Seedlings

That’s a Peacock – Not a Weird Chicken

“The greatest form of charity may be to withhold judgment.”—Sandra Rogers

One of my favorite songs is more timely today than when it was first sung in 1965.  You’ve probably heard these first two lines from the lyrics by Hal David and the music by Burt Bachrach at least twenty times:

What the world needs now is love sweet love,
Its the only thing that there's just too little of

But the next two lines are just as powerful:

What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone,

It’s that love for everyone that we seem to be struggling with.  That struggle takes place within families…within communities…within our nation…and throughout the world.

I heard the story recently of a three year old who pointed to an object on the television screen and said: “Mom, that’s a weird chicken.”  Her mother responded:  “That’s a peacock, not a chicken.”

Like the unknowing three year old, we too often look at others with an incomplete or inaccurate understanding.  We see them as weird chickens when if we could see them through a curious and tolerant lens we might begin to appreciate the beauty of their peacock-like uniqueness and potential.

Walt Whitman said:  Be curious, not judgmental.  And, James E. Faust said: The older I get, the less judgmental I become. 

Whether old or young, may we all become more tolerant, more forgiving and much less judgmental.  Then we will be part of bringing that love sweet love into the world, not just for some but for everyone. 

“The greatest gift you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance” –Brian Tracy

The Dream Box

“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream…in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs.  Dreams are the seedlings of realities.” — James Allen

 

It was a parochial school near the center of Denver, Colorado.  98% of the second grade students in this classroom were “school lunch eligible”, meaning their family’s income falls below the poverty line.  I was an observer in the classroom as the teacher delivered a lesson on “setting goals”.  The teacher finished and invited the five adults in the back of the classroom to mingle with the students and to admire their Dream Boxes.

I had noticed a Hispanic boy a few rows in front of me.  He had raised his hand enthusiastically each time the teacher had asked a question but never been called upon.  I approached his desk and said, “I’m Mr. Warnick, what is your name?”  Jose grinned shyly as he uttered his name.

“Jose,” I asked, “what is this box on your desk?”

“That’s my Dream Box,” he replied, slowly opening the box to reveal a variety of rocks and other stuff.  The sides of the box, top and bottom were covered with pictures cut from magazines and other material and then pasted on as a collage of dreams and goals.

“Looks to me like you like rocks, Jose”.  “Yeah,” he smiled, “I want to be one of those rock scientists when I grow up.”  “A rock scientist….do you mean a geologist?” I inquired.  “That’s it….I want to be a geologist.”  Our conversation turned easily to a short discussion of what he would have to do to become a rock scientist.  He was going to have to study hard, get good grades, so he could get into college and study for five or six years more to become a geologist.  I was amazed at the clarity he had and how his teacher had helped him discover the steps he would need to take to reach his goal.

How did a seven or eight year old gain this clarity and set such an audacious goal? 

It started with a shoe box.  Each student brought a shoe box to the second grade classroom.

Next, his teacher brought magazines, Sunday newspaper advertising inserts, and anything else she could find that was full of colorful images.  The students were asked to dream about what they wanted to become when they grew up, to think about things they wanted to do, places they wanted to visit or see, or people they wanted to meet someday.  Finally, they were asked to cut out pictures from the magazines and advertising materials which could tell a story about what they were fascinated by, what they wanted to learn more about, the places they wanted to visit, and things they wanted to see or do.

So Jose’s box was adorned with pictures of mountains (“they are full of rocks” he told me) but it also included a soccer ball (“I want to play soccer…maybe if I’m good enough I can get paid to play soccer in college”), pictures of Disneyland and Disney World, and a picture of the Pope and the President. 

And, inside of box were at least ten different rocks that Jose had collected since the start of second grade.  He could tell me if this rock was igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary and where it came from.

This summer I’m going to pull my eight and nine year old grandchildren together for cousin camp.  I’m going to either bring shoe boxes or perhaps we’ll go buy some shoes they’ll need for school this coming fall.  But with those shoe boxes I’m going to ask them to dream…dream big…dream about the things they want to do, the places they want to visit, the people they want to meet, and what they want to become.

