Several friends were walking in a field. They had just finished hiking and decided to take a stroll, in the quietness of nature. They were enjoying each others company, laughing and talking, about the latest political debacle. So deep in conversation, that they almost missed a giant hole in the ground. They stopped, looked down, into the darkness, and were mystified that there was such a cavernous chasm, out in this remote area. One of them wondered, how deep it actually was and decided to throw in a rock they found near by. They did not hear it, hit the bottom. They joked if there was solid ground below, or if it was so subterranean, that it went, to the center of the Earth. This is what highly educated adults converse about sometimes, reality and fantasy, each playing a role in the humanity of it all. Truth, sometimes needs a little comedy, to help the pill go down.
The group started a debate about far-reaching ideas, rooted philosophies and points-of-view. That even the most level-headed of all of them, loses their vision at times, especially when bombarded by opinion, feedback and negativity. The chamber before them was no longer, merely a fissure or fracture in the Earth, but a dent or cavity, in their identities. One of the friends, determined to end the rhetoric and get back on their path, looked around for something bigger to drop into the void. He wanted to prove, that the space, actually, was not bottomless. That in fact, it was reachable and concrete. That if they had a rope, he could in fact, make his way to the foundation. He would prove that investigation, leads to truth and that truth is irrefutable. Another member of the group replied, "nothing is truly irrefutable because everything is blanketed with a personal bias, ideology and understanding." He scoffed in return, "I'll prove it."
"Either way", the determined friend said, "I will prove to you, there is a solid base, on which to plant our feet." Under a tree, nearby, he saw an old, rusty anvil. "Come help me move this", he coaxed. The group pushed it over, to the opening, and shoved it in. "You will see," he said "this is so big, there is no way, we won't hear it land." The anvil, disappeared in the darkness. Suddenly, from behind them, they heard, a loud galloping noise. "Clop, clop, clop" The entourage, turned to see a goat, running at full speed, coming towards them. They stepped aside and the goat ran right, into the abyss. Stunned, they stood in silence, never hearing the anvil or goat, reach the bottom. "What just happened?" they remained shocked, still in their stance. "Maybe, the goat knows something we don't?" There has to be a ground down there, or why would the goat run into the hole, with such conviction?"
Moments later, a farmer walked up to them. "Hello, I was wondering if any of you have seen my goat?" Amazed, they shifted and one of them replied, "Yes, it just ran down, into that huge cavern. We couldn't stop it, it was running so fast, it flew by us and right into this hole."
They all pointed, as if they expected him to say "If it weren't for those pesky kids."
The farmer, looked confused.
"That is impossible, I had him tied, with rope, to an anvil."
"How deep is that hole, anyway?" Another, mesmerized friend asked.
"No one knows, we have dropped many things into it, to never see them again, so we just stay away from it.? The saddened farmer replied.
As he walked away he mumbled "Another goat, I can't keep losing goats or I am going to go broke."
The group of friends, still perplexed and undecided, on the depth of the mysterious orifice, made their way back to their cars. Each contemplating, what the pocket in the field, meant to them. Is it just a depression in the surface of the Earth, too big to fill, so it remains open and dangerous? Is it the recesses of humanity, that remains silent, because it is easier, to toss something into it, rather than face what might be down there? It represents something different to all of them. To the lawyer, the case that was lost. To the doctor, a patient, they did not cure. But, to the teacher, it is an opportunity to test the science of sound, to expect the unexpected and to literally look into the crevasse of knowledge. To not simply fill it, but to see it, as an opportunity to bring about change.
With every gorge, we as teachers have to cross, with every ravine, canyon and gulch, full of negativity, that we have to traverse, there are just as many overpasses, branches and scaffolds that other educators, have constructed to help us negotiate them. Look for the cartographers, architects and foreman, because they know the pitfalls, that lie ahead. See every pothole and shaft as a sign to grow, not as a harbinger of bad luck. Be not the farmer, trapped in a cycle of losing goats. Be inquisitive and eager to figure things out. Find a group of like-minded spirits who you can have the conversations with and get clear, concise, feedback from and whether you decide, to walk back to your car, or vertically ascend into the grotto, just remember, there is no comfort zone, when it comes to the abyss, only belief in knowing, there is a solid ground below.
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