Opinions

How Do We Measure Success?

/ doubledacres / Leave a comment

“To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;  To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.  This is to have succeeded.”  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson wrote this sometime in the mid to late 1800s I believe.  I came across it a couple of years ago and it came up on my radar again.  In today’s world and my age I consider just waking up on the right side of the dirt as a sign that I have succeeded.  If he were to write that today I really wonder what he would have said?

………This is to have succeeded.  In life?  Love?  School?  I am going to approach it as “in life.”  What is success? According to Merriam-Webster, outcome result; degree or measure of succeeding; attainment of wealth, favor or eminence; one that succeeds.

I racked my little brain and I couldn’t think of anyone that I can say is breathing easier because I am alive.  As far as “a redeemed social condition” I had to wrestle with this one and I am not sure I have the right idea  however I think Emerson is referring to a certain social group (culturally, politically, economically, etc,  really guessing here)one may have helped beat gambling addiction, alcoholism etc. in one of those groups.

To appreciate beauty.  Wow, now that could be a loaded gun.  I know how society seems to label beauty, usually they don’t look past the outside beauty.   I am of the opinion that beauty is the whole package.  One can be beautiful on the outside but so ugly on the inside.  I see people that are bullied, ridiculed and treated like low class citizens because they may carry a few extra pounds, a noticeable scar, birth mark etc..  The majority of folks just seem to look at a person on the outside without finding out what their heart is made of.  They could have a heart of gold and no one ever notices.  Seems so sad and such a waste.  If you are a person that looks at the “whole” person and not just the outer shell I truly believe that is a true sign of success and you have my utmost respect.  So many people are incapable of it.

Oh my gosh , the light bulb just went off!!  I thought of someone that breathes easier because I am alive.  My doctor.  I mean how did I overlook that.  After all if I was on the other side of the dirt my doctor would lose that income.   After all the money is in the treatment not the cure.

Aw, the betrayal of false friends.  Now this is one that can hurt.  What is that little saying going around the internet, oh yeah.  The only reason some folks are alive is because I don’t want to go to prison, or something like that anyway.  That can be a tough pill to swallow.  There are some really cold people in the world and they don’t seem to have any problem hurting other people.  I think some folks just crave the feeling.  Here is another real sign of success I think.  If one can truly forgive a false friend that betrayed them I think that is another true sign of success.

I don’t know if it because I am getting old and less trusting, it just seems harder and harder to find the best in others.  There is so much dishonesty and hate in the world today that it is hard to trust.  To find the best in others you are going to have to trust them.  In the past I have recommended horse trainers.  These were trainers that I thought they knew what they were doing.  Boy was I wrong.  I have saw what I thought was good in a lot of folks and just set myself up for a hard fall.  With me it is a tough one and if it is something that I have to accomplish to have succeeded in life, I may be running a little short on making it.

Once again thank you for reading my blog.  I hope you enjoyed it.  I truly wish everyone a successful and prosperous life.  One filled with success and good times.  Spread the love!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do You Know Your Neighbor?

/ doubledacres / Leave a comment

“I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor.  Do you know your next door neighbor?” – Mother Teresa

I grew up in the 1960s during the  Vietnam War, the British invasion of the Beatles, the assassination of John F Kennedy and when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr made his “I Have A Dream” speech, as well as his assassination.  I also saw man walk on the moon.

It was also the time when young people began to revolt against conservative norms of the time and removed themselves from mainstream liberalism.  A new “counterculture” was born.  The participants in this new movement were known as “hippies”.

“To love our neighbor as ourselves is such a truth for regulating human society, that by that alone one might determine all the cases in social morality.” – John Locke

How many of you remember the “Hippie”?  Rejected established institutions, criticized the values of the middle class,  the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons were a huge “no no”, championed sexual liberation, were often vegetarians, and promoted the use of psychedelic drugs.  Peace, love and drugs.

