Postscript

Words  

Thought turned into word is one of the main means of human learning, development, growth, and communication. We offer the words in this text for readers to think, talk, and try them out.

Thinking

The messages and morals present in pondered words merit reflection. Rather than simply acknowledging them as samples of general experience or knowledge, it may be worthwhile to pause and consider their meaning, implications, and applications in specific, particular, concrete, and personal situations.

When pondering, we exercise memory, evoking the recollection of past experiences. Pondering also stimulates the imagination, generating ideas for possible experiences. Analysis is another process prompted by pondering, as when reflecting we make associations and comparisons, which at times lead to conclusions and solutions.

Talking

Intentional conversations, be they brief or extensive, public or private, can promote the enrichment of the participants, for exchanging perspectives and opinions broadens our horizons. Dialogue illuminates both points of agreement and convergence as well as points of disagreement and divergence, and while at times it is simply entertaining and amusing, on occasions it can be intense and therapeutic. Sharing our beliefs and experiences with others in the context of a conversation serve some as an emotional outlet.

When conversing we can ask each other questions about what has been considered. Individual reflection is expanded by adding others’ understanding through conversation. The exchange can take the form of debate, or purely dialogue.

Trying Out

Words can extend from thought and talk to practical application. While pondering and conversation may have intellectual and emotional benefits, putting words into practice additionally offers benefits that are actually practical!

Trying out the application of what is considered and discussed can take place in intimate spheres, such as in couple and family relationships. We can also apply what we have learned and understood to our participation in broader circles, be it the workplace, the neighborhood, the community, society.

PS

Here we are
and there we go,
with our
gloves stuffed with probings,
coats lined with ponderings,
shoes soled with prayers,
bowls filled with poems,
tiles glazed with portraits,
hearths warmed with passages,
cells charged with parables,
wheels fueled with projects.
Along the way, we pause.

We present separately a version in Spanish, similar to the Pausing series, titled Pausando (con Preguntas, Pensamientos, Plegarias, Poemas, Personajes, Pasajes, Parábolas, Proyectos).

We are working on other collections of essays and practices peppered with proverbs, based on our experience in higher education and community service, provisionally titled Perspectives and Proposals.

All is to be appraised, adopted, adapted, adjusted, and applied as applicable and appropriate.