Connecting the Dots

Connecting the dots. Photo by Marius Masalar on Unsplash

My framework for the BIG ideas — my “throughline,” as TED Talks’ Chris Anderson calls it — is shaping up. I’ve been looking at several lists/manifestos/creeds, and I’ve noticed some connections between a few standouts. So here’s my plan: I’ll line them all up on a white board, and connect the elements of each, to see where they share similar tenets or ideas. I suspect they will. The primary connecting points between them will be the points on the map of my presentation.

 

Here are the main contenders for comparison:

• Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths
• Neale Donald Walsch’s 25 Core Messages, found in What God Said.
• Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey
• The Tarot’s Major Arcana
• My Beatles Manifesto (maybe)

I may find additional lists, but for now this is a good starting point. Also, it’s not a particularly scientific selection process. These are some ideas I’ve been reading and thinking about lately, so they’ve filtered to the top. The whole presentation is coalescing in my mind around Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. Comparing the process of personal change and growth to this seminal structure makes sense to me. I can envision a presentation that frames growth around the Hero’s Journey, highlighting the various elements and tying them to tenets of the other lists. On each point where multiple lists converge I can hang resources (helpful books, blogs, apps), activities, stories, and illustrative ideas from the study of business, psychology, and human nature. I can kind of picture the map in my head. It’s still pretty fuzzy, but it does seem to be crystalizing.

Next, I’ll share more about each of the contenders listed above. Just to see where the main dots shine through. More soon.