I have a book of quotes, pictures and diagrams of things that were written and spoken about by Leonardo da Vinci. It is amazing to me that there are so many things he considered in his life, that did not fully come to pass for hundreds of years. Thinking still along the idea of quality and individuals of great achievements I wanted to post this quote of his; I consider it worth considering for its statement of physical shadow and its statement of that which is spiritually true for all individuals:
"That portion of the illuminated surface on which a shadow is cast will be brightest which lies contiguous to the cast shadow. Just as an object which is lighted up by a greater quantity of luminous rays become brighter; so one on which a greater quantity of shadow falls, will be darker."
Leonardo da Vinci
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
If Quality is Real, Where Do I Find it?
There are people in the world who live their lives in such a way that everything they do is directed at a goal. These people have goals, evaluate the best way to reach them, study to gain the tools that they need, and then implement for themselves a path to achieve them. There is an unflagging and unwavering direction and effort put into said goals. The effort put forth would be equal to say, 100% of what they can give. The end product? Reaching the goal, with success. I find these people to be amazing. No matter which direction, no matter what goal, this complete approach is admirable, and full of integrity and character.
Then there are the other people that I come into contact with that do not function under this paradigm. These people have goals outlined, but they are just that, outlines. They kind of move toward their goal, using shortcuts, sometimes applying effort, and sometimes not. They sort of hope to achieve what they want, but don't really care if they get all the way to the point they are trying for, or just within close proximity. These people are, to be kind, not amazing to me. I find them to be full of talk, and not action, full of pride and not humility, full of selfishness and a self serving motivation- anything that can help them to look like they are achieving is good enough. They want to win, but the appearance of a win, well that is just as good.
So my question is, where do I find the people I first described? How come so many of the people in the world are willing to settle for second, for less than their best? Is it the ridiculous awards that we pile onto them for things that require no effort at all in an attempt to make sure everyone feels good about themselves? Is it that there are so many loop holes in our society that one need not actually try to be successful, need not make any sacrifice in order to reach an end point? If something is worth dreaming about, worth doing, why is it not worth everything you have to get there? What is it about America that makes us believe that we do not need to strive, that we do not need to do all that we can to reach our goals? Where did the philosophy about being anything you want to be if you work hard enough go?
In a world that is moving so fast that we can literally reach out and touch almost anything that we want to with the stroke of a key, with the limitless possibilities that this century brings, it seems impossible to me that we would not strive to be everything that we possibly could be, that we would not desire to lay down the cheap imitations of life and pick up those that are real, and in so doing, achieve greatness.
Then there are the other people that I come into contact with that do not function under this paradigm. These people have goals outlined, but they are just that, outlines. They kind of move toward their goal, using shortcuts, sometimes applying effort, and sometimes not. They sort of hope to achieve what they want, but don't really care if they get all the way to the point they are trying for, or just within close proximity. These people are, to be kind, not amazing to me. I find them to be full of talk, and not action, full of pride and not humility, full of selfishness and a self serving motivation- anything that can help them to look like they are achieving is good enough. They want to win, but the appearance of a win, well that is just as good.
So my question is, where do I find the people I first described? How come so many of the people in the world are willing to settle for second, for less than their best? Is it the ridiculous awards that we pile onto them for things that require no effort at all in an attempt to make sure everyone feels good about themselves? Is it that there are so many loop holes in our society that one need not actually try to be successful, need not make any sacrifice in order to reach an end point? If something is worth dreaming about, worth doing, why is it not worth everything you have to get there? What is it about America that makes us believe that we do not need to strive, that we do not need to do all that we can to reach our goals? Where did the philosophy about being anything you want to be if you work hard enough go?
In a world that is moving so fast that we can literally reach out and touch almost anything that we want to with the stroke of a key, with the limitless possibilities that this century brings, it seems impossible to me that we would not strive to be everything that we possibly could be, that we would not desire to lay down the cheap imitations of life and pick up those that are real, and in so doing, achieve greatness.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Explaining the Understood
“It’s magic!” The wondrous cry of a young child at Christmas morning, or upon discovering something they have no prior experience with- it is their explanation. As knowing adults we smugly smile, secretly looking to find what the “real” explanation is to this ordinary phenomenon. Yet, even as adults, we seek it. We feel led to go and pursue it physically, mentally. We seek to see the wonder, feel the special feeling, and want to find the sparkle in the lining of the silver cloud. Never do we truly let go of that desire that wish, to find magic in ourselves, in our world, in our minds. Why does it grow farther from us the older we get? Why do we not allow ourselves the luxury of exclamation, of belief? We have all been conditioned to know true answers and thus forgo the ones that are based on emotion, of “feeling”.
Some people groups seem more likely to embrace the imagined, the intangible things, more willing to find the unbelievable. Yet, in the United States, we are commercialized, absorbed in media and definitions of things, unable to even imagine, much less believe in it. Here we are, part of our spirits still crying out for the unbelievable, with eyes that will not see it, minds that can not conceive.
A single reality is shaped by all those around it, those that reinforce it, those that make it real. Alone, we have our own minds, but surrounded by others we have the greater “social consciousness”. There is nothing to challenge us to continue to look, but we still do. I think that observing this in others, in myself, I want to tell them, “it is there, magic is still there!” Maybe the mistake is the presupposed assumption of how it will present, maybe it is the lack of understanding it that makes it impossible to see.
If I were reading this, a logical thinking person, I would tend to say that this was whimsical thought, naiveté. But since I am writing it I ask you that would say that, where did Einstein conceive of space and time intertwined, what made Galileo challenge the current thought on our place in space, what made any of the great minds choose to experiment, to question, to believe something other than the norm? They had the courage to look beyond themselves, to discover the magic that they knew was there, the answers not yet found, the places unsought. The journey and questions that motivate us all to look for magic in our world seems to me to be the very essence of humanity, and it is beautiful. The next time you feel the pull, see something that makes you wonder, hear the exclamation of some young mind, stop! Consider the world around you anew, and seek to understand the understood- again. I will.
Some people groups seem more likely to embrace the imagined, the intangible things, more willing to find the unbelievable. Yet, in the United States, we are commercialized, absorbed in media and definitions of things, unable to even imagine, much less believe in it. Here we are, part of our spirits still crying out for the unbelievable, with eyes that will not see it, minds that can not conceive.
A single reality is shaped by all those around it, those that reinforce it, those that make it real. Alone, we have our own minds, but surrounded by others we have the greater “social consciousness”. There is nothing to challenge us to continue to look, but we still do. I think that observing this in others, in myself, I want to tell them, “it is there, magic is still there!” Maybe the mistake is the presupposed assumption of how it will present, maybe it is the lack of understanding it that makes it impossible to see.
If I were reading this, a logical thinking person, I would tend to say that this was whimsical thought, naiveté. But since I am writing it I ask you that would say that, where did Einstein conceive of space and time intertwined, what made Galileo challenge the current thought on our place in space, what made any of the great minds choose to experiment, to question, to believe something other than the norm? They had the courage to look beyond themselves, to discover the magic that they knew was there, the answers not yet found, the places unsought. The journey and questions that motivate us all to look for magic in our world seems to me to be the very essence of humanity, and it is beautiful. The next time you feel the pull, see something that makes you wonder, hear the exclamation of some young mind, stop! Consider the world around you anew, and seek to understand the understood- again. I will.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)