InSpiritry Question for the Day - May 26, 2009
“There are a hundred ways
to kneel and kiss the ground.”
Rumi
This quote, from the Middle Eastern poet Rumi, hangs above my desk as inspiration. Written to suggest that holiness is not prescribed but can instead be expressed in any number of ways, it is also a mantra for how to live creatively. Rumi gives us food for thought: in every endeavor, there are indeed a hundred ways. A hundred ways to love. A hundred ways to think about a problem. A hundred ways to work things out. A hundred ways to worship. A hundred ways to spend a day. A hundred ways to live…and die.
Those who live most creatively use this kind of thinking all the time. They aren’t confined by the “right way” or “my way” or even the “way we have always done it.” Creative people free themselves to try new things, explore all sorts of ideas, consider unusual options, reflect on other approaches, try out a variety of strategies, learn by doing, welcome surprising suggestions, listen to diverse voices, celebrate uncertainty. In our personal lives, these blessed people are the ones who help us see new possibilities. In the marketplace, they give us new inventions. In our intellectual and spiritual lives, they lead us to new insights. As artists and musicians and writers, they help us see the world in a new way.
One of the most important aspects of Greater Good Thinking is Creativity: realizing what’s best for all of us might be something we haven’t thought of yet! On a day-to-day basis, we can begin thinking creatively by looking past our first answer to any question to consider the other ninety-nine ways it might be done!
InSpiritry Question for the Day:
How would you finish this statement - There are a hundred ways to…?
When We Look for Other Ways to Do Things, We Can Be a Blessing!
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