Remembered

If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing. - Benjamin Franklin 


Ben, you will never be forgotten - you did both. Thanks.


(Other posts on Achievement) 

Changing Shape

A round man cannot be expected to fit in a square hole right away. He must have time to modify his shape. - Mark Twain 


We are all products of our past and to change is difficult. Those most resistant to change - but not directly opposed - are the most stable people. Beware of those who change with the slightest provocation.


(Other post on Change) 

Augmented Post

Sometimes I have more to say. From a previous post:

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money. - Alexis de Tocqueville


We'll see how much bribery is required for his prediction to come true.


When you do a wrong, you can either fess up to your fault and take your lumps or you can try to fix the wrong. Congress has a third method - pretend you didn't do wrong; blame someone else; go about fixing the wrong by doing more wrong.


It is ironic that the most regulated part of our economy - the banking and financial industry - is in danger of collapse yet the government (which does the regulating) is in the process of "fixing" the problem by doing more regulating. The most discouraging aspect is that no one seems to be questioning the supposition that "something" must be done. Why? Why not take our lumps and learn from the error? Because most of Congress would be out of a job, that's why.


How did Congress manage to get the bulk of the people to go along with their obviously faulty logic? Bribery - with the people's own money - even money which does not yet exist. "We must create more jobs" and pay for them with your own money. Government jobs do not create more wealth. They will pay for these new jobs by "creating" more money; created money gets paid back by creating inflation - which the productive and non-productive people pay for dearly. But the bribe is working. Congress has not only discovered the bribe but have perfected it. How long will our Republic endure?

Being as Big as Your Money

No man may be smaller than his money. - Ayn Rand 


As they say, a fool and his money are soon parted.


(Other posts on Money) 

Good People Doing Evil

With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. - Steven Weinberg 


In doubt? Read history.


(Other posts on Religion) 

Dancing Common Sense

Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing. - William James 

It's only common sense that you should be concerned if you loose your sense of humor. Political correctness is a sure-fire sign.

(Other posts on Emotions) 

Beginning Attitude

It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome. - William James 


If it is a team effort be sure everybody has a positive attitude before starting - this may be the most difficult part of the task.


(Other posts on Achievement)  

True to Yourself

I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence. - Frederick Douglass 


Come on Fred, go ahead and substitute the word "demand" for the word "prefer."


(Other posts on Character) 

Baffling Concepts

Sometimes a concept is baffling not because it is profound but because it is wrong. - E. O. Wilson   


Hopefully none of my concepts are baffling. If they are then I have failed to communicate.


(Other posts on Wisdom) 

Don't Worry, Be Creative

Worry is a misuse of imagination. - Dan Zadra


Save your imagination for something creative.


(Other posts on Imagination) 

Uncompromised Integrity

One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.  - Chinua Achebe 


Machiavelli  was wrong.


(Other post on Character) 

Go on the Offensive

No people in history have ever survived who thought they could protect their freedom by making themselves inoffensive to their enemies. - Dean Acheson 


When you have well integrated principles based on reason ask blunt, hard questions of those who disagree with you. You will be attacked personally (not on your principles) but you may have slowed the progress of vile ideas.


(Other posts on Principles) 

Pursuit of Ideas

Not to engage in the pursuit of ideas is to live like ants instead of men. - Mortimer Adler 


Mankind's only remarkable survival skill is the mind and rational thought.


(Other posts on Thinking) 

Injury Scales

The injuries we do and those we suffer are seldom weighed in the same scales. - Aesop 


Something to keep in mind when apologizing.


(Other posts on Mistakes) 

Finding Blame

The search for someone to blame is always successful. - Robert Half


Especially when the searcher is to blame.


(Other posts on Criticism) 

Being Bribed With Your Own Money

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money. - Alexis de Tocqueville 


We'll see how much bribery is required for his prediction to come true.


(Other posts on Government) 

Augmented Post

Sometimes I have more to say. From a previous post:

It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentionally lying that there is so much falsehood in the world. - Samuel Johnson 

There may be a difference between carelessness about truth and in intentional lying but the symptoms and results are the same. The degree of sin committed is approximately equal.

How might one be "careless about the truth?" There are several different ways which come to mind.

- Failure to investigate fully.

