027: The Fifth Hammer

Legend has it that Pythagoras was once walking past a village forge. 

His attention was piqued by the sound of the five blacksmiths inside, each one hammering away on a piece of metalwork. The combined sound they made was so beautiful, it caught his attention in a unique way.

What was the cause of this beautiful sound, he wondered? 

On investigation, Pythagoras discovered that four hammers were working in perfect unison. The sound of each strike blended together in complete harmony, creating a sound that made sense from both a mathematical and a scientific perspective.  

But the fifth hammer was different. It was out of tune, discordant, out of step with the others. 

Pythagoras couldn’t understand how this hammer would contribute to the sweet sound of the other four. It didn’t make sense to him as he could not quantify or measure it. It wasn’t ‘perfect’ in his eyes and it didn’t fit his model - so he discarded it.

But really, the sound that piqued his interest that day was not the sound of the four ‘perfect’ hammers, it was the sound of the four perfect hammers plus the imperfect one. 

Something uniquely magical was occurring in the space between the perfect and the imperfect. Something special. Something indescribable. Something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. 

Many of the greatest things that have ever been created (or achieved) have come from the interaction between those that ‘turn up and do the work’ and those that are the ‘fifth hammers’. 

So, if you want to unlock something that’s truly special, maybe you need to find a fifth hammer for yourself.

James