"... and thereby hangs a tale."
...
William
Shakespeare,
The Taming Of The Shrew, As You Like It, The Merry Wives Of Windsor,
Othello, circa 1626
It's neither simple nor easy to articulate what makes us uniquely
human.
I mean, what is it exactly which defines our essential
humanity?
We
couldcreate
lists of many characteristics which narrow this definition down to its
essentials. And having done that, we may find a characteristic which,
setting all others aside,
could
be one which makes us uniquely
human.
What if it's we have ideas? - which is to say what if it's
humans
have a capacity to have ideas? Even if that is not
the characteristic which makes us uniquely
human,
then it is at least an important
catalyst
for a brainstorm which comes up with the definition of our
uniqueness and our essential
humanity.
It's also been counter-asserted that the capacity to have ideas is
not a uniquely
human
characteristic. It's been suggested for example that
dogs
might have ideas too. And there is really no telling if
dogs
do have ideas or if they don't, is there? It's certainly possible, yes?
Even if that is so ie even if
dogs
do have ideas (given we really don't know if
dogs
do or if they don't), what's patently
true
is
dogs
can't or don't
communicate
their ideas easily and prolifically with
human beings
through
language.
When it comes to pure,
simple,
knock-you-on-your-ass elegance, there is literally
nothing
in the elegance league quite as elegant as an elegant idea.
Nothing
else will come even remotely close. You'll find elegance (but not
this kind of elegance) in clothes and fashion ie in
haute couture. You'll also find elegance (but not this kind of
elegance) in architecture. You'll also find elegance (but not this kind
of elegance) in interior design and in interiors. Yet there's literally
nothing
in the same league as an elegant idea. Perhaps the only thing more
elegant than an elegant idea, is an elegantly
communicated
idea. Elegant ideas are in their own league. Our capacity to have and
to
communicate
ideas distinguishes us as
human beings.
It's also our ability to appreciate the elegance of ideas which is an
essential component of our humanity.
Even prior to our ability to appreciate the elegance of ideas, we were
shaped by ideas - by our own ideas, by
listening
others' ideas. It's a woman's ideas which define her. It's a man's
ideas which define him. Ideas make the woman. Ideas make the man. Our
ideas also shape those
listening
our
spoken
ideas. There is no leverage we have with people (for worse or for
better) more effective and more
powerful
than the leverage
spoken
and
listened
ideas have. If
language
is
the scalpel of
experience,
then ideas are the
source material
for all those people of good will everywhere whose very utterances and
conversations
heal and
transformour world,
our planet,
and
our universe.
Anyone who's had
conversations
which altered
who they are
(and haven't we all? at one
time
or another?) can attest to the
power
of ideas to
transform.
This is the genre on which
the work of
transformationstands.
It's the foundation I discover under my feet when I realize what I'm
mostly enamored of is ideas, and with whatever
human
capacity it takes to come up with great ideas, also with whatever it
takes for us to
communicate
them tersely. I'm
interested
in the impacts ideas have too. But given the elegance of an idea as
the thing in itself, that's actually only a secondary matter.
And what I find so enthralling about the entire process is that coming
up with great ideas isn't something that can be taught, yes? It
can however be inspired. But you have to be
open
to being inspired. And the willingness to be
open
to being inspired by another
human being
or by other
human beings,
is a quality courageous
human beingsshow,
which I
love
and respect the most - bar none.