I believe these dream boxes are the seeds of future greatness.  They are a powerful visual reminder of the freedom we enjoy to dream and achieve.  Everyone should have a Dream Box, not just second graders.  What would your Dream Box look like?  And how might it influence the next five, twenty-five or fifty years of your life?

The Privilege of Necessity

“We learn by going where we need to go.” - Theodore Roethke

Have you ever paused to ponder how grateful we might feel for necessity?  Sometimes, as Roethke suggests, doors of understanding open because our paths appear to be blocked and we have to confront a dilemma.  The path of progress is lit most clearly by persistently asking both “why” and “why not?”

Everyone who has visited Florence has seen the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly known as the Duomo (Dome in Italian).  The Duomo, capped by the first large dome to be built in the Renaissance, offers powerful lessons on the enduring power of faith and vision.  No one knew how to build such a huge dome when construction began on the Basilica.

When design work on the Basilica started in 1294 it was intended to be the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in the world.  After more than a century of work, all of the cathedral’s structure, except for the enormous hole in the ceiling, was completed.

The series of architects who had overseen the construction of the Basilica had never come up with plans for how the dome would be completed.  By architectural standards of that time, a dome of such great size would collapse under its own weight.  In fact, some large medieval cathedrals, such as Beauvois, had collapsed during their construction. 

In 1418 a design competition was launched to select the plan and architect who would attempt to complete the Duomo.  Brunelleschi’s suggestion of first building a smaller dome to support the structure of the larger dome was accepted.  This and many other unknown and unorthodox methods for construction were developed.  The great octagonal dome was completed in 1436.  It became the prototype for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and every other large dome built during that era. The Duomo became the most prominent symbol of the dawning of the Renaissance.

The necessity of finishing the Duomo was what fueled Brunelleschi’s creativity.  The building of such a massive masonry dome posed many technical problems.   A modern understanding of physical laws and the mathematical tools for calculating stresses was centuries into the future. Brunelleschi had to rely on intuition and whatever he could learn from the large scale models he built.  While he looked to the architectural successes of the past, such as the Pantheon, he was forced to come up with creative solutions for the unique design and construction problems of the present.  For example, to lift 37,000 tons of material, which included over 4 million bricks, he invented hoisting machines.  To deal with the challenges of stresses and fresh mortar, he came up with a herringbone design for the placement of the bricks.

The next time you face the daunting wall of necessity reflect on the wonderful breakthroughs that are possible when we scale that obstacle.   Pause to remember the story of those who set out to erect the world’s largest cathedral yet had no idea how they were going to cover its dome.  Fuel your efforts with the faith and hope which spring from approaching necessity as a privilege rather than a burden.

How can I harness the power of necessity?  What am I doing that will deprive my children or grandchildren of the opportunity to experience the privilege of necessity?

“Restlessness is discontent, and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.” - Thomas A. Edison

The Beginner’s Mind

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few"—Shunryo Suzuki

Shunryo Suzuki in his book, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, introduced the world to the possibilities that open to us through the Beginner’s Mind. 

Children start life full of curiosity, wonder and amazement.  Unfortunately, as we transition into adulthood we too often lose that natural inquisitiveness.  One of the challenges for parents is to encourage their children to not only become lifelong learners but to cultivate the humility of a beginner’s mind.

In a previous blog entitled “The Dangers of Personal Observation – The Advantages of Collaborative Vision” we explored the wisdom behind the Hindu fable of the Six Blind Men of Indostan.  Consider this possibility.  What if instead of six different blind men approaching and feeling the elephant, one blind man would have touched the elephant six different times? With each touch his concept of the elephant would expand and be enhanced.  But even after six touches he could still learn more about the true essence of an elephant.  

Majestic possibilities for breakthrough thinking occur when an inquiring mind consciously sets aside the arrogance of expertise.  I have concluded that what Suzuki taught might simplistically, but not fairly, be summed up in these words:

“We reject the dogmas of ‘Been There Done That’ and ‘I Know Everything There is To Know About That’“

Just as our view of our universe, and the immensity of space, has expanded to accept as true the fact that space is expanding, so might we accept as absolute the ideas that there is no end to what we can learn about any subject and that the deeper we study a complex matter the closer we approach the simplicity which lies on the other side of complexity.

