The value of attitudes

Attitudes possess a hidden power to shape and color the melodic and even atonal notes of our lives in most circumstances we have to face throughout the journey. They can set a starting point for what may come later or change the action’s course in the same way as a musical key sets the tone (or pitch) for the notes that unfold on its portative. And my feeble musical allusions are only meant to introduce a recent interaction I had with a dear violinist friend during a leisure talk on a Saturday afternoon. We were discussing about how the same melody can be interpreted differently according to the performer’s attitude. And as our host had a violin at hand, she just exemplified how the same Beethovenian piece can be interpreted with the heavy touch of Johannes Brahms, with the loose flexibility of gypsy fiddlers, and with the original attitude of Ludwig van Beethoven himself. At the end of the brief impromptu concerto all of us were quite struck by the unexpected diversity hidden in the same musical architecture if approached from different perspectives. The immediate juxtaposition of these divergent attitudes, with the various emotions and distinct paths they alluded to, made them stand apart even more.

        The importance and contagious nature of attitudes becomes also apparent during high quality interviews professional journalists conduct. I am talking about the much appreciated experts journalists who are familiar with their field, and spend quality time investigating the details of the discussed topic. In Romania we have a show called “The professionals” where Eugenia Vodă - a movie critic and TV producer - invites different personalities for extensive and oftentimes philosophical interviews about their careers. Her show stayed in top for years as she invited many people, from artists to soccer players, to unveil the details of their path. And during all this time her fascination for the individuals’ achievements, and creativity, and obstacles, and hidden hard work, and unexpected moves never drained. She managed to set a unique tone for her quality productions because her questions were inspired by an authentic enchantment for high performers. And the fascination conveyed by her tone and attitude was nearly always transferred to the interviewee who danced with her every question. I suppose she took advantage of the implicit flattering message send by taking such a profound interest in the details of one’s career or one’s life as a whole. Nevertheless, her attitude was certainly the main source of inspiration for her questions that set the stage for each hour long interview; and by aggregation, for her lifelong journey. That’s just one more example of how a healthy and productive attitude can sets the tone for the notes that unfold on its portative.

          I could elaborate at infinitum about the key impact attitudes have in setting or changing the course of the journey, but I will save this option for latter. Now I just want to leave you with a challenge and some spear time for personal reflections. And there it is: What’s your general attitude towards the CORONA unexpected visit? Are you baffled by the economic impact of the virus and tend to be more sensible to these aspects? Do you have strong opinions about how politicians should manage this complex crisis and tend to launch predictions about the effectiveness of the world leaders’ strategies? Was your scientific curiosity stimulated and you follow the progress of the medical/scientific community? Are you more concerned about the psychological aftereffects and try to prevent them from crippling your family or business? Are you looking for or just started to take advantage of the new opportunities for your business or scientific career or artistic productions? Are you considering how the medical system could be reformed for both practitioners and scientists? Do you see the fragility of human life from a different (broader and wiser) perspective now that you/someone close/your country was affected by CORONA’s unforgiving sting? Do you tend to use this time for deeper introspections regarding true values and the core directions of the life you’d like to pursue after the virus will be unequivocally defeated? What are your attitudes? And how would you like them to set the tone for the notes ready to unfold on your portative after the restart?