During one of my recent long runs, it occurred to me that I seem to be adding more and more structure into my life. Running obviously follows a pretty rigid training structure. My daily/weekly work plans all seem to run better when I have a regimented structure. My regular Bible reading goes more smoothly when I have a regular plan to follow. Finally, what is an agreed-to budget, but a structural framework for how to handle money?
Something I’ve heard off and on (usually as a general lament, occasionally directed at me) is that having a lot of structure in your life is horribly constricting, and “I’m a free spirit, man.” Okay, maybe. But let’s look at the natural world for a moment.
Here’s a short list of types of soft-bodied animal types found in nature:
- Earthworms
- Jellyfish
- Tapeworms
- Squids
- Amoeba
Note that “Soft Body” means the creature has neither an exoskeleton (like insects) or an endoskeleton (like vertebrates). For what, when you get down to it, is a skeleton but a structure within which a body is built? With a few weird aquatic exceptions such as the Giant Squid, soft-body organisms are almost universally small. Particularly on land, if you want a big creature, you need the structural constraints of a rigid skeleton holding everything up. Interestingly enough, the lack of hard skeletal parts in soft-bodied organisms makes them extremely rare in the fossil record. In short, a life without any structure makes it difficult to leave a permanent mark on the world.
To look at it another way, nearly everyone has made sand castles or played in mud as a kid. Fill a bucket with mud, schlorp that upside-down onto the ground, and “Viola!” a building for your little pretend town. But as everyone knows, there’s a pretty hard limit to how tall a structure made out of sloppy mud can get. However, add some straw or other structural stiffening agent to the right kind of mud, pour that mud into some rigid forms to give it shape, and let it dry for a few days (or fire it in a kiln if you don’t have a week or two to wait), and you get bricks! Something that humans have been using to build with for over 4,000 years.
Of course, there’s still a height limit on structures made out of sun-dried bricks. These things are heavy, and getting much beyond one or two stories in height requires a massive base to support the weight and gets very impractical without some additional support. This is one of the main reasons why concrete is reinforced with steel rebar. The taller you want to build, the more a structural skeleton is required, and the more unforgiving the design constraints become.
The point here should be pretty clear. Sure, it’s completely possible to build a life with little or no structure. Sure, as a person you’ll likely be dependent upon other people to ensure that your daily needs are fulfilled, but it’s possible. I’d argue that such a life is less of a life and more of a mere existence which, much like an earthworm or jellyfish, is unlikely to leave much of a mark on the world. Truly building a life requires some rigidity. How much is up to each one of us, but as the old axiom says “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”