A Reflective Learning Journal

I cannot stop thinking about this poem:

It is not that I lack the desire to live beside rivers and among hills,

Hearing the wind scatter leaves, watching the rain breed fish;

But the thought of disproportion in public affairs

Offends my sense of rhythm, and disposes me

To expend the passion that normally takes form in song and painting,

On matters of administrative interest.

Knowing that all things have their intrinsic nature I imitate the whale

That perpetually aspires to change the currents of the sea.

Torn by contradictory thoughts, I drink deep.

– Tu-Fu, Chinese Tang Dynasty Poet

This poem is found in a chapter written by Wagner and Tony (as cited in the Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership, p. 252)   I have been thinking deeply about how to respond to this. I am desperate to create an artistic response, yet I know that my skills would not do this piece justice. It is as if Tu-Fu is speaking directly to my weary soul in this poem. There is beauty in my work even when I long to be elsewhere.  I know the value, worth, and joy of a consistent, sustained focus on culture, improvement and building capacity.

As an administrator, have you ever felt like the whale: attempting to change the currents of the sea?  Today, I am getting a bit vulnerable and posting a photo essay response to Tu-Fu’s poem.  Click on this link to drink deep with me.