Appreciating Company
[Beautiful Future - XIX]
I woke up this morning with gratitude for the way my friends see the future. I get a sense that their perspectives—seeing the world with empathetic eyes, asking hard questions about our own limitations, insisting on an audacious hope, and voting for the kind of person I want to become—are preparing me for the road ahead. A road that is built foot by foot, but one that will indeed be beautiful.
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well” (Voltaire).
Despite the naysayers, regardless of so-called popular opinion, the future will be beautiful because the friends we hold see it that way. Their perspectives inspire us, stir us, shape us.
The beautiful future begins, for me, with an appreciation for them.
Your company matters.
To you. And to the future.
Weekly Roundup: Beautiful Future
January 4 - 8, 2021
Monday: On a small scale, no longer can semi-conscious, partially engaged, fatigue be the reason we don’t do our work of building that one thing that is truly beautiful.It’s time we sit up. Be alert. Truly listen. And engage.
Tuesday: Our imagination is not a different tool than our rage; it’s actually the transmutation of rage into practice.
Wednesday: "How do we build collective empathy in an isolating society? How do we empower individual action in a society where most people feel justifiably powerless while equally emotionally and physically fatigued?" - Tyler White
Thursday: "I see beauty in the real. Beauty in the simple. Beauty in the call to be what we are meant to be and not what we have become. I relish the hope that a life can be made right." - Travis McCool
Friday: "Time is perhaps the most precious resource I have on this earth, and it's the only one that's truly unrenewable. I want to chose to be inspired by that fact, not over-whelmed by it. I will vote to look for the beauty the future has to offer and share it." - Tom Riverman
Saturday: "The future is made beautiful by the ways we brave today. Bravery can be heard in the question, Can you help me? It can be seen in taking time to uncover something new. Answer questions, but ask them, too." - Jessie Bloss
Are you interested in the whole reflection? Click on any day, and it will take you there.
Want to help grow the community of people like us that are unwilling to continue in ways like this? Help us spread the word: share on Facebook, Twitter, or with a friend via email. Find the links below.
Bravery: Jessie Bloss
[Beautiful Future - XVIII]
My friend Sarah writes poetry for fun and a few months ago she wrote this:
“Do something brave today. Do something you’ve never done before. Don’t wait to be invited, instead, initiate. Do something outside your expertise and marvel at your imperfections, for they show growth. And realize that the braveness comes not by doing things, but by braving things.”
The future is made beautiful by the ways we brave today.
Bravery can be heard in the question, Can you help me? It can be seen in taking time to uncover something new. Answer questions, but ask them, too:
What can the poor teach us?
What good is playfulness?
Why does creativity matter?
Who are we becoming on the way to where we’re going?
In Sarah’s words I find a hopeful spirit of discovery and longing. It’s a spirit we all possess, helping us seek something deeper, even when we can’t see it and it feels like we’ll never find it.
The Kingdom is coming, not going. Braving together the world—in its fragility and incompleteness—today is the faithful work required to prepare the way for a beautiful future.
Perhaps the brave step for today starts by simply asking for help.
[Jessie has an uncanny ability to hold seemingly disparate interests in balance: justice, design, ministry, sustainability, entrepreneurship, community development— she’s on a mission, and she’s brave!]
Casting Votes: Tom Riverman
[Beautiful Future - XVII]
I see the future being beautiful by taking advantage of the abundance of opportunities available to me.
Every moment I'm gifted with the chance to vote for the type of person I want to be.
I get to cast those votes however I choose.
I can vote to be healthier.
I can vote to have more energy or less.
I can vote to be a devoted and available husband and father.
If I want a more fulfilling spiritual life, I can vote for that.
Looking back, it can be discouraging to see how I've cast many of my votes.
Time is perhaps the most precious resource I have on this earth, and it's the only one that's truly unrenewable. I want to chose to be inspired by that fact, not over-whelmed by it. I will vote to look for the beauty the future has to offer and share it.
[Tom is an educator, baker, and a quick-witted Utahn. I believe he could make a living as a stand-up comedian . . . if he voted for it.]
Beauty of Hope: Travis McCool
[Beautiful Future - XVI]
As one tragedy gives way to the next and every new week seems pregnant with the anticipation of continued discontent and division, I hold on to the beauty of hope.
Beauty and life always come from destruction and death. As one song reminded me from the 90's, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end". In that, I find hope.
I see beauty in the upheaval of the now . . . the burning away of false saviors and fake gods we have mistakenly placed in sacred spaces.
I see beauty in the real.
