Elizabeth picked up a “This I Believe” set of CD’s from the library.
This I Believe was started by Edward R. Murrow, the man portrayed in Good Night and Good Luck, in the 50’s to encourage Americans to share their personal belief sets.
I’ve particularly enjoyed listening to Einstein’s, Brian Greene’s, Isabel Allende’s, one about a independent woman losing her fiance and learning how to let others help her, one about a Vietnam vet learning the value of kind acts from strangers, and Newt Gingrich’s This I Believe was insightful into the conservative mindset.
I thought up the crux of mine while cleaning up the kitchen. I hope you enjoy it.
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The Power of the Invisible
My college anthropology teacher had my class go sit somewhere for three hours to write down everything we observed for an ethnography. I chose to go to Starbucks.
I bought an iced chai, found a free table and sat with my notebook and pen for those hours. Over the course of those three hours I wrote down everything I noticed. Most of what I wrote were things anyone would expect or find uninteresting - two men meeting who drank with their left hands or a girl sitting alone reading a book.
In the corner of the room, by the window, was a spot so snug only one table could be placed. It was separated from other tables by two armchairs and a newspaper stand. I marked these details down after I noticed four different couples who came in at different times, never crossing paths, consistently choosing to sit in that corner. I realized how the isolation of the table increased its appeal for a couple that wants to shut the world out and revel in the joy of aloneness. I only noticed this pattern after investing time into observing that which would ordinarily go unnoticed.
I believe in the power of the invisible to shape our lives.
It could be little known Supreme Court cases and past legislation which have shaped our current healthcare dilemma.
It could be geography and easy access to other nations by sea which effects our economic prosperity and makes landlocked, mountainous nations like Bolivia, Afghanistan, and Paraguay struggle.
It could be history we don’t know such as forgetting 1928 was the last year the income gap between rich and poor was as great as it is in 2009.
It could be eating more due to a large plate size or spending less time eating per person in McDonalds because of uncomfortable seats.
It could be recognizing that a child’s misbehavior is due to uncontrolled environmental cirsumstances.
It could be forgotten intentions and historical context which shaped the meaning of the ten commandments and the Bible, meanings most today do not share or comprehend when reading the Bible.
There are so many things we do not see which shape our lives. I believe by noticing the invisible through continued and careful observation, I can improve the lives of others through business, invention, and education.
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