The Blank Canvas: a Place of Revelation

Rachel Naomi Remen's "Kitchen Table Wisdom: A Conversation that Heals"
excerpt from Voices of Integrative Medicine: Conversations and Encounters ed. Bonnie J. Horrigan

As a physician, I was trained to believe that the unknown is an emergency, like a hemorrhage. It requires action. You need to convert the unknown to the known as quickly and efficiently and cost effectively as possible. But I’ve learned that the unknown does not require action—it requires our attention.  Often, it is the unknown, the Mystery in life, that sustains and strengthens us. My colleague taught me to relate to the unknown as an artist does, with patience. For the artist, the unknown is a blank canvas. It’s a place of revelation. Not only can we witness Mystery; in some profound way we are Mystery. Our lives may not be bounded by our history and many go on longer than we dare dream. If life itself is not fully defined by science, perhaps we too may be more than science would have us believe. (132)