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the plowshares of progress

it is better to do a few things well, than to be able to perform many things worse.

The well-heeled, well-rounded, well-mannered person is both the stalwart of civilization's currency, as well as the bane of its progress.

The best we can ask for from him is to go to the front line; be inclined to buy more—think less; confess and then go off to sin again; and sit and watch the news till eleven, go to bed, and then get up at seven to do exactly the same thing all over again. Of course, we might ask them to have faith as well, fear hell, believe in heaven, pay your taxes, say your prayers, and make (and inevitably break) a few vows, just to ensure that somehow they are occupied with enough obligation, so they don't have time to realize that they are bored.

However, sometimes we lose a few and after realizing how lost they truly are, they go berserk, build a few bombs, and resort to writing their manifestos.

Actually such an outcome would not be so bad, if we just had better control over those prone to violence. I suppose that is what all the meds are for. It's a pity that there's no likelihood of harvesting brilliance this way, for that is what society requires to survive.

Unfortunately, brilliance is reserved for those few who can and care to apply their minds and imagination, wills and fascinations, as well as all their time and energy, to a limited field of life.

And we're not talking job or hobby here. No this is passion, obsession, being possessed, if not blessed with a limited set of skills and acuity that work together to make progress out of perseverance, vision, a willingness to risk, and a sincere love for what they do.

Yes, the plowshare of progress is empowered by the hands of a few.




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