John Dewey wrote that we communicate those things we have in common when we live in community. The Rumi quote speaks to the human and humane nature of what that means. We often see the difference first. The French philosopher Jacques Derrida spoke about differance (there is no a in difference in French either) as being a place where we defer in the presence of difference. The word difference in French means both difference and deference. It is the place where we see the humanity in each of us as the core of human commonality. When we play with words, we come to some extraordinary places.
Daily Archives: September 6, 2014
Beachcombing
Florence Krall wrote about ecotones, those spaces where tides move back and forth across the shoreline always changing them.
Living is an ecotone where we are undergoing continuous change. This poem uses the word exploration in describing the way the world’s fingers reach in and touch us continuously. What are mindful about, awake to, and aware of us the world makes those contacts on our souls?
Humans live in communities of sentient and non-sentient phenomena. Leading takes on a whole new meaning when we think of ourselves as always touching and being touched by this world. It continuously brings new surprises to the fragile ecotone our skin represents.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 