By Dr. Synesio Lyra, Jr.
For people who regularly devote some time to think, fresh, new ideas inevitably emerge. They need to be recorded, revised when necessary, shared with others, and expanded. Once their quality is refined, and they can be recognized as sound, right and useful, they should gradually lead to positive action!
“At every stop in life we are coping with the consequences of ideas and actions, most of them long since forgotten” as Norman Cousins once stated. The mind God gave each human creature needs to advance in careful, sound motion, producing healthy ideas which can lead to something great, with positive, long-lasting outcomes.
What appears good from the start shall require time to be tested before becoming truly great! As the late Bishop William Culbertson once reflected, “It is important to start right, but it is imperative to end well,” while remembering St. Augustine’s warning that “nothing worth doing can be accomplished in one’s lifetime.”
Quite often, the best ideas one receives tend to arrive at most inconvenient moments. They may come in the middle of the night when you momentarily awake, or while you are in the shower, during your driving through heavy traffic, or in equally impractical circumstances.
Yet, even then, you can develop ways to capture every good thought when it comes to you. Many of the things people enjoy in life today as conveniences, or items of an inspiring, constructive nature, also came about in similar, even adverse circumstances. Yet, persistent creativity brought the project to legitimate fruition!
Twentieth century French philosopher, Henri Bergson, left the challenge that “we must think as people of action and act as people of thought.” Many ideas will never lead anywhere because they were not clearly defined, fine-tuned, well though-out.
But once they are reflected upon, shared with others, modified and improved over time, they may lead to something impacting, enduring, providing direction and genuine help to others in varied ways. Normally, what comes too quickly has greater probability of flaws and failure, or of never getting off the ground, however fascinating the idea initially might appear!
The late Phillips Brooks left a sane and solid proposal worth following in situations similar to these. He suggested, “Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your task.”