Our problems seem so overwhelming right now. The Pandemic, politics, policing and communities of color, 20% unemployment….(I can’t force myself to go on with the list), We think that only the intrepid hero that resolves every crisis and saves the world in 60 minutes will do. Our hero–he knows how to use what he has instead of what he wishes he has to resolve the crisis.
Making do with what you have is not a new or trite idea. It is reality. If you stop to think about it, it is something we do all the time. No staples in the stapler? Use a paper clip. No buttermilk in the fridge? Take milk, add vinegar, wait for 15 minutes. Storm takes the power out? Break out the candles and board games. We really do it without thinking much about it–it needs to be done, so we find a way to do it. And usually that works!
One of the things it is easy to forget is that the sixty-minute hero, like MacGyver, always takes a moment to notice what there is to work with. The hero didn’t panic, the hero gets to work. What do we have at hand to apply to the huge and complex mess we’re in right now? Let’s take a minute or two to survey what we have.
What we have is very important. The freedom to dream and think in a variety of ways continues to be essential. Our society has a deserved reputation for big ideas and folks that believe in their dreams. Who doesn’t want that in their lives?
It’s time to take stock of our supplies and dream a little. Time to stop worrying about failure and keep trying until we succeed. Time to call upon the tinkerers, the inventors and the thinkers to reveal their big ideas, so we can believe in their dreams. We not only want those wonderful visions to come true, frankly we need them to come true.
Then, of course, we all need to take out our belt tools and get to work!