Where does your inspiration come from?
Where do you find things that give you inspiration? You know, “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” I’m not sure about the creative conclusion, but inspiration for me is found in a variety of sources. Along the same path, I am not interested in how inspired you may be with my inspiration, the fact that I am personally inspired is enough.
This picture was one of the four corners of the hot air balloon we rode in several years back. I took special notice of how the ropes, hooks, tie-on, and metal creations – they all worked together in their own unique way to keep the gondola connected to the envelope of hot air above us. Take away one little rope and I suspect we are in trouble. Remove two or more and we are imperiled. Remove one whole corner and we are doomed.
From this I realize we are not in this race of life alone. We are connected at the corners with so many other wonderful people who are doing the same thing we are doing. Binding and bonding together.
Through the years, my study of words gives me inspiration. The etymology of any word can be a fascinating study of source, roots, intention and purpose and yes, hidden meaning. So, let me give you two words. I am eclectic. I find inspiration from a huge variety of sources. However, I am not eccentric. Two different words. Two different meanings.
- Eclectic: deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
- Eccentric: unconventional and slightly strange.
On second thought, maybe I am eccentric…
- Fire up any engine and the wondering mind gets to work. All those pieces and parts, processes and actions, working together to produce power for its intended purpose.
- Look at any cog, pulley or lever and you can see the inter workings of high technology allowing us to accomplish tasks much easier. Don’t forget the fulcrum…
- What makes a plunger (downward motion) pluck back out (upward motion)? (Vacuum and suction)
- Ever try to determine what makes ice crush in your refrigerator?
- Study the weave of cloth, or the printed images of color, or the manufacture of a pencil.
- Flip a light switch and determine why it works…
- What exactly makes bread rise? How does yeast live in a jar?
My eccentric list is eclectic…
To be totally honest, there are probably a few areas I have not thought about only because they have not showed up on my radar. Radar… [from ra(dio) d(etection) a(nd) r(anging)]=Radar… (This happens to me all the time! Nearly every word we take for granted gives me pause to consider it’s originality.)
This is probably why any chapter or book of the bible grabs my interest. I look at things differently. I think about things differently. For the most part, those view and thoughts only work within my mind very well and struggle with finding a voice to share my findings.
Yesterday, I was put in thought of studying the beatitudes. You know. Jesus’s discourse on the Mount. A sermon to some, expressive and deep thinking for others. But it gathered a huge crowd on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. One man posted (I know him by name but not by reputation) a thought about the purpose of the beatitudes. From a Jewish perspective, he connected this Christian relation.
The beatitudes are a summary of #Torah: Love God, love one another, move your focus outward. Mat 5:1-16
Yeshua described 3 kinds of behaviors in the Beatitudes: Inherent, Outward, Inward. Mat 5:3-12
- 1st 3 are inward conditions.
- 2nd 3 are outward behaviors.
- Last 2 are things done to you.
Think about it for a moment. Someone was given a relationship between two things that many of us would never consider. Not necessarily a dichotomy, rather a resemblance from two sources that would not necessarily reach the same audience. He connected some dots that make for a cohesive presentation, and with a few letters of the alphabet, and the imaginative mind we each have, he presented a parallel of thought between these two sources.
This is perhaps why I enjoy reading books that not only see the puzzle of information, but assemble it in such a way that it makes probable sense from basis of knowledge or information.
The early translations of the bible into other languages struggled with the differences between culture and language, spelling and grammar. The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters. Greek has 24 letters. English now has 26 letters. But their interconnection has always left us grasping at words and meanings as translators did their job. Now. Take those letters and words and consider the Hawaiian alphabet. 13 letters.
Can the bible be translated into every language? One source says there are over 6,500 known languages on the planet, and the bible has been completely translated into 636 languages, and partially into another 3,223 languages.
What a challenge!
Every language has its struggles and that is why we take so many words from other sources. It makes it difficult for the future person to understand the past. Read any Dan Brown novel and you will understand this!
The problem with inspiration is keeping the image of the thought that inspires you. Here today. Gone tomorrow. Maybe it influences your future. Perhaps not. Regardless, keep your mind working down the trails of possibilities, and you will find something that inspires you to greatness, creativity, and satisfaction that you have learned something new!