Interesting word – discovering – a gerund defining an act, a
noun not a verb.
The word to me means removing the covering or cloud over
something; a partially hidden object is brought into the light; object or idea
or concept, whatever it is that needs illumination to be seen and understood.
Discovering is an unfolding, an act of trust and faith that what is being
uncovered is important, of value. For now and the future.
Opening. Up. To. Life. Baring self to new meaning. Letting
fresh air in. Possibilities birth. Expand. Support fresh thoughts. More
possibilities. The future grows. It comes to focus. It breathes on its own. We
are part of the witness; part of the emerging new age. Whatever it is. A new
coming. Cutting edge.
Is this what scientists experience? Is this what musicians
feel? Artists, too? Of all kinds?
The academician researches what is and the past that led to
it. But also the mindset of people of history who dealt with these concepts
when they were fresh. What does the academician experience? Like the scientist,
does he/she experience the rush of discovery? The adrenalin bump of fresh
sight? Understanding something of primal moment?
There are those who live for this excitement. To others they
appear drone-like, robotically pursuing a method that seems so dusty, so
routine, so boring. But not they; a throb of anticipation keeps burring from
below, driving them on to something seminal. One of a kind. A new base of
understanding something long thought dead or settled.
An opening to the past. But is it?
I think there is another way of seeing that: an openness to
possibility. Past and present. And suddenly future! Think about that for a few
moments. Let it sink in.
We think we understand the past. But wait! Research it. Try
to discover what the people of the past were struggling with; they needed to
understand what was happening to them at the time. It was new to them; the
future in a sense. We research history to better understand what has occurred,
what was the foundation or underpinning of what we take as historical fact. But
digging usually expands our understanding over time.
Same with our present. What does it mean. What tentacles
reach into the past. What portents seek future ports of understanding? Snatches
of meaning? Alone or in concert to mean yet more?
The challenge of understanding anything is being open to
many possibilities, all at once. Not shutting down avenues of examination.
Thinking about it. Being aware and receptive to more information, more data,
more possibility.
Why is this a bug with me today? Because I see three groups
of people in the American culture. First are those who are in the present. They
participate in the now. Follow their instincts and enjoy life. They work, love,
live, have children, expand their families and neighborhoods. They eat, sleep,
drink and are happy. They may appreciate the past and anticipate the future.
But they are most likely not engaged in either in any major degree; just the
present.
Second, those who worship the past. They venerate what came
before and value it. They protect its memory, its presence in our lives. They
hope that nothing dilutes the value of the past or makes it irrelevant. Value
the past; it is your birthright, your inherited estate of mankind!
Third, the futurists. To them all past and present is
prologue to what is yet to come. They don’t worship the past except as data
base for understanding our present and future. They see life as possibility.
They view challenges and problems as bagatelles
to be fretted over and solved, like the daily puzzle or crossword. But they
labor on to discover the future. The holy quest. What will be? What can we do
to make it happen?
So these are the three groups in focus for today. Truth is
each has an inherent value; to itself and to the other two. None should be
enemy to the others. All are partners needed in each others functioning. Living
in the present makes life worth living. Valuing the past enlightens our
understanding of today, and makes possible the future. Engaging the future
tells us our life is not over, but has miles to go! We have possibility to work
with, to solve current problems with, to enlighten our lives more, to build
kinder futures for new generations to enjoy and prosper in.
Society benefits from all three groups. None need be
suspicious of the other. Share the kindness; share the trust; embrace
difference. Now we are armed to journey forward together.
Are you journey ready?
March 10, 2012
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