Yes. It may seem cute. And I am leery of cute. It started with me playing with words and phrases. But my play exposed some interesting connections. There’s a reason I am using an unusual set of categories. I invite you to play along with me and to think in new ways and to ask old questions in different directions. Maybe you could think of these categories as new wineskins for new wine. (Mark 2:22)
The categories are borrowed from journalism:
- “Who?” Matters.
- “What?” Now.
- “Where?” Next.
- “When?” Ever.
- “Why?” Not.
- “How?” So…
In a sense this is all about time. It is about viewing our lives less as a story (in the past) and more as a journey (in the present). I am making a move from journalism to “journeyism,” to coin a new word. What I am trying to do is take these six questions from journalism and apply them to our present journey.
When I think about connecting what I believe to how I live—and what I experience with what I believe—I use what I am calling “living consistency.” Instead of explaining and defending what I believe, I am seeking to live it out. In one sense I am moving from explanation to experience. Instead of answering the “What?” question with an explanation, I’ll try to substitute the “Now” of life and experience. ⇒ “What?” Now.
And when it comes to living my beliefs instead of defending them, I don’t really want to argue. I want to move from justification to incarnation, to use a couple of heavy theological terms. Instead of answering the “Who am I?” by pleading my case, I’ll try to incarnate my beliefs, to let the words turn into matter. ⇒ “Who?” Matters.
When we incarnate our beliefs into our lives we are make changes that last a lifetime. Instead of thinking in terms of one-time choices which focus on “When?”, we begin to think in terms of character, and the idea of “whenever”. ⇒ “When?” Ever. Along a similar line, instead of thinking in terms of actions within particular situations which focus on “How do I respond?”, we begin to talk about a way of life, the “so” of it all. ⇒ “How?” So…
Next and simplest, I’m asking “Why?” less. I’m resisting my human urge to swoop to purpose; I’m trying to take things as given until proven that they were intended. Instead of asking “Why?” I’m not. ⇒ “Why?” Not.
Last, and the most fun, I’d like to break down walls which hold us in place and keep us apart. We are free to move from a fixed place to an open playground. Instead of asking “Where?” we move to what’s next. ⇒ “Where?” Next.
Now to play with my own categories, let’s circle back and turn things around and toss in a ball from left field. I enjoy writing haiku. Haiku focuses on a present moment. When we live in the present moment we are aware of the presence of things, the now highlights the what. So just for fun, here’s a haiku of mine which illustrates this:
first frost
echo in the caw
of the crow