The Dark Side

Many months ago, my lovely wife Joan (aka The Erstwhile Librarian) convinced me that I should write a blog. Now I am a complete techno-nerd. I send e-mail with great difficulty. I am convinced that computers are basically witchcraft. When my screen freezes, rather than go through the appropriate re-boot procedures (what do boots have to do with anything?), I reach for the power button and scream “Die Pig” and then I count to ten...“One velociraptor, two velociraptors” (such a shut down procedure worked in Jurrasic Park, but with dire consequences). I turn the power back on and I start over.

So anyway, when Joan suggested a blog I said, “Uh…Ok!?” Of course I was clueless as to the niceties of blogging. I just thought I would write a few essays now and then and, if anyone read them, cool! If not, no biggie. And, for a while, that’s how it was…until my wife, an erstwhile librarian, became THE Erstwhile Librarian. At that point, sadly, I lost her to the dark side. At first she did an occasional post and solicited comments from family and close friends. Then, as she began to read other blogs and comment on them, her fan base began to increase exponentially and she felt the need to not only blog every day but to comment on every blog she read as well. Now, when she gets up in the morning, before she gets the newspaper, she turns on the computer and heads for the blogosphere. If she isn’t eating or sleeping, she’s on the computer.

Regrettably, this is partly my fault. I love the game of golf. It is my passion. For years, I have tried to get Joan to play with me (she takes lessons regularly) but to no avail. I said I felt sorry for her because she had no activity in her life that she was passionate about…HUGE mistake! She has discovered her passion and now she wants to drag me in with her.

Recently she has been nagging me to blog again, and so I did…and a whole bunch of lovely people responded with nice comments. If any of you are reading this…thank you. And if you like the look of my blog, thank Joan, who not only re-did my blog and her own, but also did her cousin's Moose Buyer blog as well. I don’t expect I will blog as often as Joan, but I will try.

Process vs. Product

For years I’ve been driving by a local grammar school and something has bothered me. The school is in good shape, in a nice neighborhood, and has been there since the mid 1950’s. There have never been any problems, that I know of, on campus and the students seem well adjusted. And then one day I realized what bothered me. It was there plastered on the side of the school gym right next to the street. It was the school motto. The motto read “We strive for success.”

OK…I know…this sounds perfectly fine and noble, but it bugged me. It bugged me because it teaches, at least subliminally, that kids should focus on success which is, very often, an elusive product over which we, very often, have little control. From my perspective, I would like to replace the success with a word that emphasizes the process which can lead to the product (success)… a word like excellence.

Sadly, in today’s world, success can be had at the expense of ethics and honesty. Sports heroes take steroids. Business people pad or even completely falsify their resumes to achieve…success.

Excellence is internal, success is external. The child who cheats “successfully” on a test or copies someone else’s homework may succeed but will they ever excel?

The golfing great, Gary Player, was practicing hitting out of a greenside sand trap on day when a passer-by stopped to watch. Player had been practicing for hours when the man stopped. Player proceeded to hit his next three shots into the hole. The passer-by commented “You have to be the luckiest golfer in the world.” To which Player replied “and the harder I practice, the luckier I get.” Process led to product…excellence led to success. This is what we should teach our kids.