05 February, 2014

I am diving into the blogosphere in order to keep a promise to myself. I’m not expecting any fame, glory, or money from this, but I hope some of my thoughts will be interesting, and relevant enough to influence some of the readers who wander into this space.

The title of the blogsite, The Promise, holds several layers of meaning. There is the personal promise, often between people, which can be either spoken or unspoken. Good examples of this are the marriage vows, or the employment contract. There are the promises within society, which underlie much of our culture. An example of this in the news today is the assumed promise that society makes to us, that if you work hard and persevere you will have an opportunity to improve your quality of life. Another one is the promise underlying the payment of taxes, in exchange for which the government agrees to help take care of you in case you become sick, old, or poor. Finally, there are promises in the spiritual and theological realm. I’ll leave that one for a later blog, as it could take up a lot of words. There is also the promise one sees in individuals or teams, in which big expectations are placed. Or, in the case of the Denver Broncos, misplaced.

In my next entry I will give a bit more about my background, which is admittedly a bit eclectic. In my 57 years I have been a research scientist, a head brewer at a microbrewery, and lately a venture capital investor in early stage biotechnology and medical device companies. I will draw on the experiences I have accumulated throughout my life, and will often refer back to this notion of the Promise, which encompasses the faith that we all need to have in order to not only keep going in life, but to keep creating in the world. If we lose faith in that Promise, then our belief in the world and the people around us becomes shaken, and that is when we lose our desire and will to contribute, and be a part of, all the important interactions going on around us.

I made a promise to myself when I lived in England thirty years ago, as a masters student at the University of Sussex. At the time I had just gone through two of the best years of my life, and the combination of life’s growth, new found friends, the European way of life, and some fine Burton beers inspired me with ideas that I thought would make an interesting book. I’m not sure that I’ll ever get to writing that book, but maybe this place will serve the purpose. Sometimes a promise half kept is enough. We shall see what we shall see.