This theory really unsettled me the first time I read it —I guess because I think its mostly true.

The upside is that — it is mostly true. It’s only part of the story. Life is amazingly complex and requires a constant re-prioritization of where we’ll focus our energies. Too often we think of setting priorities — and then keeping those for the long term — no matter what. For example someone who makes family a priority — which means (to them) that they’ll NEVER miss a school function for a career event. And if they miss an event -they’ve failed to honor that priority.

This is akin to black & white thinking. It’s narrow and idealistic- and not practical.

Whats better is to understand that we establish priorities as guideposts toward which we move — within a given context. Our context is constantly changing — and thus how we move toward those priorities needs to shift as well.

This is such a rich topic. Thank you for posing it and getting me thinking on it.