In “Where Good Ideas Come From” Steven Johnson uses the illustration of a coral reef as an example of a structure that is both fragile and still able to withstand the incessant pounding of waves and storms. He quotes Charles Darwin’s first experience with reefs and his amazement they were able to withstand the violent surges of water, “The ocean throwing its waters over the broad reef appears an invincible, all-powerful enemy; yet we see it resisted, and even conquered, by means which at first seem most weak and inefficient…Yet, these low insignificant coral-islets stand and are victorious: for here another power, as an antagonist, takes part in the contest. The organic forces separate the atoms of carbonate of lime, one by one, from the foaming breakers, and united them into a symmetrical structure. Let the hurricane tear up its thousand huge fragments; yet what will that tell against the accumulated labour of myriads of architects at work night and day, month after month.”
In time, this became known as Darwin’s Paradox. How could something so fragile and open to the elements thrive?
That’s what this week has been like — a storm of travel, people and experiences all washing over me at once. So, I am asking myself the question, “What kind of reef am I building from the content of these waves that will last longer than a moment and be more than an experience?”
You might say I am looking for ways to assimilate the “carbonate of lime” contained within the flood that can be united into a structure useful for myself but also for others. For the value of a reef is not just the structure itself and its ability to filter out what it needs to grow. The greatest contribution is providing a place for a thousand different forms of life to grow and multiply.
Although coral reefs make up about only one-tenth of one percent of the earth’s surface, yet roughly a quarter of the known species of marine life make their homes there. In my world, those forms take the shape not of fish or other marine life. Rather, they are ideas, relationships, connections and learning. Our reefs grow by sorting through the waves of information, knowledge, and experience but they have a greater purpose: the support of an extraordinary diversity of ideas, perspectives, people and organizations. It’s not competitive and the survival of the fittest. It is a unique platform for a community of differences.
Of course, it is not just about travel but travel is part of building our reef. We did an event for The Gathering in Minneapolis hosted by Sara and Troy Groves at Art House North. Sara performed songs from her new album, “Floodplains,” and we had the opportunity to hear people tell their stories about The Gathering and what it means to them. Everyone has a unique story for being part of The Gathering. Everyone has come to us by a different path and stays connected for different reasons.
We then flew to Indianapolis where I was part of a panel on “The Role of Faith and Spiritual Values in Philanthropy” for the Lake Institute at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in Indianapolis. I was given 10 minutes, and it reminded me of the time a conference gave Os Guinness nine minutes for the topic, “What Is Truth?” Of course, Os was masterful. I just talked really fast!
A fun thing was a video interview with John Townsend for his Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling. While it was a little hard speaking from a prone position on a couch, I think we had a good time together. If you want to see it you can get it here.
Yesterday, back in Tyler, we finished two days of imagining the next year for The Gathering. Ten of us from around the country got together to eat, talk, pretend to plan, create ideas and make connections for the next year. This is the third year we have been inundated by a wave carrying points of view, suggestions, relationships and experiences from around the world that somehow get filtered through to build the next conference along with everything else we do. There are no conference program committees as we are building a coral reef — not programming.
Finally, friends send books and articles all the time, but this week is unusual. New books and new music come out even more during this season, and the variety is astonishing. Two of my favorites this week are one old and one new. The old is “The Best Christian Writing of 2004” edited by John Wilson with an introduction by Miroslav Volf. My favorite essay is by Wilfred M. McClay titled, “The Continuing Irony of American History.” The new is Mary Oliver’s latest book of poems titled “Felicity.” Let me close with one of her poems.
I Did Think, Let’s Go About This Slowly
“I did think, let’s go about this slowly,
This is important. This should take
some really deep thought. We should take
small thoughtful steps.
But, bless us, we didn’t.”
Amen.