There was a lot of love to go around in this group.  Often times living in  communes.  ridiculed and despised by most of America.  Peace!  Love!  I think for the most part people were afraid of them because they didn’t understand them.  This is purely my opinion and I have no facts to back it up.  One thing for sure is that today’s society could use some of the love they were trying to spread around.

Love thy neighbor!  How can you love your neighbor if you don’t know them?  Why don’t we know our neighbors?   Are we too busy?  We don’t care?  Trust issues?  I remember when everyone in the neighborhood knew each other and when someone was in need the others were there.  Neighbors cared about each other and were like one big family.  I can’t remember where it all changed.  Maybe it changed so slowly I just missed it but how I wish those days would return.   Neighbors looked out for each other and their property.

I hope one day America can return to those days.  It is still alive and enjoyed by much of rural America.  Hopefully some day it will catch on in urban America and take root in the cities.  Personally I think society could benefit from everyone loving their neighbor like they love themselves.

Thanks for reading.  I hope you enjoyed it and if you did then please hit the like button.  Love thy neighbor, be kind to one another and spread the love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is it that we are afraid of them because we don’t understand them

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation

/ doubledacres / Leave a comment
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Near Bonne Terre, MO

“Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.” – Confucius

Preparation – Something done to get ready for an event or undertaking.  I have always believed that success will never happen without preparation.  I know, I hear all the groans out there.  Yeah there have been those times that I have succeeded without preparing but I am here to tell ya that a blind hog will find an acorn every now and then.

Two friends of mine from high school and I are going to do a 7 day float on the Big River.  We are going to camp on sandbars and all three of us are over 60.  I am a firm believer in being prepared, especially for an event like this.  I bought a one man tent, summer sleeping bag and a few other things for the trip and I want to know they will perform well for me.  Tonight we were supposed to get some heavy rain and storms so I wanted to see how the tent is going to hold up in this situation soooooooo, I am camping in the backyard tonight.  I started the fire with what ever materials I could find and used the old trusty ax and steel.  I have had people laugh at me for doing this but the way I see it is if I NEED to start a fire to be able to survive I want to know I can do it and the only way to have enough confidence in yourself to get it done, is by being prepared for anything.

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Fire I started using by using ax and steel.

I guess I am to the point of being a fanatic because I have been known to take off into the woods when it is raining cats and dogs and I see if I can start a fire.  I am not batting a thousand I can tell you that much.  I do feel confident in surviving if anything major happens.  I really feel that confidence is a major part of success and you gain confidence as you prepare.  For example, as you were flying over the Rockies the jet engines fail and you crash land in the mountains.  No one has any idea how to start a fire.  You think, well I have read about it but never done it.  I don’t care who you are, you are going to fail unless the good Lord has decided to make you the survivors savior.  Now let us think about this scenario, your plane has crashed and you have discovered that you are the only one that has any idea on how to start a fire.  You think to yourself, well I have started over 40 fires in various conditions, I got this,  Prepared=Confidence.

There was a time when our children were prepared for life.  Then some know it all came up with this idea that we shouldn’t spank our children and that everyone is a winner, no losers and everyone gets a trophy.  Really?  This is ok I guess if we lived in a perfect world but for those of you who think we do pardon me as I slap you.  We don’t live in a perfect world so it behooves you to realize that some day you will fail and you will lose, so put on your big boy/girl panties and suck it up buttercup.  It is part of life’s learning cycle.  Now for those of you who think I might have been a little harsh here all I can tell you is that I care about people and I want to see them succeed.  I want to help them and you can’t do that by telling them no one loses.

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My home for six nights on the Big River

This will be home for tonight.  They are calling for storms but it doesn’t look like it is going to happen.  I really want to see how it fairs in the storms.  It is going to be my home for 6 nights and I want to be sure it will perform to what I need it to do,  Maybe tomorrow night.

Thanks for reading.  It is very much appreciated.  Remember to be kind to one another, share the love and don’t squat with your spurs on.