Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Chain Of Life

"From a drop of water," said the writer, "a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one or the other. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. Before turning to those moral and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest difficulties, let the enquirer begin by mastering more elementary problems. Let him, on meeting a fellow-mortal, learn at a glance to distinguish the history of the man, and the trade or profession to which he belongs. Puerile as such an exercise may seem, it sharpens the faculties of observation, and teaches one where to look and what to look for. By a man's finger nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boot, by his trouser knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt cuffs -- by each of these things a man's calling is plainly revealed. That all united should fail to enlighten the competent enquirer in any case is almost inconceivable."

10 comments:

Rabbi Joshua Maroof said...

Sherlock Holmes?

moonlight1021 said...

http://spellbreaker.org/~chrender/Sherlock_Holmes/

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said...

Yes Josh. The character best suited to personify the Mashal of the rope and the well.

"It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said...

Moonlight

Thanks for the great site

moonlight1021 said...

Well Rabbi Sacks, Thank you for pointing out to Sherlock Homes-I started reading the book now, and in a way Sherlock Holmes and his techniques remind me of Milton Erickson and Neurolinguistic programming.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said...

Moonlight

Interesting connection

Rabbi Joshua Maroof said...

Along the lines of one of your relatively recent posts, I posted an anonymously authored poem that employed a number of stylistic effects and metaphors with an allegorical message, together with some "thought questions" to ponder. The poem is on Vesom Sechel. I hope people will read it and respond!

Rabbi Joshua Maroof said...

Along the lines of one of your relatively recent posts, I posted an anonymously authored poem that employed a number of stylistic effects and metaphors with an allegorical message, together with some "thought questions" to ponder. The poem is on Vesom Sechel. I hope people will read it and respond!

Dan said...

Rabbi - just like the art of living! The language is almost exactly the language that you use in describing the art of living.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said...

Exactly so Dan.