Month: August 2024

Leadership Challenge

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I recently regained control of the company I founded. During my 14-month absence, my Operations Manager operated without a direct supervisor. Essentially, he had the autonomy to manage the day-to-day operations. Now that I am back, he has begun reporting every decision to me. Are you familiar with the saying, “It is better to ask … Read more

The Horrors of War Through the Lens of Quasimodo’s Poetry

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Today, I’m compelled to reflect on the atrocities of war, a subject that has weighed heavily on my mind in recent days, particularly as I have been following the news. My thoughts have been drawn to a powerful poem written in 1946 by the Italian poet Salvatore Quasimodo, a Nobel laureate in Literature. Entitled “Alle … Read more

Were it otherwise he would never have been able to find those words

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“Do not believe that he who seeks to comfort you lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes do you good. His life has much difficulty and sadness and remains far behind yours. Were it otherwise he would never have been able to find those words.” (Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young … Read more

Elementary Mechanics

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This is specifically for mechanical engineers. There is a joke going around in Italy about the textbook ‘Elementary Mechanics’ written by Giovanni Gallavotti, one of the most eminent mathematical physicists of our time. There is nothing ‘elementary’ in it, of course! “A soldier goes off to trench warfare and is told that he can only … Read more

Almost everything that men have said for the best has been said in Greek

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“Almost everything that men have said for the best has been said in Greek. Everything that any of us can attempt to harm our fellows or to benefit them has already been done by a Greek. The same is true of our inner choices: from cynicism to idealism, from Pyrrhonian scepticism to the sacred dreams … Read more

We will learn more about human life from novels than from scientific psychology

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“It is quite possible—overwhelmingly probable, one might guess—that we will always learn more about human life and personality from novels than from scientific psychology.” (Noam Chomsky) I wholeheartedly agree with Chomsky’s assertion. Novels possess an unparalleled ability to illuminate the complexities of the human psyche. This is precisely why I find science fiction even more … Read more

The ‘duty of memory’

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Today, I want to remind everyone who knew Randy Ritt of his legacy. My post is about the ‘duty of memory’, an action that turns Human Culture into a space for remembrance and growth. Broadly speaking, the ‘duty of memory’ is honored every time one person reads the work left behind by another, every time … Read more

Ferragosto

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This week is “Ferragosto” in Italy, a holiday that revolves around the 15th of August. Ferragosto, originally called “Feriae Augusti,” is named after the Roman Emperor Augustus (63 B.C. – 14 A.D.). The ancient Ferragosto was established to connect the main August festivities, providing a well-deserved period of rest, also known as the “Augustali,” after … Read more

Advancements achieved by humanity

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Whenever we contemplate the advancements achieved by humanity, we envision grand-scale undertakings such as towering skyscrapers piercing the clouds, the International Space Station, the atomic bomb, automated factories, self-driving vehicles, and the colossal Three Gorges Dam. In essence, our minds gravitate towards tangible, visible, and immense objects. I invite you to ponder the underlying foundations … Read more