I think and feel deeply about the root causes of humanity’s
suffering and continued insistence on causing it. I feel compelled to reach out
and talk with people working on aspects of those problems, whether or not they
have any interest in talking with me. I am building an ongoing model of how
Everything fits.
I flit around, calling people and asking them to have lunch,
coffee and conversation. Sometimes it’s a store clerk, sometimes a CEO. Not
everyone returns my call the first or even the fifth time, but eventually I
just try again when they come to the surface for me next. Others will call me
out of the blue, suddenly certain I’m the only one who will understand what’s
going on for them, and fill in a piece I’ve been puzzling.
In the wide range of areas in which I feel passionately
interested as critical to humanity’s emotional growth, I check in with an
eclectic and often random gaggle of people, and try to figure out what they’re
up to and whether it’s a productive path.
I live to do this. Each person, one-on-one, is a treasure and I love
them while we’re together, with all the shyness and eagerness that brings. Some
through their writing, some in person, some just through touch-points on social
media or Skype, I keep track of thousands of people over time, and a few dozen
at any given time. I wonder what they make of me.
I share my enthusiasm, spark with them on ideas or hurdles.
If they seem up to it, I might try to encourage them to take a leap or do
something really different and bold. I search my internal database for people
working in a similar space, able to provide needed expertise, people who might
be interested, and offer to connect. I say goodbye with heartfelt thanks.
And then I tuck away the information in my mind, where it quickly
disperses into Knowledge Stream. I feel as though I flow on this water of
knowledge as I go through life. I still have to fend off the crows and feel the
nasty wind sometimes, but the knowledge flows steadily under me, keeps me
afloat. Perhaps one day I will have a River.
