Ship of Theseus: Embracing MT

In ancient Greek mythology, the Ship of Theseus presents a thought-provoking paradox:

if a ship's components are gradually replaced, does it remain the same ship?

I propose this philosophical puzzle because time and time again I work to prove the legitimacy of discussing MT as it's own construct. People will come to me and say, "Don't you mean resilience?"

And my answer is, "NO! Resilience ≠ MT."

If I was to explain resilience in an over-simplistic fashion, it can be summarized in three simple steps (similar to the Lord of the Rings explanation in Clerks II):

1. Go along your way
2. Fall down (there must be adversity)
3. Get back up and achieve a new baseline of performance

This happens in countless levels: personal, interpersonal, societal, mental, physical, emotional, cellular, natural, psychological, organizational... But the most important note is that once you have achieved a new baseline, that that display of resilience has come to an end. It is momentary.

With that said, any person who has undergone any meaningful process to achieve their goals knows that challenging paths do not provide a single obstacle and then just let us go. They can tell you that in real life the hero never rides off into the sunset and lives "happily ever after." There is always more problems to face (just ask these Disney characters)...

So with all due respect to resilience, this is where MT appears to take its own shape as it pertains a much more sustaining element. What I mean is that if resilience is displaying a gritty behavior in the midst of the struggle, MT is about consciously staying on that path of struggle despite knowing that countless more challenges will appear. It's about continuing the run when understanding that there is no finish line. It's almost as if an individual is voluntarily staying on a path of pain as they believe it will lead to a meaningful destination.

It is for this reason I discuss the MT construct in my lectures and course in terms of three interrelated parts:

(I) Awareness of Core Values

At the heart of MT is a deep awareness of the values that drive us. The type of awareness that stays in mind at all times - especially when s#it hits the fan.

(II) Acceptance of Obstacles

Internalizing that obstacles are an integral part of life and are ultimately endless (until we met our end).

(III) Self-Confidence in Overcoming Challenges

The belief in our ability to navigate and overcome the obstacles in part II. This confidence is not about eliminating fear or doubt but about recognizing our capacity to cope with whatever comes our way.

Now reconsidering the Ship of Theseus once more, we understand that we are not replacing resilience for a new construct (MT). But rather giving resilience it's due respect. We are sharpening it's purpose in our ship for a place that it can serve us more effectively and efficiently - coping with challenges in real time.

However we must remember that this is just a single element in the grander scheme of things. We must each be committed to endlessly building our MT ship. The one that sails with the winds that is propelled by our core value, that ship that can accept that there will be unsettling tides ahead and ultimately believe that we can face these waves successfully.

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