Coarse to Fine

Movement toward mastery, be it in a sport, trade or hobby, is a progression from coarse to fine. In the beginning, things tend to be a little awkward. The fundamentals are a foreign concept and it can be hard to get through even the most basic exercises in relation to the task at hand. As …

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Against the Wind

"Don't be afraid of opposition. Remember a kite rises against, not with the wind." - Hamilton Wright Mabie I received a silver pin today from the Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association congratulating me on 25 years of membership. Unbeknownst to me, I have now officially been a pilot for a quarter of a century. Man, …

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A Quality Human Being

"Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential." ~ Bruce Lee Why is it that we human beings are so obsessed with plumbing the depths of our …

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Living Symbols

I came across a new word recently in a New York Times article entitled "A Public Exit from Goldman Sachs Hits at a Wounded Wall Street." You may have heard of it, but I certainly had not. The word is: shibboleth. The word has several shades of meaning, but the one I find most intriguing …

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The Friction of Memories

"It's not the work which kills people, it's the worry. It's not the revolution that destroys machinery it's the friction." - Henry Ward Beecher Memory is a double-edged sword. It affords us the ability to learn from our mistakes, so that when we fail, we can then fail better. Conversely, it holds us back, causing …

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Evading the Truth

"People who pride themselves on their “complexity” and deride others for being “simplistic” should realize that the truth is often not very complicated. What gets complex is evading the truth." - Thomas Sowell The better part of human activity is wrought under the banner of evading the truth. Much of it is done unknowingly, though …

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Every Man

"Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Have the courage to do the right thing because it is right." - W. Clement Stone You no doubt have skills and talents that differentiate you from your fellows, but if you have not yet mastered the three abilities outlined above, it …

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Diminishing Returns

"It’s OK to be wrong; it’s unforgiving to stay wrong." - Martin Zweig There are few things more painful than a failed enterprise between family or friends. Even the best of ideas can be off center, ill timed or unmatched to the true need and it takes something to step up to the microphone, admit …

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The Foundation

"Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. The desire to take of an eye for an eye is an almost instinctive reaction. It is one of the trademarks of an emotionally stunted adult, and …

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The Elephant in the Living Room

I saw a fascinating documentary last evening called "The Elephant in the Living Room." The film takes its viewers deep into the American subculture of raising some of the world's most dangerous animals as household pets, focusing in particular on Terry Brumfield, a kindhearted man who is struggling to raise two African lions he bought …

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