Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

The unknown can terrorize, but it can also inspire

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Ulysses and the Sirens by Herbert James Draper, 1909 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)

“Of all objects that I have ever seen, there is none which affects my imagination so much as the sea or ocean. A troubled ocean, to a man who sails upon it, is, I think, the biggest object that he can see in motion, and consequently gives his imagination one of the highest kinds of pleasure that can arise from greatness.” — Joseph Addison, 1712

There is a certain power and majesty of the sea.

As I was staring at the ocean from my balcony last week, I mused about the lure of the ever-present oceans, as they make up more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface.

The vast expanse of the sea has been the source for the imagination of writers and leaders for millennia.

It has fueled our hopes, desires, and fears and driven us to explore, expand, and exploit.

We’re drawn to it and mesmerized by its size and strength. It fills us with thoughts of wonder and awe. Of power and possibilities. Of terror and delight.

In some ways, the sea is a metaphor for the modern multinational enterprise.