Amit Kunnath

We often strive to lead a life of growth. We read about our field, we practise our craft, and we work every day to becoming a better version of ourselves. There are situations where this approach is incredibly valuable. However, I would argue that this approach is ineffective for seeking personal fulfillment.

Throughout this essay, I will be referring to two approaches towards measuring the value of one’s life:

• The Economic Approach, and
• The Dignity Approach.

The Economic Approach refers to the way in which most proponents of self -improvement argue we should live our lives. We should set ourselves tangible, specific goals. We should create and stick to a plan to achieve our goals, and evaluate our progress regularly. If we fail to achieve our goals, we must take a good look at ourselves to figure out where we went wrong, and fix the problem. Ultimately, the Economic Approach is founded on a sense of deficiency. Our skills and talents are scarce resources which must be efficiently allocated to fulfill our personal needs and wants. This approach posits that we must minimise excess capacity as far as practical; one’s life should become an endless pursuit of self-improvement and growth, with a hope that they can surpass the “unsuccessful majority” of people. There are certain situations where I believe that the Economic Approach has merit, and I will discuss these later in this essay. However, as a lens with which to view one’s relationship with oneself and the world, I think this approach fails miserably.

The Dignity Approach refers to the idea that every person has an innate dignity. This dignity stems from the simple fact that they are a human being. Nothing matters except for one’s humanity: a person’s accomplishments and mistakes; virtues and sins; it’s all irrelevant. No matter what you’ve done or haven’t done, you are a human person with an inviolable dignity; a dignity which stems from the very core of your being that not even your own actions can take away from you. The Dignity Approach is compatible with the Economic Approach; I am not saying that these two approaches to life are mutually exclusive. However, they each have a separate purpose, and one must keep this in mind when making decisions regarding self-esteem.

The Economic Approach: a tool to achieve goals
I believe that the Economic Approach should not be used as an outlook on life. Rather, it is a tool with a specific purpose: the setting and achieving of tangible goals. You’ve likely heard of SMART goals at some point in your life. Well, the Economic Approach is a tool you can use for achieving goals, just as how paintbrushes are tools for expressing creative ideas. Just as you wouldn’t use a paintbrush to do surgery, you wouldn’t use the Economic Approach to find fulfillment in life.

Many proponents of the Economic Approach tell us to adopt this approach as a mindset which influences every aspect of one’s being. Thousands of books written by some of the world’s most successful people advocate for an Economic Approach to life. Self-improvement coaches the world over tell us that if we work just a bit harder, we’ll be better than we were yesterday. This improvement compounds over time, and within ten years, we achieve goals beyond our wildest dreams.

This sounds like a perfect utopian fantasy, but I think there are serious problems with using the Economic Approach as a mindset rather than as a tool. For starters, achieving tangible goals is just a small aspect of one’s identity. To reduce a person’s worth to the sum of their accomplishments is an insult to human dignity and demonstrates a profound lack of understanding of the nature of human existence. Eventually, a person who adopts the Economic Approach as a mindset begins to feel dissatisfied with life. They deny the basic aspects of their beautiful and unique nature by fixating on their achievements. They eventually end up as a machine whose happiness can be calculated by using the equation Successes - Failures = Self-worth.

This is why I believe that the Economic Approach should only be used as a short-term tool for achieving specific goals. In this context, the Economic Approach holds tremendous value and has improved my life significantly. Once an artist abandons a painting, they will clean and put away their supplies for next time. In the same way, a person who understands how to apply the Economic Approach to their life will put it away upon achieving their goal. They will only adopt this approach again when working towards another goal. Indeed, someone who truly understands how to apply the Economic Approach to one’s life might not even achieve all their goals, because they are open to giving up on goals which no longer interest them. Goals aren’t everything.

The Dignity Approach: a mindset with which to approach life
I think that there is a far more effective way to lead a fulfilling life — to be “successful” — than the average self-help guru would ever talk about. Rather than adopting a mindset of efficiency and productivity, I think we’d be happier adopting a mindset of dignity and acceptance. When I say “acceptance”, I don’t mean settling for mediocrity. I mean adopting a shift in mindset so great that one no longer perceives oneself on a continuum of incompetence to excellence. These terms will begin to mean nothing, because the core belief behind every action stems from the idea that one is complete as is. Nothing needs to be added, nothing needs to be taken away.

This might seem absurd. From the perspective of contemporary Western society, perhaps it is. We have become conditioned to believe that self-improvement is the key to success. The best musicians practise hours each day from a young age. The leading business-owners all started numerous failed businesses, but stuck at their goals and succeeded. The most successful people read “worthwhile books” rather than watching “lousy TV”. Does it matter? I think not.

If you want to become great at something, that’s okay. But in this world, there are many people — myself included — who continue to adopt the Economic Approach as a mindset. We feel tremendous dissatisfaction as a result of not being good at anything. In my case, I lack both depth and breadth. My interests are limited, and yet my knowledge of my interests are shallow. In this ultra-competitive world, I have often felt disappointed by my mediocrity, which gradually erodes my self-esteem just as rain gradually carves out rocks to form caves.

I need to start adopting a mindset founded on the Dignity Approach instead. Even though this idea seems countercultural today, much of Western thought is built on Judeo-Christian ideals. A key tenet of the Christian faith is the idea that humans have an innate dignity which stems from being created in the image and likeness of God. I’m no Christian, but this is such an important message that we keep forgetting. We think that our society operates on the basis of each person fulfilling their own selfish interests. But does it really?

By adopting the Dignity Approach as a mindset, we become more loving of ourselves and of others. Rather than judging other people’s weaknesses, we recognise their innate dignity and look beyond their flaws. When engaging in self-reflection, we become less inclined to evaluate our progress, and instead explore our identity as the wonderfully beautiful work of art that it is. Life becomes meaningful and profoundly simple.

Eventually, we might even begin to let go of some of our goals. If I’m stuck playing just simple chord progressions on piano for the rest of my life, so be it. If I don’t want to put effort into something, I don’t have to. Some might call it laziness, but why work hard when you don’t have to?

Closing Thoughts
As you can see, I’m still struggling to adopt the Dignity Approach as my mindset. I believe in it intellectually, but it’s challenging to put into practice. Our whole lives we are taught to adopt a mindset modelled on the Economic Approach, and this ultimately leads to a lifetime of dissatisfaction and longing for more.

But our mindset is a choice. Viktor Frankl tells us that even in the most dire circumstances, we still have the freedom to choose our attitude towards unavoidable suffering. So let us adopt a mindset founded on an unwavering belief in the dignity of every human person. Rather than criticising ourselves and others, let’s embrace the gorgeous simplicity of life.

I am not opposing goal-setting. It can be a great opportunity for improving one’s life, and when used correctly as a tool, the Economic Approach can have tremendous value in all of our lives. All I’m saying is that this is just one tiny, tiny part of who we are. We are also human beings, made in the image and likeness of God, and therefore have an innate dignity. This dignity is the main thing.

So next time you feel like criticising yourself or someone else, perhaps take a step back. Is it really true, or is your lens distorted? For the only thing we humans do that could be seen as a flaw is the fact that we disregard our own beauty.

Let’s embrace a more holistic approach: the Dignity Approach. I hope that we all find personal fulfillment!