I came back from university thinking I knew all about politics and racism not knowing my dad had been one of the youngest-serving Labour councillors in the town and had refused to work in South Africa years ago because of the situation there. And he's never mentioned it - you just find out. That's a real man to me. A sleeping lion.
The criteria for serving one's country should be competence courage and willingness to serve. When we deny people the chance to serve because of their sexual orientation we deprive them of their rights of citizenship and we deprive our armed forces the service of willing and capable Americans.
We need to find the courage to say no to the things and people that are not serving us if we want to rediscover ourselves and live our lives with authenticity.
When I left Europe in 1987 I did so with the thought that my relevance as a composition teacher would benefit from a certain cool distance to certain tendencies I had been observing for several years with increasing disquiet.
It's about communication. It's about honesty. It's about treating people in the organization as deserving to know the facts. You don't try to give them half the story. You don't try to hide the story. You treat them as - as true equals and you communicate and you communicate and communicate.
The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers. Are the followers reaching their potential? Are they learning? Serving? Do they achieve the required results? Do they change with grace? Manage conflict?
The future is not Big Government. Self-serving politicians. Powerful bureaucrats. This has been tried tested throughout history. The result has always been disaster. President Obama your agenda is not new. It's not change and it's not hope.
Politics are about preserving relationships at the end of the day and it has nothing to do with the greater good for humanity. It's just all about business.
A merchant who approaches business with the idea of serving the public well has nothing to fear from the competition.
A person who is too nice an observer of the business of the crowd like one who is too curious in observing the labor of bees will often be stung for his curiosity.
A multitude of bees can tell the time of day calculate the geometry of the sun's position argue about the best location for the next swarm. Bees do a lot of close observing of other bees maybe they know what follows stinging and do it anyway.
It has always been my belief that a man should do his best regardless of how much he receives for his services or the number of people he may be serving or the class of people served.
I am just absolutely convinced that the best formula for giving us peace and preserving the American way of life is freedom limited government and minding our own business overseas.
The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular mode of happiness but in allowing happiness to change its form without being disappointed by the change happiness like a child must be allowed to grow up.
In fact in many ways my mother was quite hippy-dippy serving macrobiotic food and reading 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.'
A little anger is a good thing if it isn't on your own behalf if it's for others deserving of your anger your empathy.
We cannot remember too often that when we observe nature and especially the ordering of nature it is always ourselves alone we are observing.