Decoding Life
Where’s that ring from the cereal box?
When William Friedman retired from the United States National Security Administration, he packed the above photo from his desk with the rest of his belongings. Mr. Friedman was a skilled cryptographer who deciphered hidden codes. He’s credited with leading the team that recreated Japan’s Purple cipher machine in late 1940, enabling the translation of Japan’s sensitive diplomatic traffic.
What do you notice when you look at the photo?
It’s old? Black and white? Soldiers? Civilians? Boots? Hairstyles? Dour expressions?
What about the subject’s positioning? Why are some heads and bodies turned from the camera? What about arm positions?
What was the photographer thinking? Why didn’t he instruct the group to face forward and say “cheese!”
Well, it turns out that the angles and tilts form a cryptogram — a message hidden in plan sight. If you or I had knowledge of bilateral cipher, we’d see the words — Knowledge is Power — spelled out in the photo.
I never learned much about any kind of coding beyond games on the back of a cereal box. My education and upbringing left me with the following script: listen to your elders, respect authority, the answers are in the book, don’t rock the boat, do what’s asked of you, efficiency is desirable, and be grateful for what you have.
I’ve no intent to argue against any of those lessons. For the most part, they’ve served me well.
But, as Chang Tsu is quoted,
Everything can be “this”, everything can be “that”.
I sometimes wonder if I’d been a little more rebel and a little less rule follower, would I have less fear? Would I be more open to experience? Would I have greater curiosity?
I’ve decided the answer is: It doesn’t matter.
Yesterday is history. I learned what I learned. It lead me here…..
To now…the present. It’s a gift.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
From here on out, I intend to treat every day as a grand exploration. I’ll be watching and evaluating life’s cryptogram clues as they roll in. I’ll question why and how and when and where — while holding the belief that life is leading me exactly where I yearn to go. Every clue is valuable, whether it raises joy, excitement, fear or sadness.
I accept every experience as a clue that’s leading me where I yearn to go.
Looking at life that way, I find value in each nuance of the mystery.
The challenge of a satisfying life rests squarely on my shoulders.
Amidst the highs, lows and everything in between, I choose my response — so when the lights go out, I can look back and say, “I solved the mystery. I found meaning in the journey.”
Who needs a cereal box ring or knowledge of bilateral cipher?
Decoding Life — All we really need is an open mind and heart.
Check This Out: William Friedman became interested in coding while working at the private research laboratory Estate at Riverbank, located along the Fox River, just west of Chicago. At Riverbank, millionaire George Fabyan privately funded a faculty of scientists to pursue and explore their obsessions. Friedman joined the staff in 1915, studying genetics before taking an interest in ciphers and codes.
