The Abolition of Man- Some semi-heavy stuff by C.S. Lewis but well worth reading.
It is a compilation of three essays. My favorite is entitled Men Without Chests. It is about the role of an educator and what their role is not. In the essay he is critiquing a text book by authors he named Gaius and Titus so that he would not embarrass them. A few quotes I really liked... "Parents would be annoyed if their son returned from the dentist with his teeth untouched and his head filled with the dentist's philosophies." "They conclude that the best thing they can do is to fortify the minds of young people against emotion. My own experience as a a teacher tells the opposite tale. For every one pupil who needs to be guarded from a weak excess of sensibility there are three who need to be awakened from the slumber of cold vulgarity. The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts. For famished nature will be avenged and a hard heart is not infallible protection against a soft head." "Aristotle says that the aim of education is to make the pupil like and dislike what he ought."
Lewis' comments on the definition of the Tao... " It is in reality beyond all predicates. the abyss that was before the creator Himself. It is Nature, it is the Way, the Road. It is the way in which the universe goes on, the way in which things everlastingly emerge, stilly and tranquilly into space and time. It is also the Way which every man should tread in imitation of that cosmic progression, conforming all activities to that great exemplar." But what is common to them all, is something that we cannot neglect. It is the doctrine of objective value, the belief that certain attitudes are really true, and others really false to the kind of thing the universe is and the kind of thing we are." He also says something that I struggle with from time to time... "The heart never takes the place of the head: but it can, and should obey it." We are sometimes told to "just follow our heart" it is hard to know the times when the head or the heart should lead out.
"The head rules the belly through the chest- the seat of magnanimity, of emotions organized by trained habit into stable sentiments. The Chest-Magnanimity-Sentiment- these are the indispensable liaison officers between cerebral man and visceral man. It may even be said that it is by this middle element that man is man: for by his intellect he is mere spirit and by his appetites mere animal. And all the time- such is the tragi-comedy of our situation- we continue to clamour for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. You can hardly open a periodical without coming across the statement that what our society needs is more 'drive' or dynamism., or self-sacrifice or 'creativity'. In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the gelding be fruitful.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Fencing
Brock, Seth and I had a great time working on the fence last Saturday. This is one of the reasons I really like living on a little bit of land. Every little boy should grow up somewhere that he can pee in the back yard and play in the mud with his dog. We miss some of the ammenities of living next to a city. Great plays and restaurants, the krishna temple- where you can take your kids to something that is very different than their every day life. We miss the diversity and sometimes wonder if there is a happy medium. In the end we feel like being close to family and having enough room for goats so that Seth can drink out of thier water is more important than convenience.
Brock, Seth and I had a great time working on the fence last Saturday. This is one of the reasons I really like living on a little bit of land. Every little boy should grow up somewhere that he can pee in the back yard and play in the mud with his dog. We miss some of the ammenities of living next to a city. Great plays and restaurants, the krishna temple- where you can take your kids to something that is very different than their every day life. We miss the diversity and sometimes wonder if there is a happy medium. In the end we feel like being close to family and having enough room for goats so that Seth can drink out of thier water is more important than convenience.
Friday, November 21, 2008
We went to Haiti again last week. We were a bit nervous to see Mackson again, we wondered if he would have forgot us or would be mad for us leaving him last time we went to Haiti. Within 1 minute he was hugging Becky and would not let her put him down. He is a sweet little boy and we are looking forward to bringing him home in a couple months. The only real hurdle we have left is finding his birth mother again. She has signed papers with the Haitian government saying she is giving Mackson up for adoption, but she needs to do it again for the US government. Her home was destroyed by the recent hurricanes and she was displaced. Hopefully they will be able to find her. If not, it could take us another 3-4 months to have him declaired "abandoned" We should have him home some time between the end of January and Easter.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Thomas Jefferson Biographay
I finished a book on Thomas Jefferson- after reading John Adams biography I saw Jefferson as a man who was into appearances was fickle in his opinions. This book helped me see another side of Jefferson and help me understand why he did some of the things he did.
A few things that Jefferson was accomplished at…
Speaking, writing, the law, farming, gardening, playing the violin, a voracious reader with thousands of books in his personal library, a natural philosopher, inventor, architect (designed the University of Virginia), created the plan for public education from elementary school through college (he did this during his retirement), An amazing problem solver and thinker.
Jefferson was a champion of states rights. This is one of the main arguments he and Adams had. Adams was a Federalist and believed in a strong federal government. Jefferson wanted decisions to be made as local as possible with states having the authority to make decisions on many issues that the federal government presides over today.
Jefferson believed in a “natural” aristocracy- an aristocracy of merit and ideas. Adams on the other hand still believed in an “artificial” aristocracy like England had. An aristocracy of money and family name.
“Throughout his life, one of Jefferson’s most cherished notions has been the creation of independent farmers, at once self-sufficient and mutually dependent. No other mode of living was as conductive to true democracy or the health of the state and the individual than an existence based on the soil. Jefferson took every opportunity to contrast the virtues of rural life with the vices of the city, the pleasant advantages of farming versus the cruel hardships of manufacturing.” He later stated that he had come to realize the importance of manufacturing on America remaining free and promoted the growth of manufacturing.
“Jefferson was always far less interested in the building than the planning. Build something and it is over and done; its tense is past. Create an idea, however and it is always becoming.
America is a land of contrasts…
1- A huge central government built by a people who inherently distrust big central governments
2- A massive military-industrial war machine raised in the name of peace.
3- Defenders of freedom of religion rushing to embrace federal subsidy of sectarian private schools.
Jefferson had many contrasts as well…
1- A lawyer who distrusted the law.
2- A man of peaceful rationality who relished revolution.
3- A lover of scholarly solitude who enacted his thoughts upon a nation and broadcast his philosophy to the world.
4- A hater of slavery that kept slaves.
5- A lover of ageless liberty who never quite saw beyond the racism of his day.
6- A radical modernist most comfortable among the heroes and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome.
7- An advocate of a presidency subordinated to the legislature who nevertheless assumed executive powers that even his high handed Federalist predecessors shied away from.
Fact is that these contrasts may be what made Jefferson MOST American.
A very interesting book that I am glad I read…
I finished a book on Thomas Jefferson- after reading John Adams biography I saw Jefferson as a man who was into appearances was fickle in his opinions. This book helped me see another side of Jefferson and help me understand why he did some of the things he did.
A few things that Jefferson was accomplished at…
Speaking, writing, the law, farming, gardening, playing the violin, a voracious reader with thousands of books in his personal library, a natural philosopher, inventor, architect (designed the University of Virginia), created the plan for public education from elementary school through college (he did this during his retirement), An amazing problem solver and thinker.
Jefferson was a champion of states rights. This is one of the main arguments he and Adams had. Adams was a Federalist and believed in a strong federal government. Jefferson wanted decisions to be made as local as possible with states having the authority to make decisions on many issues that the federal government presides over today.
