The context in which we live is invisible to us, yet it shapes everything. A context determines the possibilities available to us. It is built on assumptions that are deeply rooted in our culture, upbringing, language, and the era in which we live. This shapes the very fabric of our reality, without us even realizing it.
Our history is full of moments of great progress, born out of deliberately created new contexts. Democracy, equality, relativity, and human rights were all once new contexts. Isaac Newton discovered gravity—while the physical force certainly existed before Newton, he transformed its possibilities. If he hadn’t defined how the force worked and given it a name, a number of important technical developments would never have taken place. The calculations that make aviation and space travel possible, for example, would never have been on the table. It simply wasn’t among the possibilities that we as humanity were capable of envisioning.
"The context in which you live shapes how you see yourself and the world; it determines what you are capable of."
The set of assumptions through which you view the world is a product of your life experiences and the environment in which you find yourself. Almost everyone lives within a context that is, as it were, simply given to them, blind to its existence and the profound influence it exerts. It’s like wearing blinders—you don’t see the context itself, only what it allows you to see. It shapes your worldview: what is possible and what isn’t, what is right and wrong, what is good and bad. It shapes your behavior, your choices, and ultimately your life. It limits you and keeps you trapped.
Things are simply "the way they are," and we accept that as a given. We believe that our experience of life is determined by circumstances and the content of our lives. When you want change, you change the content. You move, find a new partner, switch jobs, or start a new business. You’re merely shifting the content, resulting in a life driven by content. There are few opportunities and little power in this approach.
Placing the most beautiful designer furniture (content) in an office (context) without walls that are sturdy and well-founded is ultimately pointless. When you consciously take all of this in, the opportunity arises to create a context yourself. A new context is built from what you say and the choices you make. The ability to make conscious choices is a unique trait granted only to humans. This is both a privilege and an enormous responsibility—a thought that is both uncomfortable and liberating.