There exists a principle in the discipline of landscape architecture whereby when designing a pathway to follow, there should be bends and turns along the route to keep hidden what lies beyond. To elicit interest there must be mystery. This principle reflects the balance between order and chaos, predictability and mystery, in the appearance of the untouched landscapes of nature. Rarely do we see, except on the flat plains or deserts or from high mountain summits, the far distant vistas, and even then the prospects are replete with that endless complexity that draws the mind into a kind of awed stupor.
We naturally dissect our journeys into short segments marked by waypoints, a waypoint being some uniquely identifiable feature our minds can mark and remember. We do something similar as we proceed not through space, but through time. Memory spans not the continuous stream of experience, but marks the waypoints of significance, the unexpected or novel events taking us by surprise.
When writing stories we must do the same as when designing a landscape (or writing music, or painting, or whatever the media happens to be). If our compositions are too predictable interest cannot be held. A story should have its own twists and turns to keep hidden what follows. In our imaginations as well as in the dimensions of space and time, we are drawn by our natural wonder and curiosity to discover, to find things out, to see and to know where it all is leading us. We are driven by wonder.
We live in a world of unfathomable mystery, an endless cornucopia for the imagination. As we proceed on our unique journeys through time, try to make it a waypoint to always remember to stop and look around. In every age there have been those who have tried to convince others all things are known, that nothing remains to be discovered, or that they themselves have all the answers. In every age such notions have been proven wrong. The sense of innocence and awe before the grandeur all around us, and the wonder and creativity we bring into this world have always driven us onward. Every now and then, go outside, turn your eyes to the sky, and gaze upward into forever. Every day, take a moment to stop and to lose yourself in wonder.