Jefferson believed in a “natural” aristocracy- an aristocracy of merit and ideas. Adams on the other hand still believed in an “artificial” aristocracy like England had. An aristocracy of money and family name.
“Throughout his life, one of Jefferson’s most cherished notions has been the creation of independent farmers, at once self-sufficient and mutually dependent. No other mode of living was as conductive to true democracy or the health of the state and the individual than an existence based on the soil. Jefferson took every opportunity to contrast the virtues of rural life with the vices of the city, the pleasant advantages of farming versus the cruel hardships of manufacturing.” He later stated that he had come to realize the importance of manufacturing on America remaining free and promoted the growth of manufacturing.
“Jefferson was always far less interested in the building than the planning. Build something and it is over and done; its tense is past. Create an idea, however and it is always becoming.
America is a land of contrasts…
1- A huge central government built by a people who inherently distrust big central governments
2- A massive military-industrial war machine raised in the name of peace.
3- Defenders of freedom of religion rushing to embrace federal subsidy of sectarian private schools.
Jefferson had many contrasts as well…
1- A lawyer who distrusted the law.
2- A man of peaceful rationality who relished revolution.
3- A lover of scholarly solitude who enacted his thoughts upon a nation and broadcast his philosophy to the world.
4- A hater of slavery that kept slaves.
5- A lover of ageless liberty who never quite saw beyond the racism of his day.
6- A radical modernist most comfortable among the heroes and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome.
7- An advocate of a presidency subordinated to the legislature who nevertheless assumed executive powers that even his high handed Federalist predecessors shied away from.
Fact is that these contrasts may be what made Jefferson MOST American.
A very interesting book that I am glad I read…
Monday, October 20, 2008
USU Customer Service Seminar…
The first speaker was a fellow who had won The Apprentice on TV with Donald Trump. A summary of what he said would be as follows…”Do whatever is popular and that you feel people will want to see you do. It is not the substance of greatness but the appearance of greatness that matters.” It was a good reminder that you do not always need to follow correct principles to be successful in the short term. Sometimes we see companies or people who operate in this way and we are tempted by the short-term results that we see. Nothing really great was created on the foundation of appearances.
A fellow from Proctor and Gamble was there and had some great market data. It made me jealous that he had access to so much information. Most of it was from AC Nielson and IRI. He talked of the current economic situation in our country and a few things Proctor and Gamble are expecting to happen.
1- The “low income” bracket will be the fastest growing segment of the economy. People are going to be shopping more on price than they have in years past.
2- Stores like Whole Foods (maybe Real Foods) will struggle because people have fewer dollars to spend and it needs to stretch farther than it has in times past.
3- 27% of people will spend less on groceries than they did when the economy was more sound
4- He stressed the critical role of shelf presence and being able to tell our story to the customer at a blink of an eye.
5- Low income people will splurge on brands they love.
6- Two moments of truth- when she chooses and when she uses the product.
A good presentation on customer service by Richard Hanks, a couple key thoughts….
Our customers do not see our quality and service the same way we do.
If I put my head in the over and my feet in the freezer, on average I am warm… Customers do not experience averages- they experience their individual encounter with the company.
He suggested that we need to ask them more frequently. As Doug, Blake and I talked about it, I think we disagree with him. We feel we need to build a system so focused on the customer that we do not need to ask. I do not think Nordstrom’s is always asking “How are we doing?” they know how they are doing deep down and people continue to rave about their service to others.
I feel we should stop doing customer surveys and build a system of customer service that is beyond questioning.
The first speaker was a fellow who had won The Apprentice on TV with Donald Trump. A summary of what he said would be as follows…”Do whatever is popular and that you feel people will want to see you do. It is not the substance of greatness but the appearance of greatness that matters.” It was a good reminder that you do not always need to follow correct principles to be successful in the short term. Sometimes we see companies or people who operate in this way and we are tempted by the short-term results that we see. Nothing really great was created on the foundation of appearances.
A fellow from Proctor and Gamble was there and had some great market data. It made me jealous that he had access to so much information. Most of it was from AC Nielson and IRI. He talked of the current economic situation in our country and a few things Proctor and Gamble are expecting to happen.
1- The “low income” bracket will be the fastest growing segment of the economy. People are going to be shopping more on price than they have in years past.
2- Stores like Whole Foods (maybe Real Foods) will struggle because people have fewer dollars to spend and it needs to stretch farther than it has in times past.
3- 27% of people will spend less on groceries than they did when the economy was more sound
4- He stressed the critical role of shelf presence and being able to tell our story to the customer at a blink of an eye.
5- Low income people will splurge on brands they love.
6- Two moments of truth- when she chooses and when she uses the product.
A good presentation on customer service by Richard Hanks, a couple key thoughts….
Our customers do not see our quality and service the same way we do.
If I put my head in the over and my feet in the freezer, on average I am warm… Customers do not experience averages- they experience their individual encounter with the company.
He suggested that we need to ask them more frequently. As Doug, Blake and I talked about it, I think we disagree with him. We feel we need to build a system so focused on the customer that we do not need to ask. I do not think Nordstrom’s is always asking “How are we doing?” they know how they are doing deep down and people continue to rave about their service to others.
I feel we should stop doing customer surveys and build a system of customer service that is beyond questioning.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Grandpa Bastian Died at age 96- June 27, 2008
Everyone has a few people in their life that have shaped and molded them. You are not completely aware of the totality of their influence, you only know you would be a different person had they not been a part of your life. My Grandpa Bastian was one of those people for me. He died this Friday afternoon at 5:38 PM at the age of 96.
It is impossible to summarize in words what my Grandpa meant to me. Many of my earliest recollections of life are with me driving a tractor or combine between his knees as he would poke me in the ribs when I would veer too far to one side. As we were working the fields he would tell me the stories of his life. What it was like to grow up in an era when physical strength was so much more important than it is today. All of the contests they would have- seeing who could buck hay the highest, lift an anvil onto a table with one hand etc… He would also tell me the story of how he met my grandma and of their courtship and early life. A tape I made of his stories is one of my most prized possessions.One of the ways I feel I have been most cheated in life is not to have known my grandpa in his prime. He was 59 when I was born which means he was about 65 when I first remember him. Even at 65 he seemed larger than life to me, very strong in both body and mind. I wonder what it would have been like to know him when he was 35?
He owned a gas station in Aurora that I would help him run after schools and on weekends when I was about 12 years old. I loved when my uncles Jake and Garn and a few other farmers would come in and they would all pitch quarters for drinks and debate who’s corn was looking the best that year.
Until he was in his late 80’s I can not remember grandpa ever passing a child on the street without stopping and giving him a piece of candy. He did not do well at the gas station business because he would let everyone charge and never had the heart to aggressively collect from them. He never passed a hitchhiker without giving them a ride, paying them $5.00 for their pack of cigarettes, telling them to join the church and get a good job where they can make something of their life.
