South Of Someplace

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Blooper Reel

Some of the most entertaining moments in a movie can be found in the blooper reel, a collection of goofs and humorous outtakes that occur along the way. Life is like that.

The path to mastering a skill or subject doesn’t follow a straight line. We don’t learn something once and then take it for granted. We make better progress by following a cyclical course, like racing around the track at an auto speedway. With each lap, we learn more about the course, more about the tools that we have at our disposal. We come to understand the weaknesses in our understanding of the subject, and we have the opportunity to formulate an approach to resolving those weaknesses and testing them out in real time.

Each lap gives us an opportunity to learn and improve, and to refine our understanding of things that we already thought that we knew. In order to gain that deeper understanding, we need to go back to the beginning, just as the race cars return to the starting line and effectively start again.

My physics professor, the late John Schaefer, explained the importance of this iterative approach to learning.

“In the first year, the students study all of physics, which can be rather overwhelming. In the following years, they’ll take advanced courses that drill down into a number of subject areas. They’ll work on a senior project that enhances their understanding further.

“In graduate school, they’ll go through the material again. While working on their dissertation, they’ll have the chance to spend time working as a teaching assistant, where they’ll gain insights explaining the basic concepts to undergraduates. After having been through all of that, and after having taught the subject for twenty-odd years, I think I’m finally getting a pretty good handle on it.”

Realize that developing a deep understanding of a subject takes time. You can’t learn it all in one shot; you have to go over the material repeatedly, understanding more with each pass.

Never hesitate to go back to the beginning, to re-evaluate your comprehension of the fundamentals. There is never a danger of understanding something too well. Look at familiar material with a fresh perspective. Discover new ways to combine ideas and solve problems. The effort that you put into this can only help you.

Formula For Fulfillment

If you lift yourself up by knocking others down, you need to find a better formula for fulfillment.

Monday, May 20, 2019

Never Tell Lies

Never tell lies. People enjoy them too much. Tell the truth. It makes them uncomfortable.

Start Slow

Run too fast in the first two miles, and the rest of the miles will be slow.

Run too fast in the very first mile, and the rest of the course will be miserable.

Friday, May 17, 2019

Random Thoughts - 20190517

Saying to a foreigner, “This is America, speak English!” is like saying to passenger, “This is an airplane, land it!”

Given that money is “legal tender for all debts, public and private,” are businesses that refuse to accept cash breaking the law?

If a fruit or vegetable is pollinated by a bee, is it vegan (i.e. a non-animal product)?

You won’t find a solution by complaining.

Trust is the foundation of discretion. Secrecy is its currency.

A stupid idea becomes dangerous when people refuse to question it.

We’re all in this together. We need to take care of each other.

Nothing

You can always do something

But often

The best choice

Is nothing

Rise

My tired body

And slumbering head

Would love to remain in bed

But I open my eyes

And rise

It’s time to chase the prize

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Stand On Your Own Two Feet

I used to stress to my dance students the importance of maintaining their own balance even when they danced in an intimate embrace with a partner. A dancer with good balance inspires confidence; we want to try exciting movements with them. A partner with poor balance seems fragile and unstable and makes us dance conservatively so as not to have them land on their bum.

I used to tell my students: “All of you walked into this room on your own two legs. I didn’t see anyone clinging to the wall or holding onto another person to get here. If you can walk on your own two legs, you can dance on your own two legs.”

The same is true for life away from the dance floor. In order to be a happy, well-adjusted, productive person, we need to stand on our own two feet. No one wants to be in a relationship with a clingy partner. No one wants to work with a colleague who can’t take care of business without assistance.

It’s wonderful to enjoy the blessings of a supportive family, durable friendships, loving relationships, and a rewarding career, but we will make the most of those situations when we participate as a strong, self-reliant contributor. Stand on your own two feet, and others will be proud to stand with you.

Unexpected Kindness

Treat someone with unexpected kindness, and you’ll create a memory that lasts for years. Treat someone with unexpected harshness, and you’ll create a memory that lasts forever.