When in middle school…

…the class was given the choice to read either The Chrysalids by John Wyndham or Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

The vote went to ‘Catcher in the Rye’ as many of the classmates felt the John Wyndham book would not be a great read.

A few years later, during some late summer boredom, I picked up The Chrysalids and devoured it within an afternoon.

Wikipedia’s comment on the book states, “It is the least typical of Wyndham’s major novels, but regarded by some as his best.”

Years later, checking out the potential of a new position for which I was headhunted, a number of colleagues warned me against working for the company as it was considered a terrible pressure cooker of a place to work and the CEO was a “narcissistic madman,” exact quote.

I decided to try it and felt that, if the rumours were true, I would just leave. It turned out the pressure cooker connotation was true but it was pressure from a constant drive for excellence and innovation which I blossomed in.

The CEO was a very demanding man who put me through a number of ringers, a person from whom I learned a great deal, and someone I respect to this day, thirty years later.

It seems if there is some controversy or strong opinion one way or the other regarding something, the reality is that it’s either as bad as they claim or incredibly good. The middle doesn’t seem to elicit such strong reactions.

The only thing we can do is find out for ourselves as sometimes the negative comments and reactions are just an indication that “it’s not for them,” not that there is anything intrinsically wrong.

But it might be “just for us.”

Written while listening to Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group.

Best thing I came across over the last week, a post on silent meetings.