Tool Is A Noun
I see everything as a tool. Many if not most things we use on a daily basis are tools that we created. If you take a look around, in nature you can find plants and animals using all sorts of tools for their benefit. Our first tools came from nature too. All tools are from nature actually, but some can seem quite far removed.
We often think about tools in a very object oriented sense. We think of ‘things’. However, I think that tools are not just something you hold in your hand. They can often be experiences or ‘places’ (for instance college, or a trip to somewhere new) that ultimately add some sort of understanding or new way of processing to your internal toolkit.
Another place I have found tools is in my relationships with others, or in ‘people’. I don’t mean this in the sense of using another being. What I mean is noticing in relationships with others what each party is bringing to the interaction and how it is supportive or unsupportive of the experience and growth of both parties. Usually, people have a variety of things they offer to the world, knowingly or unknowingly. To me, healthy relationships are balanced in the sense that both parties are giving and getting. Often, this is done unconsciously. It is simply the nature of how we relate, and why we connect with some more than with others. There is nothing wrong with anyone, but we each offer different tools that some need, some are neutral to, and some are better without.
Seeing tools in things, places, and people, in all nouns, is quite exciting. It can also be overwhelming as the extent of tools and their worth is limitless. There are an infinite amount of tools, and everyday thousands of new tools appear.
How then does one navigate which tools best serve them? Which tools help one best serve? That’s a great question, and I don’t have the answer. But I do think that everyone can find that answer for themselves in regards to the tools around them.
I have made a list of questions to help with this process for those interested. Get out a piece of paper and a pen and dive in.
And cheers to being tools, surrounded by tools, creating tools! What a life.
Questions To Ask About Your Tools (objects/things, experiences/places, and relationships/people)
What is the tool I am wanting to investigate? Is it a thing/object, a place/experience, or a person/relationship?
What is the underlying original purpose of this object, place, or relationship?
Does it or can it serve other purposes too?
Was I able to do these things before the tool arrived/began?
What is my original reason for engaging with this tool? Has my reason changed? What is my reason now?
What resources go into this tool/experience and are they in line with a sustainable life? What is its regular carbon footprint? Is its impact ongoing or a one-time thing?
How often do I engage with this on a daily/weekly/monthly basis? What percentage of my time do I spend with it?
How is this tool (thing, place/experience, relationship) serving me? How does this serve humanity and the planet?
How am I serving this tool (thing, place/experience, relationship)? How am I adding to its betterment?
What are the personal pros/cons of using/having this tool? What are the national and global pros/cons of this?
How might this tool be holding me back? Are these things adjustable?
Do I perceive my relationship with this tool to be healthy and supportive?
Am I a better person for having/using this tool? How so?
Is the world better because of it? How so?
If I continue my regular relationship to this tool how I am currently using it with no changes will I be who I want to be in 5 years?
Does this tool support my long term goals and dreams?
Rate the usefulness of this tool on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being HELL YEAH GREAT TOOL!