Tonight, after much prodding from one of my adult daughters
– and I mean much, because I don’t watch a lot of television, or movies, for that matter…I’d rather
read – I watched “Divergent”. But, of course, I can’t watch anything with
mindless intent….I have to dissect it. I mean, what good would the hamster in my
head be if I didn’t....dissect everything, I mean? I guess I’m divergent that way. I can’t just imbibe
anything, be it written, heard or video without that. It’s just how I am hard
wired. Yet, I wonder, can my observations bring you to a bigger understanding of the big picture as well? Let’s see. Because watching “Divergent” taught me 20 things. But first….
Here is a quick overview of the 5 factions:
Abnegation
“
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I choose to turn
away from my reflection, to rely not on myself but on my brothers and
sisters, to project always outward until I disappear.
|
”
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Abnegation is the faction that values the
needs of others above the needs of oneself. Members of Abnegation take over the
public services in the city.
Erudite
(The Intelligent)
"Ignorance is defined not as stupidity but as lack of knowledge. Lack of knowledge inevitably leads to lack of understanding. Lack of understanding leads to a disconnect among people with differences. Disconnection among people with differences leads to conflict. Knowledge is the only logical solution to the problem of conflict. Therefore, we propose that in order to eliminate conflict, we must eliminate the disconnect among those with differences by correcting the lack of understanding that arises from ignorance with knowledge."
–Erudite Manifesto
Amity (The Peaceful)
“Give freely, trusting that you will be given what you need... Do not be angry. The opinions of others cannot damage you... The wrong is past. You must let it rest where it lies... You must no longer think cruel thoughts. Cruel thoughts lead to cruel words, and hurt you as much as they hurt their target.”
“Give freely, trusting that you will be given what you need... Do not be angry. The opinions of others cannot damage you... The wrong is past. You must let it rest where it lies... You must no longer think cruel thoughts. Cruel thoughts lead to cruel words, and hurt you as much as they hurt their target.”
–Amity Manifesto
Candor (The Honest)
Candor members value honesty above all else. A member of Candor can be recognized from their black and white clothing, a visual representation of the black-and-white they see in truth. Through the years, the Candor faction provided the people with trustworthy and sound leaders in law. They are very truthful, sometimes to the point of being tactless. The Candor initiation does not utilize simulation, but utilizes lie detectors tests and truth serum: initiates are placed in front of all those in the faction and are asked deeply personal questions. They believe that charm is unnecessary and politeness is deception in pretty packaging. According to Christina, Candor acts according to the idea that if the person reveals all his secrets, he has no desire to lie about anything because the worst is already in the open. Although Candor values honesty the most, they also seek to develop impartiality. (The term "Candor" roots from the word "Candid." The word is a Latin word meaning to shine; be white.)
Factionless
There is one more group that is not part of the social classes or factions. These are the factionless. These are the people who failed to complete their initiation into whatever faction they chose and live in poverty, doing the work no one else wants to do. They are the janitors, construction workers and garbage collectors. They are the ones who make fabric, operate trains and drive buses. In return for their work they get food and clothing. They live in places like collapsed roads, empty subways full of trash and sewage.It is later found that they have the highest number of Divergent. They wear mixed clothing from other factions. The factionless also include eldery dauntless.
Divergent?
A
divergent is someone who has all of these traits, equally….and those folks are
extremely rare.Divergents make people extremely afraid, because they can fit in anywhere. And, just like
every profile test, every personality test I have ever taken in my life, none have been a
total, complete or perfect fit. Even this one. As I took this “exam" today on
which faction I would belong in, I got Candor.
Sure, I get that. I am that, in many ways that "faction", but aren’t we all? I took the test four times, because nothing “fit” and I got all of the factions with each go around….even divergent once. Because I won’t allow myself to be placed in a box. Will you? Take a look at my 20 lessons, and ask yourself which of them apply to you.
Sure, I get that. I am that, in many ways that "faction", but aren’t we all? I took the test four times, because nothing “fit” and I got all of the factions with each go around….even divergent once. Because I won’t allow myself to be placed in a box. Will you? Take a look at my 20 lessons, and ask yourself which of them apply to you.
1. Are you only one thing?
Rarely, in my life, have a ran across a person who fits neatly
into a box. I doubt you have either. We all run across people every day who
embody so much of each characteristic of each faction, that it becomes difficult to
put them into a box. So why do you try so hard to fit in one, or make someone
else do the same?
2. How many times have you been all factions?
I think many of us embody all factions, which is why we can
relate to this book….well, that, and plus the underdog thing.
3. Why do you relegate?
Why do you even WANT to stay trapped in a box? You’re better
than that.
4. Are you going to stay trapped forever?
How much longer will you stay there; in that box; that faction?
At what point will you stop listening and start talking?
5. How can you be divergent?
How can YOU use your talent, your voice to go against the
grain, to go against the norm? And why are you too chickenshit not to?
6. Are you going to jump to fly, to fall or to
find a net?
In the movie, Dauntless jumps off a building with total
trust, to find a net at the bottom of this peril, when they had no clue what was waiting for
them. This is like life. You can jump to fly, to fall or to find a net. The
choice is yours. No matter how you land….you land. You learn and you do it all
over again. At least, until you learn grow wings.
7. Even if it hurts, will it hurt forever?
Even though gunshots (or fake ones) might hurt, they don’t hurt
forever, nor does anything else in life. Pick yourself up, brush it off and try
again, fail better.