Beauty in the simple.
Beauty in the call to be what we are meant to be and not what we have become.
I relish the hope that a life can be made right.
The beauty I see is just over the horizon . . . coming on the clouds of a new day, a day promised to us long ago.
[Travis is a pastor and visionary. Find him on Facebook advocating for genuine dialogue and fighting against hate. If I could invite only one friend to a bonfire, he’d likely be my first choice.]
New Eyes: Tyler White
[Beautiful Future - XV]
How do we build collective empathy in an isolating society?
How do we empower individual action in a society where most people feel justifiably powerless while equally emotionally and physically fatigued?
I am hopeful that some new technologies, if developed ethically, will help build a far more beautiful and empathetic future. New technologies like Virtual Reality may hold an answer to how we bridge the gap of our current isolation and build the necessary empathetic relationships with the people we don't yet know, but need to understand.
These technologies already feature immersive experiences that are changing the way people act and see the world, instilling a powerful new sense of collective empathy. They have the power to ensure our future is beautiful and instilled with deeper social understanding.
Examples of the healing power of virtual reality are growing.
Check out Stanford's Virtual Interaction Lab’s “Becoming Homeless”.
Or Nonny de la Pena’s, heart wrenching experiences developed at Emblematic Studios.
Or Alex McDowell's project involving the people of a Saudi Arabian Bedouin tribe.
Seeing is truly believing with this technology, so I am certain if you give it a try it will convince you too that we as a society still have a chance to see with new eyes, come back together, and build a beautiful empathetic future.
[Tyler is an artist, activist, and explorer. He’s one of my favorite people with whom to get coffee and dream. This post was part of his response to my question: How do you see the future being beautiful?]
Transmutation of Rage
[Beautiful Future - XIV]
People like us that are unwilling to continue in ways like this are done.
We’re finished.
Finished with the screaming. The slander. And the fabricated conflict to improve ratings.
Finished with the superficial. The hype. And purely material pursuits.
Finished with the do-gooder-isms. The “holy” posturing. And the inability to truly listen and dialogue.
Finished with the massive migration of wealth. The villainization of whole people groups. And the blindness to history.
We’re finished, but we’re not alone. There are others—kindred folks that are critically engaged, doing good work, and holding onto hope for justice and redemption.
I want to introduce you to a few of them. I consider them dear friends. What they have in common is they are finished too. The evidence is not that they deconstruct everything around them. Nope. The evidence is not that they are fed up, angry, and ready to pick a fight. Not at all. The evidence is that they are imagining a different future. (Okay, maybe a few of them are ready to throw down.)
Our imagination is not a different tool than our rage; it’s actually the transmutation of rage into practice.
Our imaginations refuse to allow tomorrow to be the same.
Our imaginations insist tomorrow will be beautiful. Because we can see it!
In the coming days I will introduce you to some of my favorite people. You’ll be able to look through their eyes and see a more beautiful future.
I encourage you to share these reflections with people who need to hear them. They’re brilliant . . . and so life-giving.
2/3 of the Oxygen
[Beautiful Future - XIII]
Jim Kwik has some brilliant insights. Listen to (most of) what he has to say.
For example, here’s an important reminder about clarity of mind, laziness, and fatigue: 2/3 of the oxygen we absorb is through the lower 1/3 of our lungs. When we slouch—basically the way most of us sit in chairs, recliners, and couches—the lower third of our lungs collapse, effectively inhibiting a large portion of our oxygen intake. The result: lower levels of oxygen reach critical parts of our body, namely our brain.
Fatigue is not something that happens to us; it something we’re doing to ourselves physiologically. Sit up and watch the energy return. (Look up alveoli and how they work, if you want to be astounded.)
All our goals and dreams, callings and visions, inspirations and hopes require our full engagement, full devotion, and full capacity. The beautiful future will not materialize while we slouch on the sideline. It will not come to fruition if we are partially engaged and melancholic.
On a small scale, no longer can semi-conscious, partially engaged, fatigue be the reason we don’t do our work of building that one thing that is truly beautiful.
It’s time we sit up. Be alert. Truly listen. And engage.
Friends, we’ve been doing fatigue to ourselves. Now’s the time to change that!
Wield Beautiful Words
[Beautiful Future - XII]
I went to the hospital the other day. I ran into 27 communicators.
Mind you, that is only counting the actual people that communicated with me. Not the woman that designed the graphics on the sign that warned about COVID. Not the team that decided to make the bathroom sign androgynous or the committee that wrote the pamphlet about obesity. Not the architect and designer that designed the lobby and the rooms with a message in mind.
