Quality lies in the finer detail

The prerogative of processed thought is that – it’s a long unwinding path to dissect and get to the core of anything, and all along the path, you learn a lot about the finer detail, and when the reconstruct happens – the same thoughts, truths and objects are seen in a completely new realm – and you hear people speaking an alien language about the same simple thing.

For a long time, I always wondered, why those paintings by the great masters are auctioned at such obscene prices, and how those skimpy looking rags worn at a fashion show get so much publicity, and how that skinny looking babe is devoured (~praised) by so many onlookers, and how come a few students all in an IQ / EQ / SQ range of less than 5 percentile between them still shine through, and an average batsmen suddenly over the years appears as the best one in the world, and our best friends / partners in life are the ones who all, on the outside are really not very different, but some still make a huge difference, and I state this now with an absolute conviction - quality lies (hidden) in the finer detail.

Walking by the gallis (lanes) in Hyderabad – you find POP cast statues of elegant English women of the 18th century – you have quite a range – can get one similar for as low as Rs 10 to as high as to a haughty 5 digit figures in the gallery – Now what’s the difference – It's rather evident – The finish, the attention to detail, the quality of material, the workmanship, the craftsmanship and that little thing just screams – Own me!

Over the years, I have seen myself grow from a happy indulgent guy, who cracked on the best deals on look-alikes to now rejecting fine pieces of original work for a simple reason – They just don’t entice me enough with the finesse!

In a brilliant conversation with my friend a couple of days back – a contrast was drawn between Price Vs value, and approach vs finish – and that set me thinking, and quite a few things have really changed about me.

Let me start with the obvious:

Shopping – I demand finesse and originality in contrast to any object that can suffice the need. I always thought a brand really fleeced and its irrational – it took about 2-3 yrs to really see a lil beyond the obvious that the small lil cuts, the positioning of just another button, the 2 invisible threads in a shirt, the lil touch of purple on a pink box all really make a huge difference, and someone is claiming a fair pay for it, and of course you can literally feel the difference

Money – The respect for money has increased over the years, especially when I see, that what I take for granted as a trivial expense, can make a mountain of a difference in someone else’s life. Life is to be lived both planned and unplanned – and at the end of the day – sleep not really worrying too much about tomorrow, and not loose sleep worrying about a million investments that you made yesterday – the more you earn, the more caring you need to be – and yes, be financially independent and have securities that ensure you don’t lose that independence even in the worst of invasions.

People @ Work – I demand intelligence and wisdom if you claim to be at a certain level, and demonstrate it at every thing at that level - else you are written off for a simple reason – You are not the one you claim to be! Not Darwin, but Straight and this has always worked in the long run. I don’t believe in killing people for what they are not, but after a certain point, will not carry them along as baggage, and they will be told the same in straight words.

People @ family – I have become more nuclear with my definition of family, and all others of a lineage fall outside the nuclear definition – to a point – they are all the same – good people, same blood, relatives, settled, well wishers etc – but the detail does not go beyond that - most times wonder, how different are they to me to any other stranger I bump along the way

People in life (love , friends, relationships) – This is one thing that really dinn change much - What really matters to me is just the fine detail – the lil unnoticed things in life, the lil reactions, the lil sweet nothings, the lil firm grounds, the lil spankings, the lil kissies, the lil huggies and all the lil things – else – People in general are about studies, family, career, stability and how different are they anyway? Would anyone of us be an intimate friend / fall in love with anyone – nope right – the lil details matter

The finer the details are, the more elaborate the requirements seem to be – I end with a question – once you have crossed over to the finer side of details, can you really come back and accept any look alike of lesser intricacy – the answer is yes – but, a cost is always paid.

Everything comes at a cost – for a finer object that is in line with your expectations – you pay a huge cost upfront, and the cost is recovered in ‘satisfaction’ over time – (OR) – You accept anything at a lesser cost, and work on making it an object of finesse and keep paying a cost for a long time, and in reality – can you really change it?

The prerogative of processed thought is that – it’s a long unwinding path to dissect and get to the core of anything, and all along the path, you learn a lot about the finer detail, and when the reconstruct happens – the same thoughts, truths and objects are seen in a completely new realm – and you hear people speaking an alien language about the same simple thing.