Above the line
[ This is an excerpt from my book on leadership and engagement, Tribe of Learning. I’ve edited slightly to make sense here without the context of the rest of the book ]
I’m of the opinion generally that when people attempt the simplification of complexity, the result is an over-simplification; a reduction of reality that lacks nuance. Statistician George Box famously said “All models are wrong, some are useful”, but I reckon his use of the word ‘some’ was an overstatement. In my view, most simplifications are taken too far, rendering themselves utterly useless.
With that said, there’s a rule I follow in life which is completely binary, and in my experience effectively perfect. The rule is simple; exist above the line. ‘The line’ is undefinable, yet black and white. Whilst it has no physical manifestation, it’s something I can locate instantly the moment I need to. You’ve no doubt come across it as a metaphor in speech, as in; “he crossed the line”.
I’m not certain where the meme began. I first learned of it from Matt Church, who recommended a couple of different authors who explore the idea, principally David R Hawkins in 'Power vs Force’ and Michael Henderson in ‘Above the Line’.
The thesis of Hawkins’ book is pretty simple; that states of being exist in a hierarchy, with pain and misery near the bottom; love and gratitude near the top. The idea of ranking such ephemeral concepts in something so simple as a list is a fairly stereotypically western male thing to do (‘High Fidelity’, anyone?), so I don’t consider the exact positions to be gospel. They do feel about right to me however.
The list was constructed utilising the wholly unscientific ‘applied kinesiology’ and has a fairly woo-woo character to it, which puts me off a little, I must admit. Still, Hawkins’ work aligns with many of the ideas of Sam Harris, who talks about bringing the domain of ethics and morality into the scope of scientific discussion. Harris’ book ‘The Moral Landscape’ posits that while there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers to ethical and moral issues, there are certainly answers which are better or worse. He argues that in a landscape of morality, there are peak positions (where conscious creatures experience greater wellbeing) and troughs (where conscious creatures experience limited wellbeing or even misery).
The phrase ‘above the line’ comes, I believe, from a line drawn around the middle of Hawkins’ map of consciousness, with everything above the line being ‘good’ and everything below the line being ‘not so good’. A quick Google search will provide you with a look at Hawkins’ map should you wish, but interestingly I don’t consider it necessary. All you need is your own intuitive sense of whether you’re above or below the line. The line doesn’t have a definitive location. It doesn’t need to be the same for all people, or the same at all times. It’s just a reference point for your intent.
Once you get accustomed to the idea, you start seeing it everywhere.
Marianne Williamson’s well-known quote, “Everything we do is either an act of love or a cry for help” to me is another way of saying everything we do is either above the line, or below.
In his absolutely transformative book Turning Pro, Steven Pressfield talks about two fundamental aspects of his personality, the artist and the addict. The artist is above the line, the addict is below.
When Marie Forleo implores you to ”create before you consume”, I think she sees creation as above the line, and consumption as below (at least if your consumption becomes all-consuming).
In storytelling, the character arc of a fall from grace and a redemption is a common trope. Darth Vader in Star Wars, Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones, Prince Zuko from Avatar, the Last Airbender. All these characters are engaged in an internal struggle to live above the line. (If you have not watched all three seasons of the original series of Avatar, the Last Airbender, consider this my strongest possible recommendation. It is the greatest cartoon of all time. Do not, under any circumstances, watch the M. Night Shyamalan movie of the same name, which utterly fails to capture the magic of the original).
You can think about any aspect of your life, and get a sense of whether or not you’re currently above or below the line. Financially, are you above or below the line? Is your health above or below the line? How about your relationships with your spouse, family, friends, colleagues? Are they above or below the line?
Your relationship with the line can be incredibly nuanced and subtle. Perhaps you feel the urge to let someone know that you think they’re being inconsiderate; the act of telling someone they’re being inconsiderate could come from above the line, and it could come from below. Why do you want them to know? Is it for their own long-term benefit, so that they can grow their self-awareness and avoid behaviour like this in future? That would be a compassionate reason to let them know, which is above the line. If you want to tell them they’re being inconsiderate to shame them in front of their friends and lower their social status, that would be a vindictive reason to let them know, which is below the line. The difference is incredibly subtle, and yet incredibly important.
The goal (and perhaps the meaning of life) is simply to exist above the line.
In my world, this isn’t a box ticking exercise. I don’t consult Hawkins’ list after each day to score myself. In fact, I haven’t consulted his list in years and I don’t feel compelled to. The list isn’t the important thing, the idea is. The idea is that everything you do is either above the line or below it. If human life is the most complex thing the universe has ever created (and it might be), this is the most ambitious simplification of that complexity that a person could ever create. If (as George Box said) all models are wrong, this one should, by all rights, be wronger that most! And yet…
In everything I do, from folding laundry, to speaking from stage, to loving my family, to leading my tribe, I seek to act above the line. At any moment I can stop and ask myself where I am with respect to the line, and at every moment it serves as a useful tool to decide who to be at that moment, and how to choose what to do next. Over time, I’m noticing this intent slowly shaping how I act. It’s helping me accept and release feelings of anger, vengeance, and jealousy, and replace them with compassion, surrender, and gratitude.
If you’re interested in being a better leader, a better speaker, a better parent, or a better friend, you might find it useful to ask yourself the question: “Is this above the line?”
P.S. — Do you have a presentation coming up? Download Real Speaking Returns, my guide to being more entertaining, more likeable, and more profitable when speaking.
Photo by Bret Kavanaugh on Unsplash