Usually it's a throw away line.
Whaddya know?
It shouldn't be.
Couple it with "where's life?" and "where's the dead zone?" and it's the most important question of all.
Whaddya know about where's life? About the passions. The dreams. The imaginations. The hopes.
Whaddya know about where's the dead zone? The yah-buts. The who-do-you-think-you-ares. The policies and procedures. The fears.
Whaddya know?
It's worth a minute and change everyday.
By itself. Without data. Analysis. Formulas. Templates. Group think. Stuff that looks good on paper.
Just you and the question.
Whaddya know?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Innovation Theology
Ever wonder about the spirituality of innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, leaders of great movements large and small, poets, painters, writers, and revolutionaries all?
My favorite monk, Thomas Merton, gives the best summary for innovation theology in a post to his diary in May 1967,
What is wrong in my life...is unawareness, lostness, slackness, relaxation, dissipation of desire, lack of courage and decision, so that I let myself be carried along and dictated by an alien movement. The "current of the world," which I know is not mine...is not going where I am called to go. And only if I go where I must go can I be of any use to "the world." I can serve the world best by keeping my distance and my freedom.
Great words from the monk.
They leave a simple question, when thinking of successful innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, leaders of great movements large and small, poets, painters, writers, and revolutionaries all who seem to go where they are called to go.
A simple question that lurks,
What do I really know?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
My favorite monk, Thomas Merton, gives the best summary for innovation theology in a post to his diary in May 1967,
What is wrong in my life...is unawareness, lostness, slackness, relaxation, dissipation of desire, lack of courage and decision, so that I let myself be carried along and dictated by an alien movement. The "current of the world," which I know is not mine...is not going where I am called to go. And only if I go where I must go can I be of any use to "the world." I can serve the world best by keeping my distance and my freedom.
Great words from the monk.
They leave a simple question, when thinking of successful innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, leaders of great movements large and small, poets, painters, writers, and revolutionaries all who seem to go where they are called to go.
A simple question that lurks,
What do I really know?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Revolutionary You!
"You bring out the revolutionary in me!"
My friend said this the other day.
Hard words to shake when you watch places like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and the Arab Spring. When you watch China building five to ten new liberal arts universities per year (the US might build the same number in the next decade). When you see stubbornly high unemployment here at home.
The revolutionary in my friend raises a big question.
If he can meet the revolutionary within, is the same true of you? And even me too?
If true, what would it take for me, for you? To look and find and scratch this itch, to get up and get out, to do?
What if we started little revolutions?
If I met the revolutionary me and you, the Revolutionary You, would we have the guts to pursue whatever we'd dream to do?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
My friend said this the other day.
Hard words to shake when you watch places like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and the Arab Spring. When you watch China building five to ten new liberal arts universities per year (the US might build the same number in the next decade). When you see stubbornly high unemployment here at home.
The revolutionary in my friend raises a big question.
If he can meet the revolutionary within, is the same true of you? And even me too?
If true, what would it take for me, for you? To look and find and scratch this itch, to get up and get out, to do?
What if we started little revolutions?
If I met the revolutionary me and you, the Revolutionary You, would we have the guts to pursue whatever we'd dream to do?
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The American Spring
There's a lot of talk about the Arab Spring these days. And for good reason.
How great when you get to watch gutsy people revolutionizing a better world with trust, belief and commitment in themselves and one another. And revolutionizing life by taking down oppression, fear, death.
Time now for America to join in. Sunday's heroic action took out an evil guy. Let's pray it'll take down the darkness he embraced.
Time now for America to turn the page on desolation, fear, death. Time now for passion, creativity, life. For trust, belief, commitment in ourselves and one another. For us to rediscover our revolutionary groove.
Time now, America, for The American Spring.
--tim
twitter tjmorin
How great when you get to watch gutsy people revolutionizing a better world with trust, belief and commitment in themselves and one another. And revolutionizing life by taking down oppression, fear, death.
Time now for America to join in. Sunday's heroic action took out an evil guy. Let's pray it'll take down the darkness he embraced.
Time now for America to turn the page on desolation, fear, death. Time now for passion, creativity, life. For trust, belief, commitment in ourselves and one another. For us to rediscover our revolutionary groove.
Time now, America, for The American Spring.
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Friday, December 31, 2010
Nuts
There's a great moment in history from World War II when U.S. Army General Anthony McAuliffe responded to a Nazi demand for Allied surrender in the midst of The Battle of the Bulge.
"Nuts" said the General to the Germans after reading their demand.
Nuts.
What a great word for us to call on right now in the 21st century.
We've had two-plus years of economic and political and psychological schmugg.
Enough already.
Here's to 2011 and your chance to say or scream or go NUTS on or with anyone who says it's too tough out there.
Or who says China's winning.
Or who acts like "I'm afraid" just because.
Or who wants to shoot for the moon with little or no rocket fuel.
It's the New Year. No time like the present moment.