The last 15 years have been hard to watch grandpa slowly lose the ability to do the things that he loved to do. He had two loves in his life, his work and his family. And because he always worked with his family, it was even hard to separate those two loves. Up until a couple years ago he was feeding cows every morning and working on the farm as much as my dad dared let him. He was so frustrated that my dad would not let him do more, but deep down I think he knew he just was not able to hear and see well enough to work the machinery safely.
It has been so difficult for me to see my grandpa wither away over the past few years- almost more than I could bear at times. It was hard for me to learn that superman is mortal after all. I could go on for hours writing about him and probably will in my journal but won’t trouble all of you with that.
My grandpa was a living testament to the fact that a honest, hard working man that loves his family can leave this world a much better place than he found it. I find myself haunted by his example, and feel it unlikely to ever fill his shoes. It is an honor to call him my grandpa and to have been able to know him in such an intimate way. I have missed the real him for years as age has taken its toll on his body. I am so glad that he is now free to be himself again although he will be greatly missed.
Everyone has a few people in their life that have shaped and molded them. You are not completely aware of the totality of their influence, you only know you would be a different person had they not been a part of your life. My Grandpa Bastian was one of those people for me. He died this Friday afternoon at 5:38 PM at the age of 96.
It is impossible to summarize in words what my Grandpa meant to me. Many of my earliest recollections of life are with me driving a tractor or combine between his knees as he would poke me in the ribs when I would veer too far to one side. As we were working the fields he would tell me the stories of his life. What it was like to grow up in an era when physical strength was so much more important than it is today. All of the contests they would have- seeing who could buck hay the highest, lift an anvil onto a table with one hand etc… He would also tell me the story of how he met my grandma and of their courtship and early life. A tape I made of his stories is one of my most prized possessions.One of the ways I feel I have been most cheated in life is not to have known my grandpa in his prime. He was 59 when I was born which means he was about 65 when I first remember him. Even at 65 he seemed larger than life to me, very strong in both body and mind. I wonder what it would have been like to know him when he was 35?
He owned a gas station in Aurora that I would help him run after schools and on weekends when I was about 12 years old. I loved when my uncles Jake and Garn and a few other farmers would come in and they would all pitch quarters for drinks and debate who’s corn was looking the best that year.
Until he was in his late 80’s I can not remember grandpa ever passing a child on the street without stopping and giving him a piece of candy. He did not do well at the gas station business because he would let everyone charge and never had the heart to aggressively collect from them. He never passed a hitchhiker without giving them a ride, paying them $5.00 for their pack of cigarettes, telling them to join the church and get a good job where they can make something of their life.
The last 15 years have been hard to watch grandpa slowly lose the ability to do the things that he loved to do. He had two loves in his life, his work and his family. And because he always worked with his family, it was even hard to separate those two loves. Up until a couple years ago he was feeding cows every morning and working on the farm as much as my dad dared let him. He was so frustrated that my dad would not let him do more, but deep down I think he knew he just was not able to hear and see well enough to work the machinery safely.
It has been so difficult for me to see my grandpa wither away over the past few years- almost more than I could bear at times. It was hard for me to learn that superman is mortal after all. I could go on for hours writing about him and probably will in my journal but won’t trouble all of you with that.
My grandpa was a living testament to the fact that a honest, hard working man that loves his family can leave this world a much better place than he found it. I find myself haunted by his example, and feel it unlikely to ever fill his shoes. It is an honor to call him my grandpa and to have been able to know him in such an intimate way. I have missed the real him for years as age has taken its toll on his body. I am so glad that he is now free to be himself again although he will be greatly missed.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
EMPIRE OF DEBT
Finished Empire of Debt, here are some quotes I liked and learnings I took from it…
Watching the news is a bit like watching a bad opera. You can tell from all the shrieking that something very important is supposed to be happening, but you don’t quite know what it is.
Savings
Americans consume more than they earn. The difference is made up by thrifty Asians whose savings are recycled into granite countertops and flat screen TV’s all over the United States.
The savings rate in China is 25%. The savings rate in America is -.4%. Asians now own enough US dollar assets to buy a controlling interest in every company on the DOW. They have enough T-bonds to destroy the US economy on a whim.
And what about the millions of dead Americans who immigrated to the United States to find freedom- what would they think of our current situation? What would they thing of their descendants so deeply in debt and so dependant on Asian lenders that they can barely pass a Chinese restaurant without bending over and kissing the pavement?
When an economy comes to depend more and more on credit, it must get more and more of it or that economy will stop. A man who has borrowed heavily to finance a lifestyle he cannot afford must keep borrowing to keep up with appearance. Or else he must stop.
Housing
Houses are too expensive. They usually go up at a rate roughly equal the rate of inflation, income or GDP growth- no more. For the past 10 years however, they have gone up three to five times as fast House prices can not grow faster than income for very long; people have to be able to pay the price in order to live in them. So, you can expect housing prices to revert to their mean too. Prices will fall or else stop rising. These simple reversions to mean are hardly controversial. We don’t know what will happen or how, but that they will come about is practically guaranteed.
One dillusion that has been especially fetching lately. Alan Greenspan tells us that as long as house prices rise in parallel with household debt there should be no problem. He must know that this is not true. Relative to his assets, he says, the US consumer is not over indebted. This is a little like telling a man not to worry about drinking too much as long as he is getting fatter at the same time! The price of the house is only of interest if he is going to sell and live in a cave, or die. Otherwise, he has no way of realizing the inflated value of his house- except borrowing against it, which only makes the situation worse.
Stock Market
When people you know are of the opinion that stocks will rise 15% per year indefinitely, you are nearer to the top of the market than the bottom. When people believe the opposite- that stocks will never go up, most likely you are near a bottom.
The Dollar
A landmark in the history of America happened in 1971 when Richard Nixon said that the value of the dollar would no longer be calibrated with the value of gold.
We can measure the damage by looking at the price of gold. In 1970, each dollar would by an investor 1/34 oz. of gold. Thirty five years later, a dollar would buy us 1/425 oz. of gold. Today a dollar will buy 1/870 oz. of gold. For the many years after 1913 when the Federal Reserve was set up, gold remained as immoveable in it’s value as ever. It would buy roughly the same amount of good then as it did when Christ was born. As a result of losing it’s backing to gold- guess how much the dollar is worth in comparison to what it was worth in 1913 in purchasing power? 5 cents.
The USA economy has been so strong for so long, people all over the world have come to accept it’s currency as though it were real money; they take it and ask nothing in return. In exchange for a shipment of TV sets, the Japanese take a wad of $100 bills and call it even. And here is another remarkable thing: the bills tend to stay over seas wher they are uses to buy another form of USA paper, Treasury Bonds. The United States can print as many $100 bills as it wants. So can it issue as many bonds and notes as it pleases. As long as people don’t try to exchange them for other forms of wealth- all is well…
Taxes and Spending
I have been frustrated with our current administrations fiscal policy of wanting to have their cake and eat it too. President Bush cut taxes- which is wonderful. Tax cuts are a good way to stimulate the economy as people risk more when they do not feel most of it is going to be taken by the government anyway. On the other hand- Government not only needs to cut taxes, they need to curtail spending. Our current policy is to lower taxes, but not spending leaving a HUGE debt to be paid by us and our grandchildren. The debt equals more that $100,000 for every man, woman and child in America when unfunded liabilities are considered.
