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Fake it til you make it” and Usopp

“Fake it til you make it” and Usopp

Usopp is a One Piece character known for his lies (and the trend that his lies somehow turn into reality in time). Maybe he is a great personification of “fake it til you make it”.

On one hand, this thought can be interpreted as encouraging aspirations and dreams, and manifesting that dreams by acting as if you are what you dreamed. On the other hand, this can be dangerous and inauthentic.

If a present lie becomes a reality in the future, does present lie cease being a lie? If one fakes it and makes it, does the previous fakery become authentic?

Maybe a more appropriate framing is that there’s no such thing as “making it”; there is no permanent destination or dream, and flourishing is a continuous process of becoming. When one aspires for a higher growth, one inevitably becomes aware of what they lack. Through training and persistence, what is lacking is filled, and through reflection and self-awareness, one can cultivate a kind of confidence anchored on authenticity and not on fakery, bluff, nor fluff.

YouTubers and One Piece fans have analyzed the dream of Usopp: to be the bravest warrior of the sea. As the most cowardly member of the Straw Hat Pirates, he is always in the process of facing his numerous fears. And in a way, everytime he conquers his fears no matter how big or small, he indeed becomes, even for a moment, the bravest man on the sea.

In a way, authenticity is that constant journey, or struggle even, to align what is seen and the unseen. There should be nothing fake in an attempt to “make it”. And, if “making it” really matters personally, the only one we’re fooling when we’re “faking it” is ourselves.

Luke 11:37-41. Although you cleanse the outside, inside you are filled with plunder and evil

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 284: OCTOBER 11, 2022]

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Some parallels between seeking insight and training muscles

Some parallels between seeking insight and training muscles

Muscles do not magically grow after lifting weights. We need to rest and recover. Too much could tear the muscles and break them down.

Insights and signs do not always automatically become obvious after inquiring. We need to rest and recover. Too much focus can make us too near-sighted, failing to see a different angle.

Flourishing is not about being always happy and feeling pleasure all the time. Oftentimes, it is a dance between challenging one’s limits but finding time to recover. It is in recovery that we let or help things happen after pouring everything we could. Rest or recovery without training or attempting to exceed one’s initial limits is not rest nor recovery at all; it is a kind of laziness that wastes our talents and potential.

Luke 11:29-32. There is something greater than the prophets here

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 283: OCTOBER 10, 2022]

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Gratitude x Netero x Meruem

Gratitude x Netero x Meruem

The Hunter x Hunter Chimera Ant arc is one of the greatest anime or manga arcs of all time. One of the stand out events in that arc is when Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Guild, fought Meruem, the King of the Ants.

The power of Netero’s attack stems from his gratitude towards everything that allowed him to face a worthy and strong rival.

Humility leads to gratitude. Gratitude can lead to power. Humility is powerful.

Luke 17:11-19. The cleansing of the ten lepers

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 282: OCTOBER 9, 2022]

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Consistency is about excellencism, not perfectionism

Consistency is about excellencism, not perfectionism

It is way easier to remember the peaks and lows. This may be why people can tend towards perfectionism.

But what matters more is consistency. It may be more boring, but it is the principle that lies authentic excellencism.

Luke 11:27-28. More blessed still are those who hear the word of God and keep it!

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 281: OCTOBER 8, 2022]

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Connecting scattered dots

Connecting scattered dots

The information age can bombard us with so much clutter; we are challenged to find meaningful connections amid the scattered dots that surround us.

Maybe we can discover patterns. Maybe we can find supposed associations and connections between events or seemingly unrelated events. But maybe the invitation is to leverage on the reasonableness of our minds, the goodness of hearts, and the faithfulness of our spirits to truly discover insight.

Luke 11:15-26. Whoever does not gather with me scatters

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 280: OCTOBER 7, 2022]

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Some quick reflections on persistence, working hard, and hustle culture

Some quick reflections on persistence, working hard, and hustle culture

The gospel for today is again about one of my favorite stories best summed by this verse: “I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship’s sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants.”