I stand in awe of the possibilities which open up when we adopt a Beginner’s Mind.  I would like to close this very basic overview of the Beginner’s Mind with a story illustrating the preparation necessary to approach the depth of learning and awareness made possible through the Beginner’s Mind.

Once, a long time ago, there was a wise Zen master. People from far and near would seek his counsel and ask for his wisdom. Many would come and ask him to enlighten them in the way of Zen. He seldom turned any away.

One day a wealthy man who was accustomed to having his way in all matters came to visit the Zen master.  “I have come today to ask you to teach me about Zen. Open my mind to enlightenment.”

The Zen master smiled and replied that they should discuss the matter over tea. As the visitor continued to speak about his hunger to learn, the Zen master poured their tea.  The tea rose to the rim and began to spill onto the robes of the wealthy man, who finally blurted out: “Enough. You are spilling tea all over me. Can’t you see the cup is full?”

The master stopped pouring and looked up with a kind smile at his guest. “You are like this tea cup, so full that nothing more can be added. Come back to me when the cup is empty. Come back to me with an empty mind.”

 Do you have a better way of summarizing the essence of the Beginner’s Mind?

All self‑centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something.—Marion Derby

CREATIVITY AND APPLES

What Granny Smith and Issac Newton Can Teach Us About the Opportunities to Create Breakthroughs by Capitalizing on Observation and Curiosity

 

 “Every problem has a gift concealed in it for you.  We look for problems because we need the gifts.”--Richard Bach, author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull

 

I’m sure you have heard the first story I will share with you in today’s blog but I suspect the second story will be “news” to you.

Isaac Newton is reputed to have experienced his breakthrough thinking about gravity while sitting beneath an apple tree contemplating the mysterious universe.  Suddenly -

 boink! -an apple hits him on the head.  In a flash he understands that the very same force that brought the apple crashing toward the ground also keeps the moon rotating around the Earth and the Earth spinning around the sun: gravity.

A manuscript for what would become one of the earliest biographies of Newton, entitled Memoirs of Sir Isaac Newton's Life, relates what Newton told archaeologist William Stukeley one evening while they were enjoying tea, under the shade of some apple trees:

"After dinner, the weather being warm, we went into the garden and...he told me, he was just in the same situation, as when formerly, the notion of gravitation came into his mind. It was occasion'd by the fall of an apple, as he sat in contemplative mood. Why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the ground, thought he to himself..."

The second story involves Maria Smith.  Maria and her husband, Thomas, immigrated to the Ryde district in the New South Wales Colony of Australia from England, an area known for fruit growing.  The Smiths were respected growers of fruits.   Maria Smith enjoyed looking for the unusual and using it in a novel way.  One day, at the age of sixty-nine, Maria noticed a seedling growing out of a pile of discarded French crab apples.  It seemed different so she nurtured it.  The seedling was a natural mutant which had some very attractive features and Mrs. Smith began to work a few of these seedlings trees.  Soon thereafter other local orchardists.began planting a large number of these apple trees.

Maria Smith died two years later.  Two decades would pass before her apple, exhibited as “Smith’s seedling,” would win prizes as a cooking apple and be certified by the Australian government for export.  That apple is known today as the Granny Smith apple.

Thoreau mused, “the world is but a canvas to the imagination.” Creativity, in thought and action, is the capacity to create something which didn’t exist in that form before.  It involves taking something we have observed in the canvas of our surrounding world and organizing it into a material form that is pleasing to the eye, the ear, or the mind. 

Frank Lloyd Wright observed, “In much of our preparation we don’t really know what we are preparing for.”  And Seneca concluded: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”  Newton and Granny Smith had both prepared themselves to be observant and  to reflect on what might spring from that canvas.  In both cases being open to a new possibility allowed them to capitalize on their observations. 

Has your curiosity led you to breakthrough thinking?  What can we do to prepare ourselves to be more observant and reflective?

The Best is Yet to Come!!!

 

“Almost all creativity involves purposeful play”—Abraham Maslow