A year ago we concluded an annual conference at work. A year ago I was traveling to Denver to speak at a different conference. A year ago I was planning work in several parts of the world to advance digital transformation of education.
It has been a long year and it looks to stretch into the coming year. It has disrupted our societies in ways that we could not anticipate, and in ways we do not yet understand. This has a personal dimension. Many families are disrupted by the challenges of the pandemic, including our own.
For me, one of the most challenging aspects of the pandemic has really begun to chafe as we move into the new year. My nearest friends and relations are locked down. Our visits are challenging efforts we conduct on a driveway with a shivering demeanor to reflect the reality of winter weather. I have noticed that the lack of social connection takes a toll on mood, happiness, and productivity.
Writing and publishing is an effort to fight back. It is something I have historically deprioritized. Fifteen years ago, I published many articles with youthful enthusiasm. Over the intervening years I took more to photography, although that also has suffered delays in publication (years!).
I think the pandemic and its effects, at times unrelated, has given me a new sense of purpose. In the past I wrote for an audience. The challenge there is the deflation when few people read. If I realign my expectations, which are all delusion, I can find a freedom to write without expectation of readers or renumeration.
Perhaps you will come?
Perhaps you will converse?
Perhaps you will contemplate?
Regardless, there is value in giving back without expectation. It is akin to the work of the Buddhist monks in their creation and destruction of sand mandalas. I write and publish it here. I do this as a way to connect with the world in a time when my connections have become attenuated. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for visiting. I invite you to reflect on the articles here or at Facebook.
Now, I think I owe the world an article about our trip to Lhasa…