Form defines the boundaries of an applied principle. When a form is created, its function is determined by that boundary.
For example, when an engineer places gears together in a specific way, he creates a design we all recognize as a watch. The watch’s design is its boundary. The watch is limited in what it can do by the boundary of its own design walls.
The watch must behave
according to its boundary, just as cattle behind the boundary of a fence must stay within a specific confined space dictated by that fence. The fence dictates where the cattle can go.
Likewise, the design boundary of the watch dictates where it moves. According to the watch’s
design, it must tell time. That is the watch’s function. What the design (boundary) demands, the watch must do (function). In this way, the watch’s function is inherently tied to its ‘form.’
The more confining the boundary, the more efficient the resulting design becomes.
Take fruit-bearing trees for example. Good farmers know that it’s necessary to prune their crops to produce the best fruit. Unpruned trees produce large crops of small, worthless fruit. Without limitation, life does not mature. Without self-discipline to limit your behavior, you will not mature.
The old saying, “Jack of all trades, but master of none,” refers
to a man who lacks limitation. He may know many things superficially. But he fails to truly master any of them because he the lacks the necessary self-discipline to become thorough. Limitation is essential to proper growth.
The better the form, the less dysfunctional the outcome. This means, the more specific the limitation, the more efficient the result. And the single correct form—the most specifically limiting boundary possible—always leads to the only functional result possible. So what then is the most functional limitation? What single correct form always leads us in the right direction?
The answer is necessity. Necessity represents the ultimate form. Your needs epitomize the best, most efficient limitation possible. Your needs represent the most uncluttered version of your wants. The highest limitation always reveals your needs. If your needs aren’t clear, something is wrong with the limitation.
For example, you may want a car. But is it a good limitation? Does it clarify your needs? Yes, it can act as transportation. But so can a bike or your own legs. While a car may be convenient, it also causes pollution and doesn’t allow you to exercise. It’s also very expensive and takes money away from your food budget. Thus, even though a car may be an enticing limitation, it doesn’t represent a functional
limitation characterized by necessity.
The best limitation—the best form—is always determined by necessity.
Whether shaping words in a poem to touch an emotion, molding a clay pot to hold water or perfecting a jump shot to score a basket, form determines outcome. Once a thing achieves its highest form, it will only produce a functional result.
a cup in many ways. You can use it as a hammer. You can use it as a door stop. You can even use it as a weapon. But it was only designed with one function in mind—to drink liquid from. Once the cup is used solely for drinking, it achieves its intended purpose. It is at the pinnacle of its function. In short, correct form leads to the right outcome.
But too often, people make the mistake of focusing on the outcome instead of perfecting the form. Even though we need goals to keep us focused, being fixated on the goal and ignoring the maintenance of proper form leads to disaster. By trying to make the form fit the outcome, instead of making the outcome fit the form, you actually inhibit yourself from reaching that goal.
For example, if your goal is to score enough points to win a basketball game, you need to develop a proper shooting form. This means you need to start practicing shooting a basketball over and over in a specific way to become as efficient as possible at scoring.
But if you focus on the goal of scoring instead of perfecting your shooting form, you’ll start to notice dysfunction creeping in to ruin your competence.
At first, you’ll celebrate scoring any points, even if it comes from poor shooting form because it meets your goal requirement—winning the game. But you don’t realize the subtle damage being done. You are taking pleasure in an outcome produced by a dysfunctional form. Essentially, you’re being rewarded for becoming incompetent.
Focusing only on scoring points may help you win a few games. But over the long run, it will catch up with you.
Poor form is very inconsistent. Poor form lacks boundaries and limitations. It allows you to do things in more than one way. Poor form makes it very difficult to achieve the
same result twice. Good form, on the other hand, avoids inconsistency because it provides the ultimate limitation—direction. Whenever anything is limited down to its most functional state, it aligns with the principle of direction.
Good form only has one option. It forces you to go one way. It directs your behavior. Because of its inherent limitation, it consistently gets you to the same destination every single time. Whereas shooting a
basketball a thousand different ways will make it much harder to score points, limiting your shooting form down to one option will make it much easier. This is because limitation is the precursor to order. Anything that is limited becomes part of a stable arrangement. This
produces order. Once your shooting form is limited to a specific motion, the result becomes stable. You can now produce an orderly outcome.
Form determines outcome. The form you develop will determine where you end up.
Proper form can only be developed though repetition. Focus on repeating the form, not the outcome.