Just Right

"Blink" is not as cohesive or convincing as "The Tipping Point", but Gladwell does stimulate some interesting ideas with this follow up.

Try walking through a fine arts museum. There are works that are asthetically pleasing, others that are provocative, and still more that appear commonplace. The rhetorical questions, "what is art?" surfaces. Perhaps the easy answer is to simple resign to the fact that "art is in the eye of the beholder." That answer is too simplistic.

Recent research shows that infants as young as 6 months old have the ability to recognize and gravitate towards "attractive" faces. So although beauty is highly subjective, there is a reason that museums exist. Art historians and experts are valued for their ablility to recognize in a "blink" of an eye, what constitutes a great work. As well, they are able to study the work and break down the unique qualities that distinguish the work as that of a master. There is no shortage of aesthetically appealing paintings, yet the number of masterpieces are few.

The same can be said of great literature. "Goodbye Columbus" by Philip Roth is a simple story about a young man who has a summer affair with a young socialite. The book is all of 136 pages. After reading this novel, it is clear that Roth possesses a level of genius in his writing that puts him in league with literary greats such as Salinger and Hemingway. Every sentence is masterfully crafted and the result is a novel that is powerful and moving.

Although only a small number of people are true geniuses, we are fortunate to have easy access to the greatest literature, fine art, music and cinematography. The gift of genius is that it provides inspiration to others working to refine their craft in order to achieve a superior impact. Those working in the technology field can point to Cupertino or Mountain View for our inspiration.