A couple of months after finishing the book (Ian Stewart's Infinity) and presenting my initial Conjectures and Meditations, I still feel as though there's something left unsaid. I am trying to figure out what I think that is; and today's illness and medicated fuzziness*** might have given me a chance at capturing my thoughts.
My main conclusions from Conjectures and Meditations (January 21, 2015) include:
Respect the Journey: "Outcomes will certainly matter, but they will ultimately pale in comparison to the methods utilized and efforts expended. What we experience and learn along the way will certainly inspire future efforts, and those efforts will be aided with sharpened and refined tools."
Choose to Engage: "It’s about recognizing and respecting the monumental effort behind this human endeavor and the broad perspective that this can provide. It’s also about passionately tackling a portion of it (especially for the fun of it!) with the tools at hand. It’s about trying to link our interests and assets, with the prospect of some unspecified Added Value in our lives."
Somehow these ideas were tempered by my reading Innovations by Steven Johnson; please see my February 13, 2015 entry. Johnson's review of six modern outcomes emphasized the collaborative processes that lead to these specific innovations. Innovations also emphasized that these outcomes weren't necessarily as specific as they are presented; the boundaries of each are continuously stretched, the nature of their utility continues to evolve. The author's introduction of Material and Long View perception reminds us that we are not necessarily done, even if we are comfortable.
So, like Poincar'e and Childs (February 28, 2015), I've prepared! by reading, thinking and writing. I've incubated! these issues for a couple of months, if not for decades. It's been a very busy couple of months at home and work, and perhaps today's quietude will allow for my illumination! Perhaps not, but at least I feel kind of ready to at least broach these thoughts.
Innovation's collaborations represent the pinnacle of participants' engagement in their journey of choice. I think this is my missing link! Our modern, comfortable life is a collective result of these efforts. The efforts are driven by individuals' passions.
This seems too simple; but I believe it to be true to the core. And yet, if it is simple, why is it so difficult to integrate fully into our lives? I am passionate about my family's well-being and fishing; no doubts there, and I think I am most active engaged in these areas. I am most willing to spend my time, energy, and available resources on protecting and improving the quality of these pursuits. These are the Living Well aspects of my life; these are my journeys of choice. These are also the areas in which I've most successfully partnered and collaborated with others. These are the rewarding, successful aspects of my life.
Now I certainly want best outcomes at work and within the immediate community, too. But perhaps here I don't necessarily have the resources or energy to overcome certain barriers, real or perceived. If I have any angst or frustration (and surprise! I do!), here's the source. I am certainly Master of My Cubicle, and I do a few unique things that help The Machine move along at something resembling an acceptable pace. But I think I've learned that I can choose to engage others to seek collective improvement; or I can choose to accept the status quo and save my resources for other, more important issues. Either way, it's my path.
A couple of ancillary concepts that struck me along the way include:
My main conclusions from Conjectures and Meditations (January 21, 2015) include:
Respect the Journey: "Outcomes will certainly matter, but they will ultimately pale in comparison to the methods utilized and efforts expended. What we experience and learn along the way will certainly inspire future efforts, and those efforts will be aided with sharpened and refined tools."
Choose to Engage: "It’s about recognizing and respecting the monumental effort behind this human endeavor and the broad perspective that this can provide. It’s also about passionately tackling a portion of it (especially for the fun of it!) with the tools at hand. It’s about trying to link our interests and assets, with the prospect of some unspecified Added Value in our lives."
Somehow these ideas were tempered by my reading Innovations by Steven Johnson; please see my February 13, 2015 entry. Johnson's review of six modern outcomes emphasized the collaborative processes that lead to these specific innovations. Innovations also emphasized that these outcomes weren't necessarily as specific as they are presented; the boundaries of each are continuously stretched, the nature of their utility continues to evolve. The author's introduction of Material and Long View perception reminds us that we are not necessarily done, even if we are comfortable.
So, like Poincar'e and Childs (February 28, 2015), I've prepared! by reading, thinking and writing. I've incubated! these issues for a couple of months, if not for decades. It's been a very busy couple of months at home and work, and perhaps today's quietude will allow for my illumination! Perhaps not, but at least I feel kind of ready to at least broach these thoughts.