Thomas Jefferson was against this sort of debt. He said “ No generation can contract debts greater than can be paid in the course of it’s own existence.”
Defense
America spends as much on defense as the rest of the world combined. Do we really need to spend that much?
Conclusion
He ended the book with the following suggestions
1- Don’t get caught up in the whole- “spend more than you make” society we live in.
2- Invest in BUSINESSES not stocks- that have fundamental value. He is a big fan of Warren Buffett and his style of investing
3- A home is not an investment- It creates nothing of value that can be sold. It’s price may go up, but it’s value stays the same. The value comes from allowing my family a comfortable place to live.
4- Gold is a good way to protect value- its worth has been stable for thousands of years. Do not expect gold to be an investment either- it creates nothing of value.
5- Expect there to be a significant change in our economy at some future time. We can not spend more than we make as a country indefinitely without significant ramifications.
Somewhere in the still unwritten Essentialists Handbook it warns readers that “they cannot be too trusting in private nor too cynical in public.” Essentialists make private life paramount. They “sweep their own doorsteps” as Goethe put it, in hopes of making the whole world clean.
A final line from Benjamin Franklin- “So, we leave you a republic, if you can keep it.”
Finished Empire of Debt, here are some quotes I liked and learnings I took from it…
Watching the news is a bit like watching a bad opera. You can tell from all the shrieking that something very important is supposed to be happening, but you don’t quite know what it is.
Savings
Americans consume more than they earn. The difference is made up by thrifty Asians whose savings are recycled into granite countertops and flat screen TV’s all over the United States.
The savings rate in China is 25%. The savings rate in America is -.4%. Asians now own enough US dollar assets to buy a controlling interest in every company on the DOW. They have enough T-bonds to destroy the US economy on a whim.
And what about the millions of dead Americans who immigrated to the United States to find freedom- what would they think of our current situation? What would they thing of their descendants so deeply in debt and so dependant on Asian lenders that they can barely pass a Chinese restaurant without bending over and kissing the pavement?
When an economy comes to depend more and more on credit, it must get more and more of it or that economy will stop. A man who has borrowed heavily to finance a lifestyle he cannot afford must keep borrowing to keep up with appearance. Or else he must stop.
Housing
Houses are too expensive. They usually go up at a rate roughly equal the rate of inflation, income or GDP growth- no more. For the past 10 years however, they have gone up three to five times as fast House prices can not grow faster than income for very long; people have to be able to pay the price in order to live in them. So, you can expect housing prices to revert to their mean too. Prices will fall or else stop rising. These simple reversions to mean are hardly controversial. We don’t know what will happen or how, but that they will come about is practically guaranteed.
One dillusion that has been especially fetching lately. Alan Greenspan tells us that as long as house prices rise in parallel with household debt there should be no problem. He must know that this is not true. Relative to his assets, he says, the US consumer is not over indebted. This is a little like telling a man not to worry about drinking too much as long as he is getting fatter at the same time! The price of the house is only of interest if he is going to sell and live in a cave, or die. Otherwise, he has no way of realizing the inflated value of his house- except borrowing against it, which only makes the situation worse.
Stock Market
When people you know are of the opinion that stocks will rise 15% per year indefinitely, you are nearer to the top of the market than the bottom. When people believe the opposite- that stocks will never go up, most likely you are near a bottom.
The Dollar
A landmark in the history of America happened in 1971 when Richard Nixon said that the value of the dollar would no longer be calibrated with the value of gold.
We can measure the damage by looking at the price of gold. In 1970, each dollar would by an investor 1/34 oz. of gold. Thirty five years later, a dollar would buy us 1/425 oz. of gold. Today a dollar will buy 1/870 oz. of gold. For the many years after 1913 when the Federal Reserve was set up, gold remained as immoveable in it’s value as ever. It would buy roughly the same amount of good then as it did when Christ was born. As a result of losing it’s backing to gold- guess how much the dollar is worth in comparison to what it was worth in 1913 in purchasing power? 5 cents.
The USA economy has been so strong for so long, people all over the world have come to accept it’s currency as though it were real money; they take it and ask nothing in return. In exchange for a shipment of TV sets, the Japanese take a wad of $100 bills and call it even. And here is another remarkable thing: the bills tend to stay over seas wher they are uses to buy another form of USA paper, Treasury Bonds. The United States can print as many $100 bills as it wants. So can it issue as many bonds and notes as it pleases. As long as people don’t try to exchange them for other forms of wealth- all is well…
Taxes and Spending
I have been frustrated with our current administrations fiscal policy of wanting to have their cake and eat it too. President Bush cut taxes- which is wonderful. Tax cuts are a good way to stimulate the economy as people risk more when they do not feel most of it is going to be taken by the government anyway. On the other hand- Government not only needs to cut taxes, they need to curtail spending. Our current policy is to lower taxes, but not spending leaving a HUGE debt to be paid by us and our grandchildren. The debt equals more that $100,000 for every man, woman and child in America when unfunded liabilities are considered.
Thomas Jefferson was against this sort of debt. He said “ No generation can contract debts greater than can be paid in the course of it’s own existence.”
Defense
America spends as much on defense as the rest of the world combined. Do we really need to spend that much?
Conclusion
He ended the book with the following suggestions
1- Don’t get caught up in the whole- “spend more than you make” society we live in.
2- Invest in BUSINESSES not stocks- that have fundamental value. He is a big fan of Warren Buffett and his style of investing
3- A home is not an investment- It creates nothing of value that can be sold. It’s price may go up, but it’s value stays the same. The value comes from allowing my family a comfortable place to live.
4- Gold is a good way to protect value- its worth has been stable for thousands of years. Do not expect gold to be an investment either- it creates nothing of value.
5- Expect there to be a significant change in our economy at some future time. We can not spend more than we make as a country indefinitely without significant ramifications.
Somewhere in the still unwritten Essentialists Handbook it warns readers that “they cannot be too trusting in private nor too cynical in public.” Essentialists make private life paramount. They “sweep their own doorsteps” as Goethe put it, in hopes of making the whole world clean.
A final line from Benjamin Franklin- “So, we leave you a republic, if you can keep it.”
Monday, December 17, 2007
Tyranny of the OR....
It was a great learning week for me, traveling too and from ACRES gave me quite a few hours to study. One of my main take- homes this past week is a contrast of philosophies.
First, from the book The Toyota Way, as they were working on designing the first Lexus vehicle, they stated the vehicle needed to…
1- Have great high speed handling YET A pleasant ride
2- Fast and smooth ride YET Low fuel consumption
3- Super Quiet YET Light weight
4- Elegant styling YET Great aerodynamics
5- Warm YET Functional interior
6- Great stability at high speed YET Low friction
Toyota was not willing to accept the word OR- they demanded a third alternative.
