Month: August 2021

Quotes

“Within me there lay an invincible summer.”

patmcg1 Comment

In my experience, this is dead on.

Albert Camus, gagnant de prix Nobel, portrait en buste, posé au bureau, faisant face à gauche, cigarette de tabagisme.jpg
“Al” Camus in 1957, three years before his death

In the depths of Winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

Albert Camus

If you get through a hard time, and really conquer it, then you are 10x stronger on the other side.

The key is to actually go through your winter (not around it), own it, and then flip it.

This Al Camus guy seems interesting. Apparently he was a philosopher, author, and journalist (yes!) from French Algeria.

I should probably read some of his books. 🤔

The World

“You can’t stay in Afghanistan forever.”

patmcg1 Comment

Leaving Afghanistan sucks, but it’s also the right thing and took courage.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Not Einstein

What would you change about the following narrative?

  1. 9/11 attack on the US from an Afghanistan-based terrorist group
  2. Invades Afghanistan, topple the government, and occupy with an international security force
  3. Provide security, promote democracy, invest in education and infrastructure
  4. Keep nation building
  5. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  6. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  7. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  8. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  9. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  10. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  11. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  12. Kill Osama Bin Laden
  13. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  14. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  15. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  16. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  17. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  18. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  19. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  20. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  21. Keep nation building for another year, more dead
  22. Keep nation building for another year, more dead

It’s not a great story, is it?

It’s unfortunate and ugly, but it was time to go. Would another year of nation building have helped? Were things getting any better?

I don’t doubt the good intentions of the war, and I don’t doubt the skill and courage of the brave people who fought it. I thank our soldiers for their service and give them my utmost admiration for sticking faithfully to the mission despite it’s impossible challenges. 🇺🇸

I hate that the ugly Taliban is taking back over, but their deeds are between them and their own god now. The US Army is out of that equation.

You can’t stay in Afghanistan forever.

War Machine

Here’s a clip from a pretty relevant movie that came out 4 years ago about a war that had already been going on for 12 years. Despite some serious overacting by Brad Pitt, it’s a pretty damned good movie and dead on. It shows a good and capable man trying to win an impossible war.

Quotes

“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”

patmcg2 Comments

Back in college, I remember philosophy geeks loved to say, “Well, Kierkegaard said…” and would quote him and act all superior. It was so annoying.

Kierkegaard

But now I get it, dammit. 🤦🏻‍♂️ The dude was smart. Here’s one of my favorite quotes.

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.

Søren Kierkegaard

It’s the basic trick of life. Take what you’ve learned so far in life and use it to more forward. ➡

I really like this quote because, like with Rumi, it’s practical advice about living a good life. It’s right on the edge between “cool ideas” and basic self-help.

Wait, am I become a philosophy geek? 😱