“Art and music shine a light of meaning on ordinary life, and through them we are able to confront the things that trouble us and to find consolation and peace in their presence.” – Sir Roger Scruton, The Aesthetics of Music
Having worked in the supply chain for 30 years it always impressed on me how the cooperation and coordination of forecasting, planning, manufacturing, packaging, shipping, storing and delivering was the most under appreciated aspect of a well functioning society. The same could be said of the planning, scheduling and delivering of services though the coordination of the various operational aspects are not quite as complex. When a top down planning and directing of the economy overtakes these functions the processes and the threads holding society together rapidly break down.
With my fondness for you work and a desire to understand the big picture , I always come away from reading Mindset Shifts with an appreciation of what I don't know. I have a massive enthusiasm for geopolitics which is satiated by my subscription to Geopolitical Futures and the work of the great George Friedman . Your work adds to my ability to slowly walk towards where truth can be found. You and other people at American Institute for Economic Research often quote F.A.Hayek , so I went and got a copy of The Road To Serfdom. Great Book!!
I strongly agree with the message of this column but at the same time think it's a bit unfair for Mr. Bell to have conducted his experiment at the entrance to a subway station. There are, after all, times when it's appropriate to put one's head down to stay focused on getting a task done expeditiously, and making a subway connection might be an example.
I remember reading a passage in a book by Krishnamurti where he's describing conversing with a fellow passenger during a flight over the Himalayas. The other guy was babbling endlessly about the importance of awareness, but never looked out the window to behold the beautiful scenery below. That passage has stuck with me as a perfect example of how easy it is to go wrong by over-intellectualizing, and we humans have a chronic tendency to use our outsized brains to run off on endless, pointless (or even destructive) intellectual chases.
A very thought provoking post Barry. The story of your twins brought back a great memory. Janet and I took Rosanna, just a few months old, to an open air concert at Leeds Castle in Kent, the most south easterly county of England, in 1989. Part of the concert was the Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture. Rosanna sat in her baby bouncer seat, absolutely enthralled, and people were coming up and taking photos of her. One elderly gentleman said, 'Mark my words, your daughter will become a musician.' How perceptive and prophetic. Rosanna was indeed very musical, with the harp being her principal instrument, studying at the famous Chethams School of Music, followed by her first degree at the RNCM in Manchester and then going to the USA to study for her Masters and Doctorate at Eastman. She has been in the USA for 12 years now, teaching and performing on both the east and west coasts (currently at Lake George Music Festival). She's about to come back to Europe to take up a teaching post at the TU Conservatoire in Dublin but has performances booked ahead for the next two years in the USA.
With regard to how people find it so easy to shut things of beauty out of their minds, I find to be quite concerning. Spontaneity and appreciation of all the good things in life, which are often 'free', is a gift that we shut out of our lives at great cost to our spirituality and peace of mind. It is of huge sadness to me that so many seem to behave like automatons and miss out on so much.
What Else Are We Missing?
“Art and music shine a light of meaning on ordinary life, and through them we are able to confront the things that trouble us and to find consolation and peace in their presence.” – Sir Roger Scruton, The Aesthetics of Music
Having worked in the supply chain for 30 years it always impressed on me how the cooperation and coordination of forecasting, planning, manufacturing, packaging, shipping, storing and delivering was the most under appreciated aspect of a well functioning society. The same could be said of the planning, scheduling and delivering of services though the coordination of the various operational aspects are not quite as complex. When a top down planning and directing of the economy overtakes these functions the processes and the threads holding society together rapidly break down.
Thank you for these observations that have made me take a breath and slow down my daily routine.
With my fondness for you work and a desire to understand the big picture , I always come away from reading Mindset Shifts with an appreciation of what I don't know. I have a massive enthusiasm for geopolitics which is satiated by my subscription to Geopolitical Futures and the work of the great George Friedman . Your work adds to my ability to slowly walk towards where truth can be found. You and other people at American Institute for Economic Research often quote F.A.Hayek , so I went and got a copy of The Road To Serfdom. Great Book!!
Kind regards Paul w Jackson.
I strongly agree with the message of this column but at the same time think it's a bit unfair for Mr. Bell to have conducted his experiment at the entrance to a subway station. There are, after all, times when it's appropriate to put one's head down to stay focused on getting a task done expeditiously, and making a subway connection might be an example.
I remember reading a passage in a book by Krishnamurti where he's describing conversing with a fellow passenger during a flight over the Himalayas. The other guy was babbling endlessly about the importance of awareness, but never looked out the window to behold the beautiful scenery below. That passage has stuck with me as a perfect example of how easy it is to go wrong by over-intellectualizing, and we humans have a chronic tendency to use our outsized brains to run off on endless, pointless (or even destructive) intellectual chases.
maestro Bell's interpretations are Divine...alas, Philistines have stormed the Citadel
👏👏👏👏🙏🏻🥰Thank you for the reminder to not get lost in thought when there is beauty all around us!
Wisdom indeed.
Thank you Barry.
Warmly ... John
Thankyou Barry that was inspiring!
A very thought provoking post Barry. The story of your twins brought back a great memory. Janet and I took Rosanna, just a few months old, to an open air concert at Leeds Castle in Kent, the most south easterly county of England, in 1989. Part of the concert was the Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture. Rosanna sat in her baby bouncer seat, absolutely enthralled, and people were coming up and taking photos of her. One elderly gentleman said, 'Mark my words, your daughter will become a musician.' How perceptive and prophetic. Rosanna was indeed very musical, with the harp being her principal instrument, studying at the famous Chethams School of Music, followed by her first degree at the RNCM in Manchester and then going to the USA to study for her Masters and Doctorate at Eastman. She has been in the USA for 12 years now, teaching and performing on both the east and west coasts (currently at Lake George Music Festival). She's about to come back to Europe to take up a teaching post at the TU Conservatoire in Dublin but has performances booked ahead for the next two years in the USA.
With regard to how people find it so easy to shut things of beauty out of their minds, I find to be quite concerning. Spontaneity and appreciation of all the good things in life, which are often 'free', is a gift that we shut out of our lives at great cost to our spirituality and peace of mind. It is of huge sadness to me that so many seem to behave like automatons and miss out on so much.
I bet those 7 people were violinists.
This essay gives me the confidence to play my lousy guitar in a similar setting.
Wisdom indeed.
Thank you Barry.
Warmly ... John
Wisdom indeed. Thank you Barry. Warmly ... John