Treasure your exceptions!
メンデルの法則を英語圏の研究者に紹介し、「genetics(遺伝学)」という言葉も作られた、William Batesonの言葉。
”If I may throw out a word of counsel to beginners, it is: Treasure your exceptions! When there are none, the work gets so dull that no one cares to carry it further. Keep them always uncovered and in sight. Exceptions are like the rough brickwork of a growing building which tells that there is more to come and shows where the next construction is to be."
--William Bateson, in The Method and Scope of Genetics, 1908.
「例外を大切にせよ」というのは、必ずしも遺伝学にとどまらないことだよなぁ・・・と心に残りました。
普段と違うこと、を、偶然と切り捨てずに、それが何かの兆候、気づきのきっかけ、ご縁の始まり・・・と大切にしたいなと思います。