It seems demanding a third alternative is one of the keys of true innovation. This it a huge difference that I see between Toyota and much of the organic movement. There is much I learn and appreciate from the ACRES conference, but I do not agree with their methods of change.
Common thoughts in the ACRES/ organic movement
1- being independent OR cooperating with regulation
2- Healthy food OR the food we can get at Wal-Mart
There are many other ways where it seems this group is not looking for a third alternative. They want to confront and downgrade regulators rather than working with and educating them.
In order for us to have access to great food on a large scale in our society, people in power are going to need to be educated and accept change. I am not naïve enough to think this is a simple task, but attempting it seems more productive than fighting them.
The backwards way that the organic movement approaches change may increase the amount of time it takes to get real food in the hands of the masses.
I am grateful for a great reminder for the need to look for third alternatives.
It was a great learning week for me, traveling too and from ACRES gave me quite a few hours to study. One of my main take- homes this past week is a contrast of philosophies.
First, from the book The Toyota Way, as they were working on designing the first Lexus vehicle, they stated the vehicle needed to…
1- Have great high speed handling YET A pleasant ride
2- Fast and smooth ride YET Low fuel consumption
3- Super Quiet YET Light weight
4- Elegant styling YET Great aerodynamics
5- Warm YET Functional interior
6- Great stability at high speed YET Low friction
Toyota was not willing to accept the word OR- they demanded a third alternative.
It seems demanding a third alternative is one of the keys of true innovation. This it a huge difference that I see between Toyota and much of the organic movement. There is much I learn and appreciate from the ACRES conference, but I do not agree with their methods of change.
Common thoughts in the ACRES/ organic movement
1- being independent OR cooperating with regulation
2- Healthy food OR the food we can get at Wal-Mart
There are many other ways where it seems this group is not looking for a third alternative. They want to confront and downgrade regulators rather than working with and educating them.
In order for us to have access to great food on a large scale in our society, people in power are going to need to be educated and accept change. I am not naïve enough to think this is a simple task, but attempting it seems more productive than fighting them.
The backwards way that the organic movement approaches change may increase the amount of time it takes to get real food in the hands of the masses.
I am grateful for a great reminder for the need to look for third alternatives.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Some quotes from the 5000 Year Leap…
After eight years in exile as a communist- living in the USSR, Eldridge Cleaver asked to be allowed to return to the United States and pay whatever penalty he was due. He and his wife were no longer communists (or atheists). Bitter years behind the iron and bamboo curtains had dispelled the propaganda concerning “equality” and “justice” under communism. Cleaver told the press: “ I would rather be in jail in America than be free anywhere else.”
The founders distinguished between equal rights and other areas where equality is impossible. They recognized that society should seek to provide equal opportunity but not expect equal results; provide equal freedom but not expect equal capacity; provide equal rights but not equal possessions; provide equal protection but not equal status; provide equal educational opportunities but not ensure equal grades…
Benjamin Franklin’s view on counter-productive compassion-
1- Compassion which gives a drunk the means to increase his drunkenness is counter-productive
2- Compassion which breeds debilitating dependency and weakness is counter-productive
3- Compassion which blunts the desire or necessity to work for a living in counter productive.
4- Compassion which smothers the instinct to strive and excel is counter-productive
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience has shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But, when a long train of abuses and usurpation pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
The government is, or ought to be, instituted for the common benefit, protection, and security of the people and that, when any government shall be found inadequate or contrary to these purposes, a MAJORITY of the community have an inalienable right to alter, reform or abolish it, in a manner as shall be judged most conducive to the public weal.
The reason I feel this last paragraph is so significant is because we do not have the right of MINORITY revolt. Starting a militia and blowing up the Oklahoma City Federal Building is not an option. It has to come at a time when the majority of people are willing to stand up and say- NO MORE. Many of the same arguments that were used to justify our seceding from England exist today- some of the abuses today are much worse- but until we all get fed up enough to stand up and say “no more” as the majority of the people- we have no right to real change. I am not sure I see that happening any time soon although I am very frustrated with the politics of today…
After eight years in exile as a communist- living in the USSR, Eldridge Cleaver asked to be allowed to return to the United States and pay whatever penalty he was due. He and his wife were no longer communists (or atheists). Bitter years behind the iron and bamboo curtains had dispelled the propaganda concerning “equality” and “justice” under communism. Cleaver told the press: “ I would rather be in jail in America than be free anywhere else.”
The founders distinguished between equal rights and other areas where equality is impossible. They recognized that society should seek to provide equal opportunity but not expect equal results; provide equal freedom but not expect equal capacity; provide equal rights but not equal possessions; provide equal protection but not equal status; provide equal educational opportunities but not ensure equal grades…
Benjamin Franklin’s view on counter-productive compassion-
1- Compassion which gives a drunk the means to increase his drunkenness is counter-productive
2- Compassion which breeds debilitating dependency and weakness is counter-productive
3- Compassion which blunts the desire or necessity to work for a living in counter productive.
4- Compassion which smothers the instinct to strive and excel is counter-productive
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience has shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But, when a long train of abuses and usurpation pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
The government is, or ought to be, instituted for the common benefit, protection, and security of the people and that, when any government shall be found inadequate or contrary to these purposes, a MAJORITY of the community have an inalienable right to alter, reform or abolish it, in a manner as shall be judged most conducive to the public weal.
The reason I feel this last paragraph is so significant is because we do not have the right of MINORITY revolt. Starting a militia and blowing up the Oklahoma City Federal Building is not an option. It has to come at a time when the majority of people are willing to stand up and say- NO MORE. Many of the same arguments that were used to justify our seceding from England exist today- some of the abuses today are much worse- but until we all get fed up enough to stand up and say “no more” as the majority of the people- we have no right to real change. I am not sure I see that happening any time soon although I am very frustrated with the politics of today…
Saturday, October 27, 2007
For years Becky has been sending me to the store with "a list". For someone as prideful as me, a list is so limiting. I KNOW I can remember everything on the list, my mind is a steel trap. Becky is starting to agree, once somethings gets in my mind, it is never getting back out-like "what was on that list anyway?" At times I have difficulty "remembering" to get everything on the evil list. I am taking a big step today- I am coming out of the closet and admitting that from time to time I forget things. For this
reason, I am changing the way I use this blog. Until now I have been using this blog only as a catalog of a few thoughts from some of the significant books I read. The blog has become much too serious and impersonal. My intention is that I will use this blog as a more encompassing journal of what is going on in my life and the lives of my hot wife and kids. I am doing this because it seems I may not remember everything that happens in my life. I would have much rather stayed in my little utopia- thinking that I remembered everything, it would have taken much less effort than writing everything down. I mean really, if I don't remember it than I obviously don't miss it right? I could have gone through life perfectly happy- if not for the list.