Go Nuts.
Happy New Year!
--tim
twitter tjmorin
"Nuts" said the General to the Germans after reading their demand.
Nuts.
What a great word for us to call on right now in the 21st century.
We've had two-plus years of economic and political and psychological schmugg.
Enough already.
Here's to 2011 and your chance to say or scream or go NUTS on or with anyone who says it's too tough out there.
Or who says China's winning.
Or who acts like "I'm afraid" just because.
Or who wants to shoot for the moon with little or no rocket fuel.
It's the New Year. No time like the present moment.
Go Nuts.
Happy New Year!
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Friday, November 26, 2010
The Monk and A Fish
"I have put my fingers too much in the running of my own life."
That line comes from the diary of Thomas Merton, the monk, back in November 1947.
Which got me to wondering about that big brown trout swimming just six feet away one summer in the Rush River in Western Wisconsin, ignoring every flycast.
"Could it be this big brown trout reads Merton?"
The small fry trout just across the river were jumping on my line like it was fish candy.
The big brown trout? No way.
That dark blob sat in the same place. For hours. Next to a big rock. Her nose pointed up river. Confident. Waiting for the river to come to her. Occasionally offering a little shimmy, a squiggle. But absolutely no sign that she gave a ripple about the man in the river a few feet away, trying to bring her home for dinner.
This fish becomes more curious the more I read Merton.
This business of my fingers too much in the running of my own life has serious consequence, said the monk then. And turns out the fish in the river says it's so now.
"We seek the good and behold we find disturbance. We say 'Peace! Peace!' and there is not Peace."
Oh my!
This big brown trout is something else. Much better than a pan-fried fish supper one night.
Maybe, this is food for life. From an unlikely guru in the wild.
This fish in the river speaks of small-fry trout becoming big brown trout, living lives of wisdom in the river, as Merton himself lived,
"I put myself in Your hands. I rest in Your wisdom, which has arranged all things for me. I promise to stop jumping out of Your arms to try and walk on my own feet, forgetting that I am no longer on the ground, or near it!"
Merton finished his entry with this,
"Now, at last, let me begin to live by faith..."
The fish finished her day with me this way:
Fish-less.
But she fed me the secret every big brown trout knows,
"Hey, man, you need to let the river come to you."
--tim
twitter tjmorin
That line comes from the diary of Thomas Merton, the monk, back in November 1947.
Which got me to wondering about that big brown trout swimming just six feet away one summer in the Rush River in Western Wisconsin, ignoring every flycast.
"Could it be this big brown trout reads Merton?"
The small fry trout just across the river were jumping on my line like it was fish candy.
The big brown trout? No way.
That dark blob sat in the same place. For hours. Next to a big rock. Her nose pointed up river. Confident. Waiting for the river to come to her. Occasionally offering a little shimmy, a squiggle. But absolutely no sign that she gave a ripple about the man in the river a few feet away, trying to bring her home for dinner.
This fish becomes more curious the more I read Merton.
This business of my fingers too much in the running of my own life has serious consequence, said the monk then. And turns out the fish in the river says it's so now.
"We seek the good and behold we find disturbance. We say 'Peace! Peace!' and there is not Peace."
Oh my!
This big brown trout is something else. Much better than a pan-fried fish supper one night.
Maybe, this is food for life. From an unlikely guru in the wild.
This fish in the river speaks of small-fry trout becoming big brown trout, living lives of wisdom in the river, as Merton himself lived,
"I put myself in Your hands. I rest in Your wisdom, which has arranged all things for me. I promise to stop jumping out of Your arms to try and walk on my own feet, forgetting that I am no longer on the ground, or near it!"
Merton finished his entry with this,
"Now, at last, let me begin to live by faith..."
The fish finished her day with me this way:
Fish-less.
But she fed me the secret every big brown trout knows,
"Hey, man, you need to let the river come to you."
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Friday, November 19, 2010
Two Car Train
We hurtle along the express ride in one car or the other these days.
Car One is full of people who set OR who get the new rules of the road (really, really fast). People full of vision, passion, conviction, courage.
Car Two is full of people who take forever not doing any of the above.
Best place to be is in Car One.
Especially if you have a knack for setting or getting your head around the new rules.
If you're in Car Two, do the world a favor.
Get to Car One. If it's not on the express hurtling along presently, then choose a train going somewhere you believe in.
Choose well. But choose fast.
The ride'll be over before you know it.
--tim
twitter tjmorin
Car One is full of people who set OR who get the new rules of the road (really, really fast). People full of vision, passion, conviction, courage.
Car Two is full of people who take forever not doing any of the above.
Best place to be is in Car One.
Especially if you have a knack for setting or getting your head around the new rules.
If you're in Car Two, do the world a favor.
Get to Car One. If it's not on the express hurtling along presently, then choose a train going somewhere you believe in.
Choose well. But choose fast.
The ride'll be over before you know it.
--tim
twitter tjmorin
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