The concept has the fluidity of living silver that it runs away without letting itself be caught, but it is immediately recognizable in its finality. Classes are not needed to recognize a savory food and a quality wine, a high-performance unit in use or a good quality banking service.
Let us not be deceived in appearances: despite the theories and tomes describing the steps, the steps, the actions of excellence, it cannot be fixed in the straps of the external descriptions, albeit they may be necessary, these are far from enough.
Excellence involves a continuous effort – a state of alertness without exhaustion, but on the contrary, it is comforting and nourishing.
It addresses the outside world, but its roots are not there: Stradivarius did not want to make a better violin than competitors , nor (probably) the ambition of the best violin ever created.
It involves innovation in all its forms, without necessarily meaning the neurotic doctrine of perpetual change.
It also means the recognition, preservation and fulfillment of what has already reached maturity, such as the inherited recipe of a bread at the hearth, the patina ritual of a luxury hotel with a century-long tradition, the classic – vintage form of personal objects: the comfortable study armchair, the shape of the glasses frames, the refinement of a barber razor, etc.
The path of excellence is that of neither nor otherwise, that is, the space in the middle where the island of stability is born beyond innovation and conservatism, actional effort and reflexivity, sharing with the world and the ivory tower. It is the mastery of the modern and transactional world, whose great master is the very craft chosen as the way.
Like any Path, the path of excellence is open to all, but highly selective. Those who talk too much and those who want too much and the contented and the dissatisfied, the ambitious and the fearful, get lost along the way. She needs inner boldness and honesty, a sense of deep respect and gratitude for everything that has arisen in her professional life, and the connection with the intuition of a meaning of things still wrapped. And the joy of the background of a high sky that cannot be altered by the inherent storms of everyday disappointments.
Sometimes the answer will be undeniable as an echo of the wider world: an avid customer or an acquaintance of the field.
Would these answers of the exterior, much needed, other times are confusing and misleading.
Finally, how did the great creators of the world know that the work born under the eyes of their own conscience is as it should be? Mozart, that no extra note is needed in the fluidity of the concerto? Van Gogh, in the dynamic stroke frantically thrown on the canvas? Belts, in the translucent grinding of the metal? Before they were references and recognized as masterpieces in the encyclopedias and abecedaries that study their methods and style, all these forms were brought to light by the cumience of these illustrious men, who surely uttered at the right time “So much and nothing more. That’s it.”
Sometimes, in an almost mysterious way, a man of excellence can inspire another for such a path, or he can associate with such ones by forming an intention, a current, a school. To say that RINF offers the way of excellence, as a consequence of what has been shown, is too much, and not to say it is too little. Let us cheer ourselves up by telling ourselves that ultimately the banality of routine is the restful sleep of excellence.
