I am not above my environment

Environments have a unique “grain” – analogous to the way fibers on a piece of wood stretch in a similar direction. Grain contextualizes normalcy: What is success here? Who are role models and influencers? What is possible to accomplish? What should I be doing with my time here?

Cities have unique energies because of their distinct grain patterns. Los Angeles encourages finding comfort, seeking influence, and keeping up with pop culture; New York City pushes grit and living authentically through everyday grime; San Francisco scales at all costs.

Grain’s influence stretches beyond geopolitical bounds – I am not above the culture of the companies I work for, the churches I find community in, the friends I spend time with, nor the moment in history I live in. I am always living in a unique place, amongst a unique group of people, at a unique moment in history. These factors create an environmental context that influences what I see as righteous, restful, intelligent, successful, and enjoyable¹.

Environments and Time

Environments are dynamic entities, changing just like the humans that inhabit them. Rules and win conditions of environments change over time, so it’s naive to think that I can succeed following a playbook that someone else made success with 100, 50, or even 5 years ago. ² The climate changes, small businesses that define the neighborhood come and go, people move away, and the topography of grain flows in a new direction.

My plans for my future need to be flexible enough to adapt to my changing environment.³ As I write this note, it’s the dawn of the proliferation of AI “agents.” 7 years ago, the utility of AI was limited to sci-fi drama portrayals; now, the possibility of what AI will be able to do expands daily. The way teams build software, the types of apps people need and want, and the problems that are now possible to address have changed.

Discerning Grain

Without discerning the formative impact of the environment I am in, any strides in intentional living are moot, for the environmental undercurrent affects everything I do.

Who am I becoming while exposing myself to a particular city, community, or company?

I bring personal biases that make it difficult to evaluate this objectively – preconceived notions about a place, overconfidence in my resilience against certain cultural forces, heroes that I idolize at a company, etc.

I hedge against my biases by inviting others to evaluate environments with me – multiple perspectives counteract personal subjectivity. Additionally, I use discernment questions tailored towards evaluating environmental grain:

• What dominates the local discourse of this environment?
• Who and what is praised in this environment?
• How do people connect and relate to others in this environment?

Environmental Response

Even though I am not above the formative influence of the environments I am in, I can exercise personal discretion to orient myself within my environment.

Tailwind

Tailwind is swimming in the same direction as the current. The person I am striving to become is fully encouraged, praised, and validated. Tailwind brings joy and strength. Every challenge brings growth; I am motivated to endure my race; Each day feels like I’m fully alive.

Maximize tailwind time.

Going with the Flow

I can’t have protagonist energy all the time; it takes too much mental energy to be hyper intentional about everything.⁴ In these non-intentional portions of life, I will acclimate to the cultural undercurrent of the communally-defined environment I’m a part of.

Remain aware of how the environment is shaping me by default. As long as this does not conflict with my core values, calmly ride the flow.

Fighting the Grain

When I try to become someone that an environment does not encourage, I am at war, fighting forces that attempt to distort my idea of living my true self. The only reason to fight the grain is for the sake of others in the environment. Ask yourself: “why do I want this environment to change when I can simply remove myself from this space and live in one with tailwind?”

Fighting against the grain is a hyper intentional act of love, a bold and courageous endeavor, requiring sacrificial dedication and persistent attention. It expends great energy and will rapidly fatigue me; it is not a sustainable way to live. Therefore, I am extremely selective about engagement with these environments. Split focus across multiple battlefronts will surely lead to inadequate attention and decrease the chance of successfully transforming an environment.

The key indicator of grain change is the ability to recruit others to join me in expanding a minority lifestyle within the environment. If I cannot encourage others to swim upstream with me, it is unlikely that a critical mass contingent will develop to turn the tide.

Fighting the grain is the most difficult environmental force I can subject myself to, so limit exposure to these environments to avoid burn out.

Resting from Environmental Forces

As a follower of Jesus, I must realize that to become like Jesus is to be transformed apart from all environments on Earth. There is no place that perfectly reflects his definitions of success, his role model, nor his way of life.

For this reason, it’s important to intentionally disconnect from the environment I am in through practices such as Sabbath and Solitude, so I can increase my familiarity with the way of Jesus.