Feeding the Fire

Dec 1, 2024

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I. Mehmed II: The Man Who Took the Walls

Mehmed II wasn’t the first to dream of Constantinople, but he was the only one who refused to let it remain a dream. At just 21, he marshaled an army and a vision that would reshape history. The Theodosian Walls had stood for over a thousand years, an unbreachable testament to Roman ingenuity. Most would have seen them as a warning; Mehmed saw them as a challenge. His approach was calculated genius. The fortress of Rumeli Hisarı was constructed in record time to choke the city’s supply lines. His artillery engineers forged bombards so massive they could tear down walls built to outlast the ages. But more than his tools, it was his unshakable focus that set him apart. When setbacks came, as they always do, Mehmed adapted. When his fleet couldn’t breach the Golden Horn, he dragged his ships overland—a move so audacious it seemed impossible until it wasn’t. This was more than strategy. It was obsession—a relentless drive to claim the unclaimable and inscribe his name into the annals of history.

II. Obsession: The Fire That Reshapes the World

Obsession is the antithesis of balance. Where ambition may burn steadily, obsession roars uncontrollably, consuming everything in its path. Mehmed didn’t merely want Constantinople; he needed it, the way a drowning man needs air. Obsession demands action, and it brooks no compromise. It turns obstacles into puzzles and failure into fuel. This relentless drive isn’t confined to the past. Consider modern-day figures like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. Jobs was infamous for his “reality distortion field,” bending the world around his vision of simplicity and elegance. His obsession with perfection revolutionized entire industries, from personal computing to music to phones. Musk, like Mehmed, seeks to conquer walls others deem insurmountable—whether it’s reimagining transportation, sending humanity to Mars, or building a sustainable energy future. For Musk, failure isn’t a deterrent; it’s part of the process. But obsession has its costs. Jobs alienated many with his uncompromising demands, and Musk has often been accused of overextending himself. Like Mehmed, they bet everything on their vision, knowing the stakes meant they could leave an indelible mark—or lose everything. The great irony of obsession is its fragility. It must be fed constantly, or it risks collapse. Mehmed’s fire burned hot, but it also burned fast. While he succeeded in making Istanbul the jewel of the Ottoman Empire, his relentless pace left him little time to enjoy the legacy he fought so hard to create.

III. Entropy: The Enemy of Legacy

Every great work is a battle against entropy, the silent force pulling all things toward disorder. Mehmed’s conquest of Constantinople wasn’t just a military victory; it was a defiance of inevitability. He turned a decaying city into the thriving capital of an empire, bridging continents and cultures in a way that resonated for centuries. Yet even Mehmed couldn’t conquer entropy forever. The Ottoman Empire, like Constantinople’s walls, would eventually crumble. No vision, no matter how grand, is immune to the slow erosion of time. But that doesn’t render the effort meaningless. Mehmed’s legacy persists—not because it defeated entropy, but because it pushed back against it long enough to inspire generations. The same holds true for modern-day obsessives. Jobs’ Apple remains a titan of design and innovation, but even its dominance will eventually fade. Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla are rewriting what’s possible, yet they too will face the inevitable decay of time. The point isn’t to beat entropy but to defy it long enough to leave a mark, to shift the trajectory of humanity, even if only for a while. Obsession, when wielded well, can momentarily halt the chaos. It can carve order from disorder, create monuments where ruins would otherwise stand. Mehmed’s story, like those of Jobs and Musk, reminds us that while entropy always wins, it’s in the fight against it that greatness is born.