Lacqui's Log

@Alyssa_Milano brings us this Father’s Day-appropriate quote from the Knights of Pythagoras:

A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.

Long before I became a father, I was working with children, and was always amazed at the number of challenges they faced.  How many people, when they see a child, didn’t think of a small person, but of a small thing, a nuisance, a problem.

It’s been said enough to be a cliché, but children don’t just represent our future; they are our future.  By helping a child, you have invested in that future.  It may not even be a grand gesture, but every small amount helps.

When you see a child struggling with adversity, help them.  Don’t do everything for them, as that denies them the learning experience that will help them to grow; but if you can help a child with the hard parts, and let them stretch a bit at a time, they will grow.  And if you do well, they will grow well.

The child you help need not be your own, nor need they be someone you know.  But if you are a father (mothers, too, but this is Father’s day), remember to start at home, raising your own children properly and helping them through their growth.  Then spread out from there.

Happy father’s day.

@thehrphenomenal brings us this quote from Leo Tolstoy:

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

When looking for a goal, many people look as big as possible.  They want to be famous, make a lasting effect on the world.

Very people look within the boundaries of their own neighborhood, house, or even body.

Even if you still want to improve the world, start with small steps.  The smallest step – yet the largest mental challenge – is to start with yourself.  You are part of the world, so improving yourself is improving the world.

That isn’t to say that you should be satisfied once you have improved.  Continuous self-improvement is the next step, where you become a better person today than you were yesterday.  Next, you can work on a larger boundary, and slowly but steadily grow.

You can always conquer the world tomorrow.

@LittleWonderLee brings this Egyptian proverb to the table:

Because we focused on the snake, we missed the scorpion.

Dangers come in many forms; some obvious, others not so much.  And not only dangers; opportunities, as well, may be missed as you focus on one task.

This is easier for an organization to handle than for an individual, as the organization can assign some people to focus on one task while others watch for incoming dangers and opportunities.

Yet even the individual is able to balance himself.  While you are attending to a task, keep a weather eye out for other issues.  Take the time to take a break from your task, and use part of that time to look for other problems.

Don’t get stung by that scorpion.

Winston Churchill, through @jonathanmast:

So you have some enemies … Good, that means you stood up for something!

It is impossible to make it through life without upsetting people.  Sometimes, being on Alice’s good side means being on Bob’s bad side.  Additionally, you will have opinions and views that differ from those around you.

The stronger the opinions you and others hold, the stronger the disagreement will become.  Stronger disagreements may become emnity.

If you hold your opinions, views, and causes strong, and defend them against opposition, you will come into opposition.  If you hold strong to these beliefs in the face of adversity, you may gain an enemy.

Then you have to choose.  Which is more important to you – your cause or the person’s friendship?  If you stand up for your belief, you may gain that person as an enemy.

So welcome those enemies – they are proof that you did well.

@DAVIDVGOLIATH brings a quote from Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit:

The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.

This is appropriate to me, as I am a member of the military, currently undergoing training.  However, this sentiment is not only limited to military applications.

I have heard this quote many times in my line of work, starting in basic training, and before every major training exercise.  Every time someone complains about how hard we’re working, this quote (or a variation thereof) is brought out.

It is also applicable to civilians.  You can’t learn when the shit hits the fan; that is when you use what you have learned.

We spend a lot of time pretending to be in combat.  We are often pushed beyond the point that the ship would sink, in order to ensure that we can work with limited resources and under great stress.

If you are a member of a team, you don’t wait until you’re against an opponent before you begin to practice.  Your business doesn’t wait until a trade show to learn their product.  Products aren’t made at the store.

The “sweating in peace” to which Pandit refers is all the preparation and training you do on a day-to-day basis.  The “bleeding in war” is when your training is needed, the competition or trade show, when your product is put along with the competition in the store aisles.

The more you prepare in advance, the less you stress when it counts.

@IngridTalks brings us this Chinese proverb:

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone complain about slow progress; or ask what’s the point of doing something that has no apparent, immediate effect.

Change and progress take time.  People often forget this, and give up if there is no immediate result.  Of course, this reduces progress from “slow” to “zero”.  Again, something that often isn’t taken into consideration.

Next time your project or task seems to have no effect, ask yourself: Is this truly without effect?  Or is it just moving slower than I can see?  Only after full consideration should you cease your efforts.

When you are tempted to give up, instead redouble your efforts.

An African proverb, from @CallUsCupid:

Nobody will think you’re somebody if you don’t think so yourself

Recognition of yourself and your qualities begins with yourself.  If you don’t see your qualities, how can you expect anybody else to?

This doesn’t mean that you need to point out everything good about yourself.  Just know that those qualities are there.  The confidence boost will be amazing; people will notice the confidence, which will silently draw their attention to your positive attributes.

Likewise, self-knowledge of your negative attributes (don’t deny that you have them – everybody does) is the first step towards correcting them.  People often say that admission is the first step towards correction, but before admission must come recognition.

Nosce te ipsum.

@KattyBlum brings this quote from Orson Scott Card‘s Ender’s Game:

Sometimes lies were more dependable than the truth.

I don’t have my copy right here in front of my, but as far as I can remember, Ender has just been told, by a doctor “This will sting a little” (or words to that effect).  Ender reflects on the fact that usually, when an adult tells him something will hurt a little or not at all, it really means alot of pain is about to occur.

He is, of course, not disappointed in his prediction.

Sometimes you can tell more about what’s happening around you by what’s not said, than what is said.  Likewise, you can tell what’s important by what gets hidden behind lies.

If you observe the pattern of lies used around you, you can generally get a better picture of the truth than if you only listen to the truth being told.  This is because the truth is often incomplete; while lies, when detected, will cause you to dig more, and find the edges that are hidden.

So next time someone lies to you, thank them for leading you to the truth.

This quote, forwarded by @bourdieu, is unfortunately timely, coming from the recently-deceased José Saramago:

In the end we discover the only condition for living is to die.

Many people will go on about a higher purpose of life, and will try to tell you how to live your life.  I’m guilty of that – my current series of quote analyses can be seen as my advice for living.

You are, of course, free to take or leave any advice given to you; this is especially true about general life guides.  I believe that this is what Saramago was saying; as much as you may be told that there are terms and conditions for living a full life, the fullness of your life is measured between your birth bed and your deathbed.

The fullness of your existence, however, is measured by your influence on others; as long as that influence exists, you can be said to exist as well.  So make your plans to last beyond the grave, but don’t fear it.

Here’s an Australian proverb, courtesy of @Care2JoinMe:

None so deaf as those who would not hear.

The lesson here is simple: if you don’t want to hear something, you won’t.  The same goes for seeing.

What you’re probably not hearing or seeing is the dragon in your backyard.  The evils and injustices around you, which may be plain to those who choose to see, are invisible to the willfully blind, and unheard by the willfully deaf.

Pay attention to the world around you, and you will see what others miss.  The world may appear to be a darker place, but you will be able to make it a better one.