We should easily agree that vision is important. We do not easily agree on the definition of vision. To me, vision is that which is not yet in existence but is seen in our mind’s eye in the hope that it comes into existence. Vision is not an idea involving a single person; that is merely an ambition or goal. A vision is for the people. Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Why do the people perish where there is no vision? Because the people do not have a common purpose. Because the people go in different directions. Because the people turn on each other rather than to each other. Because the people do not use their gifts to complement the gifts of others. Because the people lose their way. Where there is no vision, the people perish.
One of my favorite illustrations of vision involves human beings escaping from slavery. They envisioned freedom. They knew that to achieve freedom they had to go North where slavery was outlawed. They traveled at night partly to avoid detection but more importantly to see the North Star. When slave catchers chased them and they scattered in all directions, they could get back on course by locating the North Star. When they came to a large swamp and had to go in different directions to get around it, they could always get back on course by following the North Star. When they came to a river and had to go all kinds of ways to cross over, they could get back on course by following the North Star. Without the North Star, the people escaping from slavery would not have known the direction to travel to freedom. Vision helps us know the direction to move. Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Vision lets us know that we are moving in the right direction to fulfill a common purpose. The enslaved people wanted freedom, and freedom was North. As long as they were going North, they were moving toward freedom. If they were going in any other direction, they were going away from freedom. The vision of freedom kept them on course. Where there is no vision, the people perish.
A vision must be perceived by others, not just the visionary. A vision must be conveyed clearly enough for others to see it in their own minds. The enslaved had a vision of freedom. It was whispered from ear to ear. They could see it in their minds. They knew the direction. So many moved toward the vision. Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Vision causes many to move simultaneously in the same direction. Those escaping from slavery did not have to talk to each other because they had the same vision. They did not have to know each other because they shared the same vision. They did not even have to know each other existed. The common vision caused them to move in the same general direction toward freedom. The common purpose focused their desires and energies and actions. Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Vision allows people to move in the same direction in their own way, in their own time, at their own pace. There were many enslaved persons moving North to freedom. Some walked, and some rode. Some went by land, and some went by water. Some traveled alone, and some traveled in groups. Some moved fast, and some moved slow. Some went this month or year, and some went at other times. But they were all moving toward the vision of freedom. Without a vision, the people perish.
Vision allows us to be creative using what we have to make what is needed. We all have different gifts. When we see the vision, we understand how to connect our gifts to the vision to make the vision a reality. Not all those involved in the North to Freedom Movement were escaping from slavery. Not all were African Americans. Some were free, and some were enslaved. Some were Black, and some were White. Because they shared a common vision for enslaved persons, they employed their gifts to help those escaping to freedom, making the shared vision of freedom a common reality. Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Symbols are important for visions. The North Star was not the vision. Freedom was the vision. But the North Star symbolized the vision. Even a newspaper that advocated freedom for enslaved persons was named North Star. When people saw the North Star, they connected with the vision. There were also slogans such as "North to freedom." A slogan is a symbol made of words. Where there is no vision, the people perish.
We must have a vision, or the people perish. We must share the vision, or the people perish. We must connect to the vision in our own ways, or the people perish. We must act in our own ways in response to the vision, or the people perish. We must have symbols for the vision, or the people perish. We must see how we can help make the vision a reality, or the people perish. Where there is no vision, the people perish.
EPILOGUE – We forget about vision until we are in trouble as a people. It’s good to be reminded every now and then about the power of vision. I hope this Sketches is a timely reminder.
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