In Gods Hands: Something Pushes Us Towards What We Genuinely Love
The transcendent power of human intuition.
Indeed, the great Leonardo remained like a child for the whole of his life in more than one way; it is said that all great men are bound to retain some infantile part. Even as an adult he continued to play, and this was another reason why he often appeared uncanny and incomprehensible to his contemporaries.- Sigmund Freud on Leonardo da Vinci, 1910
When I went into that gallery in Valladolid, Spain, there it was. A tiny but powerful statue made by the hands of the great Leonardo.
It was a strange and almost visceral feeling I had at that moment. Realizing that I was so close to one of his vast innovative creations.
It was probably the most memorable moment that made me realize how vital human ingenuity is.
The countless masks we wear on our faces are products of what society wants us to be. But feeling that we are close to the space where we are genuinely us is something transcendent.
And I loved that moment in that gallery while enjoying the work of Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo was born in Vinci, a few kilometers from Florence, Italy. We have the image of him as a wise old man with a beard due to his famous self-portrait, yet Leonardo was a young genius who never lost his human touch and, in a sense, maintained some childishness throughout adulthood. Both of these allowed him to retain his creative genius until very late in his life.
Unlike robots, humans can sense their purpose in life. They have an evolved biological compass that points them in the direction of their capabilities. Developing the human touch is a process through which he aligns his outer actions with his inner purpose.- John Pugliano in The Robots Are Coming
The human touch is, ultimately, the ability to create. But can we create if we don’t have the ability to love ourselves?
Recently, I quit my job, and in a matter of months, I realized I was being consumed by envy, anger, and stress in my career.
As I was finding a new way to fulfill my dream to become a full-time writer, I realized that I started to enjoy myself again. I looked at the mirror and thought I was like Leonardo. But, of course, I was joking all the time; even for a 45-year-old guy like me, I felt like a child.
I always felt like a child. And I used to use and abuse my childishness.
Close friends always said I had an incredible vibe with children. And I have it because I play with them in their unique world. I hate the adult world. It’s static, cold, and annoying.
Creativity is intelligence having fun.
Yet, our jobs kill our creativity. We’re products of an ancient post-industrial revolution standard. The system sees us like machines, and we lose compassion and empathy because we belong to these gigantic industrial ecosystems that eat us alive.
The economy should rely on happiness, not net income.
We’re producing machines that, after all, we find out are human beings. But most of us don’t have the opportunity to be human because we have to produce and grow.
However, growing is against childishness. And I don’t want to grow. I want to keep it as a child. I want to play and be a child and play again and be a child again. I want more. I want all of it, the good stuff. Remember?
If we could all be a little more childish, wouldn’t we be happier? But, do you know what it is to be childish? Do you remember what it was when you were a child? When you were truly happy and free?
One of the most iconic creators of all time, and art production being the culmination of human touch, da Vinci created work that evolved into machines devoid of humanity.
The human touch, combined with emotion and creativity, will be the center of creating a new world order.
Humans will always find happiness because that’s the ultimate human challenge. But happiness is so close to childishness.
So, it seems that we need to find childishness and ingenuity to find that path to love and happiness. Yet, it seems so far away in this world of numbers, money, and statistics.
Can you find the magic number for childishness?
Can you find the magic formula for happiness?
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