Last night I had the strangest dream...

Life is Cyclical

What do you think of idealist? Personally I like them, they offer me a perspective different from mine. They give me cause to think and wonder... and sometimes, when I'm lucky I can learn something from them.

Following is a folk song from the 50's-60's by the Kingston Trio:

"Last night I had the strangest dream I never dreamed before. I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war.

I dreamed I saw a mighty room and the room was filled with men
And the papers they were signing said they'd never fight again
And when the papers were all signed and a million copies made,
They all joined hands and bowed their heads and grateful prayers were raised
And the people in the streets below were dancing 'round and 'round
And guns and swords and uniforms were scattered on the ground.

Last night I had the strangest dream I never dreamed before. I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war."

Now this is very idealistic, an idea that is very foreign to our current generations. Thoughts like this will be popular once again in forty or fifty year as the saeculum starts anew.

My point today is that history is cyclical. Until we and our politicians know and understand it cyclical nature we will be destined to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors.

Assignment:
If you want a new perspective on your live and how to make change get the book The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe and you will learn about the cyclical nature or our lives. You will become a better person and make better choices if you learn what they have to teach us.

Always Push At The Doors Before You!

I learned a few things worth noting this week. Have you ever laughed then cried, and laughed then cried until you had a new perspective? Such was my experience as I sat at the feet of John Paul Murphy, a motivation speaker.

He talked of 1) Being real people - being ourselves, not trying to be something or someone we are not. He told of Brock Jacks who said, "Nobody can make me feel inferior without my permission." And "I, me, (insert your full name), am the very best (insert your full name) there has every been in existence." A powerful lesson everyone needs to learn if they want to make a difference in their life and the lives of others.

2) Strive to like all people. This includes yourself! If you can imagine people by their potential it will make it easier. One way to foster this is to catch 3 people each day doing something right! Then let them know about it and, this is important, let their boss or parent know about it. This will make changes like no other.

As my wife and I discuss raising our children we know that positive reinforcement is much stronger than negative reinforcement. Give positivity, see the positive in others. "No matter what your past has been you have a spotless future."

3) Set your goals high or Aim high and shoot for the stars - "All it takes is a little extra effort." Just a little extra effort is all it really takes. I used to see the doors before me as roadblocks, insurmountable mountains, until I learned how to talk myself through them. Wow! Now I am accomplishing so much more.

4) Thou shall not take yourself too seriously. This holds up back as much as anything in life. Keep your life simple so you can see and enjoy it, otherwise you will waste it and we won't benefit from you being among us. We need you and your influence for good as much as you need us.

Assignment:
Remember to always push at the doors before you. We are waiting to hear from you. And, if you look around, we need you more than ever.


NOTE: quotes from this entry are by or from John Paul Murphy's lecture.

Raise a family worth emulating!

John Lothropp stood as tall as he could and said, "If men of conscience surrender, we bequeath nothing to our children." This reminds me of the honor, love and loyalty children of fallen solders have for their lost parent. Though without that parent they are sustained by the knowledge that that parent gave all they had for a cause nobler that even their own live. Such children are sustained by Providence.

I can think of nothing more important to me that the phrase I recently read, "Raise a family worth emulating." Yet, I don't know if I know how to...

Until I do I will, 1. Be my own best everyday. 2. I will set an example of what I expect to become. 3. I will study and pray as if my life depends on it. And 4. I will share what I know.

Assignment: Consider what you feel to be the most important thing in your life. Consider how you can make it better. Then determine to put in the work it will take to make it better.

Quotes of Note

I got an email that Dr. Andrew Groft is coming to speak in an area near me. It got me to thinking about a speech he gave that influenced me deeply. It was the commencement address at George Wythe College in 2006 called A Renaissance of Kings.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes. Some from the speech and a few related. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

"The world is different from past times. We have access to greater libraries than the kings of Europe, and greater opportunities for education than the Greek Nobles of the Golden Age. I predict that we are in the beginnings of what will someday be known as a Renaissance of Kings (and you must understand that the original meaning of king meant a man and a woman who gave and protected life). Our virtue dictates that we were born to be kings and queens—not to rule over others, nor to be ruled by others, but to give life and to make life better by the use of our noble minds and hearts. We were born to be noble fathers and mothers who rear their princes to goodness, knowledge, leadership and action. Jesus said that he came not only that we might have life, but that we might have it more abundantly. Jesus understood because he is a King."
— A Renaissance of Kings by Dr. Andrew Groft
George Wythe College 2006 Commencement Address

“… a life of purpose may or may not yield enormous and iconic impact, but it will always lead to small and significant impact.”
— A Renaissance of Kings by Dr. Andrew Groft
George Wythe College 2006 Commencement Address

“The slaves in Rome were incapable of leisure and so their masters gave them entertainment to keep them pacified.”
—Oliver DeMille, A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion, p142

“…leisure means serving people, studying, learning, being involved in community service and government.”
—Oliver DeMille, A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion, p142

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
— Santayana

“History is who we are and why we are the way we are.”
— David McCullough

“The more conscious we are of ourselves and of our nature the more capable we are of guiding and controlling that nature.”
— Stephen Palmer, GWC ‘06

“One of the most important lessons to be learned from any study of humanity is that every single one of us has the simultaneous potential for nobility and depravity, for divinity and degeneracy.”
— Stephen Palmer, GWC ‘06

“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”
— Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

“Today is the tomorrow I was so worried about yesterday.”
—Anthony Hopkins

"Dare to be yourself."
— Andre Gide