Black & White
The writer Julian Barnes gives two definitions of a net:
- A meshed instrument designed to catch fish.
- A collection of holes tied together with string
The first definition is familiar to all. The second one sounds strange… But if you think about it… Hmm, it’s actually true!
A solid jug filled with clay is useless.
A child’s hunger “produces” milk in the mother’s breast.
A predator’s beak means prey is hiding somewhere.
Good implies evil.
The creators of the Superman comic once faced a problem. With his incredible power, he began to defeat all enemies and save everyone. The drama disappeared, and readers lost interest.
They had to introduce kryptonite — a rare mineral that makes Superman vulnerable. The intrigue returned. The plot came alive.
A plus needs a minus. And vice versa. Their conflict is their life.
I can just see Good, yawning in the shadow of the Garden of Eden: “What a bore… Let something happen… What if…?”.
Nothingness, emptiness, dirt, manure, rot, stench, mess — each phenomenon has a meaning that may be unpleasant or unclear to us. Yet.
For example:
- Manure speeds up plant growth.
- Periods of silence allow us to hear sound.
- Chaos invites creativity to extract new order.
- What seems like a curse transforms into a gift.
- Hydrogen sulfide stinks, but people love to soak in sulfurous water.
Seeing a net as a collection of holes is also a kind of Lever.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
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As a business therapist, I help tech founders increase their company’s value by catalyzing the changes they’ve needed for a long time.
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