Indeed, there are times when persistence or working hard is more effective than “mere” friendship and brotherhood.

Persistence and working hard are such values that a work-oriented society seems to admire strongly. As business educators, we want to produce graduates who are persistent and have strong work ethic. Yet our department claims that we want to care for the well-being of our stakeholders and not just look at productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness.

One of my student thesis groups is exploring how hustle culture comes to be and is maintained within a higher education context, and our initial insight seems to point to the obvious: we have to find the golden mean between persistence, working hard, and caring for one’s well-being. Hopefully, by combining statistical analysis and qualitative analysis, we will be able to estimate thresholds of when work is too much (i.e., borders workaholism or hustling) and what level of working hard is “healthy” such that it leads to higher life satisfaction.

The challenge is that each individual would have particular stamina or thresholds of what level of work leads to lower life satisfaction or may even lead to the suffering of one’s mental health. How should managers push students to increase one’s stamina without leading to burnout?

Maybe athletics is a great analogy for this. Sometimes, there really are contexts or sports where higher endurance is a must. Maybe the goal of educators and managers is to have a sober understanding of a work condition such that we do not inadvertently put people with lower thresholds in positions where they might suffer.

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Luke 11:5-13. “I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship’s sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants.”

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 279: OCTOBER 6, 2022]

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We are meant to harmonize with each other

We are meant to harmonize with each other

“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” We are meant to always be in a relationship with others, ourselves, and our God.

Therefore, let us act as we are meant to be.

Luke 11:1-4. The Lord’s prayer

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 278: OCTOBER 5, 2022]

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Busyness as distraction

Busyness as distraction

Sometimes it is easy to have an illusion of movement by appearing busy. But the right kind of work does not necessarily steal time unlike a kind of work that wastes us and what we could be.

Insight reveals itself during times of rest and the mundane. What if the Primary Insight is waiting for us to keep still before He reveals Himself?

Luke 10:38-42. Martha and Mary

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 277: OCTOBER 4, 2022]

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When we inquire, do we want right answers or do we want to be right?

When we inquire, do we want right answers or do we want to be right?

Inquiry, in its purest form, is about the pursuit of insight. Maybe we have an initial answer, and upon asking and having a dialogue, the answer is confirmed right. Maybe the correct answer is different from our initial thought. Either way, the inquirer becomes wiser after inquiring.

But if we inquire to pursue justification of our biases, is that really inquiry, or is it more about massaging our ego? When this happens, the inquirer does not necessarily become wiser after inquiry; they merely inflate their (false) sense of self.

What is great about this version of the parable of the good Samaritan is that through simple analogies and inquiry, Jesus allows His audience to realize the ego trap he has fallen into. Maybe this is the gold standard of what teaching really is: not merely to proselytize and chastise, but rather, inquire and scaffold insight.

Luke 10 25-37. The good Samaritan

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 276: OCTOBER 3, 2022]

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Balancing duty and excellence

Balancing duty and excellence

The tricky thing for teams and organizations is to find the sweet spot between reasonable minimum expectations and encouraging excellence. Too much focus on minimums can breed mediocrity; too much pressure on achieving excellence can breed burnout.

Like music, too much rest is just boring silence; too much sound is just noise. The music analogy can also help us understand how to balance duty and going above and beyond.

In a music group or in a band, every member has spaces to fill. It is everyone’s duty to stick to the agreed timing so everyone can groove. There is a time for a particular member to shine – a guitar solo, a high note for the vocal, an iconic drum pattern, a groovy bass fill, or a playful keyboard riff.

Doing one’s duty should be appreciated but not necessarily commended, because doing one’s duty is to let others shine. It is through good faith that we find ourselves opportunities to shine without depriving others of their spotlight.

Luke Luke 17:5-10. “We are useless servants: we have done no more than our duty.”

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 275: OCTOBER 2, 2022]

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