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
2017 was the most challenging year of my life. I had depression. I thought about suicide a couple of times. Often things felt scary.
I am in Miami until Sunday to figure out if I am going to build my next company from here, while keeping spaces in San Francisco and São Paulo for the team.
Do not judge others, and you not be judged. Trust heavenly father’s peace. The evolution of one’s spirit is a task that happens individually.
