Eureka vs. That’s Interesting
Dear friends,
Perhaps you have seen one of those old movies about a hard-working scientist. He suddenly shouts “Eureka—I found it!” with great joy. It’s a well-known cliche, but there is perhaps a bit of a flaw in the depiction.
The greatest scientific discoveries are more often accompanied by “Now that’s interesting” than “Eureka.” That’s because some of the great progress in history comes from dramatically recasting what we already know—or think we already know—or from a surprising unknown source that we were not looking for in the first place.
In the late 1920’s Dr. Fleming returned from a holiday to discover a thin layer of mold growing on a Petri dish he had previously filled with Staph bacteria. For some reason the bacteria was not growing as one would expect. His response would surely have been more “Now that’s interesting” rather than “Eureka.” He examined the situation, tried a few things, and discovered that the mold actually killed bacteria. He had just discovered penicillin. Thank goodness he didn't just say, “That’s weird!", throw the mold out and start over.
Distant heavenly bodies have most often been found by noticing that other items nearby were acting “in an unexpected way.” That meant there was something unseen influencing their orbits. "Now that’s interesting. Why is that doing that?"
So what does this have to do with our inner life? Glad you asked… :-)
The greatest growth comes from an attitude of openness. “Gosh, I wonder why he did that?” rather than, “How dare he!” How about “Gee, maybe I did something to warrant that response." "Maybe I at least contributed to the energy being ‘off’." "Maybe God is trying to tell me something?”
We often find what we are looking for regardless of whether there is something there! We tend to see what we want to see. “Oh, I already know why he did that. He’s just a hothead.” It may even be true that he is, but “Now I know” is less open and expansive than “I wonder why that happened.”
This is not an exhortation to be so open-minded your brains fall out! We still need to use common sense, and every little thing that happens all day cannot be carefully examined for a hidden nugget. But that said, a few more “interesting” and perhaps fewer (less?) “eurekas” might stand us in good stead.
May we go through the world as much as possible seeking to learn and discover rather than merely confirm what we already know.
Blessings,
David G., manager
For the staff at East West