By contrast, we see the non-generative actions taken by some wealthy people who purchase a major work of art and then refuse to exhibit it in public; the painting or sculpture might be preserved, but it remains of “lesser value” because it can never be fully appreciated by the community. Preservation without display is a form of stagnation. We can return to our example of the Gardner Museum in Boston. A famous art theft occurred several decades ago when more than a dozen major works of art were stolen from the museum. None of these art treasurers have ever been recovers. They are probably all now being held and viewed in secret by wealthy, private collectors—exemplifying stagnation as well as criminality.
Honoring
We are guardians in yet another way. We guard the memory of a specific person, group of people, or event by setting aside a day or product in recognition of the contribution that has been made. We have the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, and the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Other countries similarly honor their fallen warriors or leaders with holidays, often associated with the engagement of other acts of Generativity Three that we have identified (ceremonies, consecrations, gatherings, and storytelling). Thanks to greeting card companies, we are also frequently in the business of honoring people we love—most notably our mothers and fathers.
At a more personal level, we honor people in our lives when we celebrate their birthday, the day of their naming, their lifetime achievements, or their retirement. One of our four Featured Players, Dan, provided an award each year to a professor who had been particularly successful in working with students: “An example of Guardianship was the Professor of the Year Award that I annually presented when I was president of a large university. This annual award was presented to university professor who most exemplified the legacy and values of teaching excellence.” As Dan notes, this award is intended to honor an individual faculty member and to reinforce a legacy and set of values about teaching excellence. As in the case of all forms of Generativity Three, the ultimate goal is to preserve and guard that about which we truly care.
It is not just great teaching that is being honored by generative educational leaders like Dan. Other members of higher educational institutions often honor colleagues by preparing something called a Festschrift—a book that gives tribute to a respected person is presented during his or her lifetime. Typically, scholars or researchers who were mentored by the respected colleague collaborate on writing essays that are in some way aligned with the ideas and work of their respected colleague. There is hardly any other honor bestowed on an intellectual leader that is treasured as much as a festschrift.
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