I spent yesterday afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET). I saw art from every corner of the planet, every window of time, and every chapter of human civilization — from Chinese antiquity, to Ancient Rome, to Medieval Europe — and I can’t believe it all exists in the same place. If it isn’t already clear, I love the MET.
Wandering through the MET, my friend and I were in a state of perpetual awe.
We started with the Greek statues, which revealed the theme of the afternoon: At the MET, you can’t help but feel a connection to humanity. You can’t help but be inspired. You can’t help but raise your ambitions. You can’t help but treat your craft with the greatest reverence and dedication. You can’t help but appreciate the magnificent power of beauty.
Beauty, like quality is impossible to describe.
As Robert Pirsig wrote: “I think there is such a thing as Quality, but that as soon as you try to define it, something goes haywire. You can’t do it… Quality is a characteristic of thought and statement that is recognized by a nonthinking process. Because definitions are a product of rigid, formal thinking, quality cannot be defined.”
As I marveled at the statues, I analyzed the relationship between beauty and scale. Classical art reveals different layers of beauty at different scales. From far away, it strikes you. It grabs your attention in irresistible fashion. Naturally, you inch closer. You don’t run, you walk. Beauty is inherently intimidating. When you see it, you proceed carefully: One step. Two step. Three step.
And as you walk, unseen details begin to emerge. The art takes on a different character. The same structure manifests itself in totally different ways. New wonders begin to emerge. Things that, at first glance, you may have overlooked, enlighten your consciousness with vivid detail.
Beauty is an intuitive feeling. It’s pre-rationality. A felt sense, not a logical one.
As my friend said to me: “Artists live at the frontier of human thought. They bring into form what we haven’t been able to intellectualize yet. When they’re doing they’re best work, they operate in a pre-intellectualized, pre-rational, and even a pre-emotional state."
Through beauty, museums like the MET reveal the grand, miraculous, ever-unfolding human story.
Fresh Ideas
Mastering the Media: The Secrets of Robert Moses
Woof! I’m so, so excited to share this article with you. In the past six months, I’ve read almost a million words about Robert Moses, the Master Builder of New York City. It all started with The Power Broker, a 1,200 page — 700,000 word — biography of Moses. And now, I can’t stop reading about him.
Based on all that reading, I distilled my takeaways into 5,000 words. As I wrote the post, I focused on how Moses mastered the media: he sold simplicity, dominated distribution, and praised the parks.
In the words of Ryan Holliday: “His achievements are on the level not of any Roman emperor but of Rome, and not so much of any generation but of entire civilizations.”
If you’re interested in media, power, or New York City, you will love this post. Enjoy!
You can read the full post here.
North Star Podcast: Steve Schlafman
I interviewed Steve Schlafman, a venture capitalist, leadership coach, and partner at Primary VC. Outside of the office, Steve lives a sober life free of alcohol and other substances. He’s a passionate cyclist and rides more than 2,500 miles every year.
We talked about:
Steve’s human-centric investment philosophy
His journey of becoming a coach
The transformational power of mindfulness and sobriety
You can listen to the interview here.
Coolest Things I Learned This Week
Tyler Cowen: Raising Others’ Aspirations
Fascinating Idea: Economics in a World of Information Abundance
"We often assume that value establishes price but often price helps establish value.
As the world is burdened with information overload, processing power to evaluate value behind a price tag will keep diminishing and social proof will be the short cut chosen.”
Look at this Rural Chinese Subway Station
How Wealth Amplifies Personality
This is one of the most interesting ideas coming out of the social sciences: There are proportionately fewer women entering STEM fields in richer and more gender-equal countries than in poorer and less gender-equal countries.
Why?
According to one scholar: "Greater availability of material and social resources facilitates the independent development and expression of individual-specific preferences, and hence may lead to an expansion of individual differences in more developed and equal-opportunity countries."
In a primitive economy, everyone does more or less the same thing, subsistence farming. Only in a market economy under the division of labor can people specialize. Specialization reflects and amplifies diverse personalities and interests.
As Ludwig von Moses said: "The very idea of personality as we know it today is a result of the market economy.”
How Manhattan’s population changes throughout the day
A Hilarious Map to Help You Navigate European Cities
Photo of the Week
I spent the night experiencing more beauty.
I attended the release party of A Very Serious Cookbook, by Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske — two of New York’s hottest, up-and-coming chefs.
Lots of food, lots of wine, and of course — lots of beautiful food.
Have a beautiful week,
David Perell