Making the Invisible Visible:
The WOW Behind the HOW!
"We must be
the change we wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi
When was the last
time that you truly marveled at something?
Can you remember
the exact time and place?
One of the characteristics
that I find very attractive in
people is an ability to nurture a sense of "wonder" about
life. As fast as things occur today, as quickly as
information changes hands we often become numb to the
creative possibilities going on around us at any given
moment. Wonder is that idea and sensation that a great
deal of wisdom and beauty remains hidden behind the
experience you are witnessing. It is a philosophy of
possibilities that challenges our logic and expands our
basic understanding and beliefs. It's the WOW behind the
HOW!
Wonder is a fascinating
thing to research. We all seem to
instinctively know what it is. In the movies they always
depict a wondrous moment as being a supernatural
experience. By Hollywood's way of thinking we can only
truly experience that sense of awe if something from the
great beyond comes down and touches us. I am as big a fan
of the great beyond as the next guy, but I am amazed how
often the "here and now" can inspire us if we only let it
into our life to challenge our current beliefs. That is
what the WOW behind the HOW is all about.
So much of what
I have researched when it comes to the
topic of wonder can be summarized by the idea that someone
simply disagreed with a limitation that was imposed upon
them. Quite a phenomenal philosophy for living! In
preparing to write this article I studied the Seven Wonders
of the World as well as all of the Ancient Wonders of the
World. Those topics are certainly marvelous areas to
ponder the WOW behind the HOW. However, the more that I
study them, I am most amazed by the simple fact that at the
core of each of those incredible creations was 'somebody'
who simply disagreed with what everybody else considered
REALISTIC.
Think about that for a little while?. it seems that at the
core of every great achievement is a disagreement of what
the visionary believed was possible. When the visionary
achieved that goal it literally changed the entire
viewpoint of civilization of what was possible.
While civilization
was content with the idea of gravity the
Wright brothers saw the possibility of flight. In 1844
when everyone focused and thought about communication in
terms of audible dialogue, Samuel Morse introduced the
telegraph machine, which permitted communication to travel
instantly between two distant locations. Later in the
1890's just as civilization was getting accustomed to the
idea of the telegraph Edison, Marconi and Tesla all
pioneered inventions which allowed the wireless telegraph,
the radio to serve and entertain humanity. At the core of
each of these remarkable accomplishments was a disagreement
with the limiting vision and understanding shared by the
status quo. The list can go on and on?..
Thank God for disagreements!
We possess three
essential abilities to develop greater
consciousness, awareness and understanding. They are:
a) To reason,
b) To know that we know, and
c) To know that we know not.
Most people strive
to live their lives demonstrating to
others that they know, even if they don't. Most of our
educational system is focused on teaching us to reason and
to know that we know. However, the artists and
adventurers quickly gravitate to the arena "that we know
not" and make the process of discovery the canvas of their
lives. They disagree. It seems that the artist and
adventurer feed off the idea of exploring unknown territory
claiming it as the birthplace of all possibility.
In the book "The
Art of Dreaming" Don Juan tells Carlos
Castaneda, "?.most of our energy goes into upholding our
importance?.If we were capable of losing some of that
importance, two extraordinary things would happen to us.
One, we would free our energy from trying to maintain the
illusory idea of our grandeur; and two, we would provide
ourselves with enough energy to?.catch a glimpse of the
actual grandeur of the universe." This is the creative
response to life. This is the WOW behind the HOW!
Is there anyone
you know that effectively forecasted or
predicted the Internet? I have researched the question
quite intently and outside of science fiction authors it
appears that this amazing thing called cyberspace evolved
in spite of our limited understanding of what would be
possible if we married a computer and a telephone together.
Yet a handful of technologists steadfastly carried this
vision of possibilities with them and that persistence
enriches our experience so vastly today.
Cool, huh?
The very experiences
we have online every day would have
been considered impossible hallucinations of madmen 30
years ago. What is exciting is pondering the future with a
sense of wonder knowing that we ain't seen nothing yet!
If you will look
at it creatively, limitation is the
birthplace of possibility.
You just have to be willing to perceive it that way. What
really creates WONDER is the idea that we all see different
worlds but some blessed souls are focused on possibilities
while the rest are entrapped in self-made limitations.
Last week I had
one of those wondrous moments pertaining to
my Internet business. However, it is the type of event
that I could quickly allow myself to become numb to. Let
me explain. While traveling in Florida, I had written an
article on my computer notebook and using my wireless
connection submitted it for syndication to a website in
England. The article was picked up by an entrepreneur from
Thailand who published it in her ezine in the Phillipines.
People on the other side of the world were receiving my
ideas and viewpoint within 12 hours from the time it left
my mind! That's the WOW behind the HOW! Upon first glance
you might think I am mentioning this to edify my ego.
Quite the contrary. This simple event which takes place
thousands of times every single day has changed the way of
what I think is possible regarding communication. For me
the Internet has changed the definitions of time and space
and really brought to life the energy that we are all truly
connected. The Internet has challenged my idea of
limitation. It is truly wondrous!
When I break down
this simple event into its individual
components it challenges me to ponder the possibilities and
recognize how much potential lies within all of us. I love
the experience of having something in an event "push the
envelope" and challenge my logic. It elevates me by
creatively transforming my limitations into possibilities.
I've learned that when wonder looks inward it becomes
logic. When wonder looks outward it becomes possibility.
When wonder looks upward it contributes to a better
understanding of all that we consider real.
Technology and
Art seem to be the tools that challenge the
"status quo" and force us to redefine ourselves based upon
the mere reflection of what they perceive is possible.
Listen to a Louis Armstrong or Miles Davis solo. Do a
complex search on Google. Look at a Picasso. It's the WOW
after the HOW! All of these adventurers and their
contributions pushed the envelope a little farther along in
making us all see what is possible when we rid our world of
comfortable limitations.
Possibility or
limitation. The choice is always yours!
Every thought that you think today will give birth to
worlds of possibilities.
Every word that you murmur will unleash the power of pure
potential.
Every action you take will remind us all that limitation is
a choice.
Or not.
The Buddha taught
that in our lives we can't help but make
the invisible visible.
Our exterior world is a perfect reflection of the invisible
world of our thoughts, ideas, beliefs and considerations.
Everything we do in life harmonizes with the invisible
symphony of possibility. If you are not getting the
results you want, be the change you wish to see in the
world. When you get clear on the invisible you can create
the impossible. To paraphrase Einstein, "The significant
problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of
thinking we used when we created them."
My advice to you
is simple?.realize that you are making the
invisible visible with every passing second. That's the
WOW behind the HOW and it all starts with a disagreement of
what others might consider REALISTIC!
I agree to disagree.
How about you?
Might be time to
focus on my favorite mantra again?"Be
Careful What YOU Agree With!"
----------------------------------------------------
Harald Anderson is the co-founder of
http://www.artinspires.com a leading online gallery of
motivational and inspirational posters and art prints.
"When Art Inspires, Dreams Become Realities. His goal in
life is to become the kind of person that his dog already
thinks he is. http://www.artinspires.com/
