Magic

If you believe that "the Dude" is a modern incarnation of the Zen Master, read on...

I once heard of painters who meditate for months, then finish by putting brush to rice paper and creating a masterpiece in minutes. To those ignorant of the work which proceded it, this perfect execution is close to miraculous. Those who know can appreciate that the art took months to create, regardless of the time spent in the inkwell.

Let's haul out Arthur C. Clarke's road apple about sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic. Though it has been abused the fuzzy-minded (myself include) I have enough respect for Mr. Clarke to hope that he understood this statement is true only on the most superficial of levels. Perhaps what he meant by "sufficiently advanced technology" is technology that sufficiently hides the work that is done to create a particular effect. Humankind is daily shrinking both the size and time required to execute the many tasks of mundane life. But is a microwave magical because it can heat a burrito in less than a minute at the press of a button? Doesn't standing backstage at a conjurors show dispel all notions of "magic"?

I have a new job: I am now a bone fide video clerk at the neighbourhood "mom + pop" store. In weaker moments, it is tempting to feel I lucked into this job. Upon furthur reflection, I realize I have been training for this job for a long time now. I will not bore you with details, years of jobs, months of job-finders training and a recognition of the volunteer work I had done prepared me to fall ass-backwards into my dream job. Yes there was luck and prayers (thanks mom and dad), but even then, fortune favours the prepared.

This is magic. Work for what you want.