"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials." - Seneca While I am not so sure that our trials in life are deliberately imposed upon us as a test of our character or will intentionally by another being or entity, I have witnessed time and time again that the mechanism …
Category: Observations on Life
The Child of Liberalism
Anyone interested in what shaped the United States' founding generation's views on human nature, virtue and purpose ought to read Carl J. Richard's The Founders and the Classics: Greece, Rome and the American Enlightenment. Richard's comprehensive study of the founders' classical reading provides a clear and useful reference point to square back to when confronting …
Problem Solving 101
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." ~ Albert Einstein My riding lessons are a constant source of inspiration and realization for me and I've found that lesson learned in the ring translate into valuable principles for more effective living. The most recent realization came as a …
True to Yourself
"I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong." ~ Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass, the social reformer, writer, statesman and former slave was known for his oratory eloquence and his faithfulness to the cause of equal rights for women and African Americans. He lived in a tumultuous era and spent …
Great Expectations
"You can't base your life on other people's expectations." ~ Stevie Wonder Some people live their lives in total disregard of the expectations of others, while others base their entire sense of self-worth, purpose and meaning on how well they feel they are living up to the expectations of others. My concern this morning is …
On Friendship
"But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restored and sorrows end." ~William Shakespeare In a life of some 39 years I have encountered a great many people. No matter how rich, poor, tall, short, wise, foolish, serious, playful, famous, unknown, old, young, and so on they may be or …
The New American Dream
I came across an interesting passage in Seth Godin's Linchpin yesterday evening that I wanted to share with you, as always, with a few of my thoughts on the topic. Godin noted a seismic shift in the way work happens in our era, as distinct from earlier times and summarized his thoughts in this description …
The Art of Expression
"It is not enough that a man has clearness of vision, and reliance on sincerity, he must also have the art of expression, or he will remain obscure." ~ George Henry Lewes You can have the best product in the world, but if you don't package it correctly, it will be lost in the crowd. …
A Cure for Superficiality
“Democracy needs to be reborn in each generation and education is its midwife.” ~ John Dewey, Twentieth Century Education Theorist A friend of mine recommended New York Times columnist David Brooks' recent TED presentation to me yesterday (David Brooks: The Social Animal) and after having listened to it I am pleased to pass it along …
The Open Doors
The first step to effective problem-solving is to realize that a problem is nothing more than an unassembled solution. The more challenging problems typically require more intricate solutions, yet on occasion you might have the good fortune to resolve a complex and seemingly insoluble matter with stroke of genius. When you approach a new challenge …
Gregory Hake 