Power of Persuasion

A diplomat... is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.
-- Caskie Stinnett, Out of the Red (1960)

I love this quote.

We've all experienced this phenomenon. Someone that has great negotiation skills and has mastered the power of persuasion can get you to do almost anything. It's an amazing power if you can learn to use it. But as always, use it for good, not evil.

My Attention is Waning

Thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative.
-- Kurt Vonnegut, "Cold Turkey", In These Times, May 10, 2004

More true today than four years ago when he said it. Take for example the recent "faith forum" held in Rick Warren's California megachurch. Pundits are criticizing Obama for not answering in rapid-fire style like McCain did. Instead, Obama explained his answers in a thoughtful manner showing us how he came to the decision. Neither method (McCain's or Obama's) was any more correct than the other, but when you live in a world where the TV has less than 10 seconds to capture your attention, anything but split-second, knee jerk reactions will be considered slow and uncertain.

Oh, the horror, if we actually had a President who thought out their answers before blurting them out. We'll all be doomed if someone decides to apply the thought process to their semi-regular decisions...

Coloring Book of Life

Men who never get carried away should be.
-- Malcolm Forbes

I think this speaks to the thought that great progress cannot occur without a little over-the-top attitude from time to time. One of my friends has a great saying himself: If it's worth doing, it's worth over-doing. Every once in a while, you need to color outside the lines and see what happens. Living a live entirely within your boundaries will provide a rather mundane existence.