Another lap around the sun...
Sunday marked another lap around the sun for me, and I did things I enjoy to celebrate the day. In the morning I kayaked with SKOAC. We rent a pool once per month during the winter season, and it's a good chance to practice rolling techniques and things like that. My rolls are getting pretty consistent - I'm now shifting from being happy about just being able to do a roll to focusing on building up the muscle memory to make it more "solid". Still a ways to go.
In the afternoon, Pam and I headed in Minneapolis to attend a talk given by Dr. John Francis (founder of Planetwalk). He spent 17 years not talking, and shared his experiences and what he learned. Originally he started out by being quiet for a day, then decided to go a whole year. It was his gift to others - apparently he was quite chatty before the silence thing. His goal was to draw attention to the environment (he started in the early 70s). In addition to not talking, he decided he would not travel in any motorized vehicle.
I was amazed to hear how during his silent period, he completed a BS in Oregon, then walked over to Montana for his MS, then walked over to Madison, WI to complete his Ph.D. He was doing his Ph.D. on oil spills in the late 80's for no particular reason - he was just interested in the topic. Then, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez dumped its load of oil, and all of a sudden he was in high demand. In turns out that he was the only person in the US studying oil spills at a Ph.D. level, and the government was eager to tap into his knowledge.
For me, the most interesting part of the talk came at the end. He described a series of experiences that made him realize it was time to shift his thinking, since he had evolved a value system that was at odds with his beliefs. His original goal was to draw attention to pollution and the environment by walking and not talking. But, when he became a highly sought after expert in key areas, he realized that asking folks to wait 3-6 months for him to walk or bike somewhere was not going to help him be more effective. Thus, he agreed to start driving and flying, since it would be a more effective way to get his message out.
This got me to thinking. What set of habits have I adopted that are actually at odds with my current situation and underlying belief system? We all have contradictions in our lives - which ones are keeping us from being the people we would like to be, or even imagine ourselves to be today. I don't expect to take a vow of silence of 17 years, but this is definitely a question worth pondering.
In the afternoon, Pam and I headed in Minneapolis to attend a talk given by Dr. John Francis (founder of Planetwalk). He spent 17 years not talking, and shared his experiences and what he learned. Originally he started out by being quiet for a day, then decided to go a whole year. It was his gift to others - apparently he was quite chatty before the silence thing. His goal was to draw attention to the environment (he started in the early 70s). In addition to not talking, he decided he would not travel in any motorized vehicle.
I was amazed to hear how during his silent period, he completed a BS in Oregon, then walked over to Montana for his MS, then walked over to Madison, WI to complete his Ph.D. He was doing his Ph.D. on oil spills in the late 80's for no particular reason - he was just interested in the topic. Then, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez dumped its load of oil, and all of a sudden he was in high demand. In turns out that he was the only person in the US studying oil spills at a Ph.D. level, and the government was eager to tap into his knowledge.
For me, the most interesting part of the talk came at the end. He described a series of experiences that made him realize it was time to shift his thinking, since he had evolved a value system that was at odds with his beliefs. His original goal was to draw attention to pollution and the environment by walking and not talking. But, when he became a highly sought after expert in key areas, he realized that asking folks to wait 3-6 months for him to walk or bike somewhere was not going to help him be more effective. Thus, he agreed to start driving and flying, since it would be a more effective way to get his message out.
This got me to thinking. What set of habits have I adopted that are actually at odds with my current situation and underlying belief system? We all have contradictions in our lives - which ones are keeping us from being the people we would like to be, or even imagine ourselves to be today. I don't expect to take a vow of silence of 17 years, but this is definitely a question worth pondering.
posted by Aras at 1:15 PM
1 Comments:
Happy B'day Aras!
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