As a systemwide safety trainer, I work for a library organization with a long history. In that role, I have to be curious about what we do and why we do it through time. That curiosity is important because it helps me to find a credible foundation for the topics I teach. It also makes me a more effective teacher because the things I learn help me to honestly explain the “why” to my students.
Lately my work has opened my eyes to how easily practices are either misunderstood, missing from formal writings, or disconnected from practical use as time passes. In my frequent reviews of written texts and oral-accounts, I find myself asking meaningful questions. Questions like: how did we get here, is this official, should we still be here, and sometimes, what might it take to get to something that serves us better?
If you think this short essay is about the benefits of change and the perils of stagnation, that’s not exactly where I’m headed with this writing.
What I’m hoping to point out is the benefit of attention, and intention when it comes to all of our ways, and our whys. It will always benefit us to pay close attention to what we are doing, and to intentionally question why we do it. This applies to our beliefs, our associations, and our daily actions.
Habits, once done earnestly, can drift from their intended meaning. And on the other side of the coin, practices that began without deep thought can become deeply entrenched and enshrined.
Whatever decisions are ultimately made, what keeps us all meaningfully informed and our practices vibrant and relevant, are our conscious and continued efforts to understand origins, and to watch the path of practices as they interact with current needs.
Curiosity sharpens the mind to ask powerful questions, involvement builds investment, and critical thinking shows that we care enough to weigh true value through time. How often do you think critically about the things you do, and why you do them? What has become a ritual in your own life, and why? How curious are you about your own long-lived organization (the Odd Fellows), so that you can participate with clearer intention, and be a more transparent teacher to others?
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