Cruising through Life: Longing for Immensity

What do most cars, airplanes, and cruise ships have in common these days?  Depending on your frame of reference, you may think of:

• Fuel:  they all use some form of fuel and are trying to consume less.
• Speed:  they move us from Place A to Place B fairly quickly... again, where speed is seen through your frame of reference!
• Distance (travel):  they can transport us beyond the horizon to new places of discovery and adventure.

And, like other aspects of our modern lifestyle, they all have some form of autopilot, a system that assists in reaching our goals.  For cars, cruise control maintains a constant speed to help in fuel efficiency and reduce driver fatigue on long trips.  For planes, the autopilot monitors the speed, direction and trajectory, aiding the pilot in controlling the aircraft.  For ships, the crew is relieved of mundane tasks in order to focus on broader aspects of navigation and safety.

Have you considered, though, the difference between an automatic pilot that assists.... and... placing your life on automatic?

Cruising through Life: searching for new horizons

In a recent mentoring learning community, the facilitator shared a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry:

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."

This quote captured many of our imaginations!  How often have we been assigned tasks -- the endless ToDo list?  Or, how often is life full of endless activities to attend, participate in, or facilitate?  When have we been taught to Long for Endless Immensity?

Cruising through Life:  expecting wonderful promises

Isn't it a treat when we are able to pause, turn off the autopilot, and just take in the scenery... moved by awe and wonder?

Rather than responding automatically to the familiar -- saying or acting on first impulse -- maybe we are invited to turn off our autopilot every once in awhile and use the other tools available, like the:

• Satellite radio: to listen to a broader channel of information.
• Brake:  to slow down and search for other routes.
• GPS (a global perspective system):  to navigate safely through unfamiliar terrain.

Cruising through Life: open to the surrounding beauty

When we widen our perspective beyond the familiar, we begin to dialogue with eyes open to new vistas, ears attentive to new sounds, a mouth willing to ask more questions, and a mind searching for new meaning.  It seems that when we remove our automatic blinders that limit us and move toward intentional wonder, we gain the capacity to long for the immensity that always surrounds us.

Blessings this week as you explore beyond the known and seek horizons beyond!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

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