Let It Rip

Who doesn’t love quotes? What better way to get the thoughts flowing, than to begin where someone else already started?

“At the moment of commitment the entire universe conspires to assist you,“ is one attributed to 18th century German dude, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. But me being me, I much prefer the over-explained and wordier sentiment of the Scottish explorer William Hutchinson Murray who also had a love for Goethe quotes that have been loosely translated to English. It’s fitting that the following excerpt from W.H. Murray’s book about the 1951 Scottish mountaineering expedition in the Himalayan mountains is sometimes misattributed to the German playwright and novelist:

This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!

So, to turn the more modern colloquialism on its head, “If you start something, there will be something.”

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks soft launching and tweaking this new website, agonizing over details, trying to fill in alt text to be more accessible, waiting for the right moment to go public, and then remembering there is no right moment. Only the moment. So, from nothing, here is something.