Vol 5 . . . No 2 . . . October, 1995
Even though Peter's Mom warned him to stay away from Farmer MacGregor's garden, Peter wasted little time scaling the walls to explore this rich "forbidden" environment. He nearly met his end as the angry farmer chased him, but the message of this story is fairly clear . . .
You are not likely to find innovation if you stick to your own back yard. If you stay home and obey all the rules and warnings (like Peter's sisters), you may miss out on all the fun and adventure. If you let routine be your master, you may not hear Opportunity's soft knuckles rapping on the door.
Melville (Columbia University: Project Bartleby) divided the world into those who went to sea and those who stayed safely inland. To keep on top of the fast-breaking changes which surge through our world, we must be prepared to scale the walls of ignorance, past practice and habit. We must push off from shore. We must mix metaphors and cultivate the garden. Like Peter, we must challenge the old rules . . . question the paradigms and mindsets which have blocked our vision and our thinking.