Your thought to ponder for today: a slow read through THE SEER. Day 23. [all material from the book appears in italics]:
Three snippets about story, not knowing, and the power of inhibition:
Children don’t know what they can and can’t do so they imagine themselves capable of all things; it’s “not knowing” that makes all things possible. Parcival’s story begins with the freedom of a child’s mind and the uninhibited action that comes from not knowing. Reclaiming this freedom in adulthood is the point of many stories. It is essential to the entrepreneurial mindset.
***
I didn’t catch it until now that Parcival is left standing alone in shame three times in the story: once at the Grail Castle, once in the great hall of Camelot, and this time, the first time on the parade grounds with his pants down around his ankles. This time, the first time, he does something completely different. He does not acknowledge the shame. He does not participate. He does not seek to understand what he did wrong because he doesn’t see anything wrong. He stays on his intention. It’s beautiful.
***
He felt no shame. He experienced no inhibition. He pulled up his pants, caught his mule, mounted and rode straight into the great hall where all the knights were eating lunch. He didn’t know any better. He didn’t know this was considered at court to be a declaration of war. How could he have known? His mule crashed through the massive wooden doors of the great hall. The knights leapt to their feet, swords drawn as Parcival astride his mule rode straight toward the king. Only Arthur’s signal kept the knights from slicing and dicing the boy to death.
Parcival, sitting high atop his mule, stared straight at the king and said, “I demand to be made a knight of a round table.” As you can imagine, the blood of rage rushed into Arthur’s face. No one, not even a clown, demanded anything from the king.
Parcival, not knowing any better, not aware of any shame or reason why he shouldn’t ask for what he wanted, stared back at the now angry king and said, “Well? How do I do this?”
For information on coaching, workshops and consulting, go here.
davidrobinsoncreative 
Leave a Reply