Davos, TV, and Building Blocks
How memories of the past can ground you in the now
Earlier today I ended up riding a curious train-of-thought, one that got me wondering how memories play into ‘being present.’ As this is something which is a vital aspect of my spiritual path, it was trip I decided to share with you here.
We all have recollections, after all, of past moments from ecstatic to depressing, and while such moments can trigger debilitating bouts of regret and yearning, they can also serve as gentle nudges to appreciate what is right in front of us.
Mine occurred while rereading through a recent Substack, from Lily of ‘A Lily Bit,’ about Davos. If you have read any of her work you know her posts always have layers embedded in the layers, and with so much information available additional read-throughs are highly beneficial. It was during this when, out of nowhere, I was struck by the memory of how I learned about Davos in the first place… many years ago.
Back in the late-2000s / early 2010s I oft worked graveyard shifts, and anyone who has done so knows how challenging it is to find quality methods to pass the time. Late-night television programming was (and still is) generally a wasteland in the overnight hours, and online streaming was still very much in its early stages.
Simply put? After midnight, there was not a lot to watch, and what was there was either low-quality or reruns of evening shows. ‘Entertaining night-owls’ was not a top priority for the various networks.
However, Bloomberg Television - of all networks - was an exception. Back then they live-streamed their channel for free online, and due to the fact the overnight hours here in the states is the launch of the business morning in London? You could watch live, genuinely-relevant programming starting around 1:00 AM, and do so online.
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With that noted, the programing still has to be entertaining, no matter the time of day, or people will not want to watch it. Well, the London office of Bloomberg back then was awesome, and what made it so enjoyable were two of the featured hosts, Maryam Namazee and Manus Cranny.
Namazee was the prototype journalist, when they still existed in mainstream media [MSM]. She had the smoothest voice (seriously, it was near-hypnotic), while also being intelligent, engaging, and professional; her presentation-style got you invested in what was going on in the business world, even if you wouldn’t normally care one wit about it.
It was Namazee who first introduced me to Davos, with live reports from one of the events. While she was clearly presenting from a Globalist/MSM perspective (I was already many years into my, ‘read between the lines,’ practice, and even then the writing was clearly on the wall), with her doing the reporting I was riveted.
Cranny, on the other hand, had this direct, no-nonsense approach which I loved. With his jacket off, rolled-up shirt-sleeves, and barely-controlled energy, he stuck me as the type who, if visiting with you, would not tolerate any shenanigans from you… or even from your household pets. He was like a bulldog; he clearly had no time for rosy double-talk or suspect narrative-spin, and he made sure you knew it.
Watching him interview hapless corporate mouthpieces while I myself was half-dead from sleep-depravation at 3:00 AM? I can remember a few laugh-out-loud moments from those broadcasts. Add that to watching Namazee do her thing? Even though it was during a particularly dark period of my life, it was still a great time.
Of course, that time is long gone, and those good moments can never be repeated. Namazee has moved on to Al Jazeera, while Cranny is still a host on Bloomberg (though, from what I have seen, he is now a more-polished version of himself). In retrospect, however, their nightly forays into breaking down the business world were important to who I am… in this moment.
See, these two together made learning about the markets entertaining… which meant, you actually listened and learned. You were present, in the moment as it was happening, and it is in those moments - by those moments, one block stacked on top of another - where the future is built.
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After all, had it not been for that programming… streaming online in that era… during those night hours… would I have ever been exposed to an early understanding of Davos? If I had not, would I be where I am now, still exploring topics others fear to consider? Would have I been reading Lily’s post this morning?
Would I even know that Lily - or that any of you - even exist? I cannot answer that, but I am grateful that I am where I am, and it was a simple memory which activated that gratitude.
Indeed, memories can be vital catalysts and should be appreciated, but - BUT - we should never get lost in them. Value them for that are: gentle reminders, that you are who you are because you were authentically present when you were building the memory being accessed. And who knows - perhaps the memory you are building right now will become one you someday cherish… but in order for that to occur, you have to be actively living in it.
Appreciate the past for what it has made you, yes, but remain ever in the moment, that your future ‘now’ will have new memories upon which to reflect.
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Referenced Articles From The Stone Age
I remember them! They were exceptional together. Are used to be so impressed with Davos and all the workd’s movers and shakers. I especially became aware of it all when I spent much time back-and-forth between Europe and the United States. I imagined myself part of some bigger force by being aware of Davos 🙈 😂
I remember graveyard shifts….how I hated them.