profectus

Okay.  We are now back from the break we call "Finals".  Back to our regularly scheduled program.

So, I'm pretty sure that regardless of your personal beliefs or religious inclinations, we can all agree that while we're here on earth, regardless of what happens to us afterward, we are here to progress as individuals, families, and society.  Like I said, I'm pretty sure about this, but if your take on the world and life disagrees with this, please tell me in the comments because I would like to know if my assumption is inaccurate.
For now, though, we'll operate on the assumption that everyone want to progress as a human and as groups of humans.

For the sake of thought development (yep, this is developing as we're going...but that is one of the best benefits of writing, in my opinion) we can progress consciously, where we are actively making an effort and thinking about furthering our position in the world, or we can progress, hmm....inherently? accidentally? where you don't put specific effort into it, but you look back after a year or so and say "wow, I've grown so much."

Ah, got it: active and passive progress.

Either way, you progress.  You reach a point that is better in one area or another than your previous self was.  And this is wonderful, because it is what you wanted to get out of life, one way or another.  Mission accomplished! Congratulations!

So, my question is this: Which form of progress is worth more?  Which yields more progress?

See, with active progress, you're actively learning things about yourself and how to achieve a goal.
For example, you set out to actively become more patient.  You do things like remind yourself when you're in line at the grocery store or driving on the freeway that it's okay to not complain about the people around you, and that driving the speed limit won't kill you.  You'll get there when you get there.  When your children/siblings/uncles (whoever you have in your life to try your patience) color on the walls/borrow your clothes without asking/harass you about boys (whatever it is they do to give you so many opportunities to practice being patient), you actively remind yourself to take a breath and not explode, but patiently help them clean the walls/request that they wash and return your apparel/change the subject to soccer (whatever it is you do to make the experience a good one for your relationship).
And at the end of the day, you think back about the things that happened and the choices you made, and report to yourself whether you effectively progressed in being patient that day, or if you need to change tactics and try something different tomorrow.
The benefit with this is that you are forming yourself and actively participating in changing your thoughts and behaviors, so it means a lot to you and you're able to monitor and effect your own progress.

Passive progress gets a little more theological, it seems.  Whether you believe that everything happens for a reason, or there's someone up there orchestrating your life and putting things in your path, or that the human race is bound to evolve and the universe just naturally supports that, we are consistently being led to situations that will try us and help us grow.  This is manifest in those times that you look back on your life and realize that you've become much more patient than you used to be.  And you weren't even aware!  The benefit here is that you change and grown in ways that you never imagined.  Either it wasn't something you would have chosen to change yourself, or you end up somewhere you would never have thought you could be.  You can't limit yourself if you're willing to progress this way.

So which is better?  If you're reporting on how you've become a more patient person, does this only involve active progress, or does your 'accidental' passive progress count toward your efforts as well?  It certainly counts toward the end product...

I think the answer to this, as in most things, is that you need some of both.  You need some balance, some yin with your yang.  To benefit the most, you must on all kinds of benefits.  In careers we try to specialize, but in life we must expand and broaden.