I recently attended a lecture during which the lecturer discussed a quote from Franz Kafka. The lecture was unrelated to the topics of this blog. Nevertheless, I started to see some connections.
The quote from Kafka is:
"Leopards break into the temple and drink to the dregs what is in the sacrificial pitchers; this is repeated over and over again; finally, it can be calculated in advance, and becomes part of the ceremony."
(Franz Kafka, "Leopards in the Temple," Parables and Paradoxes, 93.)
The lecturer pointed out the good news and the bad news reflected in this quote.
The good news is that the wild leopards loose in the temple have been tamed or at least have been made predictable. The disturbing image represented in this quote no longer has the power to disturb.
The bad news is that we have lost touch with that wildness, unpredictability and excitement and the creative moment when this adventure was first unfolding.
It was at this point that my mind went back to the world of Knowledge Management.
