I recall part of a conversation I had with my father about the Enron fraud case in the early 2000s. Dad was a retired executive, so I asked his opinion about the CEO claiming he didn’t know what was going on. My dad told me it’s the CEO’s job to know. If one said otherwise, … Continue reading We Didn’t Know
Author: mmwordsmith
Who Am I? Why am I here? Why are any of us here? These are first-class essential questions. The kind of questions many people laughed about when Admiral James Bond Stockdale posed them in a vice-presidential debate in 1992. Who wants a politician to wax philosophical when he could act like he knows all the answers? Apparently, people like me. The need to question and reflect seems to be part of my personality - an inextricable part. I believe I need to take these kinds of questions seriously, but while doing so, try not to take my answers or myself too seriously. My guess is as good as anyone else’s, after all. Maybe the lesson, if there is one, is to struggle with questions like these, to stretch my capacity for understanding, to challenge my ability to tolerate divergent views, to look at life creatively, to remain unafraid to cling to old ideas when they are good and move on to new ideas when they are constructive. The great moral philosopher, Red Skelton, once said he believed we are put on earth “to create and not to destroy.” I sincerely hope my stories and musings will somehow help others grapple with their own questions and follow their best impulses towards creating a better world.
Jenga
Most people are familiar with a game called Jenga. Players remove rectangular blocks one-by one from a tower and place them on top without collapsing the tower. The person who removes the last block successfully and places it on top is the winner. The game is over when the tower collapses under its own weight. … Continue reading Jenga
Perfectionism
There was an incident in third grade. The teacher called my mother. I was caught red-handed. I made a small mistake on a worksheet. I didn’t like how it looked. So, I tore up the paper, threw it in the trash, and asked for a new worksheet. Twice. Three times. So, mom and I had … Continue reading Perfectionism
Higher, Louder, Faster
In high school I admired trumpet players like Cat Anderson, Roy Eldridge, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Hirt, Doc Severinsen, Harry James, and of course, Maynard Ferguson. Many young trumpeters tried to play like these gentlemen, especially up high. In college, I managed to play a few of Maynard’s arrangements, sometimes even sounding a little … Continue reading Higher, Louder, Faster
Of Good Dogs and Bad
Our daughter brought Sasha into our lives. The guys who originally owned her realized they didn’t have time to raise a puppy, so our daughter agreed to take her. But she was off to college, which meant that we would be raising her until summer. Sasha had the soft fur of a Golden Retriever with … Continue reading Of Good Dogs and Bad
Notes on The Journey
An old friend called me a few days ago to tell me he was diagnosed with dementia. We are about the same age, so it was not hard to imagine myself in his shoes. Except he is a cancer survivor. 15 years ago he underwent a horrendous array of treatments – chemo therapy, a bone … Continue reading Notes on The Journey
War of the Words
Once upon a time, I had a guest speaker in one of my classes who made the following point. He told us he worked with interns who would say things like, “I know what I want to write, but I just don’t know how to put it into words.” His response was, “Then you really … Continue reading War of the Words
A Child’s-Eye View
When I was in elementary school, my parents gave me several “How and Why Wonder Books.” These books introduced the fundamentals of weather, stars, rocks and minerals, insects, reptiles, birds, rockets and missiles, flight, and many other topics. I was fascinated by the book, “Atomic Energy.” So much so that a couple of years later … Continue reading A Child’s-Eye View
Everybody’s Got a Job to Do
My college roommate worked as a brick mason’s helper. His job was to mix “mud” (mortar), haul bricks, and in general do all the back-breaking stuff his supervisor told him to do. He vowed to finish his engineering degree and eventually earned a doctorate, so he could work with his mind rather than his back. … Continue reading Everybody’s Got a Job to Do
The Game
When I was in college, we joked about how we had to learn “what to kiss and when.” Some of my classmates facetiously said their goal in life was to “amass great wealth and power.” Generally, we rejected the notion that college was all about making money and “climbing the ladder.” That was then. But … Continue reading The Game
MurrayWorks 