As much as possible, I follow Commander Hannibal's quote when I encounter a problem:
"Aut inveniam viam aut faciam" (or "Aut viam inveniam aut faciam") - "I shall either find a way or make one.
Then, my general Philosophy of life to be Brave and remember that we are too worried about what others would think rather than taking action, confronting problems, and being brave after spending time to think over about what I am doing, which is very well described in Scott Galloway article ( https://www.profgalloway.com/quitting-time/ ) the form of Carl Sagan quote and Scott’s extension to it:
Carl Sagan’s insight helps liberate me from that angst: “We are mites on a plum on a planet circling an unremarkable star on the outskirts of an ordinary galaxy which contains 400 billion other stars and is one of 100 billion other galaxies.” Nobody you care about or who cares about you will be alive in 100 years. Nobody will remember your successes or failures. To let fear devour your short time here is to not understand the most basic law of the universe: your insignificance.
I normally just pretend I don't see the problems, put my hands on my ears, and go "Lalalala, I can't hear you." Otherwise known as the Toddler Maneuver. It's...not as effective as it may sound.
“You’re going to have challenges whether you do something or not, so you might decide to burn the ships and move forward with a bold decision, like starting a business instead of working for someone else.”
I have lived a similar motto in my life- nothing happens if you don’t try- so either way, I lose nothing in doing so. But I get nothing if I don’t. Plus no one knows what they are talking about so I might as well do whatever I want. There is obviously some nuance here in this blanketed statement, but I do mostly stand by it.
Life is challenging and relationships fragile- and resisting that is too much will lead to endless heartbreak and struggle. Leaning into what is and caring more about doing my very best with integrity and information I have is far more important for my wellbeing and happiness than never going against the grain, the grain being whatever is actually happening. Being open about struggles and shortcomings isn’t for the faint of heart and can be lonely at times- but I will always choose my authentic self and desires over being too heavily influenced by people or environments that won’t even try, and sometimes following my heart means pausing, walking away, not speaking up for myself- and knowing I am not for everyone, just like not everyone is for me and that’s completely fine.
I will always speak up for others though, I won’t watch locker room talk, or women gossip or let people be bullies- because I know what it feels like to lose my voice and don’t want anyone else to feel those ways, not if I can be helpful in the delivery of a good message.
I don’t like to fight, but I will come to arms to protect myself or someone else who can’t protect themselves. I take a punch to the face pretty well- Ju jitsu is teaching me that I can say a lot without saying anything and waiting for other opportunities to speak well or not at all because I am confident in my ability to not ever have to take punchs again- hopefully.
Sure does. And, your point about simply walking away sometimes being the correct solution is spot-on! Sometimes that's a third option (not precisely doing the thing, and not precisely not doing it either), and it's a necessary outlet to have.
Yes, precisely. The older I get, I feel like it’s the loudest of all choices. In that one action, I remain grounded in who I am and what I’ll participate in- while leaving room for others to come to their own conclusions and think about their own behavior as well.
Holy non sequitur, Batman! I certainly didn't see you signal for that left turn from Billy Shakespeare to punk rock! Nice. Your lead Shakespeare quote can only make me remember my brother, who passed away nearly 6 years ago:
By the early '80s, we both had moved from Houston to L.A. (he was first in '78, I followed in '80) to seek our respective show biz fortunes! Many TV and film auditions came and went for Clint, to the point where he decided to create his own starring vehicle, a one-man, 2-act stage play, "An Evening with John Wilkes Booth."
I'll link the story below, but as it's paywalled (and has to be as it was a paid-subscriber-bonus), I'll truncate it here: Always a Civil War buff, and the same age in the early '80s as Booth was when he performed his "deed" (late 20s), Clint did the research and crafted the complete 2-hour play, and sent it to Lloyd Schwartz, son of "Gilligan's Island" and "Brady Bunch" creator, Sherwood Schwartz (and himself a Brady producer and writer). Lloyd, enjoying the script, asked Clint for an outline, which Clint provided within a week. Lloyd worked with Clint to hammer out rough edges, and ended up producing the show, as Clint had to find period costuming, a Derringer replica, and an old period trunk used as a prop.
As Booth was a failed actor (his father and brother had more successful careers of which he was jealous), Clint had his Booth recite Shakespeare frequently in the play (historically accurate portrayal, he discovered), including the above quote!
I was proud that he asked me to run his lights and provide interstitial music for the show, which he toured southern California with in the early- to mid-'80s, mostly colleges and their history and theatre departments!
Cut to April 2018 and Clint's Celebration of Life ceremony in his and his wife's beautiful backyard in the mountains east of San Diego: Lloyd was there, and he brought a new Booth actor, as Lloyd had revived the production, and needed another 30-year-old or so actor!
Thanks, Andrew, for that memory jog you had no idea would come from your wonderful piece! Clint's writing and intense acting in those coupla years taught me more Shakespeare than college ever did (or could)! And, brought us together as nothing before had. Rest in peace, Clint.
Brad, thanks for sharing all this! I'm so glad I could inspire some introspective thought. I'm doing a lot of that these days, and it's valuable stuff.
Your brother sounds remarkable. What a cool story.
As much as possible, I follow Commander Hannibal's quote when I encounter a problem:
"Aut inveniam viam aut faciam" (or "Aut viam inveniam aut faciam") - "I shall either find a way or make one.
