i just came home from a fabulous talk by Paul Kennedy- a veteran broadcaster for CBS and host of the show IDEAS. really, he does not strike me as much of a veteran. he is neither an particularly old, crumpled fellow, nor does he seem to be an advocate for the great things we accomplished by war (this said not to diminish the good deeds and sufferings war veterans have endured).
Au contrair- he seems rather a very fresh mind, witty, deliciously funny and young at heart. maybe it is a certain gift, to not only speak about IDEAS and why IDEAS matter, but to make people think while listening, coming up with great new ideas just by themselves.
what is an idea i wonder? a sudden thought, or understanding? a glimpse into your own mind? sometimes it is the fascinating feeling when you suddenly seem to understand a deeper underlying truth, just like an epiphany that suddenly hits you. in any case, it generally leaves you refreshed, no matter what time of day (and after 5pm i rally am not a fresh thinker), eager to go and Google all kinds of things, starting with the guy who invented a computer who could convert writing into speech ( and is apparently a little bit of a nutter) to Kierkegaard's philosophical believes, from Machiavelli's history of Florence to whether the golf stream really stopped running for almost a week sometime in 2005...
Those were only some of the ideas Mr. Kennedy touched upon but they all leave me with a feeling of 'i cant wait' till i finally download the podcast for his show to be able to bath in more entertaining fresh ideas i might or might not have thought about myself, listen to more thoughts about 'the catcher in the rye' (admittedly, i am actually quite proud that i have read the book and it makes me grin with a fond memory of the young Master Walker who lend it to me). I am looking forward to reading about the 5 historically grand meals in Mr. Kennedy's Book that he will hopefully finish soon, and wonder if an hour long speech could have any sustained impact on the handful of university people that went to listen.
yet more, i wonder, who is Mr. Kennedy? who is that person who could deliver an hour of insight with only three very well hidden 'aehms' , attentively watching his audience and not once looking down onto his one pager script of a thoughtful filled evening?
Au contrair- he seems rather a very fresh mind, witty, deliciously funny and young at heart. maybe it is a certain gift, to not only speak about IDEAS and why IDEAS matter, but to make people think while listening, coming up with great new ideas just by themselves.
what is an idea i wonder? a sudden thought, or understanding? a glimpse into your own mind? sometimes it is the fascinating feeling when you suddenly seem to understand a deeper underlying truth, just like an epiphany that suddenly hits you. in any case, it generally leaves you refreshed, no matter what time of day (and after 5pm i rally am not a fresh thinker), eager to go and Google all kinds of things, starting with the guy who invented a computer who could convert writing into speech ( and is apparently a little bit of a nutter) to Kierkegaard's philosophical believes, from Machiavelli's history of Florence to whether the golf stream really stopped running for almost a week sometime in 2005...
Those were only some of the ideas Mr. Kennedy touched upon but they all leave me with a feeling of 'i cant wait' till i finally download the podcast for his show to be able to bath in more entertaining fresh ideas i might or might not have thought about myself, listen to more thoughts about 'the catcher in the rye' (admittedly, i am actually quite proud that i have read the book and it makes me grin with a fond memory of the young Master Walker who lend it to me). I am looking forward to reading about the 5 historically grand meals in Mr. Kennedy's Book that he will hopefully finish soon, and wonder if an hour long speech could have any sustained impact on the handful of university people that went to listen.
yet more, i wonder, who is Mr. Kennedy? who is that person who could deliver an hour of insight with only three very well hidden 'aehms' , attentively watching his audience and not once looking down onto his one pager script of a thoughtful filled evening?
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