The Blessings of Chaos

"We live in a rainbow of chaos."

Paul Cezanne

I was in a panic! After spending literally hundreds of hours trying to refine a paper for my BYU doctorate policy class, I felt both my mind and my paper were in chaos. I was at my wits end on how to pull it all together in a way that would make a difference. After all, I wasn't just writing this paper for a grade. This paper was about my passion--How to improve the academic achievement and success of Hispanic learners.

While in the midst of this chaos and thinking all was lost I remembered some lessons I had learned in the past about the fact that chaos can actually be a good thing so I went on a google search to learn some good things about chaos, and I found some "gems."

First: The origin of chaos and what it means

In Greek religion and mythology chaos means vacant, unfathomable space. From it arose all things, earthly and divine. There are various legends and myths explaining it. In one, Gaea sprang from Chaos and was the mother of all things. Then Lord Bryon reminds us, "Out of chaos God made a world."

Second: Great things can come from chaos:

• Creativity/ Creation/ Invention

"No chaos, no creation. Evidence: The kitchen at mealtime." Mason Cooley

"Invention, it be humbly admitted, does not consist of creating out of void, but out of chaos." Mary Shelley

"Art is the triumph over chaos." John Cleaver

"I have a great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift." Septima Poinsette Clark

"Confusion is the welcome mat at the door of creativity." Michael Gelb

"Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not yet invented." Henry Miller

"The things we fear most in organizations--fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances--are the primary sources of creativity." Margaret J. Wheatley

• Genius

"All genius is a conquering of chaos and mystery." Otto Weininger

• Discoveries

"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries." A. A. Milne

• Order

"A flock of birds may dart this way or that. The directions seem randomly chosen, but in the end, all of the birds land on the branches of the same tree. They are not scattered all over the landscape thudding into the ground at random trajectories and velocities. Out of the chaos comes order." Tom Barrett

So what should one do with chaos?

1. Overcome fear of chaos.
2. Understand that "every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." Pablo Picasso
3. "It is important to do what you don't know how to do. It is important to see your skills as keeping you from learning what is deepest and most mysterious. If you know how to focus, unfocus. If your tendency is to make sense out of chaos, start chaos." Carlos Castaneda
4. "The key to achieving competitive advantage isn't reacting to chaos; it's producing that chaos. And the key to being a chaos producer is being an innovative leader." Ed McCracken
5. Mine for the great ideas within the chaos

"You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star."

Friedrich Nietzsche

Rising Above the Clouds

Yesterday I received an email from a friend, Janet Christensen, who is serving with me in a group that is focused on improving the academic achievement of Hispanic learners. Her words, "It is wonderful to be part of a group that seeks to rise above the clouds and help others get out of the clouds as well" made me realize that this is what we need to do. It is only by rising above the clouds that we can see the bigger picture and gain a broader perspective.

Rising above the clouds will also help us not get caught up in all the chaos taking place around us. On an After Words broadcast where Akbar Ahmed interviewed Mark Siegel, longtime friend and former speechwriter who helped Benazir Bhutto write Reconciliation, spoke of the glow Bhutto seemed to have about her in spite of the chaos as well as threats to her life. In other words, because of her focus on a higher purpose she was able to transcend what was happening around her.

Herndon L. Davis who is an author, lecturer, and TV Host gives us some insights into Bhutto's life that can be an example for us as we advocate for Hispanic learners. Davis said of her, "Bhutto could have easily remained safely in self-imposed exile. She could have kept a low profile and remained an observer....But instead Benazir Bhutto chose to become the change that she wanted to see for her country....She allowed her life to be used as a tool for a greater purpose, a greater cause and for a greater calling...Further Bhutto knew that her life was symbolic as a living example of patience, idealism, faith, and determination. (italics mine).

We, too, must not give up the fight for our Hispanic learners even though we are attacked on every side and in spite of the fact that we may not see the fruits of our labor. It never was about us anyway as Mother Theresa's words remind us.