From our youth, most are filled with an audacious sense of adventure and look to the legends of the past. Swashbuckling heroes fill countless schoolroom notebooks and libraries. Many times, we choose a favorite champion from history — King Arthur of the Round Table, (1) Robinson Crusoe (2) marooned on an island, or more contemporary heroes, such as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Real-life figures can further represent our men of courage; accordingly, Sir Francis Drake, (3) Christopher Columbus, or even Sir Winston Churchill (4) come to mind.
Continue reading Find your adventurePodcast Episode 145: You can achieve your own level of success. Don’t be dissuaded from what you truly want out of your piece of life.
Podcast Episode 144: Given a choice between optimism and pessimism, we all know which we would choose. That said, we cannot not be naive and must fully nurture our powers of analysis. Being prepared for any result is the intelligent way forward.
The positive versus the negative
As we proceed forward in life, we are constantly bombarded with a surfeit of negative news. This, of course, can be directly attributed to Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, and their style of reporting, known as yellow journalism. (1) They realized that “if it bleeds it leads,” (2) negative news sells! Why? It is probably biological. When we left the Rift Valley in Ethiopia, some 150 million years ago (3) or so, we were small in number and weak in stature. The animals that walked the plain feasted upon us. The only way we could survive was to be constantly vigilant and to look out for one another. This produced the “fight or flight” phenomenon that is so much a part of our natural being.
Continue reading The positive versus the negativePodcast Episode 143: We must all nurture our powers of observation. This will give us a sense of gratitude and modesty as we “fight the many battles” in life — undoubtedly, to a positive end.
Podcast Episode 142: We must take care of our traditions. Their lack of acknowledgement and respect is slowly eating away at the fabric of our society. The populace is not prepared for change because it has nothing as a replacement. This situation must be ameliorated, and will be in the end.
Violence
I am angry! I rail against the injustices in the world. Why don’t I act, strike you with blows, and try to incapacitate you? The reason, ultimately, is that it is pointless. All violence only begets more violence and in the end accomplishes nothing. It is only through dialogue that we move humanity forward. In every civilization, it is the written word and physical edifices that endure, not its destructive wars and killing of adversaries, though not all agree. (1)
Continue reading ViolencePodcast Episode 141: Be that determined person you’ve always wanted to be. This is associated with the habit of success. Learn to reinforce your mission on a daily basis, be determined, personal achievements will follow.
Podcast Episode 140: Social etiquette and graciousness are civilization’s tools of human interaction. If we fail to learn these skill sets, we are bound to be compromised in our career goals and in life.
Age
I have a secret to tell you. It is great getting old! At first blush, that sounds like a foolish statement. Who would want to anticipate the march of time towards a bitter and unknown end? That is the point, isn’t it? If you do not view your life as a grand journey, at any point in its trajectory, you are destined to be cursed and vilified by your failures, and tricked by your successes. We often hear that it is a short, unfulfilled life. This is patently not true. Too many souls have described the magnificence of life — my life if I so choose.
Continue reading Age