An episode of the 1962 Twilight Zone just ran on TV about an old man. He was in a very institutional-looking, rows-of-beds-like-boot-camp retirement home. It occurred to him that the way we get old is we kind of decide to be. So he decides to be a kid again, and convinces most of the residents to join him in a midnight game of kick the can.
The story ends with the now-kids shouting "ollie ollie oxen free" and running off into the woods.
I've known people who were old before their time. Some were even kids. I remember one girl in college who was like a stuck-in-the-rut old lady. (Unlike a lot of really lively old ladies I've known.) I've seen people satisfied and delighted with where they were in church, work, everything. I've seen people in their 80s who out-Energizer-bunny people half their ages, because they're lovin' the adventure. I've also seen people stupefied with dead routine in their churches and workplaces, who were able to change their situations but unwilling. And they got old far before their time.
What are we waiting for? Time to play kick the can!
A celebration of people who are living out their God-given dreams in all sorts of unconventional ways and places. An exploration of the obstacles to life that we often encounter - some of our own making. A place for stories about people, ideas, culture, history and God.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
The hole in the doughnut - pursuing your passion
The premise of this blog is that there are people among us who have a passion to live out their Christianity in some way that doesn't quite fit the usual molds. They (we) might call it the Big Dream, or Passion or Calling. There's this urge to do something, but no one else seems (key word there) to be interested in joining. Then, we're left with a choice: take that dream out for a drive anyway, alone, or park it in frustration. We can also conclude that either we're crazy and misfit, or everyone else just doesn't get it.
My take is:
You might be wondering, "How did these people start?" The thing I've noticed, in addition to a red-hot passion for something, is that they noticed something missing. I call it seeing the hole of the doughnut.
I worked for a lot of years in the world of engineering for military systems. Usually, they involved a fair amount of new technology, military rough-handling conditions that would make a gorilla blush, and a lot of money. One of their keys to success was constantly asking not just "Is this device doing the right thing?" but also "What's missing?" The difficulty is that you can correct a problem you see, but anticipating a problem that you can't see is a lot harder. It's particularly difficult when you're under a lot of schedule and budget pressure.
Look at a doughnut; it isn't just a ring of sweet bread. It's got two parts: the dough, and the hole. If you took away the hole (left it a circle), you wouldn't have a doughnut anymore, you'd have something else. The hole is the rest of the story. In a funny way, it defines the doughnut.
The thing I've noticed is that the best engineers are very good at seeing the stuff that's missing. They have a strong entrepreneurial drive that is always seeking, anticipating, wondering how the world could be different. They tend to annoy a lot of people who are so busy building a better doughnut that they miss, well, the thing that's missing. The opportunity to fill that hole, to do something that can be done and should be done. They're often regarded as being a bit weird, misfit. Hyman Rickover and Kelly Johnson were weird guys, no joke. But they changed the worlds of submarines and airplanes enormously.
I see the same thing in between-the-lines people. They saw a hole, an opportunity. Something wasn't happening in their local churches, it wasn't going to happen, but it could and should happen. So, they took that Dream for a drive, and realized vistas they had previously only hoped for. Like Jeremiah, they couldn't keep the fire of God within.
So what about those who aren't the red-hot startup people, but feeling misfit? And can't see anything around that will scratch that itch, that dream? Not to be hackneyed, but the future starts with looking and listening for it. That usually means looking and listening in places that aren't your accustomed ones. It means looking for the holes around you, not just at the doughnuts already on display.
I want the whole doughnut. The ring part is great. The little doughnut hole-thing is great; just bite-size. I want to experience the whole life God has for me, not just the part I understand right now. Maybe you do, too. We're not crazy. So here's a little thought-experiment you could try next time you eat a doughnut...thank the cashier for not giving you the middle. And explain why. :) Happy eating!
My take is:
- Dreams are put in us by a Creator who wants them lived out to the full.
- We aren't misfits; we're way-often mis-fit (in the wrong place) where we are.
- If we (each) do nothing, nothing will change. If I'm unwilling to change my attitude or position in relation to existing institutions like church and work, then it's hardly fair to blame them. At that point, I've found the problem, and I'm it.
You might be wondering, "How did these people start?" The thing I've noticed, in addition to a red-hot passion for something, is that they noticed something missing. I call it seeing the hole of the doughnut.
I worked for a lot of years in the world of engineering for military systems. Usually, they involved a fair amount of new technology, military rough-handling conditions that would make a gorilla blush, and a lot of money. One of their keys to success was constantly asking not just "Is this device doing the right thing?" but also "What's missing?" The difficulty is that you can correct a problem you see, but anticipating a problem that you can't see is a lot harder. It's particularly difficult when you're under a lot of schedule and budget pressure.
Look at a doughnut; it isn't just a ring of sweet bread. It's got two parts: the dough, and the hole. If you took away the hole (left it a circle), you wouldn't have a doughnut anymore, you'd have something else. The hole is the rest of the story. In a funny way, it defines the doughnut.
The thing I've noticed is that the best engineers are very good at seeing the stuff that's missing. They have a strong entrepreneurial drive that is always seeking, anticipating, wondering how the world could be different. They tend to annoy a lot of people who are so busy building a better doughnut that they miss, well, the thing that's missing. The opportunity to fill that hole, to do something that can be done and should be done. They're often regarded as being a bit weird, misfit. Hyman Rickover and Kelly Johnson were weird guys, no joke. But they changed the worlds of submarines and airplanes enormously.
I see the same thing in between-the-lines people. They saw a hole, an opportunity. Something wasn't happening in their local churches, it wasn't going to happen, but it could and should happen. So, they took that Dream for a drive, and realized vistas they had previously only hoped for. Like Jeremiah, they couldn't keep the fire of God within.
So what about those who aren't the red-hot startup people, but feeling misfit? And can't see anything around that will scratch that itch, that dream? Not to be hackneyed, but the future starts with looking and listening for it. That usually means looking and listening in places that aren't your accustomed ones. It means looking for the holes around you, not just at the doughnuts already on display.
I want the whole doughnut. The ring part is great. The little doughnut hole-thing is great; just bite-size. I want to experience the whole life God has for me, not just the part I understand right now. Maybe you do, too. We're not crazy. So here's a little thought-experiment you could try next time you eat a doughnut...thank the cashier for not giving you the middle. And explain why. :) Happy eating!
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