We Know What We Know

Chris, our 21-year old Ensenada tour guide, was showing a small group of us around the hills, beaches, and neighborhoods of his home town.  Our group was multi-generational and diverse.  The millenials in the group immediately took to Chris.  Questions were asked in a rapid, staccato fashion:

• Do you live at home?
• Why did you move out?
• How much is your rent?
• Do you have a girl friend?
• When did you learn to drive?
• How old were you when you had your first drink?

Chris was refreshingly open.  He did not hold back; he did not seem offended by the intimacy of these questions.  Curiosity and discovery surrounded us for those few hours together.

What holds us back?

As I reflected on this experience, I wondered:

• What holds me back from asking questions?
• Do I use my questions to discover a different worldview?
• Am I open to the answers that are shared?  

The older adults in our small group asked questions about housing costs or the prices of gas and food.  Chris could not answer some of these questions:  he didn't know; he didn't have that experience; it wasn't in his frame of reference.  At least not yet!

Can we see beyond what frames our viewpoint?

I had a similar experience this past week: I attended a regional summit of customers who use the software products developed by my company.  Many attended this conference to network and learn from one another.  I attended in order to listen to their experiences.  Over the course of six hours we connected on the basis of helping others:

• How do you handle this situation?
• Is there a way to assist employees or customers who come to us for help?
• What could be done to improve the software?

Through the actions of noticing individual limitations, asking questions, and sharing experiences, we were transformed into people who cared about the success of others.  To reach a summit -- the high point -- we must see beyond our institutions, worldviews, and long-held beliefs.

How can we see the "super bloom" in others?
(Click on: California's super bloom, Washington Post)

As I drove home that afternoon, I encountered a different landscape: the pre-dawn darkened landscape of the drive north had changed.  The hills around me were filled with wildflowers reflecting the light of the afternoon sun.

When we open ourselves to curiosity and discovery, the walls and blinders that constricted our views have been removed.  We can now see the goodness of the other person:  the super-bloom that makes each of us special!

May we notice this week what we know... and what we do not know.  May we ask questions to broaden our understanding.  And may we be willing to notice the super bloom that surrounds us!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)