Hindsight, insight and foresight
In a September 15, 2016 conversation entitled “Where does it Hurt” between Ruby Sales, the public theologian and Krista Tippett, host of the weekly podcast On Being, Ms. Sales posited:
“I think that one of the things that theologies must have is hindsight, insight and foresight. That is complete sight…and it says it is not an “I” sight, it’s a “we” sight.”
I am sure that these terms will have different meanings for each of us. Yet, the risk that the elders of the community must take is suggesting how one might apply terms such as these to one’s walk or dance today.
I have previously suggested that the term dance refers to how I move about in the world. My dance can be moving toward others, away from others, or an attempt to hold still. Throughout each day each of us must decide the dance we will do. The easiest dance is, of course, a repeat of the steps we have previously practiced until they became a habit. The ability to form habits is, of course, very useful. I love the fact that I did not have to relearn how to get out of bed, dress, type, drive a car or do my workout this morning. I also did not have to think about how to wash my body, cook and eat my breakfast, clean up or dress for work. I am well aware that one can have a brain injury which erases many or all of these habits and one has to painstakingly relearn them. Habits can also limit our ability to learn. Most of us begin learning certain truths as young children – truths about ourselves, each other and the dance we should do with each other and universe in which we are living. If not careful, we practice memorizing those truths until they become habits of thinking and behavior. We may then, if not careful, label them as absolute truths. The assignment of absolute to these “truths” will prevent us from having hindsight. If they are absolute, then they cannot be questioned and one cannot step back and reexamine them. If we cannot reexamine them we cannot learn from them. There may be some which need to remain but there may also be many which new evidence will disprove. That ability to reexamine habits of thinking is hindsight.
Insight is the ability to arrive at new truths which can lead to new ways of thinking and behaving. These new “truths” will still have to be questioned but, for today, insight suggests one might explore this new way of thinking.
Foresight to that ability to consider how my dance today is going to affect the dance of the “we” – the we which includes all of life and the totality of the universe – for the future. If I or we do action X what are the long term potential consequences?
We seem to be a race of beings who have throughout history often been lacking in hindsight, insight and foresight. We seem to often focus on what will bring us or our small group immediate gratification or satisfaction and later have to spend a lot of time, money and energy dealing with the consequences of our past decisions. We also seem to be a species which often holds on to habits of thinking and behavior no matter what new evidence might suggest.
It would seem that we might benefit from Ms. Ruby Sales’ reminder to stop, breathe and consider how we might apply hindsight, insight and foresight to both our individual and collective dances. It might be both fun and enlightening to play with applying these terms to:
· The history of race relations in the United States (and elsewhere).
· The decisions to do all we can to ensure that life expectancy is longer while we simultaneously build bombs and limit health care.
· The use of violence – verbal, physical, emotional and spiritual.
· The application of punishments rather education or teaching.
· Acting as if our treatment of part of the earth or universe does not affect all of the earth and universe(s).
One could, of course, stretch out this list for many pages. The point is that we might greatly benefit from listening to elders such as Ms. Sales. We might – just might – want to experiment with hindsight, insight and foresight. We might even want to consider teaching our children to apply these concepts to all decisions about their dance of life. This could allow us to dance today and possibility tomorrow. This could allow us to keep choreographing a new dance based on what we learn by applying these basic concepts. One might even go so far as to suggest that the way to freedom is hindsight, insight and foresight – the freedom to create a joyful, challenging, passionate, evolving, inclusive dance.
Written August 25, 2017
In a September 15, 2016 conversation entitled “Where does it Hurt” between Ruby Sales, the public theologian and Krista Tippett, host of the weekly podcast On Being, Ms. Sales posited:
“I think that one of the things that theologies must have is hindsight, insight and foresight. That is complete sight…and it says it is not an “I” sight, it’s a “we” sight.”
I am sure that these terms will have different meanings for each of us. Yet, the risk that the elders of the community must take is suggesting how one might apply terms such as these to one’s walk or dance today.
I have previously suggested that the term dance refers to how I move about in the world. My dance can be moving toward others, away from others, or an attempt to hold still. Throughout each day each of us must decide the dance we will do. The easiest dance is, of course, a repeat of the steps we have previously practiced until they became a habit. The ability to form habits is, of course, very useful. I love the fact that I did not have to relearn how to get out of bed, dress, type, drive a car or do my workout this morning. I also did not have to think about how to wash my body, cook and eat my breakfast, clean up or dress for work. I am well aware that one can have a brain injury which erases many or all of these habits and one has to painstakingly relearn them. Habits can also limit our ability to learn. Most of us begin learning certain truths as young children – truths about ourselves, each other and the dance we should do with each other and universe in which we are living. If not careful, we practice memorizing those truths until they become habits of thinking and behavior. We may then, if not careful, label them as absolute truths. The assignment of absolute to these “truths” will prevent us from having hindsight. If they are absolute, then they cannot be questioned and one cannot step back and reexamine them. If we cannot reexamine them we cannot learn from them. There may be some which need to remain but there may also be many which new evidence will disprove. That ability to reexamine habits of thinking is hindsight.
Insight is the ability to arrive at new truths which can lead to new ways of thinking and behaving. These new “truths” will still have to be questioned but, for today, insight suggests one might explore this new way of thinking.
Foresight to that ability to consider how my dance today is going to affect the dance of the “we” – the we which includes all of life and the totality of the universe – for the future. If I or we do action X what are the long term potential consequences?
We seem to be a race of beings who have throughout history often been lacking in hindsight, insight and foresight. We seem to often focus on what will bring us or our small group immediate gratification or satisfaction and later have to spend a lot of time, money and energy dealing with the consequences of our past decisions. We also seem to be a species which often holds on to habits of thinking and behavior no matter what new evidence might suggest.
It would seem that we might benefit from Ms. Ruby Sales’ reminder to stop, breathe and consider how we might apply hindsight, insight and foresight to both our individual and collective dances. It might be both fun and enlightening to play with applying these terms to:
· The history of race relations in the United States (and elsewhere).
· The decisions to do all we can to ensure that life expectancy is longer while we simultaneously build bombs and limit health care.
· The use of violence – verbal, physical, emotional and spiritual.
· The application of punishments rather education or teaching.
· Acting as if our treatment of part of the earth or universe does not affect all of the earth and universe(s).
One could, of course, stretch out this list for many pages. The point is that we might greatly benefit from listening to elders such as Ms. Sales. We might – just might – want to experiment with hindsight, insight and foresight. We might even want to consider teaching our children to apply these concepts to all decisions about their dance of life. This could allow us to dance today and possibility tomorrow. This could allow us to keep choreographing a new dance based on what we learn by applying these basic concepts. One might even go so far as to suggest that the way to freedom is hindsight, insight and foresight – the freedom to create a joyful, challenging, passionate, evolving, inclusive dance.
Written August 25, 2017
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