Exploring & Explaining
We are explorers. Our earliest experiences as young children are exploring what is around us, learning how the world works. We are fearless, and eager to learn by trying.
Explorers set out on a journey without having been there before, without really knowing what challenges they will face. They prepare, they learn as much as they can about the conditions along the way, but there is nothing quite like going yourself.
As we get older, we grow comfortable. We attach ourselves to particular people and places, to habits and ways of doing things, to ideas and beliefs. We commit ourselves to what we have been taught, and we become less interested in learning by trying new things. We become settled; less willing to explore new territory. We cling to what we have.
I work with people who have invested themselves in specific ways of living. They have educated themselves and learned lessons about how life works. They trust and defend the answers they have chosen.
Some have been recognized as leaders, and have clear ideas about what leaders do.
Some participate in businesses and organizations, and have learned to navigate the challenges and obstacles of organizational life. They have clear ideas about how to be effective.
Some have spent years learning about their faith and spirituality. They have clear ideas about how to understand the presence of the sacred in their lives.
People come to me with questions. They want me to answer their questions and explain things to them.
Together, we remember what it means to explore. We explore their stories, rediscover what they are seeking, and set out on the next part of the adventure. We face the challenges together.
What are you willing to try next?
What would you like to explore today?
[Image by Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL]
4 Comments
Tanner Colton
August 1, 2012Love this post, especially the picture. I love how you talk about exploring new things and the pic shows a map with the northern part of Canada not even filled in yet! So fitting. As for the topic, I am in complete agreement. One of my favorite quotes is from the book “Into the Wild” where the main character says, “The core of mans spirit comes from new experiences.” I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for this.
Strategic Monk
August 1, 2012Thank you, Tanner.
I know people who seek an explanation, who want to understand, because they hope to reassure themselves. They want to make sure that their view of life still makes sense.
It is often more helpful to gain the perspective that comes with experience than to reinforce the understanding we have received from someone else. Exploration can be more beneficial than explanation.
Ellen Weber
August 5, 2012Love your notion here that: “Explorers set out on a journey without having been there before, without really knowing what challenges they will face. They prepare, they learn as much as they can about the conditions along the way, but there is nothing quite like going yourself.”
I’ve found that two-footed questions fuse arts and science in ways that help drive curiosity and convert ordinary minds, into the explorers you illustrate so well here. http://goo.gl/ORXkg
To explore is to engage both sides of the brain, in ways that increase discovery.
You are so right about the complacency of some aging brains. Yet, as you infer – it doesn’t have to be that way! Add a second foot to any question and watch how it suddenly draws adventure into action. You splash brilliant new colors, onto a canvass so that both sides of human brains leap into life.
To your question What are you willing to explore next? I’m challenged by your reminders here to challenge a new kind of leader for the 21st Century through an Op-Ed. You?
Best, Ellen Weber
Director – Mita International Brain Center
Strategic Monk
August 5, 2012Thank you, Ellen!
I agree, it does not have to be that way.
In some ways, I think that people looking for an explanation tend to ask, “Why?” while explorers tend to ask. “Why not?”
I like your challenge, and would be glad to help. I am exploring the connection between contemplative spirituality and effective leadership, through writing, coaching, and speaking.