To focus our reflection, we began our late August Wisdom Writers dialogue with a reading from “Taking the Path of Intent” (p. 8 ), beginning with the words…
Wisdom is present to intent.
Wisdom sees and understands intended ways of working – the truth of intent.
As our dialoguing unfolded, the subject of the oil spill came up again. As this summer comes to a close, things seemingly are moving back to what we call normal here on the Gulf Coast; children are returning to school, tourists returning to the beaches, yet, tractors are combing the beaches each night for tar balls, and many people are losing their businesses and livelihoods from the losses of the summer. A question arises, “Will the oil industry approach the future with more wisdom than in the past?” Reflecting, we would say, there are signs of more wisdom of experience, but without intentionally changing the conversation, the wisdom of intent, the wisdom that comes from and through right relatedness to the Source, will not be present to and determining of the going forward path… the wisdom of intent, wisdom that reflects our accepting and embracing our instrumentality, wisdom that comes through reflection and reflective dialogue… reflection leading to a seeing of the systemic interaction of thy will, my intended work, and intended ways of working – of thy will (the intent of the Source), my intended work (as intended instrument) and intended ways of working. Yes, there may be a certain wisdom of experience that has come from the trauma, threat, demands, etc., of the tragic oil spill, yet we still have before us as a people, the choice of taking guidance from the wisdom of intent.
It seems that an example, related to a different subject, will serve as a reflective source for better seeing what is meant by this dynamic systemicness of thy will, my intended work, and intended ways of working… a systemicness we must develop the capacity to see and take guidance from as we acknowledge and embrace our instrumentality. Below is such an example; it is a letter (“Intentionally Working towards Wholeness”) recently sent to a friend in Minnesota who is working for change in the community health processes in the Twin Cities. By reflecting on the dynamic working of thy will, my intended work, and intended ways of working in the field of health, it is the hope we will extend our ableness to “see” the process of coming from the wisdom of intent, a “seeing” that will enable our going forward after the oil spill, going forward from the wisdom of intent…. what taking the path of intent would mean for ourselves as well as for all of life here on the Gulf and beyond.
