who were lucky enough to take calculus, you just might remember that it was divided (generally) into two main branches: differential calculus and integral calculus. Differential calculus, non-mathematically, is the study of how things change when you change the underlying factors. For example, if it’s cold out, and I’m warm, putting on another shirt will make me even warmer. Differential calculus might attempt to quantify how much warmer I’d be, but we really don’t need that math now. The big point, to me, is that differential calculus is an attempt to figure out how things will change when you change the inputs. Said another way, differential calculus helps us go from something to its derivative. In this non-math sense, think of derivative as like Plato’s analogy of The Cave. As for synonyms, think “borrowed” or “copied or adapted from a more original source”. A better example might be musically, how some bands are derivatives (copies) of other bands.
Integral calculus, on the other hand, is the opposite. (This is the one with the cool ? symbol.) It’s the study of going back to the original source. (Here I’m leaning on the anti-derivative type of integration.) Integration is the process, in this use, of re-incorporating the part into the whole, or more accurately attempting to find the source from which the derivative was born. Reminds me of Eric Clapton’s musical journey from the pop and Top 40 of the 60’s (of which he was a part) backward in time. Mr. Clapton was, using our definition, finding the musical ancestors of what he was playing. Of course, he then famously took on more of the original ‘source’ music. But for the time being, think of this integration as looking upstream at the causes of the effects.
OK, now that created these two concepts, let’s move on to the senses. Most of us use our sense, and trust them. They are very reliable. However, there are times when our senses are either not enough, or simply fooling us. I see this most in my martial training. A friend said once to me “Your eyes only see the shadows of the art; to see the art itself is to feel it.” – Thanks Josh! If you watch most martial arts, it’s often incredibly hard to actually know what you are seeing and hearing. This is why, in my opinion, martial art videos (and photography) can be interesting, but rarely didactic. It would be like opening a book and trying to hear it. The best way to experience martial arts is to feel them in action; integrate your senses!
This concept goes further, in most of life. For example, one of the most difficult aspects of leadership is applying the theoretical to reality via execution. Being in the moment, being the doer, and being the prime mover are similar concepts for something that is very difficult to describe. That said, autobiographies exist almost purely as an attempt to give the reader a feel for what “it was really like”. This is incredibly difficult. The old saying “never judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their moccasins” is saying a similar thing. The aspects of a person that you see or read about are truly derivatives of myriad experiences, thoughts, and understandings that you are distinctly not privy to, and they can make all the difference in understanding.
This doesn’t just apply to leaders in the traditional sense. Each of us is a leader in our own lives. Some lead a family, others lead at work, some are leaders of themselves (and that’s plenty enough). In other parts of life, we are followers. Perhaps you follow a teacher, a spouse, a parent, or a boss. The ability to go from leader to follower and back seamlessly is very important.
So, what’s the point? The main point is to attempt to capture the essence of whatever you are doing. Understand why and how (the highest level questions) of all that you are and do.