On Getting Started
One of my favorite lines I picked up from Henry David Thoreau, either from his journal or his letters. “The poet is one who, having nothing to do, finds something to do.” When we finally get around to a long overdue task, it is a fair question to ask, why now?
The answer is, usually: this is the last (best) possible moment.
Or maybe there are taxes to avoid.
An acquaintance was asking about the difference between learning and researching, having an itch to do more of the former than the latter. I tossed out an answer, something about starting with a genuine question or problem (never a bad thing!) but even as I wrote it I knew it wouldn't suffice.
“I am interested in unknown unknowns,” she retorted.
Queue the allusion, this master work of Donald Rumsfeld.
The Unknown
As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don’t know
We don’t know.
Still, one must begin, and that itself is a problem: what to do?
"It's appropriate to pause and say that the writer is one who, embarking upon a task, does not know what to do." --Donald Barthelme, from "Not Knowing"
When we say that necessity is the mother of invention, we tend to think in terms of practical solutions.
But what if the true exigency of discovery is simply the desire, or even the need, to discover?
Because it is there, and all that.
As Rilke implores the young poet:
"This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple “I must”, then build your life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour, must become a sign and witness to this impulse."
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I won’t ask you to believe that this newsletter is born out of spiritual or artistic necessity, but I will say after a year of thinking and hemming and hawing, it’s first edition emerges today because I needed to start it, because I need to see what will happen on other side of starting.
We cannot get to knowing what we do not know until we get to doing what we must do.
Eclipse Lit
In honor of the solar eclipse in Aries, happening today, April 8, 2024.
A Solar Eclipse
In that great journey of the stars through space About the mighty, all-directing Sun, The pallid, faithful Moon, has been the one Companion of the Earth. Her tender face, Pale with the swift, keen purpose of that race, Which at Time’s natal hour was first begun, Shines ever on her lover as they run And lights his orbit with her silvery smile.
Sometimes such passionate love doth in her rise, Down from her beaten path she softly slips, And with her mantle veils the Sun’s bold eyes, Then in the gloaming finds her lover’s lips. While far and near the men our world call wise See only that the Sun is in eclipse.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)
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7 个月Because it's there is a good enough reason for me. To write is to open yourself to the discovery of unknown unknowns, and to label them when you finally see them, John. I adored this piece, thank you for keeping LinkedIn real, deep, creative, imaginative, thought provoking, and fun.
Chief Copywriting Officer & CEO of CaringMessenger Copywriting/Christ-Centered/Upside-Down Eternal Lens Leadership| Foodie for Fun #YDHTCIA (you don't have to carry it all)
7 个月Keep curiosity alive and well.
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7 个月Now I’m double-subscribed, John! Once here and once via email. (Does that make me extra? ??) Your writing is mesmerising. Everybody should sign up!
HubSpot Certified Marketer | WYRE Technology
7 个月The best thing about being alive is that there is ALWAYS something new to learn. And it's so much easier than it's ever been to stretch out and find answers to questions you didn't even know you had—such as, "When did Donald Rumsfeld write a poem?" Which I am going to go research now.
Legacy Builder & Business Storyteller -- I help you to capture and preserve your personal or business legacy, and to stand out from the competition.
7 个月So looking forward to learning more about The Long Schoolroom and John Estes!