You know a book is going to be interesting when its preface is riveting. William Steinkraus' prefatory comments to Lt. Col. A. L. D'Endrödy's excellent work on equitation "Give Your Horse a Chance" provides powerful insight into how to be more effective in living. Steinkraus noted: "It is ironic that so many of the people …
Tag: gregg hake
Give yourself a chance!
Thanks to a generous new acquaintance, I've just started reading Lt. Col. A.L. D'Endrödy's classic work on the training of horse and rider "Give Your Horse a Chance." D'Endrödy explains in the introduction that "I drafted the first outline of my book while in captivity at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, on the shores …
Ask, Receive, Give
"Remember, the conversation between you and your horse must never be dull or inert. It should be, 'Ask, receive, give. Ask, receive, give.' Ask with your body and legs; receive through your body into your hands; give primarily with the hands, but also with your body and legs, so that you can ask all over …
Weapons of Mass Construction
It is well-known that fission and fusion, two forms of nuclear reaction, release tremendous amounts of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. Weapons whose explosive energy is generated by fission are commonly known as "atomic bombs," though the name is somewhat misleading as the energy released comes specifically from the nucleus of the atom. …
The Mind of the Student
Yesterday's post on mating mosquitos got me thinking about the learning process. I've often thought that learning was akin to sex in that the acquisition of knowledge occurs through a rhythmic interplay of the student and the unknown. There is, borrowing from the mating habits of mosquitos, a harmonic convergence where the mind of the …
Harmonic Convergence
Summer is fast upon us in the northern hemisphere, and the warming temps herald the coming of the familiar and foreboding sound of mosquitos buzzing through the air. The buzzing sound they produce is of course a function of their wing beats and mosquitos have the ability to modify the speed at which they beat …
The Bitter Glass
The Two Trees by William Butler Yeats Beloved, gaze in thine own heart, The holy tree is growing there; From joy the holy branches start And all the trembling flowers they bear. The changing colours of its fruit Have dowered the stars with merry light; The surety of its hidden root Has planted quiet in …
Fostering Creativity
One topic which consumes a good deal of my attention is that of finding ways to encourage original creative thought in every area of my function. As a father, writer, sportsman and entrepreneur I am challenged daily to rise above the status quo, not out of rebellion, but from a concern to live a life …
Just between you and me…
A wise old friend of mine once gave me a valuable piece of advice. He said: "When you're listening, don't stick around to hear the end of a sentence which begins with 'Just between you and me'...and when you're speaking, never be so stupid as to end a sentence that begins with the same." That …
What’s in a name?
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet..." - William Shakespeare Since the beginning of recorded history, man has been curious about the world around him. His inquiry, fueled by the desire to understand his existence and purpose, is largely confined within two major frameworks: …
Gregory Hake 