Monthly Archives: September 2011

I know a bird can fly, a fish can swim, and an animal can run. For that which runs, a net can be fashioned; for that which swims, a line can be strung. But the ascent of a Dragon on the wind into heaven is something that is beyond my knowledge.
    —Confucius

Reading this quotation from Confucius it struck me that perhaps dragons and monsters are only those things we don’t understand. They are simply that which we can’t capture—trap—in our minds. It is precisely the fact that we don’t understand them that makes them dragons.

On the other hand, once captured/understood these may be the very things that move us forward. Imagine Confucius’ disbelief, catching sight of a silver airplane streaking through the sky. And then his delight when he climbed aboard one and discovered entirely new worlds he never knew to imagine.

The elements of your life comprising the unknown or fearful may be pointing the way toward something that will split your world open to new fantastic possibilities. Dragons are often pictured as fearful, frightening, violent creatures, but what if they are merely there to transport us to places we never dared to imagine?

For me, moving to Istanbul was a leap into the unknown. I never could have predicted the possibilities or the roadblocks I have found here, I didn’t know enough to imagine them before I experienced them. Sometimes you just have to ride your dragon. You don’t always get to steer.

What do you think is beyond possibility? What if it wasn’t?