Our Great Capacity – ElPropósito3 min de lectura

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

This week I had the good fortune to finish a certificate program in business strategy management with INCAE, my second alma mater. It was an intense week (as always with INCAE) and a very rewarding one. To top it off, I shared a couple of family celebrations that fill me with pride and remind me of beautiful traditions, traditions that keep revealing my values and my true essence. It was a week that made me reflect on how fleeting life is, especially after reading Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, where he imagines looking at the Earth from outside, reflecting on the worries of its inhabitants and how little they matter to the universe.

What truly matters? Being clear on the inalienable principles whose violation would betray our essence. So why is it so easy to drift with the current and lose sight of them? The answer is simple: it’s easier. Walking the right path always costs more. It’s the road full of obstacles, the walk through darkness knowing that "the night is darkest just before dawn." The road of life can seem pitch dark when we’re unaware of our great capacities, especially the capacity to sail calmly through rough seas or deep darkness, knowing we can count on our values and a firm purpose.

I also reflected on our greatest capacity, and my big conclusion is that the greatest human capacity is helping others. At almost thirty-nine, I can say that what lies most within my power today is finding ways to help others. This reflection came after seeing death up close several times and being able to help many people avoid it. It may be the most extreme of extremes, yet it leads me to conclude that after that, any help, however small, will always be the best gift we can give someone.

The next question may be how values relate to helping. It isn’t easy to give advice or a pat on the back without the full context of what someone is going through. Speaking before listening may even backfire, and sometimes, of all the kinds of help we can imagine, the most powerful is listening. Genuine listening, devoted entirely to paying full attention to the other person. At times that listening can clash with our values to the point where we can’t continue a conversation and have to end it.

Within the universe of our potential and capacities lives a great power whose impact is greater and longer-lasting than all the gold and money in the world: the most beautiful and special essences of the human being. That power is released the moment we realize how fleeting life is. As Seneca said, "life ends just when we are ready to start living it." I believe one way to start living it is by helping others. Once we become aware of that great power within, we’ll start living with a clearer, more lucid perspective.

Warm regards,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. I dedicate this post with all my love to my nieces Mariandree and Daniela. They mark a milestone in our family’s history, and I pray that God and the Virgin always accompany them on the path they’ve begun to walk. With all my love.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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