Synchronicity and Solomon

Interestingly enough, I received a message from my friend John Campbell about the new Web site. It was sychronistic because I had referred to John in yesterday's blog, and I haven't heard from hum in nearly a year. He sent me a very kind message and some suggestions.

I'd like to share with you my response to his second message of the day. It might help explain why I chose the name Solomon Source.

John said: "The word "Solomon" suggests wisdom. Remember the wisdom of Solomon...it is Biblical."

And my response . . .
John,
Thank you for your kind words. I am absolutely honored to have you communicating with me. I still remember very fondly you driving through a snow storm last year to meet with me at my hotel. And what you said about being honored for my visit - I am the one who is tremendously honored to have you as a friend.

Solomon is an interesting story. Our family name was Solomon before it changed to Skadberg when my grandfather moved to the Skadberg farm as a young man in Norway. Then my grandfather ventured over to the U.S. at age 17. He did not like the mountains and ended up becoming a farmer in Carrington, North Dakota. The place is the second flatest place in the world I have been, the 1st, I think, is Levelland, Texas.

I didn't remember my family name story interestingly enough until I came to Colombia this January to pursue a project with a large gold mining company that wanted to manage impacts on the nearby agricultural community. The project (rumored to be the 2nd largest discovery in history) has been shut down by the government for several months due to concerns about environmental impacts.

Finally, your reference to Solomon takes me back to a conversation with a boss, Jack Carls, who when I was 26 got me promoted from a custodian to become the maintenance supervisor at the North Grand Mall in Ames, Iowa. It was a very proud time for me, although I realized I wasn't cut out for mall management. It didn't have much meaning for me.

Jack told me two very important things that I will always remember. He was a wise and kind man. First, he taught me to always keep the restrooms clean. And second, he told me about the wisdom of Solomon - his genius to surround himself with the best advisors. And I suspect, what I have learned in the last few years, Solomon probably knew to keep harmonious relationships with them.

I don't know if I am a decendant of Solomon, but I have strangely enough collected elephants, which I understand is one of the symbols of Solomon. It is the only thing I collect. Surprisingly I didn't make this connection until I was meeting with another wonderful friend Desmond Green for our project in Jamaica a few months back, after reading one of his treasured aphorisms about an elephant.

I concluded the message to John with my gratitude for his taking the time to send me a message. He also approved me to feature his paper that he presented about Land Grant and Education in India here on Solomon Source. Look for that article soon.

To conclude my thoughts for the day, I have been almost haunted with synchronicities in my life. It is a wonderful thing to be haunted by. It is gratifying to experience the magical connections, that I think pervade all things. But sometimes it is perplexing, to figure out their meaning and the subsequent actions I am to take. I'm still trying to figure this out, the larger meaning of synchronicity (from the great Carl Jung). At this point, I have come to the conclusion that they act as "signposts" showing me that I am headed in the direction of my desired destination.

I am grateful to my friends and to the opportunity to be sharing my experience with ya'll ( a Texas remnant).

All the best! - Andy