One Rule

What initially was meant by me as an impromptu tongue-in-cheek contribution to a discussion about Artificial Intelligence, struck me, at a second glance, as a solid rule of thumb: There are only three things in life worth striving for – elegance, humour, and love.

The more I thought about it, the more solid this rule appeared to me. I’d go as far as contending that you need no other rule for a decent life. (Rather blasphemous by yours truly, considering that the Almighty needed ten laws, huh?)

I should add, maybe, that elegance has nothing to do with wealth. There are more than enough rich people who cannot even spell elegance. – And as for the love thing: I’m not the schmaltzy type. With love, I mean something very tangible and robust. It’s about trusting and being trusted. It’s about what, as social animals, we cannot get along without. Oh, and there’s yet another kind of love: the love for things you do. Ideally, you strive to spend as much of your precious lifetime on things you like: a craft maybe, cooking, painting, playing music, gardening, sports, your job, …

Elegance, humour, and love – three things worth pursuing. (And hey – Artificial Intelligence, however powerful, has none of it and never will.)