This past Monday I spent an absolutely delicious day staring out the window at Chateau Kenny here in the Sunshine State. There is an alligator in the pond/lake behind our house but I don’t think he likes cigars or scotch so we will be just two passing acquaintances for now. My Sonos jukebox was playing Gregorian Chant. I got to thinking about our world today and almost called this edition, Heart of Darkness, but I didn’t want to show up Joseph Conrad.

The Wall Street Journal saw no end in sight for the bull market. Trump, Shumer and McCain were still at it. Corker whom I think is one of the more erudite in DC also fell prey to the Donald displaying once again that sanity will not prevail for the time being. The world made its weekly quotas of assassinations and senseless killing and then some, with bombings in Somalia. But I mused about the whole idea of driverless cars and colonies on Mars? Is that progress or just avoidance of some our problems in the real world? Dunno.

I whipped out one of my Leonardi Da Vinci books. If you ever need to regenerate your brain just Google Michael Gelb and some of his insights to the Maestro. Two of his seven principles he ascribes to Leo are Curiositae and Sfumato. The first pushes you to question everything. You have an insatiable wonderment at our world as would a child trying to learn. You question and research. Not for a term paper but for the sheer fun of it.

I thought about the human body and not quite in the same way that Harvey Weinstein might. More like Da Vinci. He would study cadavers and marvel at the intricacies of blood vessels, lungs, the heart, and nervous system. This was without any textbooks. The interrelatedness is almost beyond comprehension. If you go for a run or a walk you engage all sorts of muscles, axions and energy and breathing mechanisms to propel you. Your heart beats a gazillion times in your lifetime 24/7 and you never give it a thought. Elon Musk, you can’t even come close to equalize these efficiencies and symbiotic relationships.

Look at a tree or plant and realize all the systems and subsystems producing photosynthesis and clearing our carbon dioxide. All of this is done without or in spite of the intervention of man. I guess what I am saying is this world of ours is one giant miracle.Food chains and symmetry. A delicate balance. If I ever needed a reason to explain some sort of superior being I wouldn’t have to look far. I find it very difficult to believe this all came together all on its own or by some sort of accident. I am not trying to play the God card but just marvel and hope our arrogance doesn’t blow us up some day.

We look for our own personal meaning in the world and that is a valid endeavor. Yet we are specks in time and no matter who we are it doesn’t take very long to forget us after we are gone. Given that I have to catch myself constantly worrying about the past or trying to figure out the future. Living in the moment is not just a Zen thing. I am writing at this very moment putting my feelings on paper. It will not be a great manuscript but if I can connect with anyone of you, how cool is that. In a rather obtuse way we have communicated over all these vast miles of cyberspace and that is amazing.

The second Da Vinci principle I love is Sfumato. You embrace enigma and paradox. You go down dark alleys knowing full well you will probably never figure it out but just trying to get past the contradictory is fun. It is not an exercise in frustration but seeing if somehow, some way you might find an answer. Why does God let bad things happen to good people? Why do we spend billions on trying to kill one another and yet there is poverty in the world? We spend thousands getting our German cars fixed but don’t spend the money on our own health?

Instead of putting road blocks in our life we should figure out a way around. This whole thing about sexual harassment has a deeper meaning to me. Why do my fellow males have the absurd fixation that anything that reeks of acquiescence to women will be their downfall? If we really think we are smarter how does the exclusion of women in industry and technology in particular make any sense? We have problems that need solutions. Wouldn’t you rather have 100% of the population trying to come up with an answer? It seems to me that separation by sex, nationality, religion is the ultimate blockade to creativity. Sorry I keep going back to my same old pulling on the same oar theory.

My son Scott is searching for his next post in life. He spent thirteen wonderful years with a fine company. He is good at what he does but is seriously considering another path. TTG is preaching that in this point in his life he can experience the Possible. Now that would seem contrary to career paths and utilization of one’s talents. Yet you are really asking what are your talents? What really floats your boat beyond a pay check? Did you get into your present position because it was comfortable or was there really a fire in your belly? This can apply no matter where you are in life’s journey. Us old farts need to go through this drill.

Sorry for all the blabber. It is just so much fun to let it rip and for just a brief moment concentrate on the here and now. Make decisions not on outcomes or judgements by others but by what is really in your gut. Be careful. That is what happens when you meditate on your navel. You might find out what is really in there.

As always
Ted The Great

Factoids:
Who wants to deal with facts in the midst of this crazy episode.