While wrapping up my graphic novel, I wound up reading Ronald Reagan’s famous Farewell Address – his “Shining City on a Hill” speech. Given my broader views, I obviously have some objections. But I was amazed to read an actual presidential speech where I agreed with entire paragraphs.
Tag: value
Our Land, Our Infrastructure, Our Country—a Lot of Loose Talk
Local, state, and federal government bureaucracies own the so-called public lands and the infrastructure. In view of the incentives and constraints of these governmental entities, it is only to be expected that the properties will be misused and in many cases damaged or destroyed.
Reality is the Sum of Dreams
Every element of our experience – from norms and traditions, to languages and laws, to eggs and bacon – came about as a result of discontentment, vision (or dream), and belief. Someone had to dream of crossing an ocean as a precondition to building a ship. The city your were born in is likely one outgrowth of that dream.
The Relation of Purposelessness to Prosperity
Centuries ago people produced to survive. The journey of survival was the motivating factor, but we evolved to be able to produce and find purpose in that production. We felt value as human beings in providing for ourselves and serving the people and values we care about. Today, our production is seemingly more distanced from our survival and the result is purposelessness.
Easy Answers are Not the Same as Simple Answers
I’m incredibly bullish on simple answers. I try to reduce all answers to their simplest form as quickly as possible. Simple is cold, clarifying, and enables understanding and action. I’m incredibly wary of easy answers. They’re siren song is powerful, and can lull me into a flabby stupor, mumbling about and blaming all the things that stroke my ego and feed vices like envy and anger.
Competing On Ideas Takes Way More Work Than Competing on Work
Solutions take work and time that largely happens behind the scenes for everyone else. Actual work is by nature private until it’s done. And that puts doers in a situation that can sometimes be precarious.
Consent of the Governed, Revisited
“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.” This sounds good, especially if one doesn’t think about it very hard or very long, but the harder and longer one thinks about it, the more problematic it becomes.
Family is… Forever?
The greatness of family is that you have people who have significant investment in you and an ingrained community. This can offer wonderful support and resources in life. Unfortunately, people often use people’s sense of the indispensability of family as a means of leverage.
The Restaurant Business Is the Romance Business
Restaurants are in an industry with low margins and lots of competition. They can’t afford to just fight other restaurants on the basis of food quality or price. The smart ones know they have to compete on the quality of experience.
Something That Doesn’t Quite Fit Either Role
I am a leader for my family. I introduce my children to the world and show them the values I hold and believe in through my words and actions. I take the role as leader in order to inspire a good relationship between my child and myself, but also to help guide and assist them in discovering the world and their place within it.