I had been through the fire with various challenging conditions in the Navy. At this point in my life, from all the learning and conditioning I experienced from my Philly roots to the taste of Georgia and through my Naval experience, I had my Rules of the System. The question was whether I would have the fortitude to use my knowledge to implement them. I was beaten up a bit and I had put up a thick wall around me, but I mastered my understanding of the strength of the players in the system. I had developed and mastered critical awareness to bring into real-world situations. I was now exposed to how the system worked and could recognize when the systems are in play.
This is a crossroads for you once you have taken on conditions foreign to you and come out stronger on the other side. You have seen people behaving poorly and disrespecting the system, and how it can affect your life. You will continue to be tested now because you haven’t given up. The key is to remain focused on your core objectives. You may not know yet how to recognize what you will need in the system you working or living in at this time, but do not let it throw you off course to the bigger purpose of your mission. You might not recognize the players right away, but give it time and it will unveil itself. As soon as you identify your bigger purpose, stay with it steadfastly. False distractions or illusions will enter the picture to entice you to think differently than the true course you are on. At this point in the knowledge base, with not yet understanding the bigger perspective, circumstances can turn on you. Fallout from going off course is where you have the hard cold lesson that the system is unforgiving because it doesn’t care about your individual needs or desires; it’s only purpose is to be part of a time and motion continuum.
At this stage, having weathered significant career and personal growth, should you be steadfast, you will be given the chance to course-correct and make the right choices. If, at this point, you make a wrong choice, you must quickly get back into alignment with either your original desires or find a new system to orchestrate your desires within. Efficiency and swift thinking is critical because time is not on your side. You can make corrections along the way, but you have to realize when a mistake has occurred; pride or ignorance must not get in the way, especially when you are dealing with super-smart individuals who understand the system and may not have your best interests at heart, or really ignorant players in the system who are persistent in effecting your demise.
Excerpt from “The System is Unforgiving” by Allen Maxwell