It seems the natural thing for us to listen whilst the Europeans talk. The contrary habit, of talking whilst the Europeans listen, we have not yet acquired; and in him who first makes the adventure it begets a certain sense of apology being due for so presumptuous an act.

–William James, March 1902

Gosh sometimes my life seems so surreal that it almost seems more like a book I once read or a movie I once saw. But so it is!

I just want to thank all of you whom I’ve met recently who read this blog (or saw me on TV, the videos, etc). I really started the whole thing as a part-time exercise, using a free blog without telling anyone about it, mostly to amuse myself. The fact that I now regularly meet people who know me solely from that and what became of it is amazing. But then again my entire life is surreal in a kind of fractal way. Whether you look at a tiny part of it or the larger picture, the entire thing is always inexplicable. Perhaps one day I’ll sit down and take the time to write out my own autobiography and see if it makes sense to anyone (including me!).

I did just want to pause and say hi to those of you who are reading this now but whom I haven’t met quite yet. I can’t see you and I have no way of knowing who you are or where you are or what your life is about or why you have a mustard stain on your shirt or know how your day went or understand just what it’s like to listen to the music you like and do the job you do and get excited about the things you like, but nonetheless I thank you for your patronage.

I also wanted to say there’s a lot of things going on “behind the scenes” so to speak. A lot of these things are in development so we’ll see how they turn out when they’re ready for the public but just because I can’t write about them doesn’t mean they’re not happening. I’m enough of a Taoist to remember that it’s often what’s not being said that’s just as important as what is being said :)

I’ll conclude this with a story, as is my wont and usual custom. I once met an old (American) man and he told me stories about his life, how when he was born he witnessed the creation of automobiles (and the horses they displaced), the airplane, electric lighting, nuclear bombs, humans in outer space, computers, not one but two world wars, the internet and the mobile phone, all things which radically changed entire societies. When he was born the United States had 45 states (it’s now 50) and half the world’s population lived in European-ruled colonies and most of the sovereign nations were led by kings and queens. And some things which seemed like they would last forever, like the Soviet Union,, had crumbled into dust before his very eyes. That was quite a lot to take in over one lifetime.

My own lifetime is far from over and the changes I’ve witnessed have been less radical than the ones he saw. But it reminded me that things are always changing, that the slow one now will later be fast, and to get out of the way if you can’t lend a hand. Call it “something in the air” but there is a new wind blowing in this world, including here in Romania, and I think we’re all sensing it on some level or another.

Whatever role I have to play in that, I guess I just wanted to say I’m glad to be here. So my thanks to all of you for visiting and hopefully one day we will all be old men and women who can hold the younger folk spellbound with tales of the lives we led.

Similarly, the nature of genius has been illuminated by the attempts, of which I already made mention, to class it with psychopathical phenomena.

Borderland insanity, crankiness, insane temperament, loss of mental balance, psychopathic degeneration (to use a few of the many synonyms by which it has been called), has certain peculiarities and liabilities which, when combined with a superior quality of intellect in an individual, make it more probable that he will make his mark and affect his age, than if his temperament were less neurotic.

William James for the win! :D

UPDATE – Awesome sauce :)

http://twitter.com/Curry_spice_/statuses/177533778095390720