The picture I posted above is my son Brock in the Gooseberry mountains. We went deer hunting this year and he was the GPS man, in charge of not getting us lost. It was a perfect deer hunt. We went on some great hikes, saw a lot of beautiful animals, caught about 30 fish and did not have to take one shot at a deer. Times like like these need to be remembered, it is good I had the list to remind me of that...
reason, I am changing the way I use this blog. Until now I have been using this blog only as a catalog of a few thoughts from some of the significant books I read. The blog has become much too serious and impersonal. My intention is that I will use this blog as a more encompassing journal of what is going on in my life and the lives of my hot wife and kids. I am doing this because it seems I may not remember everything that happens in my life. I would have much rather stayed in my little utopia- thinking that I remembered everything, it would have taken much less effort than writing everything down. I mean really, if I don't remember it than I obviously don't miss it right? I could have gone through life perfectly happy- if not for the list. The picture I posted above is my son Brock in the Gooseberry mountains. We went deer hunting this year and he was the GPS man, in charge of not getting us lost. It was a perfect deer hunt. We went on some great hikes, saw a lot of beautiful animals, caught about 30 fish and did not have to take one shot at a deer. Times like like these need to be remembered, it is good I had the list to remind me of that...
Monday, September 24, 2007
Maverick- Ricardo Semler
Last week I read a great book- Maverick by Ricardo Semler. He is also the author of 7 day weekend.
So many things at Semco- Semler’s company, are similar to what we do here at Redmond. They are organized into many small companies to allow them to be nimble and decrease bureaucracy. They also believe that making a profit is not the goal of business although it is essential.
A few good quotes from the book…
“It’s so easy to blame employees when a business does badly, but often they haven’t had the freedom to work or the motivation to perform as if the business were theirs.”
“it took us almost a decade to learn that our stress was internally generated, the result
of an immature organization and infantile goals.” We should probably ask ourselves
where our stress originates from.
He also told the story of the three men working. One said he was laying bricks, one was
building a building and one was building a temple. How often at work do we have the big picture and realize we have the opportunity to build temples in our own realm of responsibility.
“We simply do not believe our employees have an interest in coming in late, leaving early, and doing as little as possible for as much money as their union can wheedle out of us. After all, these same people raise children, join the PTA, elect mayors, governors, senators, and presidents. They are adults. At Semco (Redmond) we treat them like adults. We trust them. We don’t make our employees ask permission to go to the bathroom. We get out of their way and let them do their jobs.”
Some beliefs that Semler held the he found was faulty…
1- The belief that effort and results are directly proportional
2- The gospel that the quantity of work is more important than the quality of work.
3- “Things are a little irregular at work right now, I will just need to work a little longer until they straighten out.”
4- “Fear of delegation and it’s cousin, fear of replaceability. – we sometimes do not delegate things that we probably should…
5- I no longer wear a wrist watch- it struck me that life should be measured in years and decades- not minutes or hours.
“Without rules, all answers are suggested by common sense. No, I can’t define what common sense is, but I know it when I see it..”
“Growth through acquisition is exciting, cancerous and ulcer-inducing.”
“Much about growth is really about ego and greed, not business strategy.”
“It is not worth it to me to have a company at which you do not trust the people with which you work”
Semco changes their team leaders responsibility every few years. It would be akin to Kyle and Boyd switching jobs and Sammy and Deran changing roles at the end of the year.
Some things that I do not agree with that Semco does- they subsidize employee lunches for some employees- treating them as inferiors. On one hand they tell their employees that they are adults and that they want them to succeed, and on the other hand they caudle them and do not treat them like equals.
They also vote on all decisions making it democratic. I feel that everyone should be heard- that everyone should have a say in decisions. But in the end the decision should not be left to a popular vote. Popular vote assumes that everyone with a vote has the same amount and quality of information and in some instances this is not the case.
One of my favorite quotes…
“At the heart of our bold experiment is a truth so simple it would be silly if it wasn’t so rarely recognized. A company should trust its destiny to its employees.”
Last week I read a great book- Maverick by Ricardo Semler. He is also the author of 7 day weekend.
So many things at Semco- Semler’s company, are similar to what we do here at Redmond. They are organized into many small companies to allow them to be nimble and decrease bureaucracy. They also believe that making a profit is not the goal of business although it is essential.
A few good quotes from the book…
“It’s so easy to blame employees when a business does badly, but often they haven’t had the freedom to work or the motivation to perform as if the business were theirs.”
“it took us almost a decade to learn that our stress was internally generated, the result
of an immature organization and infantile goals.” We should probably ask ourselves
where our stress originates from.
He also told the story of the three men working. One said he was laying bricks, one was
building a building and one was building a temple. How often at work do we have the big picture and realize we have the opportunity to build temples in our own realm of responsibility.
“We simply do not believe our employees have an interest in coming in late, leaving early, and doing as little as possible for as much money as their union can wheedle out of us. After all, these same people raise children, join the PTA, elect mayors, governors, senators, and presidents. They are adults. At Semco (Redmond) we treat them like adults. We trust them. We don’t make our employees ask permission to go to the bathroom. We get out of their way and let them do their jobs.”
Some beliefs that Semler held the he found was faulty…
1- The belief that effort and results are directly proportional
2- The gospel that the quantity of work is more important than the quality of work.
3- “Things are a little irregular at work right now, I will just need to work a little longer until they straighten out.”
4- “Fear of delegation and it’s cousin, fear of replaceability. – we sometimes do not delegate things that we probably should…
5- I no longer wear a wrist watch- it struck me that life should be measured in years and decades- not minutes or hours.
“Without rules, all answers are suggested by common sense. No, I can’t define what common sense is, but I know it when I see it..”
“Growth through acquisition is exciting, cancerous and ulcer-inducing.”
“Much about growth is really about ego and greed, not business strategy.”
“It is not worth it to me to have a company at which you do not trust the people with which you work”
Semco changes their team leaders responsibility every few years. It would be akin to Kyle and Boyd switching jobs and Sammy and Deran changing roles at the end of the year.
Some things that I do not agree with that Semco does- they subsidize employee lunches for some employees- treating them as inferiors. On one hand they tell their employees that they are adults and that they want them to succeed, and on the other hand they caudle them and do not treat them like equals.
They also vote on all decisions making it democratic. I feel that everyone should be heard- that everyone should have a say in decisions. But in the end the decision should not be left to a popular vote. Popular vote assumes that everyone with a vote has the same amount and quality of information and in some instances this is not the case.
One of my favorite quotes…
“At the heart of our bold experiment is a truth so simple it would be silly if it wasn’t so rarely recognized. A company should trust its destiny to its employees.”
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
"Communication"
We had a good discussion in our Shared Experience meeting about the relativity of truth. I do not espouse the idea of moral relativism and believe that there are absolute truths. I appreciated our discussion, because since then I have been thinking about the fact that even though absolute truth exists, we may sometimes err in thinking that because we are aware of and believe in a truth that our actions are in alignment with that truth.
As in most areas in life, when it comes to absolute truth, the errors come in the application. When we see a thing, we assume that we are seeing it correctly, when in reality we have filtered it through the lens of our experiences and beliefs and made it into something that is only real to us. We get in trouble (at least I do) when I project my “truth” onto someone else and not only expect them to see it, but to abide by it.
