Organic innovations

THERE’S no doubt that if we want to survive in our

increasingly complicated times, we need to be flexible, adaptive,

versatile and innovative. This should be our constant mindset. We

should not get stuck with the modes and ways of the past that while

helpful in their own time, may be impractical today.

  

            Just the same, we neither should just discard the things

of the past in an indiscriminating way. That would lead us to a lot of

dangers. We have to know what in them are still useful, because the

new things just cannot arise out of thin air.

  

            The innovations can only come out from the ground of the

past. They bud and flower from the rich soil of our traditions and

especially of the absolute truths of our faith and morals that serve

as the ultimate criteria of what are deemed good in our innovations.

  

            Yes, we need to be innovative always, but of the kind that

is organic, knowing how to blend the old and the new. It’s good that

we develop the skill of thinking out of the box, but neither should we

forget the things of the past that can serve as the launching pad for

the new things.

  

            For sure, we need some structure—like a daily schedule or

plan of action, etc.—to facilitate our innovations. We just have to

remember that we also should not be too schedule-or plan-bound because

surprises can come anytime and we have to be quick to make adjustments

for them.

  

            Thus, we need to be prudent and discerning of things, and

especially of what the Holy Spirit is actually prompting us to do. We

should not forget that the Holy Spirit is always intervening in our

lives and that we need to be most sensitive to his promptings.

  

            We may also have to do some consultations with the

appropriate persons. For this, we need to be humble and open-minded to

acknowledge our limitations and our need for help.

            It also helps that we practice a certain degree of

restraint in our eagerness to innovate. We cannot deny that sometimes

we can be over-eager and we may have to exert extraordinary effort to

deny ourselves in some innovations that are clearly sinful.

              In all this, we just have to be sport and game. We should

not be afraid to do some experiments and suffer some failures. As

someone said, if Plan A does not work, we still have a lot of letters

in the alphabet that we can use to continue with our experimentations.

We just have to learn how to begin and begin again. Our failures and

setbacks are actually good sources of precious lessons.

  

            The important thing is that our motives are earnest and

sincere, founded ultimately on our love for God and for others, and

not just some personal interest. We may have to take some calculated

risks. They are unavoidable in the adventure of our life.

  

            Of course, we need to pause from time to time to see how

things are going. Are we still on the right course? Are our motives

and intentions still pure, or are they slowly contaminated by egoistic

impulses? Is everything done really for the glory of God and for love

of the others, or is already driven by a me-first attitude? Are we

still humble and simple, keeping our right spiritual and supernatural

bearing, or are things deviating from that course?

   

            It’s good that we be demanding in our self-examination so

that we don’t spoil what otherwise is a good initiative to be

innovative, and so that we can map out the relevant strategies to

pursue the ideal of organic innovations.