DO MEN GET WISER WITH AGE?

Yes, I believe they do. Anyway, I think I did. Even though my brain has slowed down, I feel that I have greater insight than when I was young. I find that I make less impulsive decisions based on emotion. Therefore, I have more wisdom. I am more willing to search for compromise and I recognize that there are limits to my personal knowledge. I am more aware that there is more than one perspective to a problem. Also, I have a better understanding of the nature of women. There are huge differences between men and women. 

For most men, sex is as important as breathing. This is not true for women. Romance is their big thing. When a man sees a good-looking woman, his I Q is lowered by at least 20 points. Women take advantage of this by using their natural assets as well as makeup, red lips, hairspray, fingernails, and uplifting, sexy bras. Women feel it is better to be looked over than to be overlooked. The average woman would rather have beauty than brains because the average man can see better than he can think! A foolish man tells a woman to stop talking, but a wise man tells her that her mouth is extremely beautiful when her lips are closed.

                                         

THE EVENING BEFORE SUMMER BEGINS

What a spectacular evening! An almost full moon shined down on me as I sat on my yacht moored in front of my cottage on Devils Lake. The purple martins put on an impressive air show as the sunset progressed through ever more brilliant colors. A warm, gentle breeze caressed my body with a tenderness that was like a massage from a loving masseuse. My mind wandered, thinking of how lucky I am to have the perfect wife, a loving family, and a few really good friends. Life is good and if there is a God, he has been kind to me. I am forever grateful for that! Oh yeah, and the wine and the fine cigar were exceptionally good. I am one lucky guy!

                                       

CELEBRATING FATHER’S DAY

Every child needs a dad they can count on. Children thrive when they have an involved father_someone who loves them, knows them, and guides them in achieving their destiny. The world is a better place because of involved fathers and grandfathers. I am proud to be one. The responsibility frightened and overwhelmed me. I was not a perfect father but somehow I hung in there and I am thankful for that. Now, I have wonderful relationships with my children and grandchildren. This makes me a very lucky guy. I feel sorry for the fathers who ran away from their responsibilities. They forfeited the happiness that comes from being a part of a loving family. Oh yeah, did I mention that mothers are even more important!  

                                                      

WHERE DO GENIUSES COME FROM? WHY DO THEY HAVE SO FEW DESCENDANTS?

Renaissance men like Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo, Copernicus, Bacon, Goethe, Franklin, and Newton had almost limitless capacities for world changing accomplishments. How did these supermen evolve into existence? And why did they not have descendents who became as talented and famous?  I wonder about these two questions. I also wonder about today’s polymaths: Nathan Myhrvold, Richard Posner, Jared Diamond, Noam Chomsky, Syed al-Attas, and Nassim Nichols Taleb. Will these geniuses have as much influence on the world as the Renaissance men? Only time will tell.

I think we should be trying to figure out how to have more geniuses so that the world will be a better place for ordinary guys like me!

 Leonardo da Vinci's self portrait  

COMMENCEMENT SPEECHES ARE MOSTLY B. S.!

Every year, at graduation time, successful people are invited to address the graduates. They spew out worthless advice about how to succeed.  They give a lot of false hope to the average graduate. Their advice is usually some variation of the following. “You can be successful if you do these four things: Follow your passion, master your craft, learn from history, and study philosophy for leadership lessons.” Sounds simple enough but it is not the truth. These people have had the advantage of very good genes and lucky opportunities. The average graduate is not blessed with the intelligence of a Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. And, they are not blessed with the fortunate opportunities and physical abilities that enable them to achieve their dream in the long haul. Theodore Roosevelt had better advice, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”.

My favorite advice for success in life was expressed by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “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 to 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 that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded”.

ROMAN HOLIDAY, PART TW0

Two airline tickets to Rome_$2346.  Two train tickets to Florence_$140.  7 nights in Italian hotels_$1100. 7 days of Chianti, pasta, pizza, and gelato_$998. Admission to the Accademia Gallery Museum_$30. Seeing Michelangelo’s statue of David in all its unmutilated glory_priceless! The world’s most famous statue was created by the world’s most gifted sculptor to emulate a young David who is quoted in the Bible as saying to Goliath, “"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of God?"  That is ironic considering that David is standing there with his foreskin hanging out and Goliath is covered with full body armor. Obviously, the artist did not use ‘David’ as his model. In keeping with the Italian Renaissance, he used an image of the perfect man without any mutilation.

In reality, David was a skilled warrior and politician who went on to create the only empire ever to arise in Palestine. He did it the same way other great warriors created empires, including the Roman Empire. He raided and killed his neighbors and invited the survivors to join his army. More and more warriors joined him for the promise of booty.

The Vatican tour was too crushed with tourist to be enjoyable. I think it had something to do with the popular new Pope. Otherwise, we found the Italian people to be nice to us. All the steps in the Coliseum, museums, and churches were tough on my knees. Even our hotel was up 4 flights of stairs. It reminded me of climbing the Andes Mountains to Machu Picchu. All and all, we had an enjoyable and educational trip. Next time, I will vacation in a very flat land without steps. Ciao! 

"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of God?" 

A ROMAN HOLIDAY!

By now, you know that I am a seeker of truth and a student of ancient history and ancient religion. I believe that the past is the best indication of what has lead up to our present situation and why we believe what we believe. The history of the rise and the fall of the Roman Empire is one of the best sources of knowledge about where we came from and where we are going. The Roman Empire lasted for 500 years and the Republic of the United States has existed for 300 years. The Roman Empire started out as a dictatorship (Romulus and Remus) but became a Republic (the Roman Senate). There are many parallels of the two Republics. Eventually, the Roman Empire became a dictatorship which became weak because of greed and immorality of its leaders and it was defeated. Let’s hope we can learn from history.

500 years before the Roman Empire came into existence, there was a settlement on the seven hills that mined salt and traded with other tribes. Their God was a winged phallus that emerged in a dream from a fire. This God was protection against evil and also was the God of fertility. The Vestal virgins were put in charge of keeping the fire burning to protect Fascinus, the winged phallus. A monster came onto the scene and was killing people and eating them. A God called Hercules saved the people by killing the Monster. Hercules became another important God of the Roman settlers. Ancient historians used their own imagination to describe the Gods. That is why they are considered to be myths. But who knows. There could be some truth in these stories. The Roman emperor, Constantine saw a cross in a dream and decided that Rome should take up Christianity. You know the rest of the story.

Nancy and I are going to Rome on Friday to check all of this out. We will let you know what we find out. Oh yeah, we will be drinking Chianti and eating good Italian food.

                                Ciao!