Signal to Noise

It doesn't matter how brilliant or savage you may well be, you will never conquer the world alone.

Be them friends, allies, consorts, or minions, you will need them on your side. Of tantamount importance is having the "right" or most effective people in your proverbial corner.

Call me a snob and I'll say, I'm selective.

Call me an elitist and I'll say, I have refined taste.

In fact this singular quality, good taste, may be the most important necessity for the "finer things" (happiness, success, accomplishment, creativity, etc), a marked ability to filter the juicy signal from the superfluous noise.

Consider, if you will, one linguistic aspect of Jewish culture to better demonstrate my point.

First, I will state, definitively, that I am not religious in any way, shape, form, or variant. Nor am I agnostic. I firmly believe that religion is more/less the memetic persistence of fanciful stories (i.e. myth).

Second, I will also state, that growing up in the Thousand Oaks area (suburban Los Angeles), gave me a unique look at, largely secular, modern Jewish culture.

In Thousand Oaks I learned to correlate being Jewish with being intelligent (and often being a picky eater). In high school my first two girlfriends were Jewish and in elementary school my best friend was Jewish. My first employer, an entrepreneur from Pittsburgh, was Jewish. Suffice it to say, I may not be "chosen," but I am most certainly, "tribe friendly."

Which brings me to my point.

The idea of being chosen (a Jew) versus being non-Jewish (a Goy) illuminates a useful analogue for developing a keen sense of taste. No, not actually keeping the Sabbath holy or being bar mitzvah'd or eating Kosher, but remaining allied with the chosen people in your own life, in your personal and professional circle.

This certainly means different things for different people. I am often asked how I find time for photography, writing, friends, events, starting a new business, yard work, exercise, etc.

My secret, though obviously not well-kept, is to be extremely picky. Taking an inventory of who your personal chosen are and who the goyim are (i.e. signal to noise ratio), can help maintain a crucial balance in life (especially if your life revolves around poly-disciplinary participation in a great many things, like mine).

Who are the best movie directors? The finest photographers? The most gifted writers? The unique businesspeople? I am not suggesting that there are objective answers for any of these questions, rather that knowing the answers, within yourself becomes the first step toward greater and more distinguished accomplishment.

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