Inquisitive Report 36/52

Week Ending October 5th, 2018

Content Covered: Koan Follow Up & Specificity

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

First, thank you for those whom responded with you interpretation of the Koan shown above; it was intriguing to see how every person interprets an open-ended question.

As promised, my perspective is:

Sound is a byproduct, in this case of two hands coming into union. The first time I read this question I immediately thought of individuality v. community. In the realm of ‘hands’ – two is community; and when both hands come together they create the clap as we know it. When one hand attempts ‘clap’ – it isn’t that a sound is made, there is: the whishing of the air, the thumping against another object, the slapping against your forearm – and yet the sound of one hand ‘clapping’ isn’t nearly as powerful as the union of two. So where does this leave me? I am left with the understanding that while alone, I am not incapapable of living (or in this case of producing sound), if I choose to lean into my community, to engage in dialogue, to understand their needs; I will utilize my time and my abilities in a way that sustains greater impact; a stronger clap.

This week, I was reading Najwa Zebian’s book Mind Platter, and while doing so – I found myself contemplating a variety of thoughts. The one I will share with you today was invoked by the following quote:

Put me at the intersection and equip me with the skills, not only the knowledge, to choose which path to take. –Najwa Zebian

The intent with which Xpanse was born was to provide a space where knowledge and application would intersect. And yet, in my earliest days, I was not very interested in the responsibility of conceptualizing skills with regard to the problems that individuals need to address and how their abilities allow them to do just that; I thought specificity would box in a person’s perception of how all they can use these skills. But I’m starting to realize: the impact of contextualize is far greater than theory alone.

What does this mean? It means that if I am hosting a uncertainty Workshop, it will be about handling uncertainty between coworkers & managers or handling Uncertainity in your personal relationships, etc.

A bit of specificity will allow us to have a more focused conversation; and the end goal is that one specific example in the realm of a larger ability should start the cogs running on how else and where else can I handle uncertainty.