I’m closing in on finishing my 2nd reading of Don Quixote — my 2nd epic read in the last 6 months. The other one being ‘Rise and Fall of The Third Reich’.
Don is massive, but still witty and cute and amazingly beautifully written — especially for that time.
I’m also about 20% into a large volume of the biography of Jimmy Carter. As a nuclear navy man myself, I was always aware Jimmy was an officer in the Nuclear Navy. But reading now, early in his career about his interview with Admiral Rickover, and then later his teaching reactor physics, differential calculus, thermodynamics, chemistry and ballistics to Navy officers and enlisted men who would serve on the first nuclear submarines, it strikes me of the stark intellectual differences between Republican presidents in my lifetime and democratic presidents. Nixon, Reagan, GW Bush and Trump were clowns. Complete populists — saying what they felt was necessary at the time to get elected. They were not serious or studious or intellectually curious men who would go educate themselves on important matters of the day so they could make better judgments.
Old man Bush was perhaps the exception in this example, although he also played fast and loose with ethics — for anyone who remembers Iran Contra scandal. Carter, Clinton, Obama and perhaps to a lesser degree Biden — are men who studied problems and understood at a much deeper level what was required to hold that office. Carter was almost certainly the overall most intelligent, at least from an engineering perspective. But of course Clinton was a Rhodes Scholar and Obama also held a hard earned JD from Harvard. Not that being an engineer is the best qualification, but it’s the intellectual curiosity and the willingness to educate yourself on the fly, at a deep level, on the most critical topics. This is not something that one picks up after achieving the office. This is a trait that is embedded through years of formal education and strong mentoring and simply a character trait of needing to know rather than trusting.
Imagine Donald Trump teaching any subject at all. Anything. Other perhaps than a masterclass on deception and fraud.
Why is it that Republicans prefer simple-mindedness to seriousness and intellect?
Marti and I just got done playing The Game. This nightly ritual is sacrosanct. I don’t know what might happen if we skipped this custom, but it seems possible the universe might collapse on itself. You’ve never seen a being so intent as when she jumps on the bed and stares at the covers; the sign that the game is afoot. She dares me to get into bed. The minute I get under the covers, the game is on. Full tug of war. She uses her front paws to strip the sheet and comforter to the foot of the bed. Then she stares at me in defiance. I pull the covers back up while she tries her best to stop me. She bites the sheet and comforter and pulls them down while I try to pull them up. The stares and growls and grunts and gamesmanship are all part of it. She’s hell on bedding, but it’s important to her so we indulge her.
I had to go through this exercise called Pecha Kucha for the Ascend Program I am in. PK is a storytelling format that we are using at Ascend to learn more about our fellow members. It was interesting putting the presentation together. Basically trying to encapsulate what I’ve done, what makes me tick, what’s important to me in this life experience — in 20 slides. Each slide is up for only 20 seconds. So it’s visually rich with minimal voice-over. But the story needs to be told.
As I was digging around for that material, I came across one of the stories I published on Medium about Lowell — my dear old rugby coach and friend.
Is it natural to reflect on our own lives and wonder if our good choices exceed our bad choices. Or if our good deeds are more than our bad deeds. Where does the scale land? Is it even important? Does Karma came into play? God or whatever universal power may or may not exist? And honestly, what is the definition of good and bad anyway? Certainly there are so many variations that an actual scale of any sorts is useless. How does taunting a child at school stack up against theft or burglary? What if you killed someone, but they were a complete prick and were causing serious harm and distress in the world? Do lower IQ people have more latitude than smarter people (who presumably should know better). If you join the Army and go kill a bunch of Iraqi’s for no reason other than your president wanted to start a senseless war — where does that fit in? Are soldiers automatically given a free pass for murder just because it’s within the military sphere? These were adult choices and why is murder in a war of convenience not a crime?
Jimmy Carter was known throughout his life for sometimes appearing aloof and distant. Many thought he was arrogant and this biography does not shy away from that perception. But I’ve had a theory for some time about this type of mentality. When people are confident and reasonably at peace with themselves, they can appear arrogant or cocky to someone who is insecure. And also, when people prefer solitude to company. It’s a sort of jealousy almost. I have been called arrogant a few times but I really don’t see myself that way. I have my own insecurities about some things, but I am confident in others. Areas where I have a lot of experience or a lot of training and have demonstrated competence, for example. I do argue my points, especially on matters of human rights, where I feel it’s important to stand up and be heard. But I never for a moment believe my viewpoint is always 100% correct or the only way a matter can perceived. There is nuance in everything.
I’m definitely passionate and committed and I realize that contributes to a perception of arrogance — although that is not my intent or my true feeling.
I’ve no idea if my good deeds will outweigh my bad deeds or if it even matters. I think I’m at least competitive in this contest, but what are the weighting factors and who are the judges?
My guiding principles for life essentially boil down to:
- Be intellectually curious. Always be learning. Always be reading something.
- Always be reflective and striving to become the best person I can be. Always try be mindful and practice positive behaviors, cognizant and resistant to negative behaviors and when I fail, acknowledge it and move on and try to do better next time.
- Have fun. It’s a big part of why we are here. To enjoy life as much as possible while maintaining a reasonable level of responsibility in a complex society structure.
- Help others along the way. Find ways to help the less fortunate or the least among us. It’s not really even benevolence — it’s good to feel valued and useful and to know that my actions have improved someone’s condition. I am surprised by how many people have not discovered this trick for contentment in life.
We have to weigh societal values against our instincts. So many things that society judges harshly, goes against our natural instincts. Collectivism can be brutally harsh, but our behavior as individuals is what defines us.
There’s a beautiful synchronicity to a dogs walk — the way their legs are harmonized. Any 4-legged animal I suppose. Marti has multiple gaits and they are all lovely to watch. Walks, canters, lopes, scampers, jogs, leaps and flat out sprints.
Walking with a dog, is different than walking the dog. Walking with a dog, especially in nature, can be a great pleasure.
Humbly Submitted
Rob Myres – Flanker, Portneuf Valley Rugby Football Club (retired)
Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.”
― Jodi Picoult,
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!RUDYARD KIPLING
The Martini Tales 