Innovation's collaborations represent the pinnacle of participants' engagement in their journey of choice. I think this is my missing link! Our modern, comfortable life is a collective result of these efforts. The efforts are driven by individuals' passions.
This seems too simple; but I believe it to be true to the core. And yet, if it is simple, why is it so difficult to integrate fully into our lives? I am passionate about my family's well-being and fishing; no doubts there, and I think I am most active engaged in these areas. I am most willing to spend my time, energy, and available resources on protecting and improving the quality of these pursuits. These are the Living Well aspects of my life; these are my journeys of choice. These are also the areas in which I've most successfully partnered and collaborated with others. These are the rewarding, successful aspects of my life.
Now I certainly want best outcomes at work and within the immediate community, too. But perhaps here I don't necessarily have the resources or energy to overcome certain barriers, real or perceived. If I have any angst or frustration (and surprise! I do!), here's the source. I am certainly Master of My Cubicle, and I do a few unique things that help The Machine move along at something resembling an acceptable pace. But I think I've learned that I can choose to engage others to seek collective improvement; or I can choose to accept the status quo and save my resources for other, more important issues. Either way, it's my path.
A couple of ancillary concepts that struck me along the way include:
The concept of The Adjacent Possible is a recurring theme; let's face it, important breakthroughs aren't usually the result of a single idea, but rather the emergence of a network of available ideas, skills, actions. Results will emerge when the process actually brings these real elements together (and perhaps mixes in a bit of luck.) This is something I think I can incorporate into my thoughts and actions. Let’s face it, one could simply rely on time and pure luck; but a better plan for getting into a specific college, visiting a bucket list location, boating a certain fish, executing a successful change at work, or making a specific career move; these all require some level of preparation, mastery, and focus for fruition. All the while, please keep in mind that the passionate pursuit of some goal probably entails the involvement of others (collaboration) and some time (incubation.)
Not that this is any sort of accomplishment, but I'm ready to incorporate a bit of travel and some big muskies into my life. Thank you, T, J and all my time at C's. You've collectively opened my eyes, fueled my fires, and introduced me to a different, but real, path. I've done my homework, I've put in the time on the water, and I've got some time in front of me. I've developed some dreams, and I've got some specific ideas. I've got the motivation and resources to make this happen; it's almost time. Let's see if I do, but more importantly, let's see what I learn along the way! I hope I'm paying enough attention to appreciate the process, more-so than any specific result.
This last statement probably encapsulates my partitioning and awareness of Material vs. Long Term views. I might catch some awesome fish. The idea of these provides the motivation. Their pursuit is the engagement of my passion; this is a journey of my choice. Behind each experience or picture, there will be the invisible contributions of many others, and probably some innovative use of tools and knowledge I've collected somewhere along the way.
We need to remember all these things; then we can appreciate where we are.
Not that this is any sort of accomplishment, but I'm ready to incorporate a bit of travel and some big muskies into my life. Thank you, T, J and all my time at C's. You've collectively opened my eyes, fueled my fires, and introduced me to a different, but real, path. I've done my homework, I've put in the time on the water, and I've got some time in front of me. I've developed some dreams, and I've got some specific ideas. I've got the motivation and resources to make this happen; it's almost time. Let's see if I do, but more importantly, let's see what I learn along the way! I hope I'm paying enough attention to appreciate the process, more-so than any specific result.
This last statement probably encapsulates my partitioning and awareness of Material vs. Long Term views. I might catch some awesome fish. The idea of these provides the motivation. Their pursuit is the engagement of my passion; this is a journey of my choice. Behind each experience or picture, there will be the invisible contributions of many others, and probably some innovative use of tools and knowledge I've collected somewhere along the way.
We need to remember all these things; then we can appreciate where we are.
***No big deal; just an assortment of cold and flu symptoms that are collectively disruptive enough to make me not even consider going to work. Normal sleep patterns have been temporarily suspended, and there seem to be many over-the-counter solutions for each symptom-of-the-moment.
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