Pilgrim Notes

Reflections along the way.

Tag: ideas

A New Creation

April 25, 2011 / / 1 Comment

“Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
Isaiah 43:18-19

Sometimes worlds come to an end. It might be a worldview, it might be a nation, and it might be a blog. Just as the ancient Israelites had to let go of the past and step into the new, I am letting go of the past douglasfloyd.com blog and starting afresh. When the blog got a php code error last spring, I could no longer access the admin panel. I debated digging through the files trying to find the error, but after a few attempts I gave up. Then I decided to start fresh this week and reinstall WordPress. To my surprise, I had failed to backup the actual content. So those blog entries are history. Of course, my other blog (Doug Watching) did not lose files and continues to remain active.

For some reason I like to keep several blogs in motion. But for those keeping score, this blog will focus on shorter entries of whatever is buzzing through my mind that morning. Doug Watching will continue to record longer reflections.

Articulation, Vision and Mutual Experiences

January 13, 2009 / / 2 Comments

When a preacher speaks, a teacher teaches, an artist creates, or a write writes, they express or articulate in some form their vision. While the created work (spoken, written or otherwise) may articulate a new perspective, the power of resonation is hidden within the mutuality of the given articulation. Okay, now that sounds a but to abstract. Let me explain in terms of a speech or sermon. For the given word to move the audience to action, pathos (emotional connection), logos (logical connection) and ethos (crediblity connection) must all make authentic connections with the audience.

But what is the connection begin made? The vision articulated connects or resonates with a vision that is already in the listener. So in some sense a great writer or speaker or creator gives form and shape to something their audience knows or senses as well but has been unable to fully articulate. So when the audience hears a song that touches them deeply, the song may be touching a feeling or sense they already had before hearing the song. The song merely connects with that feeling or yearning that was already there, and in so doing gives the listener a sense of ownership. The song becomes their song. By identifying with the song, the listener may respond at a deep level.

So writing, preaching, speaking, painting, and all forms of creating is not simply expressing an exclusive vision, it is also about articulating a mutual vision between creator and audience. It is a conversation of similar visions.

Adjusting the Vision

January 11, 2009 / / 0 Comments

When I write vision, I also mean idea. Each of us make regular adjustments in our life, family, work and ministries. These adjustment may stem from a new idea or a change in my goals, the project, the situation, or the supplies. So my vision or ideas must remain flexible.

Flexibility – I may start out to write a poem on the leaves falling but end up writing a poem on the cold winter sky. As I plan and process and act, I may need to change. Some visions do not survive because we are not willing to change and adapt. I would suggest that other visions
appear and reappear in our lives in various guises. The young girls dreams of being a fairy princess may change into dreams of working in the fashion industry or dreams of raising a family. The one idea could morph into very different directions, but the root of the vision could still be there.

While there were at least four types of Judaism during Jesus’ time (Pharissess, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots) only one survived the destruction of Jerusalem. The Pharisees’ vision was not tied to the land and they were able to adapt to a changing world. The other three views of Judaism could not adapt when they were not in the land or at the Temple.

Is our vision conditioned upon factors that we might not be able to control. Consider the rapid changes in technology that we cannot even keep up with. Our vision may need to be both rooted in truth and yet flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances.

Resources – One thing that may change my vision is the change in resources. When an essential resource is no longer available, I either have to find a new source or change resources. What seems like a problem in the beginning could be a blessing in the end. The shift in resource availability may force me to adapt the vision in ways that a new and better idea emerges.

Mosaics – Mashing up cultures across space (and time)

February 13, 2007 / / 1 Comment

Strawberry Frog offers some interesting ideas on the notion of the Global Soul. How we’re influencing one another:

From Mono- to Multi- to Transculturalism.  First, it takes the form of exposure to another culture. Then, a ‘tossed salad.’ From there, multiculturalism evolves. From a Canadian’s perspective who has lived during the melting pot era of politics in that country, the melting pot simply assumes too much.  A mosaic is a better metaphor, but only a snapshot in time, which ultimately led to the Benetton cliché—assimilated transculture.  An ‘active mosaic’ best explains the phenomenon. Existing culture meets emerging culture,  they exchange and mutate characteristics – creating an ever-evolving mosaic of global, organic living culture.  Some examples of this are Remixes and hybrids: design, arts, media, social. Musical genre-blending. Film allusion and homage. TV remakes and exports. Food and drink fusions.

Great thoughts. Take time to read the whole thing. While I think it is the West primarily mashing into smaller weaker cultures, there is a coming shift and mosaic will probably take on more shades of Indian, African, Latin and Asian cultures in the years to come. He seems to be envisioning a mashup across space, but there is also a mashup across time taking place, and a new world is being formed in our midst (but that’s another post for another day).

Great ideas and milking cows

October 15, 2006 / / 1 Comment

“… all the really good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.” – Grant Wood (artist who painted American Gothic)

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