This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.
When people think of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, they picture a great science fiction saga that follows a journey in a future set millennia from now.
However, Dune also offers much more than enticing plot lines and a variety of complex characters.
Reading further into the subtleties of the series, I learned an invaluable lesson that stemmed from Herbert’s astonishing attention to detail: the way his characters interact with each other and his vivid scene setting revolutionized the way I perceive the little nuances that may go unnoticed in our daily lives.
For instance, there is a scene in the first part of Dune, in which the main protagonist, Paul Atreides, must attend a political dinner hosted by Lady Jessica and Duke Leto Atreides in the capital city of the desert planet Arrakis.
The scene is naturally filled with political dialogue, veiled and straightforward alike, but what caught my attention was how some characters noticed both verbal and especially non verbal cues that revealed hidden threats or offers of alliance directed at themselves or other players at the table.
Before reading the series, I only picked up on basic body language cues that everyone notices, but my initial curiosity about observing gestures and patterns that are usually more concealed gradually turned into a desire to be capable of deciphering them as effortlessly as breathing.
After reading it, I found myself observing people’s body language more attentively during social events and everyday conversations: did they turn their head and body toward me when I addressed them? Did they maintain eye contact? If so, were their eyes hazy or did they glimmer with attention?
This newly acquired perspective expanded even more after reading the second book in the series, Dune Messiah, in which the environment itself – albeit carefully arranged beforehand – conveyed multiple significant messages.
I learned that even something as simple as the arrangement of a dinner table at a social gathering can reveal a person’s social preferences or power dynamics within their circle.
The lesson proved to be even more valuable during job interviews, because I had started to observe how some environments were shaped to assert power and control, while others suggested openness and dialogue.
Just like in Dune – where characters notice unspoken words and hidden intentions – we too can benefit from paying attention to the hidden currents that shape our interactions and decisions.
As gentlemen, cultivating the art of observation allows us to attune our senses, uncover stories waiting to be told, and recognize the role we can play in them.
By learning to see past the obvious, we can fully engage and enjoy the exquisite complexities life has to offer.
