In the world, we talk about infrastructure as if it were built only from beams and schedules and processes. But, some critical structures are made of gestures — a seat offered without question, a plate that assumes another member of the circle, a rhythm that welcomes a new step. Over the past 4 essays, I’ve been making the case that relational infrastructure is the more critical place to focus when engaging with the work of human development - and that relationship provides a place of anchoring for individuals in development. Our overarching principle around this is the concept of daeONE - a place or person that provides relational anchoring through the journey of life.
For this week’s daeLIGHT, I’m sending you The Guest, a short story written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1895. I’ve taken the liberty of updating it a bit to make for perhaps slightly smoother reading for a contemporary audience (though I’d encourage you to read the original, and as much of Tagore’s body of work as you can!). The Guest reminds me that not all anchoring is lifelong. Sometimes the tie that steadies us is the one we tie for a single crossing. And still, it holds.
Because relationships are not about duration, but depth...
