I noticed recently that two of my favorite film directors, Woody Allen and Noah Baumbach, make reference in their films to the same joke, Q: “How do you make God laugh?” A: “Make A Plan”. Of course, since neither of them believes in God, I assume it’s their cute way of expressing how life rarely, if ever, unfolds according to our plans.
This may not be the most profound insight out there – plenty of artists have riffed on it – but that doesn’t make it any less true. And it certainly doesn’t prevent most of us from disregarding it in our day-to-day lives. I know I, for one, am endlessly making plans and getting upset when people get in the way of those plans.
Emily Dickinson articulates the opposing, more passive view in poem #875. Maybe it’s a stretch, but I think it jives pretty closely with the whole New Testament understanding of “life by the Spirit”:
I stepped from Plank to Plank
A slow and cautious way
The Stars about my Head I felt
About my Feet the Sea.
I knew not but the next
Would be my final inch —
This gave me that precarious Gait
Some call Experience.
COMMENTS
2 responses to “Plank To Plank”
Leave a Reply
Dave, I’ve only read about two of your posts and I’m really getting into this. This is my first time visiting your blog, so pardon me if I’m intruding from the Midwest. JK. I think it is interesting to note that Dickinson’s poem “Plank to Plank” was published after her “final inch” as were all of her works.
I’m in an American Literature class in college and we just finished Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative (1676). It is of course from the time of the Puritans (semi-extreme sepratists) so it is influenced in that direction, but she says this interesting line amongst the Algonquin Indians (her captors), “The Indians stood laughing to see me staggering along, but in my distress the Lord gave me experience of the truth and goodness of that promise, Isah xliii., 2- “When thou passeth through the waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.” Then I sat down to put on my stockings and shoes, with the tears running down my eyes, and many sorrowful thoughts in my heart,. But I got up to go along with them.” I find it interesting how universal this idea is, because it is essential to living an anxiety free (or as close as possible) life in the hands of God. Whats the difference between Indian Captivity and an unsure financial future, temptations, broken-hearts, insurance battles, and even a parking ticket in the right (wrong) mindset i think it could all be easily leveled. Thank you for that challenge. “Live by the Spirit.”
~Dave M.