I’m sat on the train, returning to London from Claire’s after a great weekend in Leeds.
We go from time to time to enjoy a fantastic Thai meal at one of our favourite restaurants, the Chao Phraya. The picture below is of a six foot Buddha statue, sat just outside. I find something about Buddha deeply calming. He oozes some semce of inner peace and contentedness that seems to be so lacking throughout our western culture.
Having just finished reading “What they teach you at Harvard Business School”, I find that my thoughts about the (seemingly unsuccessful) pursuit of contentedness in our society are utterly supported and underpinned by the author’s eloquent description of the culture engendered at HBS, as well as what seems to be half hypocracy / half internal struggle that the students seem to battle with: make lots of money, or enjoy a fulfilling life that you can share with your friends and family. I didn’t see a single example of these two competing forces overlapping.
Claire and I stayed at 42 The Calls this time (instead of the usual Malmaison), and I think I speak for both of us when I say that it was really excellent. Especially room service breakfast in bed with the Sunday papers. Even if it was the Observer.