The words in this title probably seem contradictory. In some ways, they are. But I find myself looking for how they fit together – and I’d like to invite you to do the same. I know I feel a sense of urgency. I think it shows in my music and in my commitment to making this world a better place.
John in Africa 1984
For example, the work I was privileged to do as one of the founders of the Hunger Project, and when I served on the Presidential Commission on Hunger – these experiences were certainly framed in urgency. Those of us who came together in the late 1970’s to work to end hunger in the world felt with intensity that the kind of suffering brought to life by starvation was simply unacceptable. We decided to do something about it. Countless others have joined that effort with equal commitment. Yet, even today, I turn on the news and see the specter of starvation on the faces of children and adults. We have the means to end hunger. We still must exercise the will of the world in order to accomplish this task. This, I believe, requires a sense of urgency.
John Denver in Africa, 1984
Human hardships bring urgency to my consciousness. Issues affecting the quality of the environment do as well. I know that many of you feel the kind of urgency that I do. It’s patience, though, that I want to understand.
John with Tom Crum
My dear friend, Tom Crum, helps clear much of my confusion about patience. Patience is a peaceful context. It is also somewhat fragile, at least in me. I am tempted to move quickly, with dramatic actions, in response to the urgency I feel. This can be appropriate. But sometimes I need to respond more slowly and thoughtfully. I need to reflect and seek patience. Actions initiated out of urgency can be off-course, easily resulting in the loss of a clear sense of purpose. In these instances, I probably lose ground – I am sure I don’t gain it.
- What happens, as I see it, is this: We decide to commit ourselves to some cause or concern. Once we focus on that cause, we are confronted by more information – some of it accurate, some of it likely not. Our old competitive and warrior-like reflexes begin to click in. Passion ignites. The result is that we slam into action and try to make things happen fast.
If I can catch myself at such moments, the things I am learning from Tom help me. I center, ground myself, and remember how nature works. Any true student of nature knows the main flow of natural systems is slow and thorough. If I once again dance with nature, I find my sense of purpose and direction. Patience is an ally in the creation of a sustainable future.
How can we strike a balance between patience and urgency? The answer is personal for each of us. I do feel confident, however, that balance is needed. Both urgency and patience have a place as we work to address the issues that confront us today.
Urgency often compels us to over-extend, trying to do too much without attention to quality and direction. Too much patience, on the other hand, is a haven for inactivity. Neither of these extremes is helpful.
It seems to me that we need to be able to respond to the urgencies we see in a way that neither burns us out nor imprisons us with over-commitment. We need to sense our own limits and know that we can extend them if we have the endurance of patience. Frenzy is not the same as urgency; lethargy is not the same as patience….
I want to know that I was aware enough to take action with urgency when it was appropriate – and wise enough to embrace patience when it was needed to create a lasting change.
John Denver,
Windstar Vision / July-August, 1991
No comments:
Post a Comment