Then, my general Philosophy of life to be Brave and remember that we are too worried about what others would think rather than taking action, confronting problems, and being brave after spending time to think over about what I am doing, which is very well described in Scott Galloway article ( https://www.profgalloway.com/quitting-time/ ) the form of Carl Sagan quote and Scott’s extension to it:
Carl Sagan’s insight helps liberate me from that angst: “We are mites on a plum on a planet circling an unremarkable star on the outskirts of an ordinary galaxy which contains 400 billion other stars and is one of 100 billion other galaxies.” Nobody you care about or who cares about you will be alive in 100 years. Nobody will remember your successes or failures. To let fear devour your short time here is to not understand the most basic law of the universe: your insignificance.
😍🔥😍 yes. Exactly!
I normally just pretend I don't see the problems, put my hands on my ears, and go "Lalalala, I can't hear you." Otherwise known as the Toddler Maneuver. It's...not as effective as it may sound.
This is now called "The American Way", I think.
Touche!
“You’re going to have challenges whether you do something or not, so you might decide to burn the ships and move forward with a bold decision, like starting a business instead of working for someone else.”
I have lived a similar motto in my life- nothing happens if you don’t try- so either way, I lose nothing in doing so. But I get nothing if I don’t. Plus no one knows what they are talking about so I might as well do whatever I want. There is obviously some nuance here in this blanketed statement, but I do mostly stand by it.
Life is challenging and relationships fragile- and resisting that is too much will lead to endless heartbreak and struggle. Leaning into what is and caring more about doing my very best with integrity and information I have is far more important for my wellbeing and happiness than never going against the grain, the grain being whatever is actually happening. Being open about struggles and shortcomings isn’t for the faint of heart and can be lonely at times- but I will always choose my authentic self and desires over being too heavily influenced by people or environments that won’t even try, and sometimes following my heart means pausing, walking away, not speaking up for myself- and knowing I am not for everyone, just like not everyone is for me and that’s completely fine.
I will always speak up for others though, I won’t watch locker room talk, or women gossip or let people be bullies- because I know what it feels like to lose my voice and don’t want anyone else to feel those ways, not if I can be helpful in the delivery of a good message.
I don’t like to fight, but I will come to arms to protect myself or someone else who can’t protect themselves. I take a punch to the face pretty well- Ju jitsu is teaching me that I can say a lot without saying anything and waiting for other opportunities to speak well or not at all because I am confident in my ability to not ever have to take punchs again- hopefully.
Idk if this made sense- but it does to me. 🙂
Sure does. And, your point about simply walking away sometimes being the correct solution is spot-on! Sometimes that's a third option (not precisely doing the thing, and not precisely not doing it either), and it's a necessary outlet to have.
Yes, precisely. The older I get, I feel like it’s the loudest of all choices. In that one action, I remain grounded in who I am and what I’ll participate in- while leaving room for others to come to their own conclusions and think about their own behavior as well.
Holy non sequitur, Batman! I certainly didn't see you signal for that left turn from Billy Shakespeare to punk rock! Nice. Your lead Shakespeare quote can only make me remember my brother, who passed away nearly 6 years ago:
By the early '80s, we both had moved from Houston to L.A. (he was first in '78, I followed in '80) to seek our respective show biz fortunes! Many TV and film auditions came and went for Clint, to the point where he decided to create his own starring vehicle, a one-man, 2-act stage play, "An Evening with John Wilkes Booth."
I'll link the story below, but as it's paywalled (and has to be as it was a paid-subscriber-bonus), I'll truncate it here: Always a Civil War buff, and the same age in the early '80s as Booth was when he performed his "deed" (late 20s), Clint did the research and crafted the complete 2-hour play, and sent it to Lloyd Schwartz, son of "Gilligan's Island" and "Brady Bunch" creator, Sherwood Schwartz (and himself a Brady producer and writer). Lloyd, enjoying the script, asked Clint for an outline, which Clint provided within a week. Lloyd worked with Clint to hammer out rough edges, and ended up producing the show, as Clint had to find period costuming, a Derringer replica, and an old period trunk used as a prop.
As Booth was a failed actor (his father and brother had more successful careers of which he was jealous), Clint had his Booth recite Shakespeare frequently in the play (historically accurate portrayal, he discovered), including the above quote!
I was proud that he asked me to run his lights and provide interstitial music for the show, which he toured southern California with in the early- to mid-'80s, mostly colleges and their history and theatre departments!
Cut to April 2018 and Clint's Celebration of Life ceremony in his and his wife's beautiful backyard in the mountains east of San Diego: Lloyd was there, and he brought a new Booth actor, as Lloyd had revived the production, and needed another 30-year-old or so actor!
Thanks, Andrew, for that memory jog you had no idea would come from your wonderful piece! Clint's writing and intense acting in those coupla years taught me more Shakespeare than college ever did (or could)! And, brought us together as nothing before had. Rest in peace, Clint.
https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/2an-evening-with-john-wilkes-booth
Brad, thanks for sharing all this! I'm so glad I could inspire some introspective thought. I'm doing a lot of that these days, and it's valuable stuff.
Your brother sounds remarkable. What a cool story.
Thanks, Andrew.
Or you could be like Rocky... or his son.
https://youtu.be/D_Vg4uyYwEk?si=5VJlbLNBwhG9P7YJ
Deep down inside, I knew this movie was hot, steaming crap when I saw it in the theater. I love it anyway.
HOW DARE YOU suggest anything Sylester Stallone is less than a masterpiece?!