Comments

Thanks tom for making us take a breath and stare not at our ipads, iphones etc but at the beauty of the world about us. Its what we are all working so hard for isn't it

Posted by Stephan Jenner at April 19, 2010 6:45 AM

“The cynics assumed that the riffraff would choose mindless jingles. Instead the winners were thoughtful and powerful”

A message surely there for all managers. I’ve always believed the best managers trust their people to come up with the right answer. I managed to stop long enough to read this beautiful poem whilst eating my tuna and cheese jacket potato – checking my emails regularly of course whilst eating and reading – who said men can’t multi task?

Happy Spring Monday all :- )

Posted by Trevor Gay at April 19, 2010 7:42 AM

Looking at Tom's previous picture this one from the BBC contest comments is spot on......

In a field there was a coo.
It must have moved cos its no there noo.

Just come back from a holiday in fabulous Denmark. Pure bliss - No computer no TV and Phones firmly off (well until we found out it might be a tad tricky getting home anyway!). Airline did the right thing and arranged a coach/ferry home (Well done SAS!)

Posted by PaulH at April 19, 2010 10:26 AM

Talk about intelligent design!
Great photo!

Posted by gerson barbosa at April 19, 2010 11:38 AM

Thanks Tom for sharing this wonderful poem.

It is not just the iPad frenzy that is causing this 24/7 lifestyle changes. I am thinking the following also have "significantly" contributed to the cause:

1. Flat world: People across the globe are working across the clock.

2. Virtual teams: Even if they are not outsourced to a different country, once the teams are virtual, there is a lot more asynchronous communication going on introducing time lag.

3. Social Networks: They are "always" on by their nature.

4. Mindset Shift: Following #3, there is a mindset of "amplification preceding accomplishment" or put it in other words, there is a feeling that "participation is a form of accomplishment." It is tempting to think that because everyone is participating, the right thing to do would be to "also" participate. Since pure participation without value addition yields almost "zero" results, rather than changing their strategy many "work hard" and participate more - thus entering a vicious cycle of 24/7

5.Email: When used wrong, email be it on smartphone or off of them can be lethal. Tools are tools and we can take advantage of them or let them take advantage of us.

Best,
Rajesh

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Posted by Amit at April 20, 2010 1:12 AM

Trivia note for rock fans: in 1970, a struggling rock band called Daddy decided theirs was a seriously daft name and decided to change it. They called themselves after William Henry Davies' autobiography, Diary of a Super-Tramp (Davies' early life was tough). So as well as giving us our favourite poem (not mine: that would be "At Lunchtime" by Roger McGough) Davies also helped inspire one of our favourite bands, Supertramp.

That McGough poem: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/thursday.handleigh/various/poems/roger-mcgough/at-lunchtime.htm

Posted by Mark JF at April 20, 2010 2:22 AM

Rajesh

I like your point 4. We can all participate as much as we like but without real experience we have nothing to participate with.

Posted by PaulH at April 20, 2010 2:49 AM

Beautiful! Words & pic! Thanks Tom! I can almost smell the blooms from here! :) We need nature for inspiration. Creativity dries up with too much 'i' time. Time out and balance are so important.

Your post reminded me of some favourite words from Emerson in 'Nature': 'I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me. But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds will separate between him and what he touches. .. how great they are'. Have a great day Tom!

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Sorry - didn't complete that properly! Fingers. :)

Posted by Anne at April 20, 2010 4:11 AM

Hi Tom

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But (all of us) have (deadlines) to keep,
And blogs to go before (we) sleep,
And tweets to send before (we) sleep.

Jay, Bangalore

Posted by Jayakumar Hariharan at April 20, 2010 5:37 AM

This reminds me of Billy Joel's number - Vienna waits for You.

If we just stop to watch what is happening around us, we will learn to see how thrilled a child is because he tired to walk, the lines on peoples faces that come with thier experience of life.. I'm getting all poetic here...

Rajesh: the point you made about Mindset shift is something I agree with.

However, I also find, people need to do something to feel a sense of accomplishmet all the while. I feel that comes from a sense of emptiness & looking outside for your self worth.

Thanks Tom!

Posted by SR5 at April 20, 2010 7:39 AM

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

A beautiful poem with a timeless message, thanks for this Tom. All too often we are wrapped up in thinking about the past or the future and rarely the present. Many of us have adopted an 'if - then' model of happiness whereby if we just do this or get that, then we will be satisfied. Hence, we always seem to be chasing that proverbial brass ring...happiness remains just out of reach. And we are rarely able to appreciate golden moments along the way...

Instead, if we focus on the journey, the joy and wonder of the present, of the here and now, unfolds before us.

Posted by Doug Brockway at April 20, 2010 11:46 AM