Pioneers and Settlers, Which One Are You.
Posted: Saturday, September 15, 2007
by Rodney Biamby
I just want to set the record straight I'm not a motivational speaker nor am I a writing genius. I guess I would rather be thought of as a life skills coach , whatever that means. However, I do have a talent in identifying and perceiving a persons, gifts, talents and position. The purpose of this article is to merely point an individual in the right direction by identifying certain gifts and talents in other people and applying them to their own lives in layman's terms. I'm not the greatest authority on this particular subject but I' ve seen enough in my 40 years living on this planet to make a valid point . Like I stated earlier, I am merely pointing out that which I' ve identified in individuals and I have narrowed it down to this; there are basically two types of individuals Pioneers and Settlers.
Like any wise builder, which is what defines a life skills coach I suppose , I want to set the foundation by clearly identifying the meanings of these particular categories pioneers and settlers.
Let s begin with the word pioneer.
According to the Random House College Dictionary;
Pioneer 1. One of those who first enter or settle a region, thus opening it for occupation and development by others,
The whole concept behind this word indicates leaving the familiar and secure for the unfamiliar and unknown. In essence, the pioneer leaves the homeland to establish another homeland or leaves from an establish business to form or establish another business, they are the visionaries, the dreamers and the innovators of our time. As an observer of life, I've seen these pioneers ranging from obscurity to notoriety.
The pioneer spearheads ;
· movements,
· expeditions,
· new concepts,
· new ideas,
· new inventions,
· new experiments,
· new territory,
· new businesses They are the risk takers of our time forwarding ahead " boldly going where no man or woman has gone before". At times pioneers are misconstrued as reckless and caviler, loose cannons or mavericks. The pioneers on many occasions, bore the brunt of a brutal frontier having their wagons pierced with the arrows of criticism, cynicism and cowardice.
However, the pioneer plays a vital role in our neighborhoods, cities and our country. By making a casual observation, I can truly say ,that pioneers are seen on the local, national and international levels within our communities. The existence of a pioneer is essential to the growth of any civilization, community or corporation.
Okay my job is half way through as a " so called life skills coach " lets lay the foundation in identifying a settler.
According to the Random House College Dictionary;
Settler 1. a person or thing that settles 2. a person that settles in a new country or area.
In order to properly identify a settler we need to also define the word settles.
Settles 1. to migrate to and organize (and area, territory,etc); colonize 2.to cause to take up residence.
The Settler can be easily identified as a person who develops and occupies on the findings of a pioneer. They are the pillars of the community. The settler shores up where the pioneer has gone and plays a major supportive role. The settler establishes a base where pioneers are launched. According to our definition, we could say that a settler is one that builds communities, corporations and civilizations. Once in these territories founded by pioneers, the settlers are the ones who
· construct our laws
· establish boundaries
· build our educational systems
· our financial systems.
· Settlers play the role as a life skills coach by identifying talents. Like the pioneer, the settler could also be criticized as being mundane and predictable. Settlers are not visionaries but rather practical and organizational. Once a movement has occurred a settler will begin to immediately organize the movement and try to compartmentalize it.
However, the irony of the two categories is that, one cannot survive without the other. The settler gives birth to a pioneer and the pioneer gives birth to a settler. As " a life skills coach "I have identified these categories, now which one do you fall under?
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)pioneer hi, rodney, very good story, well written. i am a pioneer! best regards, sue thomAgain, thank you Sue.
I had heard the analogy of pioneers and settlers as it related to many parts of our lives, but none put so elegantly as you! Thanks for your blog! While I am a pioneer, I definitely appreciate the notion that both are needed!Thank you, I appreciate your kind words.
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