Inhotim and Spinoza
I am flying back from Belo Horizonte today after being in Mexico, Miami, São Paulo, and Argentina in less than a week.
I came to Minas Gerais for the wedding of Felipe Lamounier a dear friend and founder that we have backed via Atman's most recent fund.
I haven't been to Minas Gerais for a few years and took yesterday off to visit Inhotim, the world's largest open-air museum.
Laura and I had a wonderful time there. World-class. Extremely well run and organized.
My favorite installation was Doug Aitken's Sonic Pavilion. They installed a live microphone that goes 200M deep into the land and transmits the sounds and vibrations of Gaia / The Earth to its visitors.
This work of art symbolizes real integration between humans and nature.
It reminded me of Spinoza's concept of Deus Sive Natura, the view that God and nature are interchangeable or that there is no distinction between the creator and the creation.
"The world would be happier if men had the same capacity to be silent that they have to speak." - Benedict de Spinoza: Ethics
As success comes in your life, it is easy to be trapped by your circumstances and become slaved into a reality that you must do more.
The busier you are, the more you must stop and slow down. Instead of instant happiness, search for peace. Happiness fades rapidly. Peace can be permanent.
The holiday season is one of my favorites as it brings everything out. A time to reflect upon your year, do deep work, catch up on sleep, exercise more, etc.
