“What should a young male of 21 know, and what should he be able to do?
There are no conclusive answers to those questions, but they are certainly worth asking.
A young man should know how this country is run and how it got that way.
He should know the Federalist Papers and de Tocqueville, and he should know recent world history. If he does not know what has been tried in the past, he cannot very well avoid those pitfalls as they come up in the future.
A young man should be computer literate and, moreover, should know Hemingway from James Joyce. He should know how to drive a car well–such as is not covered in Driver’s Ed.
He should know how to fly a light airplane. He should know how to shoot well. He should know elementary geography, both worldwide and local. He should have a cursory knowledge of both zoology and botany. He should know the fundamentals of agriculture and corporate economy.
He should be well qualified in armed combat, boxing, wrestling and judo, or its equivalent.
He should know how to manage a motorcycle.
He should be comfortable in at least one foreign language, more if appropriate to his background. He should be familiar with remedial medicine.
These things should be accomplished before a son leaves his father’s household.” — Col. Jeff Cooper
“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” — Robert Heinlein
This You Tube video has nearly 50 million views which speaks for itself. It’s a little slow at first, and I almost clicked away and moved on, but didn’t. It has strong subliminal meaning to our lives as humans – this battle between Lions, Water Buffalo and Crocodiles. The end will surprise you.
Most humans like quotes. We enjoy the way a small sentence or quick thought can summarize the essence of a larger body of work.
Some people are addicted to quotes, like me.
And some people find themselves quotable. This is usually by design, and it is also the mark of someone who’s been burned by Hell’s fire and came out purified, or at the very least, changed.
And in our busy, hectic, worried lives, small, digestible sound bites really satisfy our hunger for a laugh, for inspiration, for validation, for comfort – and on and on.
Recently was in the right place at the right time. Ever have lucky days like that? Days where you just happen to be in the right place at the right time, for the right reasons?
Hope today is a day like that for you. You know, the harder you work, the luckier you get. Not making that up. It’s true.
