On Wheat Fields and Wonder

For some reason, I've been thinking a lot about my home state of Kansas lately. I was recently reminded of the state motto, which I have always loved and cherished: "Ad astra per aspera" - to the stars through difficulty. As a child, I clung to this idea of limitless possibility. If I only worked hard enough, I could learn anything, achieve anything, reach any destination I set my hopes on.

I remember as a little girl, gazing at the wheat fields and the trees and the sky, thinking to myself that no one could ever truly know or comprehend every piece of grain, every leaf, or count every star... that there would always be beauty that no one would ever see... that no one could ever see an entire field or tree from every single perspective. And it made me quite sad... I did not like the thought that even one piece of grass would remain undiscovered, unappreciated. I felt trapped by these striking reminders of the limits of human knowledge and experience.

Within my academic life, I have come to embrace the idea that there are things that we cannot know, but also that there are perhaps things that we should not know, things that we should not try to discover, uncover, plunder, etc. Within my spiritual life, I have come to appreciate the value of mystery, not as something that needs to be overcome, but as something that is important for humanity, something that necessarily reminds us of those limits I used to fear... but also something that offers hope and the possibility of continuous transformation.

And so if I were to summarize in fortune cookie fashion, I would say: "Embrace mystery and be thankful for the unknown." Some limits in our lives are meant to be challenged, and some are meant to be respected. May we have the wisdom to discern between them.