Natalie Lambert has drive or determination or focus. Whatever you want to call it, it still amounts to strength. It takes more than mere ambition or ego to swim 54 kilometers across Lake Ontario in 23 hours and 19 kilometers across Lake Erie in 8 hours. I wish I had more of that.
Technorati Tags: natalie lambert, mussar
Strength does not equate to maintaining control, but can often mean relinquishing control. Simply having the power to do something is not the same as having the authority to do it. A ruler, though he has the power to enslave his people, does not have the authority to do so.
Frequently even the authority to exercise control does not make it wise to actually do so. An employee has to have enough head to learn and grow. A good leader will work to promote his subordinates, not merely to keep them in their place, using them as resources instead of people.
Jeffrey Denning draws our attention to one example of a most unwise and weakly use of power. Nobody with enough good character to fill a thimble would seriously consider using such a system to control people under their power or authority unless those subordinates were convicted violent criminals. Nor would anyone of strong character meekly allow themselves or their family unjustifiably to be treated with less consideration than their own animals.
Invisible, laser-activated chains are chains none-the-less.
A weakling who hides behind a terrorist is a weakling none-the-less.
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Restraint when violence is both justified and feasible could be a sign of either exceptional strength or unreasonable fear. Not being privy to all the intricacies of Israel’s domestic and foreign politics, I cannot say whether their continual appeasements and limited responses are wise or not. However, I choose to believe that they act out of strength when they don’t deal as harshly as their Arab thorns appear to deserve.
Technorati Tags: israel, terrorists, palestinians
Strength or weakness can be expressed in one’s decision making process. The greater one’s authority, the greater one’s responsibility in making decisions. A leader may ask his followers for their opinions, but he may not ask his followers to make his decisions for him. He has the final say, and his is the ultimate responsibility for the consequences.
For example, if a man is faced with a major decision that will effect his entire family–such as buying or selling a house, changing jobs, or relocating–he should not tell his wife, “We will move if you are willing to quit your job.” That would put the final decision-making authority and responsibility onto his wife. However, he can legitimately ask God to tell him what to do: “If you want us to move, then tell me by providing employment in the new location or taking away employment here.”
He who wears the pants bears the burden. This was a hard lesson for me to learn, and I still need reminders now and then.
Technorati Tags: patriarchy, authority, responsibility, character
On July 4th a motorcyclist apparently tried to kick the driver of a Mazda Miata while they were still moving. He lost control of his bike and died when he collided with a tree. If the story is true, it serves him right. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win a Darwin Award.
Strength isn’t just the physical ability or mental determination to do something, it’s self-control and poise. It’s the subjugation of impulsiveness and self-gratification to responsibility and good sense, something this guy was obviously lacking.
Too bad it’s so hard to find examples of strength, while weakness is everywhere.
Aggressive Treatment Of Childhood Eczema Could Help Prevent Asthma, New Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (2008-07-07) — More aggressive treatment of childhood eczema may be an important step in preventing asthma, says a new Australian study. … > read full article
Unfortunately, they’re just treating the symptoms instead of the disease…as usual. Eczema does not cause asthma. Rather, they are both caused by the same hyper-active immune system. Find the root of the immune disorder (whether it be spiritual, emotional, genetic, or environmental), and you will find the cure for both eczema and asthma.
Technorati Tags: eczema, asthma, immune system
RMF is teaching a course on Mussar, and this week’s lesson is on strength. The daily exercise involves scanning the news for a story that addresses some aspect of strength and then writing something about it. I expect to post several of those, and here’s the first:
The leftist revolutionary group, FARC, have held as many as 100 people hostage for years in an effort to force their will on the government and people of Colombia. Recently the Colombian government rescued fifteen of them by sending in a military mission disguised as a multinational humanitarian group.
The weak:
The strong:
Well done, Colombia. Now go get the rest of them. You too, Northrop.
Technorati Tags: FARC, Northrop, Colombia, hostages, rescue, mussar, gevurah
A survey cited indicates that despite four decades of feminist imploration women still perform twice as much house work as do men. The discrepancy becomes even wider in terms of childcare. Progressives would attribute this to male sloth and inherent dysfunctionality; however, a more plausible explanation is that men have different standards for cleanliness and do not see the end results of domestic activities as being worth the effort that goes into them.
Preach it, brother! I do all the domestic stuff (and always have) because I have to, but I wouldn’t if I had a wife who would do it for me. I wouldn’t do all of it, anyway. When the average woman has expended as many calories on routine housework as I have on carrying heavy loads, digging holes, moving furniture, changing oil and tires, trimming trees, mowing lawns, cutting, sawing, hammering, and sanding…Then we’ll talk. I’m not a super handiman or more industrious than anyone else. In fact, I have a distinct lazy streak. But I still know that most women don’t do as much work around the house as I do.
Technorati Tags: sex roles, marriage, men, women, men’s rights, mra