Things that Matter: Robert Kennedy Speech on Gross National Product

"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America (replace by any country) by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. ... and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. ...

Real human being

When Steve Jobs died a few weeks ago, the world weeps for his passing. Steve Jobs has been praised for being a great inventor, a great intellect who has keen eyes on design, and a great visionary who transformed computer, music, animated movie, and mobile phone industries. But when we stop long enough to think about Steve Jobs as real human being, we may come to a different conclusion.

A person's life is full of bright spots and some dark chapters. Steve Jobs's dark sides are his temper, his bullies for perfection, his lack of respect for several others.

Steve Jobs's life is a reminder that everyone of us is a real human being.

Aristotle

Some words of wisdom from Aristotle:

• Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.
  

• "Eudaimonia" -- Humans can attain eudaimonia by fulfilling their potential.
  

Conditions

Freedom is a basic condition of happiness.

The Buddha

The waiting places

This is a follow-up post on Dr. Seuss's "the waiting place". I believe that there are so many waiting places these days.

• School system: Waiting for Superman
• Higher education system: Waiting for meaningful reform
• Financial system: Waiting for moral behaviors
• Economy: Waiting to move beyond wealth accumulation as a measure of progress
• Individual: Waiting for meaningful life experience
  

Words of wisdom from Dr. Seuss

I am re-reading words from "Oh! The Places You'll Go" again. Here are the words/phrases/sentences that jump out to me:

• You'll look up and down streets. Look'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there." With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
• You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly-perch. And your gang will fly on. You'll be left in a Lurch.
  
• You'll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you'll be in a Slump.
• And when you're in a Slump, you're not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
• The Waiting Place ... for people just waiting.
• Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
• Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So .... get on your way!
  

The three questions by Jon J. Muth

Have you asked yourself these questions lately?

1. What is the best time to do things?
2. Who is the most important one?
3. What is the right thing to do?