In the Mirror

As I sat at the bar and looked at myself in the mirror the answer became clear. The irony of the situation did not escape me. A bar is usually the place where things become less clear; however at that point there was unmistakable clarity. I had been here before, maybe not in this place but at this same juncture. The beginning.

Frank Herbert in his classic science fiction trilogy, Dune, begins with an oddly poignant statement, “A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct.” It is a time that only happens once no matter what the clichés say about beginning again or being reborn. The beginning is always different. America has just completed one of the most significant elections in its history. It’s not that the sacrifices required or the resources available are not quality but it is, at the end of the day, simply the unveiling of another opportunity, another beginning. The accolades, analysis, and well wishing aside it is an opportunity to begin.

It is my belief that we all need to become good at beginnings because life is full of them. Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic. (Herbert) Life continually reinvents itself, and we all wander in the same wilderness. Becoming too comfortable with the place you’re at, your accomplishments, or your capabilities, invites stagnation. Greatness is a transitory experience. It is never consistent. It depends in part upon the myth-making imagination of humankind (Herbert).

The secret is to recognize that the beginning itself is what is significant. The opportunity to attack a problem from another direction, and possibly pull out a noteworthy end, is a challenge without equal. We stand poised for the first step of another beginning. Things will go wrong. Every civilization must contend with an unconscious force which can block, betray or countermand almost any conscious intention of the collectivity. (Herbert) However, things will also go right and the delicate undertaking of the beginning will increase the rights and decrease the wrongs.

So in the mirror, “Truth suffers from too much analysis.” (Herbert) It is the challenge of beginning, the opportunity, and getting the balance right that makes life worth coming back. This is our chance. (Again.)