Read Albert Camus's "The Stranger", and then this really nice essay "The Myth of Sisyphus". Both are stories of heroes caught up in a sudden, irrevocable, and downright absurd turn of fate. Rather than losing their heads over it, they rise up to stare back in the eyes of the enormous absurdity facing them - with calm indifference - and keep going, in utter defiance of it!
Sisyphus was a Greek mythological figure, who was condemned by the Gods to an eternity of futile and hopeless labor - wherein he had to roll a huge rock up a mountain, place it at the top, see it roll down, and start all over again at the bottom! - and repeat this whole pointless sequence ad infinitum!! - what Camus calls the "unspeakable penalty in which the whole being is exerted towards accomplishing nothing"! In the essay, Camus interestingly imagines and explores Sisyphus's state of mind as he descends the mountain. Here are some wonderful excerpts! -
I see that man going back down with a heavy yet measured step towards the torment of which he will never know the end. That hour like a breathing-space which returns as surely as his suffering, that is the hour of consciousness. At each of those moments when he leaves the heights and gradually sinks towards the lairs of the gods, he is superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock.
Sisyphus, proletarian of the gods, powerless and rebellious, knows the whole extent of his wretched condition: it is what he thinks of during his descent. The lucidity that was to constitute his torture at the same time crowns his victory. There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn.
I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain! One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He, too, concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.
And here's a full online version, for your reading!
I was watching a recorded session by Dr. Devi Shetty the other day, where he spoke of a rare and intricate surgical procedure that less than 50 surgeons on this planet (including himself) can perform! Even a highly distinguished surgeon and entrepreneur like that regularly takes up specialized/complicated bits of surgeries, and complex cases into his own hands!
A practitioner is one who practices his/her craft - sharpening, maturing, and keeping his/her skills relevant over time. After all, there is no substitute to experiencing things for yourself. In the industry I am in, I can't stop wondering at how soon people want to stop being "hands-on", and move on to "bigger roles" - even before they have mastered a single bit or, aspect of their craft! Neal Ford talks about the "Ivory Tower" Architect who considers it beneath his/her dignity to get hands dirty; working exclusively at an abstract level - never touching anything real! Thankfully, he believes that times are changing now! It's an attitude and culture I have never understood myself. Can you imagine a specialized doctor who can talk a lot about diseases and cures; but refuses to touch, diagnose, and treat a real patient - ever! If you were running a hospital, would you hire such a doctor? Would you trust his judgement and calibre? How is our industry any different?
Signing off with some wonderful pieces of advice from real practitioners and experts on the field - from the compilation of essays "97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know" -
If you design it, you should be able to code it. Before anything, an architect is a developer.
- Mike Brown
If you're also a developer on the project, value the time you spend writing code, and don't believe anyone who tells you it's a distraction from your work as architect. Your vision of both macro and micro levels will be greatly enhanced by the time you spend in the belly of the beast bringing it to life.
- Allison Randal
Elsa is in complete awe of her doctor. So much that she can't withstand his presence for long. She remembers him as the saviour who had relieved her of a stuck bone that had gone to the point of bleeding, whereas she herself and her master had tried so much and for so long in vain! That one incident would have catapulted him into a larger-than-life hero figure, who she was blessed to get visits from in all tough moments of her life - of her own making or, otherwise! ;-)
She can't stay away from him either. So, as soon as her doctor summons her back with some fluent gibberish, she readily submits her diminished self before his overwhelming presence once again - even if for an injection! And the next moment, she's fleeing and hiding away again - as she can endure his presence only as much!
As adults, we tend to lose this very gift of experiencing awe in all it's overpowering intensity. And yet, it does strike us now and then - it can hit you while you are soaking in a soul-exalting piece of music or, writing; or, in the Aha! moment of hitting upon a refreshingly new or, deep realization while engrossed in your own thoughts or, feelings. For some of us, it could be found in nature; for some, in a mystical experience. Awe is perhaps the most curious mix of feelings that makes us feel humbled in the hallowing presence of something profoundly grand, while at the same time transcendental in the realization of having mindfully engaged, in however small a way, in the larger, grander scheme of things. Awe awakens us, and stretches our realm of what we believe is possible in our world, and in our lives.
So, when was the last time you have experienced awe? :-)
A couple of days ago, I came across this interesting saying -
You will be the same person in five years as you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read.
So well said! A good book - like meeting a good human being - expands our consciousness, by opening us up to a heightened awareness and a widened perspective. And we are never the same person again!
"Pride & Prejudice" constitutes my first teenage memories of classics that would really shape my character in many little ways in the years to follow. Only a brilliant author like that can transport you into the deep recesses, and the inner workings of the wonderful minds and hearts of the characters so lovingly her own creation! - thus transforming your personality in some small or, big way - forever!!