I’m not old, but I am getting older day-by-day. As I grow, my perspective on gifts changes.I am looking to lose or rid myself of the “things” I have. I don’t want another sweater, I have too many. I don’t want another shirt, I have too many. I don’t want another this or another that — I have too many. Let others who don’t have enough have those things. At this point, I really don’t want to receive gifts because their utility will diminish with time and who knows how much time is left. Instead, I really want to gift things to myself. I want to gift myself a trip somewhere, or a meal at a greasy spoon diner, or an experience that allows me to be curious and discover something new. I can get maximum utility from these experiences because they develop my perspective on the world. Ultimately, I change how I show because of the experiences. On the other hand, there are people who want to give gifts because it makes them feel good to give gifts. Then, in that case, I argue that the benefit of the gift is really not for the person who is receiving it, it’s for the giver. In that case, the giver ought to give themselves more gifts — right back where we started from.Are we giving ourselves enough gifts? Gifts of time, health, experience, and wisdom.
If you’re always in the whirlwind and busyness of life and rarely step out to see where you’re headed, you may be headed for ruin. Stepping out and reflecting on the big picture, the P/L statement, the musical score, or the goal offers perspective that the grind cannot provide.
“You know a recording isn’t good or bad it just is. It’s a reflection of what’s real. If you can’t accept what’s real, what can you accept?” - KKMusings from a friend after we finished a take.
“History is never altered you see, it just fits together like a jigsaw. Funny old thing, life, isn’t it?” - Douglas Adams, “Restaurant at the End of the Universe"While history cannot be changed; it’s definition evolves as more puzzles get discovered assembled and (in some cases - for good, bad, or otherwise) re-assembled. Therefore, look at history not as fact but as a forming image – never quite complete and yet still unchangeable in nature.
Another from “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.”“Your God person pouts an apple tree in the middle of a garden and says, do what you like guys, oh but don’t eat the apple. Surprise surprise, they eat it and he leaps out from behind a bush shouting ‘Gotcha.’ It wouldn’t have made any difference if they hadn’t eaten it… If you’re dealing with somebody who has the sort of mentality which likes leaving hats on the pavement with bricks under them you know perfectly well they won’t give up. They’ll get you in the end.” - Douglas Adams, “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"You could read this quote and think it’s a satire on religion. I read the quote and see a satire on life.Life can be the person with the mentality of leaving a hat on the street with bricks under it. Someone who kids the hat soon discovers the painful surprise. If I had a quarter for every time life planted a nice hat on the pavement for me to kick…
Douglas Adams touches on the problems of leadership of everykind. “The major problem — one of the major problems, for there are several — one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem.” — Douglas Adams, “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe”
I read “Why Kids Should Read Obituaries” and I now believe that everyone can derive value from reading obituaries. Insights learned in one session reading:Libby Titus died - see yesterday’s post. What all can we learn from taste makers?Ward Christensen may have invented the world’s first computerized bullet board — imagine Facebook, but it’s a computer. Why aren’t we dreaming up crazy ideas like that now?Toni Vaz, stuntwoman pioneer and founder of the NAACP Image Awards. Who are our pioneers now? As I read, I ask my questions like:What challenges might they have faced? How did they overcome?What inputs did they use to make their outputs? What did they discount and disregard? What did they value? What bites of ageless wisdom am I able to extract and apply to my life? Fascinating all around. Give it a try.H/T Tyler Cowen for sharing the Common Wealth Beacon piece via his blog.
It’s possible you never heard of Libby Titus; however, you might have experienced her influence. She wrote for Dr. John, Burt Bacharach, Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan), and her music has been covered by Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt. Libby wrote Linda’s popular song, “Love Has No Pride.” Read Libby’s NYT Obituary here.I love people like Libby. They are understated, undervalued by the mainstream, but they act like a hidden influence on the mainstream. Check out her music — “Can This Be My Love Affair” sounds torchy, Americana’y, jazz’y, and country’y. “Fool That I Am” sounds like an R&B tune from that era yet it has something a bit different to it — a unique touch. Outside of music, there are people like Libby. People who are behind the scenes making things happen — influencing the culture. These are people with taste and an eye/ear for form, genre, and finishing. They are not flashy. They are not “high status”. I love seeking out and finding these people — trying to understand the inputs they use to output the influence that is their product. I wonder if can become a person like a Libby. I bet it’s possible. And I bet the key is to develop our noticing skills and our desire to consume culture in all its forms. People like Libby aren’t the way they are because they have a special hidden and inaccessible talent. They are that way because they spent the time listening, understanding, engaging with, and attempting to influence the culture in their own persistent and consistent way. Piece by piece.Part by part.
Narrated by Orson Welles back in 1971.
It’s good for leaders to be honest as honesty is kind. However, a utopia of unfiltered or considered honesty can destroy relationships and undermine a desire to collaborate. The law of moderation applies to honesty as much as it does anything else in life.