Chapter 9: Context Migration
There is an old Chinese story about the mother of Mencius.
When Mencius was young, his family lived near a cemetery, and he imitated funeral rituals. His mother moved. Later, they lived near a market, and he imitated merchants. She moved again. Finally, they lived near a school, and he began to imitate study and ritual. Only then did she settle.
This story is often read as a story about education.
Through the lens of context, it is a story about environment design.
Mencius’ mother understood something simple:
A child is not shaped mainly by lectures. A child is trained by context.
Adults are not exempt from this.
We Are Trained by What Surrounds Us
If you spend years with people who complain, complaint begins to feel normal.
If you spend years with people who break promises, unreliability begins to feel normal.
If you spend years with people who mock sincerity, effort begins to feel embarrassing.
If you spend years with people who are honest, serious, and active, your standards rise.
Context migration means moving out of environments that train the wrong self, and toward environments that train the right one.
Changing context can be more effective than forcing yourself.
Sometimes the wisest move is not to endure a bad environment.
It is to leave it.