Trends come and go, often with great fanfare followed by quiet retreat. The waves of hot subjects, trendy ideas, and themes find their way into our lives in our words, where we spend our time, and into our priorities and aspirations. As I listened to the rhetoric related to one of the latest trends, I found myself wondering how much of what I was hearing would translate into sustained action. Was this a trend that was going to stick? Would the emotions and passion that one could tangibly feel in the conversation translate into an embraced discipline?
As I watch today, I have my doubts. Perhaps I am thinking on the reflections in my life. I can recall great ideas that were aligned to my aspirations and dreams that came and went. As much as I hoped that my embrace and the actions that followed would continue, looking back, the embrace did not last long. Something changed. I do not know what it was. It could have been a loss of interest. It could have been that the idea was not as great as I thought it was. Something better may have pushed it out of its way.
I find myself listening to life’s whispers when new trends arrive.
Evaluate a trend in the context of the impact it makes on the individuals that adopt it. If good follows in their lives, along the lines of David’s comment “while I stretch out, reaching for you, and daily add praise to praise,” (Psalm 71.14) the idea is likely worthy of our consideration.
When an idea comes in quickly, hyped by quick opinions and comments, it will likely drift away in the same manner. While there are exceptions, it is important to remember that exceptions are by definition limited in their number, rare, and unusual.
Great ideas fit with other great ideas. Complimentary, augmenting, and amplifying all apply to the new idea. The point is that they do not conflict.
Each moment is an invitation to live and grow. The best trends are ideas, feeding the process.
