Jul
31
In praise of pilgrims and pilgrimages
July 31, 2003 |
Just got back from the Fortune/Aspen Institute Brainstorm conference. I was reminded of the immense value of pilgrims and pilgrimages, quests, apprenticeships, and learning jouneys. Brainstorm is a temporary community of many different kinds of people (and it could be even more diverse, for sure, but that is another point) with different perspectives who agree to ruminate together on actions that might be taken to change the world. What jumps out after a few days is how complex the world is, and how valuable it is to have complementary minds and souls in the room. People have been on adventures–and bring to the room tales of far lands and fine sights–powerful perspectives on the world–ranging from computer networking to bioinformatics to poetry. We then strive to work collaboratively, openly and humbly with each other–suppressing egos and seeking to learn from each other. The result is pretty cool–a credit to David Kirkpatrick and the other organizers.
Dean Kamen, inventor, plus Zika Abzuk, activist, plus Scott Mommaday, poet, plus Carol Browner, former head of the EPA, plus Nova Spivak, computer networks and cognition, and Steve Breyer, justice of the US Supreme Court, plus Anna Deavere Smith, playright and actress.
What I respect and quietly celebrate is that these people have collectively invested many years in intensely committed pilgrimages–journeys of their lifetimes, to learn about the world and its possibilities in special ways. The resulting gifts are of great value to us all, especially when brought together and complemented by others as we seek to gain traction on our most critical problems.
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