Vision for Vision's Sake.

"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." - Jonathan Swift (a fellow Irishman)
A friend of mine once told me, "Experience molds vision." And I thought, pshhh. I have great visions for a great future that are so real I could touch them!...and they don't need molding. 

Then a few months went by, and as I grew older and wiser I realized that whether or not visions need molding isn't the point; they just do mold. The reality is that everything we do, see, hear - in short, experience - shapes who we are and who we aspire to be. If we fully live and engage with the people and places we meet along our way, they will leave their mark on us. This is part of being truly human, part of being in a world with so many unturned stones that bid us to never stop looking and learning.

Having a vision can be a beautiful thing if it comes from a heart that is yearning for beauty. It can also be an ugly thing if it comes from a heart that perhaps once yearned for beauty and now has ceased to do so in favor of protecting its own prideful pursuit of power. (I'm not sure power is the right word, but the opportunity for another p was too much to pass up)... What I mean is this: if I have a vision, there is a danger for me to become married to it simply because it is mine (this is often a downfall of amateur entrepreneurs as well); I think it will work, I believe in this vision, I know that people need what I have to offer -- regardless of what the evidence does or doesn't support. If this occurs then my "vision" is no longer about the original vision at all; it is about me, and I will fight for it whether it continues to be a beautiful thing or becomes something futile. A pure vision is one that springs from, and remains within, a pure and malleable heart.

Beauty is utterly intertwined with meaning. As we continue to discover the depth of what is truly meaningful, our vision of beauty and how we reflect it will mold to that understanding as well.