I talked to the guard.
The covid screener.
The receptionist.
The guy sitting next to me in the waiting room.
The intake nurse.
The other nurse.
The nurse on the computer.
The doctor.
The doctor's scribe.
You get the idea.
We are all communicators, no matter our line of work or stage of life. And we don’t all need to major in English or Creative Writing to be excellent communicators. But we do need practice. And feedback.
The future will be beautiful, but it will require taking seriously the challenge of language to communicate the change we dream about. Don’t settle for gibberish. Or too much slang. Or tweets.
Wield words that are meaningful. Purposeful. Powerful. Beautiful.
This Coming Year
[Beautiful Future - XI]
This coming year will be different.
Not because it’s a different number or merely ahead of us.
Not because the vaccine is available and we have a new president.
The new year will be different because you have changed.
Your view on this.
Your take on that.
Your opinions about them.
Your desires for us.
There's more . . .
Your heart is bigger.
Your patience is longer.
Your impulses are tempered.
Your hope is more inclusive.
And even more . . .
You've let yourself feel.
You’ve grieved.
You’ve slowed down.
You’ve loved and been loved.
Friends, you have struggled, even suffered. We have struggled.
Next year will be different because we’ve changed . . . for the better.
Beyond the Boundaries
[Beautiful Future - X]
Is the future beautiful? Or, will it be like today, just one day later on the calendar?
Will tomorrow be more akin to the world (or the home, town, block, neighborhood) we profess to desire? Or will it be a replica of yesterday’s madness?
How about the new year? Truthfully. Sincerely. Do we have any expectation that things will change? Expectations of ourselves, our neighbors, our faith communities, or our local officials?
People like us that are unwilling to continue with the way things are must be able to picture—literally sketch it out on paper!—the beautiful future. But you and I cannot think beyond the boundaries that our communities allow.
Our communities set the framework for what’s acceptable and then create the consequences for deviating outside the boundaries.
Does your community make room for dreaming about a different kind of tomorrow? Not in twenty years. Or a thousand. But tomorrow. In concrete terms.
And does it empower you to believe in and create a beautiful future?
It’s time to begin asking.
Stowing Away
[Beautiful Future - IX]
Winter is about slowing down and stowing.
We stow away our garden harvest in jars.
Animals do the same, stowing nuts and berries in trees.
Even the ground stows seeds away for later.
In those Mason jars is all the energy of summer growth, preserved for long, grey, cold days.
Hidden in trees is the captured nourishment of summer that sustains animals for months.
Tucked away in the cold soil awaits all the effort from last year, in the form of seeds.
We—you and me, the squirrels, even the trees—by nature capture the energy of summer, stow it away, that we might burst forth in the spring. Rested. Energized. Nourished and strong.
What have we stowed away that will nourish us through these grey months and burst forth with life come spring?
What experiences, lessons, insights, and ideas will you sit with, ruminate on, and eventually offer the world when spring breaks open?
Labor Pain
[Beautiful Future - VIII]
What have you heard 2020 compared to?
A train wreck.
A tornado.
A migraine.
A dumpster fire.
Rightfully so, it’s compared to traumatic events and natural disasters.
However, I’m yet to hear it compared to pregnancy.
You might say, “Well, that’s because pregnancy isn’t traumatic. And it’s certainly not a natural disaster.”
Ask Mary. She might disagree.
Christmas is a story about trauma.
And the whole drama is a (natural) disaster.
But at the center of the story is a pregnancy.
Mary is pregnant with child.
She's pregnant with self-giving love.
She's pregnant with equitability and justice.
She's pregnant with grace.
She’s pregnant with resistance and creative alternatives.
She's pregnant with a more beautiful future.
And much like us, she labors—painfully labors!—as the beautiful future is delivered into the world.
Are we ready to receive it?
Making Room for It
[Beautiful Future - VII]
What if I showed up to your apartment with a large sectional couch? Brand new. Like the huge one on display at Costco. But free. Would it fit in your living room?
What if, after the holiday break, I offered you a new work bench and table saw for your garage. Would you accept it, or is there not an open square foot in there?
What if I offered you the Beatles’ complete body of work? Every recording they ever did. Seven Terabytes of music. Where would you store it?
The beautiful future is a gift to those that are willing to make room for it. You wouldn’t remodel another living room for a new couch or build a new garage for a few new tools.
Receiving the future requires getting rid of something or letting go of another thing.
It requires making room.