I think (here I go, with my own version of the truth again…) this is one of the fundamental problems with communication- that when we speak to someone, we expect that they hear what we say. They do not hear what we say they hear words that they filter through their own lens and then nod politely as if they actually understood what we were getting at.
I really like the quote- “ The problem with communication is that we think it has actually taken place.” With my new learning I will try to do two things…
1- be more tolerant of other people’s truths.
2- assume less in communication. It is very hard to over-communicate, and being busy, I too often err on the side of just expecting that the other person understood- understand?
We had a good discussion in our Shared Experience meeting about the relativity of truth. I do not espouse the idea of moral relativism and believe that there are absolute truths. I appreciated our discussion, because since then I have been thinking about the fact that even though absolute truth exists, we may sometimes err in thinking that because we are aware of and believe in a truth that our actions are in alignment with that truth.
As in most areas in life, when it comes to absolute truth, the errors come in the application. When we see a thing, we assume that we are seeing it correctly, when in reality we have filtered it through the lens of our experiences and beliefs and made it into something that is only real to us. We get in trouble (at least I do) when I project my “truth” onto someone else and not only expect them to see it, but to abide by it.
I think (here I go, with my own version of the truth again…) this is one of the fundamental problems with communication- that when we speak to someone, we expect that they hear what we say. They do not hear what we say they hear words that they filter through their own lens and then nod politely as if they actually understood what we were getting at.
I really like the quote- “ The problem with communication is that we think it has actually taken place.” With my new learning I will try to do two things…
1- be more tolerant of other people’s truths.
2- assume less in communication. It is very hard to over-communicate, and being busy, I too often err on the side of just expecting that the other person understood- understand?
Monday, March 19, 2007
The Anatomy of Peace
I finished a book by the Arbinger Institute last week called The Anatomy of Peace It discussed some of the same principles as Leadership and Self Deception, but focused more on the effects of treating others as objects- as tools to be used to accomplish our goals. I am sure that without knowing it- I have treated people like objects instead of people. The busier we are- the easier this is to do. It was a good reminder for me to
Make sure I am taking the time to treat everyone I meet as a person instead of an object.
Over the past few years I have noticed something that is sad to me. When I go to a hotel, I try to make it a point to talk to the ladies that are cleaning the rooms. A good majority of them are Hispanic or Black depending on where in America the hotel is located. I talk to these ladies as equals (because they are) and I can tell they are usually shocked that someone is acknowledging them. These are the kind of people I feel it is all too easy to treat like objects- a tool that happens to clean hotel rooms. There are people like this all around us- the lady that drives our kids home on the bus- or the retired man who works at the crosswalks to help our kids cross the street. Maybe we should do more to let these people know that what they do, really matters. It seems to be more a matter of our awareness and gratitude for the contribution of others than a lack of caring. At times we get just a little too busy to notice….
I finished a book by the Arbinger Institute last week called The Anatomy of Peace It discussed some of the same principles as Leadership and Self Deception, but focused more on the effects of treating others as objects- as tools to be used to accomplish our goals. I am sure that without knowing it- I have treated people like objects instead of people. The busier we are- the easier this is to do. It was a good reminder for me to
Make sure I am taking the time to treat everyone I meet as a person instead of an object.
Over the past few years I have noticed something that is sad to me. When I go to a hotel, I try to make it a point to talk to the ladies that are cleaning the rooms. A good majority of them are Hispanic or Black depending on where in America the hotel is located. I talk to these ladies as equals (because they are) and I can tell they are usually shocked that someone is acknowledging them. These are the kind of people I feel it is all too easy to treat like objects- a tool that happens to clean hotel rooms. There are people like this all around us- the lady that drives our kids home on the bus- or the retired man who works at the crosswalks to help our kids cross the street. Maybe we should do more to let these people know that what they do, really matters. It seems to be more a matter of our awareness and gratitude for the contribution of others than a lack of caring. At times we get just a little too busy to notice….
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Atlas Shrugged
I have been reading Atlas Shrugged- I should finish it tonight. It has been a very expansive book. It covers many topics of the philosophy of the individuals relationship with society, with our obligation to our self and to each other.
The book has caused probably more questions in my mind than answers. Ayn Rand’s over-all philosophy is that we should never shrink from our greatness and that if we acted in perfectly selfish ways, we would never do anything to harm someone else because of how it would affect us in the end.
1- the producers- those who produce much more than they need for themselves
2- The maintainers- those who only produce what they need
3- The looters- Those who live off of the production of someone else.
I agree with
In this book- the producers go on strike- and the looters are left to find other means to take care of themselves because there were no producers left to live off of.
One of
This is one of the main tenants of her philosophy. I agree with it in the context of the man who CHOOSES not to take care of himself, but what about the man who CAN’T take care of himself? If everyone espoused
The producers in this book leave society as we know it and create their own society. As I read about it, I kept thinking about how wonderful it would be to live in a place where everyone was passionate about making a positive difference in the world and producing more than they consume. I am all for it as long as we can take those who can’t take care of themselves along with us. I would hate to see them left to the looters, talk about adding insult to injury…
Monday, January 22, 2007
1984
I read a great book last week- 1984 by George Orwell. It was written in 1949 and is a look at what the world may look like when we give all decision making power over to the government. The government in the book was called “Big Brother” and they made all decisions and “took care of you”. There were three groups in society- the Inner Party (the ruling class) the Outer Party- (those striving to replace the ruling party) and the Parols- The 80% of society being controlled by the small minority. Orwell talks about the latent power that the 80% hold. They have the ability to shake off their oppressors at any time they decide as a group to rise up. This has happened many times in history, and it is always a bloody situation. Why do we humans give such power to so few and expect them to “take care of us” when we know that the world does not work that way?
The main learning of the book for me was that it is much easier to protect our freedoms than it is to get them back once we have surrendered them. A very thought provoking book.
Monday, January 15, 2007
The Inner Game of Work
I have continued reading The Inner Game of Work I will complete this book this week- I have really enjoyed it. There is great power in “being aware” and not pushing things. The more we push, the more we get in the way of our own success. I am at the point now where I am trying to square this fact with the need to have a plan and be deliberate about things. The book has given me much to think about. I would put it in my top five business books. I have heard so many people say the same things about awareness, alpha, self one, getting in the flow over the past few years, that I have realized I have been pounding the nail way too hard at times. In Physics there is an equation that states
Work = force X distance
a corrilary may be real progress = awareness X following correct principles - force
force may be needed to do work in some definitions, but in life, force is a detractor at best.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Education of a Wandering Man
I have been reading a book called The Education of a Wandering Man I would not call it an earth shattering book, but it I do agree with the philosophy LaMour espouses- that learning is not so much a formal process as it is a way of being. Education is not the act of taking classes and earning degrees, it is the process of becoming more aware of our world, being able to better understand the principles upon which it operates. Education is that thing that causes us to question “why” or “why not” instead of just accepting today as the way things are and ultimately should be.
