Here are this week’s enthusiasms! Let me know what you think via twitter at @jamiesmartcom, on my Facebook page here, or in the comments section. At the end, I’ll tell you how you can get one of your #enthusiasms featured in a future edition of The Thursday Enthusiasms (TTE).
1. A quotation I’m reflecting on this week
As you may already be aware, I love listening to the recordings of Sydney Banks. Here’s a quote that’s really resonating for me this week:
“[If] you have love in your heart, and forgiveness… that’s what you’re gonna receive… on the other hand… if you’re, unforgiving… and full of spite and hate… that again… is what you’re gonna receive… you know the old saying… what you give, you receive…”
2. We will not see his like again anytime soon
This week saw the passing of Muhammad Ali. My friend Mamoon Yusaf wrote on Facebook asking people for their favourite Ali memories. My favourite Ali moment was (I think) from the wonderful documentary "When We Were Kings". Ali was being interviewed and was surrounded by a group of kids. He said (something like) "I'm so fast I can hit you 5 times before you even get a chance to move". He asks a kid to put his hands up. The kid does. Ali asks "Are you ready?" The kid says yes. Then Ali takes him by the shoulders and goes "Did I hurt you?" without having thrown a single punch. It was hilarious. My description doesn't come close to doing justice to his amazing comic timing, gsoh, confidence and humility. I know humility may not seem like the first word that comes to mind when you think of Ali, but my sense of him was that he deeply knew that he was doing what he was doing on behalf of life itself. Amazing man. RIP.
3. The world is changing fast, people
Uber are testing driverless cars on the streets of Pittsburgh. I’m incredibly excited about the potential that digital technology has to massively improve the quality of life for everyone on the planet. One way that’s going to happen is through the emergence of autonomous (driverless) cars, all set to profoundly change the transportation landscape. While it’s may be several decades before they’re ubiquitous, current predictions suggest that there will be over 50 million autonomous cars on the roads by 2035. On Uber’s website, they explain that, “Self-driving cars have the potential to save millions of lives and improve quality of life for people around the world.” You can read the full article here.
4. Something I felt great about this week
On 2nd June, I posted this picture on Facebook with the following comment: “Okay… Happy dance time 🙂 I've managed to get the manuscript of my forthcoming book to "purple=pristine" (my entirely subjective rating system) and send it off to the publishers. I still have the front matter and back matter to do, but that seems relatively easy compared to the process I've been through. Time for a rest. Thanks for all your support on this journey so far. I'll be ready for the big reveal soon! Big love, Jamie #TeamClarity #ThoughtRevolution #WorldClarity” You can see the original post and read all the comments and well-wishes here.
5. This week’s 3-minute miracle
I bought Richard Thompson’s wonderful album Rumour and Sigh when it first came out 25 years ago. The song Vincent Black Lightning 1952 still has the power to bring me to tears. It’s recently been covered by the wonderful Amanda Palmer and, while I love her work, her version doesn’t get near beating the original. Here’s Richard Thompson playing it live on Songwriter’s Circle while Suzanne Vega looks on with amazement at Thompson’s extraordinary guitar prowess (presumably)
That’s it for this week. If you have questions, suggestions or want to let me know what you’re enthusiastic about, just tweet one of yours and put my twitter name @jamiesmartcom and the #Enthusiasms hashtag in there so I can find it. If I’m enthusiastic about something you’re enthusiastic about, it might just get featured in a future TTE.
Big love
Jamie