- Ignoring a portion of truth which does not fit with the speakers point. I would call this the truth but not the whole truth.

- Making a joke. Most jokes are funny because they are careless with the truth.

Failure to investigate fully:

This might also be called jumping to a conclusion.  This is also the lazy way to prove your point. You find a fact which supports your hypothesis and quit looking.

Partial truth:

This is a technique employed every day by scammers. They talk authoritatively and provide verifiable truths which support their claim and ignore the facts which shoot down the theory. This was used extensively during the months leading up to Y2K by those predicting world collapse because of computer date handling deficiencies. Trouble was it didn't happen (in fact it didn't even cause a ripple). The fact that was ignored was the effort people went to to ensure their programs would be compliant. A lot of Doom and Gloomers made a lot of money selling books and people who make generators and sell bulk foods did pretty well too. Today the global warming folks are doing the same - in fact if you do it well you might even get a Nobel Prize! You don't "lie", you just select the truths that fit.

Make a Joke:

Humor is good - only when you use humor to "prove" your argument you are being careless with the truth (not funny).

What is the most common use of being careless with the truth? The courtroom. Think about it - when you are a witness you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The defense and prosecuting attorneys are not required to take a similar oath. Their job is to be careless with the truth and to keep the opposition from getting by with it. If fact, as a witness, you are able to only answer the specific question - you can't elaborate to tell the whole truth. The attorney's job is to fashion questions which prevent you from fulfilling your oath. If you think the purpose of a trial is to bring out the truth - give that idea up!

Be particularly wary of attorneys who are promoting Doom and Gloom - they are trained experts at being careless with the truth.

Beginning of Delusion

Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion. - Jim Rohn 


In other words, know whereof you speak. 


(Other posts on Persuasion)  

Progress Stopped

Once an organization loses its spirit of pioneering and rests on its early work, its progress stops. - Thomas J. Watson 


The same could be said of a person.


(Other posts on Achievement)  

Careless Truth

It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentionally lying that there is so much falsehood in the world. - Samuel Johnson 


There may be a difference between carelessness about truth and in intentional lying but the symptoms and results are the same. The degree of sin committed is approximately equal.


(Other posts on Truth) 

Abandoned Skepticism

Skepticism, like chastity, should not be relinquished too readily. - George Santayana 


Voters; news media; investors looking for a quick buck; advocates of the latest doom and gloom scam are prime examples of people who throw out their skepticism when faced with a charming personality.


(Other posts on Persuasion) 

Fruit of Genius

Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have lies in this; when I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then the effort that I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought. - Alexander Hamilton 


Some might accuse him of just being humble; I would say he is just being honest.


(Other posts on Achievement) 

Hostile to Liberty

In every country and every age, the priest had been hostile to Liberty. - Thomas Jefferson 


Think about it.


(Other posts on Liberty) 

Augmented Post

Sometimes I have more to say. From a previous post:

Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them. - Frederick Douglass 


It's called Sanction of the Victim.




Though Mr. Douglas is talking about governmental injustice the same applies at a more person-to-person level. People can also victimize you and you can give them that opportunity - in which case you, the victim, have given your sanction. There is a fine line here. If you think you have been victimized you need to follow these guidelines:


- Determine if you really are a victim. Considering yourself victimized is an easy way out. It places the blame on someone else - you don't have to be self-critical and so you personal integrity can be preserved (in your own mind anyway). It's is not fair, just, or moral to not shoulder some or all of the blame if you are the one who is indeed at fault. Life doesn't always go smoothly and many times you will find it is your own lack of education; your lack of skepticism; your mis-founded faith; your error in not checking your premises, that lead you to becoming a "victim."


- Could the person have avoided the "victimization"? If the boss didn't pay you because the business was closed due to bad weather then he did not victimize you - he had no control over the weather. If your agreement was to be paid for hours worked then he's off the hook. If you agreed to a monthly salary then he's on the hook (he took on the risk of bad weather).


- Did you "ask" for the victimization? There is a difference between being mugged on main street of the the small sleepy town and being mugged in what you know as the bad part of town with $100.00 bills hanging out of your pockets and gold chains proudly displayed. In either case the mugger should not have done the mugging but there is a significant difference in whether you are indeed a victim. You may have not given your sanction but you sure did act stupid and should shoulder some significant part of the blame.


