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Have you heard about the Biosphere 2 Dome?
Back in the late 1980s a group of scientists created a 3.1 acre research facility in Arizona that was designed to replicate the earth’s ecosystems.
The goal was to create a completely closed, completely self-sufficient system in which the perfect conditions to flourish were meticulously crafted and maintained.
Artificially stimulated soil.
Artificially stimulated ph levels
Artificially stimulated humidity
Artificially stimulated sunlight
The best conditions for vegetation to thrive and flourish. Take all the things we know sustain growth and optimize it in a controlled environment.
And it worked..
The trees in the Biosphere 2 shot up at a rapid rate. They grew more rapidly than trees outside the Biosphere 2 Dome.
It seemed it was possible to create and control the ideal environment for rapid growth (key word - rapid)
At first, it seemed remarkable. Until you consider one variable as the story unfolded.
All of the trees in the Biosphere Dome grew rapidly and eventually toppled over at the same height (a height shorter than trees outside the Biosphere Dome).
Despite growing at a rapid rate. They failed to reach full maturation and collapsed.
How could this be?
The researchers in the Biosphere 2 studied the trees and came to the conclusion that despite all of the controlled ideal conditions (the soil, the sun, the humidity) that was perfectly optimized for growth one variable was missing.
Stress
The lack of wind in the Biosphere 2 did not allow the trees to develop the necessary root systems and tough outer bark needed to sustain their rapid growth.
So while all of the controllable variables needed to flourish were present, the randomness and chaos of the stress and wind were absent.
Struggle was absent.
In reality, it was the absence of struggle that limited the full maturation of the trees in the Biosphere Dome.
The Role of Stress
Stress and struggle are a REQUIREMENT for our maturation and development. When it’s artificially replaced or intentionally removed it DOES NOT create the resiliency and ruggedness needed to fully mature.
Stress is only a problem when our internal resolve is not sufficient to handle our external stimuli.
Stress + Rest = Growth.
Is stress the problem in your life? Or is the lack of rest/recovery causing stress to be a bigger problem?
Chaos & Order
The degree to which we artificially manipulate and manufacture our circumstances will directly limit who we become. Humans love order. But we can’t truly have order without the process of bringing chaos into order. We can’t control every variable, every uncertain component of the future, and even if we could, are we forfeiting one of the key ingredients to growth - struggle?
The same could be applied to parenting (especially parenting youth athletes). Are you creating a “Biosphere 2 Dome experience” for your youth athlete?
Rapid growth does not necessarily correlate with full maturation.
Being Spiritually Rooted
We’ve talked about the four dimensions needed to flourish
Physically Rested
Mentally Present
Emotionally Agile
Spiritually Rooted
You need to be spiritually rooted to flourish in life and leadership. You need to be grounded and your roots need to run deep. Maybe you feel as if you can slide by (bypassing this ancient truth and requirement for human flourishing) and maybe there is little evidence that anything is vulnerable in your rapid rise, thus far.
But eventually - life will test the strength of your rings and the strength of your roots.
You don’t want to be the individual who breaks or is uprooted from the ground, toppling over, during the turbulence of life that will almost certainly come in its time.
You need to be spiritually rooted.