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What accomplishes in life is work. Acts are the units of work. The prime agent that brings an act about and to its result is the SKILL required for the act. Along with the skill, discipline and values come into play to generate the full individual or social utility of the act which goes to make a work possible.
Physical skill formation
At the base of any skill it’s the energy needed for its formation. Energy accomplishes when it is given a direction that converts it into Force, that Force is channeled through organization to become effective power. Physical and that power are expressed through appropriate skills to generate results.
Physical skill requires physical energy. Skills in each higher plane require energy of that plane. Skills can develop in the vital and mental only when skill formation in the lower planes are well established. Thus, vital skills require a base of physical energy and skill and mental skills require a sufficient foundation of vital energy and skill.
Writing is a physical skill. The pure skill of writing is complete when one learns the correct formation of letters and the words. But in addition, there are also a set of ‘non-writing’ skills required for complete mastery of the skill of writing, such as the capacity to form letters evenly and maintain the writing in a straight line. Then comes what to write. This is not the physical part of the writing skill, but it is an essential part. Thus, the complete skill of writing skill includes letter formation, evenness and straightness. Physical energy that directed to the exercise of writing turns into physical skill of writing.
Values complete skills
The skill thus acquired is of use for the individual when it is accompanied by values of cleanliness (e.g. not smudging the paper) accuracy of spelling and word selection, orderliness, punctuality and the personal discipline of work. Any skill will not deliver its full utility unless it is accompanied by the requisite values and discipline.
These are values of the same plane in which the skill is exercised, i.e. physical values of cleanliness, orderliness, punctuality, straightness of line and paper, judgement of where to place the paper for writing, the angle in which the pen is to be held, the amount of pressure one can exert with benefit on the nib etc. These accompanying values and disciplines (keeping the pen closed while not writing) are endless.
Energy in each plane matures into skill of work in a single act and yields its full result when the requisite values and discipline are also present.
Higher level skill formation
The vital skills follow the very same rules in their formation but will appear to be different for the untrained eye. Speaking is a vital act whose primary components are coordination of the muscles in the mouth, throat and face. Very dull people who speak with an effort can be seen making strange muscular movements of the facial areas, as the primary skill of speaking at this level is not yet formed in them. Words form into sentences and sentences go to convey a thought. When the person has acquired this much, he must modulate his voice to the hearing of the listener and initiate speaking when the other man is not speaking. If this much can be described as the skill of speaking skill, innumerable other values and disciplines are called into play to complete the act of speaking or yield their result. For example, control of saliva to prevent it running over one’s own lips, gesturing with the hand and other parts of the body, making eye contact, the value of respect for the listener, the discipline of bringing his notes to the table or looking or not looking at the notes etc.
Thinking and understanding are mental skills. The same process applies at this level as well.
Value as spiritual skills
Mind consists of multiple levels or layers. Values can be described as spiritual skills. Values such as honesty, loyalty and patience are skills of the higher or spiritual mind that is above the thinking mind. The formation of these values or spiritual skills follows the same process as the formation of skills at lower levels.
Human accomplishment is determined by the dimensions (width, amplitude, scope, reach and spread) of his work. All significant accomplishment in work includes a dimension of the values (of spirit). An ordinary citizen seeking a career acquires a degree, a job, a family and sets about seeking a goal. His goal is achieved or not, depending on whether he includes values or not in his pursuit. Suppose his goal is to become an executive, a politician, the head of the family or a wealthy businessman. Unless the values corresponding to this goal are also acquired during the process of his pursuit, he will not reach that goal. Beyond a certain level in the society, no goal can be reached without positive values. Up to that level, goals such as the accumulation of money or power can be reached negatively also.
The values that enable a person to accomplish his goals are primarily given by family and secondarily by school education. Later one’s job may impart a few values. In addition one may consciously choose to acquire other values.
- Skill is a work value.
- Skill accomplishes in the physical plane.
- In each plane, skill belongs to the physical part of that plane i.e. [[Nine Levels | Levels 3, 6 and 9].
- Skill in the vital is known as attitude.
- Skill in the mind is known as decision.
- Skill in the spirit is known as values.
- Skill in the being is known as motive.
- Individuals achieve in the measure they learn the skills required for achievement.
- Skill needs to be distinguished from capacity, ability and talent which are more complex formations.
- Skills accomplish in the measure values and discipline supports them.
- Family imparts psychological skills, schools impart mental skills, work imparts work skills and human interaction imparts social skills.
- Every individual and society possesses a significant untapped potential of formed skills that are not being utilized. This is so because skill formation is subconscious.
- Making skill formation conscious can enable individuals and societies to raise their accomplishments tenfold, the way Asian countries developed by importing foreign technology.
- Individuals and societies are only attracted to new possibilities when those potentials appeal to the fabric of their formed values.
- Man has invested so much effort to build up his current formation of values such as prestige, security and money that he will not risk them for anything.
- He will readily risk and nothing can prevent him from risking, provided the opportunity appeals to a higher level of his formed values. Even if it is far higher and unattainable, he will exert his maximum to attain it. He would rather die than not attempt it.
- This irresistible urge can be seen in the revolution of rising expectations.
- If a complete map of value formation and scales of several values (physical, vital, mental, social, operational, etc.) are developed, it can be used by any individual, organization or society to identify the next higher level which can inspire higher accomplishment. That next higher level always involves a tenfold expansion over the present level of accomplishment.
- If such scales are constructed and made available to the population through schools, the world can eliminate all its present problems.
- Education plays a partial but crucial role in the entire process.