The hedgehog and the fox – focus or purpose?
Seth quoted Michael Brooke’s manifesto, which at first reminded me of Isaiah Berlin’s well-known elaboration on a theme from a fragment attributed to the Greek poet Archilochus, “The Hedgehog and the Fox.”
“The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”
See: Wikipedia
Brooke’s stated, “I am not publishing a magazine – I am helping to document and foster change within skateboarding . . . ” For the full version, go to The ball bearing and the beach ball.
It seems clear to me this is in fact a manifesto. It is a public announcement of purpose and intent. The avid readers of the magazine will take it as a commitment, and they will be very unhappy if the implied promise is reneged upon.
It is not a statement of focus. I suspect that Michael Brooke is very focused on publishing a magazine, or ought to be. But, his focus on magazine publishing is informed and directed by his purpose.
