18 October 2007

Sunshine & "Thinking"

Today is the most beautiful day in London.

The temperature is perfect, the sun is shining brightly, and hordes of people are out enjoying their days. I had coffee with a brilliant fund manager this morning just down the block from my flat. We had a great conversation about the importance of thinking and the virtue of answering one’s own questions. Our talk can be summed up with one quote that I felt compelled to jot down: “Wherever one goes, it’s just most important to think.” I know that seems absurdly simple, but it really isn’t. Corporate environments, especially in the financial sector, place little value on thought. Employees are paid ‘by the page,’ and have no incentive to ‘think.’ There is pressure from all around to look busy, a person thinking does not look busy, therefore thinking is implicitly prohibited and we continue to churn out more and more spreadsheets and charts to appear busy.

In the early afternoon, I have the first meeting of the LARA society. LARA, of course, is an acronym standing for ‘lagers and real ales,’ rather than a female name. After my LARA meeting, I’ll be heading to Trafalgar Square for an outdoor showing of Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail. This will be the only London Film Festival event that I’ll be able to attend, because tickets aren’t required. And even if I could get tickets to Wes Anderson’s newest flick, it doesn’t look like I’d be willing so sacrifice a week’s worth of food for the ticket price.

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