- Were you lured into setting yourself up to becoming a victim? Did you build on the 100 year flood plain assuming that since you were not going to live another 100 years that you needn't worry, when in actuality it was only an estimate that it would not flood more than once every 100 years (which year nobody was able to predict)? Your fault for not being more skeptical. There is that probability that it would flood two years in a row.


- Did you have unfounded faith? Did the Mutual fund advisor recommend the fund based on past performance? You didn't read the fine print (the "past performance does not guarantee future performance" clause)? If your faith was unfounded then you caused the problem - take your lumps and learn from you short-comings. 


I'm tired of hearing the sweet young thing complaining about being raped when she walked down the alley with only her pubic hair holding up her pants. I'm equally tired of hearing the person who bought a house which flooded because the dike failed in a 50 foot storm surge nobody would have predicted.


Which leads me to my point: There is a difference between Freedom and Liberty, even though the words seem to be used interchangeably these days. One can limit ones own freedom. You are free to do stupid things but the prudent person limits their own freedom. I am "free" to flirt with every lady I meet though I limit that freedom willingly for the benefit of my marriage. My Liberty may only be limited by governmental bodies. I cannot limit my own liberty (nor would I want to). Often I see people endorsing limits on their Liberty thinking that it is the same as limiting their freedom. Not the same.


"Sanction of the Victim" as referred to by Mr. Douglas applies to Liberty, not Freedom.

Quiet Submission

Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them. - Frederick Douglass  


It's called Sanction of the Victim.


(Other posts on Freedom) 

New or Old Problem?

The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one.  - Albert Einstein 

There may be a crucial difference between solving a new problem and an old problem.

(Other posts on Problems) 

Rejected Gifts

If someone offers you a gift, and you decline to accept it, the other person still owns that gift. The same is true of insults and verbal attacks. - Steve Pavlina 


It takes two to Tango.


(Other posts on Ridicule) 

Design for Performance

Many things difficult to design prove easy to performance. - Samuel Johnson 


Thats the way things should be designed.

(Other posts on Problems) 

Leadership, Day to Day

Nothing so conclusively proves a man's ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself. - Thomas J. Watson 


Use this to find new leaders in your crew.


(Other posts on Leadership) 

Bold Bosses

He that undervalues himself will undervalue others, and he that undervalues others will oppress them. - Samuel Johnson 


If you want a good job look for a boss who is bold, self-confident and decisive.


(Other posts on Work) 

Augmented Post

Sometimes I have more to say. From a previous post:

Silent gratitude isn't very much use to anyone. - Gertrude Stein

Thank you for reading this blog.

Sometimes one way of showing gratitude is by having good manners. Lack of good manners is a sure-fire way of appearing that you do not appreciate another's generosity. One wouldn't think that in this day and age manners would need to be taught, but experience tells me otherwise. Here are a few thoughts on going to someone else's house:

- Arrive at a decent hour. If someone is providing a place for you to stay then don't arrive in the middle of the night - there are motels for that. If the proprietor of a motel wants to get a good nights sleep there is always the "No Vacancy" sign to turn on. Your hosts don't have that luxury.

- Remember that it is the whole family that is opening their home to you as a guest. That includes spouses, kids and pets. Treat them all with respect. When you leave, thank all of them for their generosity.

- Be interested in your hosts. Find out what their interests are - it will come in handy in expressing your gratitude. A token gift reflecting their interest is far more meaningful than a mere verbal thank you or something you like.

- Talk about things which interest your hosts - they may not care about what interests you. Include the whole family.

- Do your part. Remember someone's house is not a restaurant, motel, spa or vacation destination. Help with the cooking; do the dishes; clean up the mess; most of all, clean up your own mess (better than you would at home). To leave your hosts with extra chores will surely make them remember your stay - but it may not be a good memory. 

- When in Rome.......... Find out what your hosts preferences are and abide by them - not the way you usually do things.

- Reciprocate the generosity shown you. Make the effort to figure out what you can do whether it is buying dinner out, providing that something extra special for the house or meal, offering to take your car - something.

If your stay was a pleasure for your hosts you probably will be invited back! If they were generous enough to open their house to you then be generous enough to open your house - it was no easier for them than it is for you.