There is beauty in life all around us- the question is- do we choose to see it? Are we even aware it there? I see education as the process of opening our eyes to things that have been there all along –but looking, we have not seen them. One of the reason reasons I love talking to people of my grandpa’s generation is because they see things that I am only looking at…
A good synopsis of the book is that it is a journal of a mans process of becoming educated in the real sense of the word- no class rooms involved, but a lot of reading, a lot of roaming and a lot of skinned up knees…
I have been reading a book called The Education of a Wandering Man I would not call it an earth shattering book, but it I do agree with the philosophy LaMour espouses- that learning is not so much a formal process as it is a way of being. Education is not the act of taking classes and earning degrees, it is the process of becoming more aware of our world, being able to better understand the principles upon which it operates. Education is that thing that causes us to question “why” or “why not” instead of just accepting today as the way things are and ultimately should be.
There is beauty in life all around us- the question is- do we choose to see it? Are we even aware it there? I see education as the process of opening our eyes to things that have been there all along –but looking, we have not seen them. One of the reason reasons I love talking to people of my grandpa’s generation is because they see things that I am only looking at…
A good synopsis of the book is that it is a journal of a mans process of becoming educated in the real sense of the word- no class rooms involved, but a lot of reading, a lot of roaming and a lot of skinned up knees…
Raising The Bar...
I finished the book Raising the Bar last week. It had some great insights that can be applied to our business and personal lives…
They took a long bike ride they called the “epiphany ride”- during this ride, Gary Erickson (the owner of Clif Bar) pushed himself to the limit. He only had Power Bars to eat- six of them. He had to eat something because if how far they had pushed themselves, but he could not bring himself to eat another Power Bar, this is when the idea for Clif Bar was born. Had they not pushed themselves to the limit, Gary probably would not have come up with the idea of Clif Bar. When we push ourselves, we require ourselves to be creative in coming up with solutions we would not have otherwise thought of.
“life should be enjoyed-it is not only about the finish line”
Clif Bar went through a very busy time- they felt like their culture suffered because of it- they started doing more things together as a company and their feeling of unity returned. There is no reason why we cannot work hard, play hard and have fun along the way.
“When someone spends $1.50 on an energy bar, they are buying a piece of their identity, not just a convenient snack food. These people want to associate themselves with companies, products, and brands that they feel good about.”
The Road Less Traveled-
There are many things that Clif Bar did and that we are doing, that are not “mainstream”. Doing things different may require more explanation to our partners, more communication to really understand among ourselves what we are trying to accomplish- but the view from the road less traveled is much better. The journey is much more fun.
“We grow at a rate that we can sustain- we don’t over-invest, and we hire at a rate that preserves our corporate culture.”
“A good leader remains composed, stays in the moment, focuses on one good move, then the next. You must keep your cool at all times.”
“Free yourself from feeling you have to have all of the answers and just start asking the right questions.”
“Try to model the value of knowing nothing, but asking the right questions to help others better know.”
75% of Clif’s advertising is grass roots- they use mass media- but just as an ancillary strategy to back up their focus on connecting directly with their customers.
Clif has some great scorecards that they review at the end of the year on how they are sustaining and developing the following things…
1- their brands
2- their business
3- their people
4- their community
5- our planet
I finished the book Raising the Bar last week. It had some great insights that can be applied to our business and personal lives…
They took a long bike ride they called the “epiphany ride”- during this ride, Gary Erickson (the owner of Clif Bar) pushed himself to the limit. He only had Power Bars to eat- six of them. He had to eat something because if how far they had pushed themselves, but he could not bring himself to eat another Power Bar, this is when the idea for Clif Bar was born. Had they not pushed themselves to the limit, Gary probably would not have come up with the idea of Clif Bar. When we push ourselves, we require ourselves to be creative in coming up with solutions we would not have otherwise thought of.
“life should be enjoyed-it is not only about the finish line”
Clif Bar went through a very busy time- they felt like their culture suffered because of it- they started doing more things together as a company and their feeling of unity returned. There is no reason why we cannot work hard, play hard and have fun along the way.
“When someone spends $1.50 on an energy bar, they are buying a piece of their identity, not just a convenient snack food. These people want to associate themselves with companies, products, and brands that they feel good about.”
The Road Less Traveled-
There are many things that Clif Bar did and that we are doing, that are not “mainstream”. Doing things different may require more explanation to our partners, more communication to really understand among ourselves what we are trying to accomplish- but the view from the road less traveled is much better. The journey is much more fun.
“We grow at a rate that we can sustain- we don’t over-invest, and we hire at a rate that preserves our corporate culture.”
“A good leader remains composed, stays in the moment, focuses on one good move, then the next. You must keep your cool at all times.”
“Free yourself from feeling you have to have all of the answers and just start asking the right questions.”
“Try to model the value of knowing nothing, but asking the right questions to help others better know.”
75% of Clif’s advertising is grass roots- they use mass media- but just as an ancillary strategy to back up their focus on connecting directly with their customers.
Clif has some great scorecards that they review at the end of the year on how they are sustaining and developing the following things…
1- their brands
2- their business
3- their people
4- their community
5- our planet
Monday, September 25, 2006
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Last night I finished the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Victor Hugo is such a gifted writer, but at times I got mired down in the details of the book. The theme of the book, at least what I took out of it, is that people and situations are often not what they seem. The priest, was a very pious but yet very sinister man. Quasimodo was very ugly on the outside, but loving, sincere and genuine on the inside. Esmaralda, the gypsy was beautiful, but had little substance and could not see past the exterior of others. Phoebus, the strong, good looking captain was worried about what others might think instead of just doing the right thing. After reading the book I sat in bed thinking about how often we (I) judge a situation in a social context, instead of a moral context.
This book emphasized to me again the importance of judging ideas on their merits instead of basing the judgment on who made the statement. I have found this to be more difficult than it seems. When we have a history with an individual, the question at hand is already slanted in one way or the other by our past experiences with the person. If our experiences are positive, we may tend to rubber-stamp the idea, if the experience was negative, we may be over critical and reject a really good idea.
Last night I finished the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Victor Hugo is such a gifted writer, but at times I got mired down in the details of the book. The theme of the book, at least what I took out of it, is that people and situations are often not what they seem. The priest, was a very pious but yet very sinister man. Quasimodo was very ugly on the outside, but loving, sincere and genuine on the inside. Esmaralda, the gypsy was beautiful, but had little substance and could not see past the exterior of others. Phoebus, the strong, good looking captain was worried about what others might think instead of just doing the right thing. After reading the book I sat in bed thinking about how often we (I) judge a situation in a social context, instead of a moral context.
This book emphasized to me again the importance of judging ideas on their merits instead of basing the judgment on who made the statement. I have found this to be more difficult than it seems. When we have a history with an individual, the question at hand is already slanted in one way or the other by our past experiences with the person. If our experiences are positive, we may tend to rubber-stamp the idea, if the experience was negative, we may be over critical and reject a really good idea.
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