Bombarded by a steady stream of data, demands, and decisions, she felt fragmented—uncertain of herself and even less certain of her place in the current universe. She wished that a pause button would induce a state of suspended animation, creating a conceptual place outside the fabric of space-time where she could recompose herself. In that space she would collect and consider pieces of herself. She would sift, sort, synthesize, reshape, and revise her thoughts, her life, and herself there.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Hindsight
Why is it that we sometimes have to look backward in order to move forward?
I think that looking backward is often the only way that I can recognize that I have moved forward. Progress is often so slow and so jagged that I mistake a short-run downturn for general regression. That's a big reason why I've found journaling to be so valuable--it helps me identify the progress.
Hi Cherice! I didn't realized you had a blog here. Have you moved yet? It has been a while since we talked and I'm hoping to try to catch u on google talk. As for your question, we look back to learn from our mistakes and figure out who we are. Looking back helps us change us for the better to move forward in the right direction. Hope that answer part of your question. I'm sure there are different ways to answer that question. Hope you're having a great summer! Miss you!
Your idea of "jagged progress" is insightful. I am prone to confuse "short-run downturns" with "general regression." It is SO difficult to maintain perspective, isn't it?
Have you ever read Peter Elbow's essay called, "The Music of Form?" In it, he makes fascinating comparisons between an ant's perspective as it walks over a painting or a newspaper and the perspective of the reader lost in a forest of text. I suppose similar arguments could be applied to our own ability to see our growth. There is such a temporal element to our ability to gain spatial perspective! (He talks about time and space in his article too.)
I do have a blog . . . although I don't manage to post to it nearly as often as I think of things I'd like to write about!
I haven't moved yet--not until next June. I only visit Facebook when I get a notification of a friend request or something, so that isn't a good way to communicate (kind of defeats the purpose of having an account, I know). E-mail tends to get buried. So yes, find me on Google Talk!
I think you are right about learning from our mistakes. However, I think I'll have to look back from a much further distance than my present position in order to figure out who I am. That is truly the million dollar question these days! :-)
I think of you often (even though you seldom hear from me)!
Keep in touch--and keep posting those pictures! I love seeing what you and your family are up to!
5 comments:
I think that looking backward is often the only way that I can recognize that I have moved forward. Progress is often so slow and so jagged that I mistake a short-run downturn for general regression. That's a big reason why I've found journaling to be so valuable--it helps me identify the progress.
Hi Cherice! I didn't realized you had a blog here. Have you moved yet? It has been a while since we talked and I'm hoping to try to catch u on google talk. As for your question, we look back to learn from our mistakes and figure out who we are. Looking back helps us change us for the better to move forward in the right direction. Hope that answer part of your question. I'm sure there are different ways to answer that question. Hope you're having a great summer! Miss you!
Dave,
Your idea of "jagged progress" is insightful. I am prone to confuse "short-run downturns" with "general regression." It is SO difficult to maintain perspective, isn't it?
Have you ever read Peter Elbow's essay called, "The Music of Form?" In it, he makes fascinating comparisons between an ant's perspective as it walks over a painting or a newspaper and the perspective of the reader lost in a forest of text. I suppose similar arguments could be applied to our own ability to see our growth. There is such a temporal element to our ability to gain spatial perspective! (He talks about time and space in his article too.)
Lnanaa,
I do have a blog . . . although I don't manage to post to it nearly as often as I think of things I'd like to write about!
I haven't moved yet--not until next June. I only visit Facebook when I get a notification of a friend request or something, so that isn't a good way to communicate (kind of defeats the purpose of having an account, I know). E-mail tends to get buried. So yes, find me on Google Talk!
I think you are right about learning from our mistakes. However, I think I'll have to look back from a much further distance than my present position in order to figure out who I am. That is truly the million dollar question these days! :-)
I think of you often (even though you seldom hear from me)!
Keep in touch--and keep posting those pictures! I love seeing what you and your family are up to!
Post a Comment