The past few days has me digging into some serious academic writing to hit a few writing deadlines. When I make the luxury of time, I really love digging into an academic analysis. I love just as much, pulling my reference books off my bookshelves. [I should blog about my love of books in another post.] You know what else is also awesome? Citing people I know that are still alive!
Here I am, sitting at my kitchen desk, my favorite Boards of Canada station playing, while I merge my consciousness with those of amazing people. My synapses are stimulated. I'm back in the cockpit of my intellect. Oh, how I love systems thinking, complexity, phase shifts, paradigm shift and my absolute queen favorite of dramatic change: the wildcard.
The beautiful beautiful wildcard.
It's this most powerful tool that inspired me to be a futurist. Over four years ago, I entered my academic program with the intention of studying the wildcard. I dared not practice my newly learned techniques on her, so instead I picked what was then a throw-away topic to sharpen my academic skills on: The Future of Money.
O beautiful wildcard, you are so dear to my heart. How is it that I can love your unpredictable, cacophonic expression. How is it that your randomness and dramatic impact scares most away from your loving arms? You are so powerful. In one instant, everything can change. And I like to interpret these changes as for the better. (The taoist in me knows these judgements of good/bad are just conceptions in our collective minds.)
Dear wildcard, I embrace your hot kiss, the messing of my hair through cellular automata - agent based modeling programs that I'm sure could model the bends and curves of my locks as I let them loose from a hair tie.
Dear wildcard, let's run off together and change the world. Remake ourselves along with the world. And then let's remake it again and again. Each present moment. But sometimes, let's just lay quietly - you and I - and watch the simple behavior that sometimes emerges from complex systems. Let's enjoy a glass of wine and laugh about the fermenting systems diagrams.
Oh wildcards - you and I have a long and fruitful relationship ahead of us. I have already loved you for more than 4 years, and soon, you will be my sole focus. And when the world learns what I already know if you - through my research - perhaps then you will gain respect and love, instead of fear. It's this day I dream of. You and I, wildcard. When others might understand you as I do.
Comments