The Mother of Radames

Mottos
Conquer, but don't triumph. (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach)

The important thing in life is not to triumph but to compete.
Pierre de Coubertin

A dream will always triumph over reality, once it is given the chance. (Stanislaw Lem)

You will win, but please do not forget that triumph management
is not a bit easier than disaster management (Peter Gluck – to Defkalion Green Energies)

THE MOTHER OF RADAMES
This is an old story from perhaps more than 3000 years ago,
sufficiently powerful to inspire a successful opera. It is about the fatal errors of a military man who was skilled on the battlefield but made the worst choices. Recently, a group of Egyptian archeologists has discovered a papyrus- the letter in which the mother of that man tries to convince her son to become rational and pragmatic and to NOT do those stupid things described in the scenario of the opera written by French Egyptologists. I hope the mother won.

My dear son,
It is so painful for a mother to see her beloved son stubbornly trying to destroy himself. I well remember you were by far not the smartest of my children, reading and math were not made for you and therefore we have decided that you will follow a career in the military. I hope you realize that this was not cheap. We cannot get our money spent with your education back but at least it should have not have been in vain!
Your insatiable triumph-thirstiness and your irresistible attraction
toward the enemy’s daughter is the deadliest, most idiotic self-destructive combination possible. The most devilish imagination couldn’t build a more horrific trap for you.
Your great luck and chance is that I, your Mamma was blessed or cursed by the Gods to see the future; I even know this aptitude will be called clairvoyance some millennia later. I will tell you what will happen to you- very bad things, but you still can choose an alternative way and be intelligent and happy.
First, you are completely mesmerized by that Ethiopian girl-
you are too young to realize that the differences between human females are highly exaggerated. Your love for Aida is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
I don’t know what should I do, weep or ROFL, I have clearly heard you calling her:”Heavenly Aida, divine form”. Are you nuts? She is a well fed strong woman, if she sits on a coconut she breaks it and she is happy that the bathroom scale was not yet invented. Perhaps only the troubadours will call a Lady; “mystical garland of light and flowers, queen of my thoughts, splendor of my life- these are metaphors but you take them seriously. It is a limit to everything, est modus in rebus –as will say some people who will conquer our poor country in the future. Testosterone has blocked your mind, please try to awake, open your eyes and look at Miss Aida with objectivity and realism and escape from her spell and sexual spider web. Get drunk, seduce her or not but help her to go home to her Daddy, balmy forests, verdant valleys, and golden temples
Be wise my son, not Aida, Amneris is the girl for you! Amnneris has an IQ higher with 15 points than Aida and comes from a much better family. And look how much swifter she moves than the Ethiopian girl. Is it so bad to you to be the next Pharaoh? Good job, a lot of annoying ceremonies but you are considered a God (God knows why).
Amneris is a nice girl ready to play Amnesis and forget completely your nasty mad adventure with Aida.
I seriously warn you if you insist stupidly in your passion, you will be named the commander of the army, you will defeat the Ethiopians (they are an undisciplined gang) you will get your portion of triumph but then comes the disaster. Aida’s father the king will deceive you, his daughter will convince you to disclose vital State secrets, the clerical police will get you and the great jury of priests will say you are a bloody traitor and …death!
Isn’t better to live happily with Amneris, my dear Rady?

I also ask you with all my heart to NOT seek triumph!
Many years from now, a fine writer will say in his poem:

“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same”

Triumph is volatile and ephemeral, those who adore you today will get you lynched tomorrow. Triumph is only a trap put by the moment for duration.
Please do not be impressed by that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_NRazjCiG4
It is only smoke and spectacle; you will get ten times more envy than glory. The priests will hate you and they are dangerous!
So Radames, stop saying:
If only I were that warrior!
If only my dream might come true!
An army of brave men with me as their leader
And victory and the applause of all Memphis!
And do not wish to return crowned with laurels, laurel is an edible plant at it is a pity to waste it on vanities that don’t last.
 Let your rival, Ardames win! After thousands of wars and years from now nobody will remember exactly the name.
Marry Amneris, be happy! A saying will come once: “primo, vivere, dopo trionfare!”
P.S. Radames’ mother has forgotten to mention the once very successful triumph song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg4ojRlBJoo
Triumph, catastrophes, crimes, decay, oblivion, 45 poisoned years from my life….perhaps she was a rather myopic clairvoyante.
…………….
I have (re) invented Triumph Management in the 70-ties when we had to analyze many projects and feasibility studies for the OLTCHIM works. Our best best practice method become using for the first phase the supposition:

- if everything goes perfectly, with no problems and no obstacles, if it will be a true, complete Triumph…then what?

In many cases this was the last phase, we have discovered that even in the optimal case the best is to forget the idea.

Then we have discovered that everything that seems to be or claims to be perfect.
Outside Art, triumph and perfection are poisoned words- poisoned as the cathodes in the Pd-D cells.
It is much discussion bout the best cold fusion LENR theory these days on CMNS. Much more parallel monologs that real dialogues and confrontation of facts but constructive and polite.
If, suppose- one theory wins, triumphs…what then?
What will happen in our field during the next months? Probably LENR will fight with its chronic problems using disaster management while LENR+ will not appeal to triumph management just making remarkable progress- already in commercial applications. Let’s see!

Peter