The Ancient Way
[Beautiful Future - VI]
The “old way” will defy, deny, and decry what’s emerging.
But the “old way” is not the “ancient way”. There is a perennial wisdom that is ancient, preserved through generations, often captured in the stories of your grandparents and great grandparents.
It's embodied in millennium-old rituals.
Imagined through religious symbols.
Meditated on by saints.
“Old” is not synonymous with bad . . . if by “old” we really mean grounded, wise, and nourishing. That’s ancient. And necessary.
The beautiful future that we are both waking up to as it draws nearer and opening up to as it gestates inside us will seize the wisdom of the “ancient way” as we give ourselves to what is only now faintly coming into focus.
What is in you, that which is demanding more and more of your attention, will be beautiful. Should it last, it must also be grounded in the ancient way.
The Old Way
[Beautiful Future - V]
The old way is stubborn. It’s determined not to change.
And the old way can be outright menacing.
The old way will defy the beautiful new way. Not because the old way has an affinity for an “ugly way". The old way was beautiful at one time. But as the old way aged, it was unable to evolve and grow. It has become defiant, digging in its heals and clenching its fist. It’s not going anywhere because it thought it was permanent.
The old way will deny and decry the beautiful new way. By sowing seeds of suspicion, the old way will use “change”, “slippery slopes”, and “what abouts” to undermine the yearnings for a new way. This will be a private enterprise, lest it proves ineffective. At that point, the old way will mount a public attack on the new way, leaving all self-restraint and self-respect behind.
What is emerging is beautiful, and for people like us, it's self-evident and welcomed. But the old way is not leaving without a fight.
Are you feeling resistance? You’re probably on the right track.
Yearning for It
[Beautiful Future - IV]
“Yearning for a new way will not produce it. Only ending the old way can do that. You cannot hold onto the old all the while declaring that you want something new. The old will defy the new; the old will deny the new; the old will decry the new. There is only one way to bring in the new. You must make room for it.” - Neale Donal Walsch
I rarely use quotes in my daily reflections, but this one by Walsch stuck with me the whole week.
People like use are yearning for a new way.
The new way is healthier.
The new way is more grounded.
Deeply affirming.
Beautiful.
But what exactly is the old way?
Old practice?
Old habit?
Old arrangement?
Old paradigm?
The new way is beautiful, but the old way must be named, understood, and set aside.
That’s risky.
And it takes courage.
And time for grief.
But we’re in it together.
Big Fish in a Small Pond?
[Beautiful Future - III]
Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond?
Well, of course, as the adage goes, it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond. More status and power. More access to resources. More attention. More accolades. More control.
But the big pond provides security. More opportunity. More potential. More room for growth. More lateral movement. More options.
If the pond dries up, it doesn’t matter.
If the pond floods, it doesn’t matter.
If the pond gets contaminated, it doesn’t matter.
Ponds are drying up, flooding, and being poisoned everywhere.
Let’s dig a beautiful new pond. Where size doesn’t matter. Where resources are measured by their contribution to the common good. And where health is our first priority.
What’s your pond?
Blasts of Light
[Beautiful Future - II]
It’s not that our vision of the future is dark or out of focus. It’s that our vision only comes in blasts of light.
I‘ve never met anyone with zero ideas about how things can improve. From affordable medical care to more engaging educational models to a reduction in addictions, we are wired to imagine something better. On a small scale, the same is true. Everyone I know has at least one small image of how life should change to be more healthy, fulfilling, and beautiful—from healthier ways to gather for worship to curbing depression to eating healthier.
But these images aren’t delivered in full form. Lightning strikes and we get a flash of what’s possible. The rest of the time it takes work to try to re-create the details that for a brief moment were clear as day.
The challenge is not seeing a beautiful future.
The challenge is "re-seeing" it enough to continue inspiring and informing us as we build it.
That takes work. Intentionality. Perseverance.
The blast of light, the clairvoyance, and the vision are not in shortage. A commitment to holding it in front of us as a destination is.
Tomorrow is Beautiful
[Beautiful Future - I]
It’s raining outside.
The quarantine was just extended.
Someone opened fire outside a cathedral yesterday.
Democracy appears under attack.
But the future is beautiful.
As absurd as it is to say, there is something measurably uplifting in even uttering the phrase.
I want to spend the next couple weeks wrestling with the counterintuitive claim that something beautiful is emerging. In you. In me. And between us.
For now…
I’ll leave you with this short story—a parable. It’s not beautiful, per se, but it’s fun, and what you can learn from it will certainly add beauty to your life.