"have-do-be vs. be-do-have" refers to the two major approaches or sequences to
attaining a new state or
becoming something new.
The first, have-do-be, is where one sets out to
acquire, to
have, the
things that are the known and
accepted
accoutrements of a given position or profession. Once one has a sufficient accumulation of
the right stuff one then can start to
do the things done with the stuff. The train of logic thus leads that since
one has the stuff, and does the things, then one must
be whatever it is one who has and does those things
is.
This approach is rarely successful. Usually one only becomes a
poser (
poseur), even though the desire to
be and
not merely
appear to be is sincere. Modern, image driven,
consumer oriented societies seem to foster this approach.
The
superficial "understanding" of various fields of endeavor promulgated by the media doesn't help either. The have-do-be approach is
very often
hidden within one's desire to acquire certain objects, objects which may require much
planning,
goal setting, and achievment
to get, and this
hidden agenda is the source of the disappointment one feels when the thing is in hand - nothing really changes, because
it is merely
having.
The be-do-have sequence is much more successful, since it involves
growth from within, but it takes a long time before one sees (or others see) results. The first step is to
be whatever it is one is after.
This means learning, practicing,
absorbing everything one can about the field, discovering the
core priciples,
internalizing
them. As one proceeds with this learning and integrating, one will naturally come to
do the things associated with
the desired field or state of being - first in practicing basics, then
spontaneously, since the core ideas and values are now
part of the
seeker's personality. Along the way one will come to
have the things, the gear, the equipment, as one
will
need them to
do the things. The
irony is that one usually by this point sees many of the
trappings as mere tools
or even
necessary evils.