Raison D’etre
This is a real middle of the night, I can’t sleep, kind of conversation.
Its 4am. For reasons I won’t delve into right now, we don’t have power. Nothing to do with a mal-performing / run-by-idiots power utility. Although it must be said, someone fiddled with the solar power settings, so maybe, run-by-idiots is not limited to government run institutions.
Oh, do I detect some biting cynicism so early in this morning?
It must be the true me, which nicely loops back to what kept me from falling back into a comfortable slumber. What is the reason for existence. Not in a hypothetical sense of the universe, but very much down to self-centred all about me. What drives me?
Just over 2 years ago I started this blog. The Great Reset of 2020. Following a period of global self-reflection, with dolphins (allegedly) prancing through the (at that point, surprisingly clean) submerged and abandoned streets of Venice, the whole world was taking a moment to reflect on how nice our environment can be if we stop abusing it.
Why are we abusing our world if it can be such a nice place? Do we really need to have legislation to make us behave in a responsible manner towards our fellow man and generations to follow?
For a change, I went straight for the essence of my internal debate this morning, and now I have run out of words. This piece of writing will probably change shape this morning still because I am not yet sleepy, and its still a long way till sunrise.
Coming back to the Raison d’etre. Usually, at this point I would look for a nice practical Wikipedia definition of the term. Party to elucidate the term for some of my readers (who might not yet be followers 😊 ), but mostly to ensure I have spelled it correctly. 😊 . But having no power, the internet is down, so you are left with my “more or less on track” ramblings.
I am driven to add value. There, I’ve said it. In some spheres of my professional life 
, my role is prescribed by legislation. Which by its very essence contradicts my internal drive. Let me clarify. Just because in a particular scenario my role is prescribed by law, it does not mean I automatically add value. Other than being able to tick a box. So, if that piece of legislation did not exist, would I still have cause to exist in that role? We need to be honest here. Especially at 4:30 in the morning when no one else is around, so you don’t need to impress anyone. I try. By looking at the root cause of why legislation prescribes that role. But more so by looking at the impact I can have on the people around me in that role. If I want to add value, what is it that they value. (In this context, this is a statement, not a question. There is no mistake in my grammar). That is why I enjoy facilitating risk workshops, because I see how participants realise how they are actually already doing risk management, and I see how they connect to their colleagues who face similar issues.
Furthermore, I am grateful for the value I gain from those around me, occasionally expressing in no uncertain terms that gratefulness. At other times my appreciation is expressed subtly by attempting a measure of value in return. Occasionally I try getting away with inserting some humour just because its not necessary to take everything so seriously. Like that time I inserted a tongue-in-cheek Terry Pratchet quote into a formal financial analysis report.
It is less complicated in my personal life. And maybe that is why I love farming even though I am a born and bread city girl. OK, maybe city is a bit of over-reaching. A town girl. The simplicity of the question here is Raison d’etre distilled. Here my role is not prescribed by law. Here my role is temporary caretaker. I have a piece of land, and a few animals for whom I need to care. If they don’t have water, they will die. Taking it up a notch on Maslow’s hierarchy of basic needs, I want them to be well fed and happy. So I need to provide a little more nourishment than merely access to grass. And occasionally I need to remove pests and administer reviving medicine.
The same applies to the vegetable garden. Applying “please go away and eat something else” pesticides, rather than destroying a bug’s own right to existence through poisonous pesticides.
And in return? I enjoy a fresh garden herb salad along with a delicious free range meat dish of the day.
While this may come across as righteous virtue, it comes down to the distilled essence at my very core : I enjoy it. Whether prescribed by law, or a most basic life necessity. By giving value, I get value.