8. Will you fight to be factionless?
Why do you fight all of your life to fit into a box? To fit
into something that someone else wants you to be? Why are you trying so hard to
fit in, when you were born to stand out? Likeable, by the way, doesn’t mean
impactful. Just so you know.
9. Not good enough? Train harder.
If you don’t fit, if you can’t lead, or if you feel like you
can’t….train harder. Do it. The world has more than enough sheep, and far too
few real leaders anymore.
10. It’s okay to be human.
We are all human, we all have meltdowns, we all have
moments, we can all be assholes. And that is okay. It’s how we deal with those moments that matters. So deal with them. Be honest. Move on.
11. Find your divergents, they are your tribe.
If you are truly a divergent, if you are truly someone who
doesn’t like the beaten path, who refuses to see two roads, you will find your
home with those who see the world the same way you do. They are rare. That is
okay. That is your tribe.
12. Fences are built as much to keep people out
as they are to keep people in.
Doors, walls, fences and structures of all types are meant
to keep the people inside in those areas as much as they are to keep people out
of them. Remember that. The moment you feel safe in your comfort zone is the
moment you stop growing. The moment you feel safe in the fact that your
opinion, your insight is the only one….you’re wrong. So try again. Seek first
to understand, then to be understood.
13. Is human nature the enemy or the lynchpin?
I have run across many folks in my lifetime from each ‘faction’….and
the liars have always bothered me most. However, don’t we need those who do nothing but lie to
appreciate the truth? Utopia will never exist, because humans are flawed and
human nature is also flawed. This is not, however, the enemy, nor the lynchpin, as long as
you understand it….and as long as you understand that human nature and flaws is the way things always will be. Deal with
the behavior, not the person. There is a difference.
If anyone should be factionless, it should be fakers, phonies and liars. They contribute the least to the overall good of society. How many of those do you know right now? And why are you still messing about with them? If they contribute nothing, why do you think they mean anything? They haven't learned how to be divergent yet. They may never. Regardless, that isn't why you fight, nor should it be who you fight for. Your job is to fight for the selfless, the honest and those hungry for knowledge. The rest? Well, they are on their own, it's their job to learn to catch up.
If anyone should be factionless, it should be fakers, phonies and liars. They contribute the least to the overall good of society. How many of those do you know right now? And why are you still messing about with them? If they contribute nothing, why do you think they mean anything? They haven't learned how to be divergent yet. They may never. Regardless, that isn't why you fight, nor should it be who you fight for. Your job is to fight for the selfless, the honest and those hungry for knowledge. The rest? Well, they are on their own, it's their job to learn to catch up.
14. Do it the way “they” would, and be rest
assured, you are doing it wrong.
We all subscribe to this bullshit ideal of doing things the
way someone else would. Ha. Quit. Do it your way. Figure it out. That’s the
only way you will really learn. Honest. Make your own mistakes, stop listening
to the quorum. You sink or swim on your own. No one else has to live with the
consequences of your mistakes or success, other than you. But I will tell you
right now, if your failures are directly tied to bad advice from others, you
will resent them forever; and despise them for their advice; advice they didn't have to live with, advcie that you did. Save yourself that trouble.
15. Be brave, intelligent, selfless and above everything else….don’t be relegated.
Be it all. Do it all. You are it all already. So quit
putting yourself in a box.
16. Keep your head down, until you can’t.
Divergents can keep their heads down, for a while, but not forever. You can ignore
wrongs for so long before you use your voice…but when you encompass all factions,
you will be heard…and you will be heard louder and more resolutely than those
who relegate themselves to a single faction, and you will do so because your
actions will meet up with your words, and that means everything. It means more than factions, it means more than keeping your head down. It means you never give up. It means you are genuine. And there is a severe lack of genuine people in this dreary world today.
17. Mothers will sacrifice everything.
Everything.
You won’t understand this unless you are one. If you are
Dauntless and your daughter/son is in trouble, you will kill everyone around her to
make sure she is safe. Only mothers will understand this, Dauntless or not, but
Dauntless and Divergents will understand this best. You simply don’t know that struggle, unless you
have lived it. So give the mothers in your life some room. Every good mother is
Dauntless.
18. Delete the program.
We are all pre-programmed to hurt and destroy people when
they make us angry. What would happen if we delete that program? What would
happen if we allowed it to finish? Think about it. Let the people who need to self-destruct. Delete the program in us for those who don't. Regardless of who they are, they don’t need your help to self destruct. You don’t have that kind of time to devote to such nonsense anyway.
19. There isn’t a second to waste.
We could all lose someone we adore to a car crash tomorrow,
to a stroke, to a heart attack, to whatever. Yet, we still think we have this
bullshit safety net. We believe that when we call tomorrow, when we text tomorrow the
person on the other end will be there. Yet, for millions of people every day,
that fantasy becomes a long lost dream. So why do we still buy into that
fantasy? Tomorrow isn’t promised. We could lose anyone, for any reason. Say you
love them to those you love, all the time. Mean it. And don’t waste time, breath or
keystrokes on those who don’t.
20. Be divergent.
Because, no matter how you are divergent, it’s crucial to
growth. Divergence is necessary. Even though it might scare the hell out of
everyone else.
So the next time someone tells you that you have to pick one
thing and only be good at that one thing, ask them why? Because diversity is
what rules the world, not just one person who is good at one thing. Challenge
yourself to master more than one faction. You can. You probably already have. You're divergent.
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