The Code Of Life November 29, 2012
As I was skimming through my Google Reader updates this morning, I was inspired by a blog post entitled Codex Vitae by Buster Benson. He discussed an idea brought up in the book Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel of a Codex Vitae, or Code of Life, as a means of passing on knowledge and creating a legacy. The goal is to create a volume made up of all of your knowledge so that it can be passed down, shared, remembered, and taught.
This idea made a significant impact on me in the following ways:
- Everyone has the potential to hold information others could benefit from
- Everyone could benefit from lessons learned by others
- Leading a life that accumulates enough knowledge and experience that it is a treasure to pass is certainly a difficult and noble cause
Thinking about this further led me to join in and later start discussions on it, and finally creating the beginnings of my own Codex Vitae. In addition though, I think there two things that while not more important than knowledge, need to at least go hand in hand with it. These two things being one's experiences and beliefs. Without these things, there is no perspective on the knowledge that you are trying to take in, and therefore no reference in trying to take these matters to heart. Past experiences and the constant bending and molding of our belief system is what drives us to gain knowledge in (or ignore) certain things.
This is why I decided to start my Codex Vitae project with my (current) core beliefs, and soon my goals both up coming and in to the future. Without having my perspective, how could I ever expect someone to take the lessons I've learned to heart?
Now, do I have enough knowledge gained in my 23 years to create a lasting legacy of knowledge that will be passed on? Of course not. Planning this and keeping it current however, will be a fantastic way to both keep me driven on continuing learning, as well as give myself some perspective on exactly how far I've come. There is no greater motivator than looking back on what you have accomplished and giving yourself a hard critique. This Code of Life is a great way to constantly be critiquing how I am living and whether I am living up to the standards that I set for myself.
Expect more updates about this in the future, and be sure to check out the start to my Codex Vitae on my Github.
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