Everyday craftsmanship →

Published March 16, 2014  ·  All posts on Mar 16  ·  

Over time, the ideal of craftsmanship was cordoned off to just the technical arts. Physicians and legislators no longer thought of themselves as craftsmen, but as philosophers and natural scientists who were more concerned with the theoretical as opposed to the practical. Such a shift is a shame, for the principles of craftsmanship truly do apply to every man, whether he makes furniture or crunches numbers. Below we take a look at how these overarching principles of the traditional craftsman can apply to all areas of your life, no matter your profession.

~ Brett McKay from, Measure Twice, Cut Once

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Stone Henge →

Published March 14, 2014  ·  All posts on Mar 14

Stonehenge.

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Specialization is for insects →

Published March 12, 2014  ·  All posts on Mar 12  ·  

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

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Are you tough? →

Published March 10, 2014  ·  All posts on Mar 10  ·  

Everything is harder, or rather, I should say everything is more complex. The result is that I learn how to tolerate stress, both mental and physical, and how to adapt to make something work despite the fact that the environment is not cooperating. I deal with it or fail. When I’m out there, it doesn’t matter that I can deadlift 3x my bodyweight on a bar, because that doesn’t change the fact that a rock is completely off-balance and seems to be actively trying to roll onto my toes. And that doesn’t change the fact that I’m picking it up and carrying it up the mountain anyway.

That is the definition of tough.

~ Brett McKay from, You May Be Strong . . . But Are You Tough?

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Big Ben →

Published March 8, 2014  ·  All posts on Mar 8

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Stand erect →

Published March 6, 2014  ·  All posts on Mar 6  ·  

A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.

~ Marcus Aurelius

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What do you know about Koichi Tohei? →

Published March 4, 2014  ·  All posts on Mar 4

Relaxation alone—even a specialized form of it—is not aikidō, however. If this internal power is a foundational skill—one largely abandoned today—the techniques of aikidō are its delivery system. Even with remarkable power, without a delivery system, one is no more able to fight than a power lifter is able to win in a boxing ring, just because he can bench press six hundred pounds.

~ Ellis Amdur from, «http://www.guillaumeerard.com/aikido/articles/it-aint-necessarily-so-rendez-vous-with-adventure»

Aikidoka: We talk a lot about Tohei Sensei, but how much time have you spent actually reading about him?

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The Cambridge →

Published March 2, 2014  ·  All posts on Mar 2

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The right state of mind →

Published February 28, 2014  ·  All posts on Feb 28  ·  

Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. When I believe I can, I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.

~ Mohandas Gandhi

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Systemic Evil →

Published February 26, 2014  ·  All posts on Feb 26

Clearly, there is a moral principle at work in the actions of the leakers, whistle-blowers and hacktivists and those who support them. I would also argue that that moral principle has been clearly articulated, and it may just save us from a dystopian future.

~ Peter Ludlow from, The Banality of Systemic Evil

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…and I would argue that four, (number of examples he presents) is not a number which can be reasonably extrapolated to describe “the millennial generation.” The millenials I know are currently the “me” generation. Currently, meaning that for NOW, they’re focused on themselves. They are not going to buy into the national health care rigamarole, they are not going to buy life insurance, they are not going to carefully lay out their course with a moral compass.

Just like me, (and the members of my generation) when we were the age the millenials are currently. Also see: Generations.

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