Words that caught me: MR is for 'Manageable' and 'Realistic'
Last
week, I had an epiphany.
Those
little ‘Aha’ bulbs that light up in your mind,
And stop you mid-sentence,
When
you realize the enormity of the insight.
I
later wrote this revelation in the Postscript
To
last week’s post, but I think this is a hugely impactful insight,
And
it deserves to be revisited.
Here’s
the thing,
When I
first read Deb’s article
I
immediately grasped the idea that we a living in the cusp of many
possibilities.
I’m
almost certain that history with record this period, this COVID crisis,
As
one of the defining moments of humanity.
There
is so much change in the offing,
And the
word ‘New Normal’ does not do any justice at all.
There
are multitudes of ways this might turn out.
There
are numerous pathways, all uncertain and unclear at the moment.
There
is no telling what we shall be when this is over.
That’s
why vision casting is so important at this point in time –
Not
to tell us where to go,
Not
to show us the way,
But
to reveal to us the probable,
So
that we can choose and decide which way to go.
It’s
akin to having a brainstorming session at the office
Only that
this time, it’s on a global scale.
It’s
only by having and debating numerous competing visions
That
the right direction may emerge.
Deb’s
article made me grasp and understand what is needed in this moment,
Which
is the reason the word that caught me most last week
Was Visionary
Horizons.
We
need them. Many of them.
Then
we need to debate them and sort them out.
Then
we need to pick the most inspiring ones.
The
ones that promise to progress humanity towards its full potential and
character.
That
led me to think that what we need most now
Are lots
of good painters, with new paint brushes, fresh paints and blank canvases;
To
help us paint new horizons for humanity as a whole.
I
felt that my conclusion was logical and made absolute sense…until it hit me…hard,
Like
a ton of bricks.
It’s
not the painters we lack, stupid! I told myself.
Neither
is it the paint brushes, fresh paints or canvases.
These
are not the problem.
It’s
more insidious, and goes much deeper than this.
Let’s
take a minute to look at the language we use for certain words:
Suppose
we use James Clear’s suggestion in this post
And pose
the question: What does this moment make possible?
The
synonyms we use for the word ‘possible’ include: Feasible, able to be done,
Practical,
viable, attainable, achievable, realizable, within reach, workable,
Manageable,
doable, conceivable, plausible, imaginable, thinkable,
Believable,
likely, probable, credible, tenable…
Now,
let’s look at the synonyms we use for the word ‘visionary’:
Inspired,
imaginative, creative, inventive, insightful, ingenious,
Enterprising,
innovative, perceptive, intuitive, far-sighted, prescient,
Discerning,
penetrating, sharp, shrewd, wise, clever, talented, gifted,
Resourceful,
idealistic, utopian, romantic, quixotic, impractical, unrealistic,
Unworkable,
unfeasible, out of touch with reality, fairytale, fanciful,
Dreamy,
ivory-towered, theoretical, hypothetical, starry-eyed, head-in-the clouds…
Do
you now see it?
The
biggest problem is not that we lack good painters –
We
are all good painters, for heaven’s sake!
We
all have dreamy visions of ourselves - all of us, without exception -
That
we probably have never shared with another living person.
They
reside in the same place they were born.
And most of them live there their whole lives…
And
die there too!
Our
biggest problem is self-censorship!
We
kill our dreams for what’s ‘manageable’ and ‘realistic’.
The
real and biggest problem we face…that Deb saw…
And
wrote about in her very first opening sentence…
And which
I failed to grasp last week,
Was that
“Too many visions are shrunk down
In
the name of what is manageable and realistic.”
What
the world desperately needs from us right now
Are dreamy,
hazy and intuitive, but inspiring ideas
Of
what we can become, as fellow creatures, of the greater cosmos;
Not the
practical, workable and doable ideas of yesterday.
“The
thing with Manageable and her comrade Realistic
Is
that they’re based on what the world has [already] shown us to be possible.”
And
here, comrades, lies our biggest problem.
We
crave for a better tomorrow, but continue to hold on to yesterday.
We
want to sail away to unknown lands,
But
continue to look longingly at the shore, behind us.
We
want to realize our best potential, but are afraid of what that means,
And
so we wallow only in the do-ables and the attain-ables.
What
we need, desperately need, is the courage to believe,
And
share, and debate,
The utopian,
the fairytales and the fanciful.
What
we need now are inspiring new horizons.
What
we need now are believers in the ‘impossible’!
One
final thought:
I’m
not suggesting we shouldn’t ask James Clear’s question.
The
question is valid and the answer is necessary to survive this moment,
But I
highly doubt that it is far-sighted, or transformative enough
To serve us well, in the long term.
Let’s
not confuse the possibilities of today with future forward.
We
need to take care of both…
But if
we want to do the former well –
Coz’
possibilities arise from having a particular perspective of the context -
Then
we must learn do the latter better!
*This is a sequel to last week's post and has been inspired by Deb Mills-Scofield Lightning Notes.
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