“It seems that to find the real path we have to go off the path we are on now, even for an instant, and earn the privilege of losing our way. As the path fades, we are forced to take a good look at the life in which we actually find ourselves. For many professionals in the corporate world, going off the path may simply mean approaching work in a more contemplative way, that is, to meditate on work’s problems as much with the heart as with the mind. This is not to give up our responsibilities and the need to get a job done on time, but to see things from a radical perspective. Imaginative decision-making means being able to step out of the process at hand and see it with fresh, leisurely eyes. Equally so for the life of the imagination.”
— David Whyte, The Heart Aroused
4 Responses
What? WTF? This kind of psychobabble crap has annoyed me for years and still does. Don’t take this personally, you don’t annoy me but I have no idea what this Whyte fellow means, if anything. Ah, it’s my fault, I should “go off the path” and not expect any meaning.
Om.
gerry, it only makes sense if you’ve actually HAD a work-related psychotic breakdown. ;^)
Then it makes perfect sense. ;^)
I think one has to be carful about single points of reference, psychobabble or not. They can get you in a lot of trouble.
After spending a great deal of time in various decision making positions I developed a little philosophy about it that I called the “Rule of Three”…
http://dougist.com/index.php?p=46
Doug
http://www.dougist.com
This is one of my favorite books (and Whyte is one of my favorite poets)! Please try reading the entire book so you get the quote in context before you dismiss it.