I am going to stop thinking outside the box

Over the past several weeks the phrase, "we need to think outside the box" has been used more than I can count. These conversations have always been exciting insomuch that new ideas sometimes come from these conversations. I mean who does not like to brainstorm and think creativity?

Well, I am tired of it and I think I am going to quit.

There are too many meetings and conversations where "outside the box thinking" remains locked within the confines of the meeting/conversation. New and innovative ideas surface during the conversations but noting ever seems to happen that would be considered "outside the box" by even the most loose definition of that phrase.

Instead of thinking outside the box, I am going to try to act outside the box. And I invite you to join me.

Anyone can create new and innovative ideas, but they are just that - cool concepts or thoughts. What I am inviting myself and anyone who would like to join me, is to ACT upon these ideas that are deemed "outside the box".

Thinking outside the box is a very safe practice disguised as risky or cutting edge. Shenanigan on that. That would be like going streaking but actually wearing a three piece suit as you run through the quad. It is 'risk wrapped in safety'.

So, while it is impossible to give up thinking (regardless of your location to "the box") I am asking myself and others to take up "acting outside the box".

Beware, this might be "outside the box".

Generational gap???

Over the past several weeks I have encountered people who share with me issues that are near and dear to them. I understand that we all have different passions and callings and we all have different things that give us energy. However, I read something the other day which made me think.

The author shared that he overheard a conversation about ordination of practicing homosexual. One of the two people in the conversation which the author overheard said, “That’s your generation’s issue. We’re way past this.”

That struck me as an ‘ah-ha’ moment. This might be at the heart of several conversations I have had with the people who have shared their passionate issues. So, I began to think about some of the issues which I do not perceive as issues to my generation but seem to be issues to other generations. Then I began to think of issues of my generation.

These are very broad and not scientific, but I add these thoughts to the conversation.

“Your generation” issues:

Homosexuality

Universal Truth

Hell/Heaven Dichotomy (soul sorting)

Liberal/Conservative (Red/Blue)

Community as face to face time

Women in ministry

Pro-choice/Pro-life

“My generation” issues:

Ecology

Bioethics

Fair Trade

Innovation

Health Care

Rebuilding things

Pluralism

Secularism

Global Village creation

One year ago...

A year ago I installed software on this blog that tracks different bits of information from the number of visits it gets in a day to the amount of people who use Firefox or Internet Explore to view the site. These "analytics" are interesting to me and really fuel my ego.

A year ago today this site had 11 visits. All of those visits were from computers in Texas and 5 of those visits were people who had visited the site at least once before. Here is a link to what those 11 people saw that day:

http://jasonvalendy.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-am-just-frustrated-but-that-is-just.html

Fast forward a year and, according to the same analytic software, yesterday (I do not have the full report for today) this same site had 49 visitors from 7 different states (TX, CA, PA, AR, OK, NC, and NY) and 12 of those people had never visited before.

For those of you still reading, what I want to share is a humble thank you. These numbers are noting to write home about but I am overwhelmed that anyone (much less 50 people) would, in the middle of their day, log on to read and sometimes comment on the garble that I post here.

So thank you for taking the time to read and respond. Thank you for willing to engage this blog even if most of you are family and close friends. Thank you for reminding me that everyone is more influential than we each think.