Winston Churchill is one of my heroes. I've read several
biographies and one of my goals is to visit his home at
Chartwell and see the bunkers where he led England through
WW II. One of Churchill's many famous quotes is an insult
he directed at a Member of Parliament: "He has all the
virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."
I love that! One of my mother's less-appreciated
admonitions when I was a mischievous boy (something I've
long-since outgrown!) was, "Behave yourself!" If I was
feeling particularly cantankerous, I'd reply, "I am
behaving myself. Just not the way you'd prefer!"
We've all learned to "behave ourselves." As adults we learn
to "go along to get along." We learn to be polite, pay our
taxes, work hard, be responsible, and to "play well with
others." We learn "the way things are done" and to be
sociable. There's nothing wrong with that. Except, of
course, when there is.
Sometimes, going along with convention and being "normal"
truly stifles our creativity, our individuality and our
greatness.
I love eccentrics. Eccentricities are simply another way of
describing our individuality. Eccentrics have made all--or
certainly most--of the great advances in history. It's
weird and eccentric to question reality, to doubt
convention, and insist there has to be a better way.
The Wright brothers were obsessed with flying, of all the
crazy ideas! Edison and Tesla were obsessed with
electricity, and changed our world. Einstein was obsessed
with light and images of trains, and changed our
understanding of the universe. In the 1930's, a guy named
Werner von Braun thought it might be fun to go to the moon.
Madame Currie played with things that glow in the dark, and
an abused little kid named Oprah Winfrey thought she could
make the world a better place.
Eccentrics and their ideas are our heroes!
Our eccentricities and, yes, even our vices make us who we
are. They make us unique and when they are deployed in
useful ways, they make us rich while making the world a
better place for everyone.
Now, clearly there are vices and eccentricities that are
neither noble nor useful. Swearing and cursing, having a
bad temper or being intolerant of others probably adds
little to the quality of life. Addictions of all sorts and
simply being obnoxious are rarely good things. We can all
think of vices that rob us of our freedom, shorten life or
deprive it of richness. I doubt these are good things or
worth defending.
But we all have vices that enrich our lives, that make us
who we are, and that allow us to stand tall and speak our
truth. We all have passions for things that drive others
crazy or cause them to doubt our sanity at times. We love
golf, or hate wasting time. We crave knowledge or obsess
over art, music, poetry or nature. We are committed to our
politics or to our spirituality. We are "crazy" for good
food, good health, for collecting little figurines or for
fishing.
To achieve the ultimate success in life, value your vices.
Follow them where they lead you. Cherish them and immerse
yourself in them. See where they take you, go boldly
through whatever doors they open for you. Few will follow
and some will criticize, and that's alright. Visionaries
have always been misunderstood.
Choose your vices wisely, then value them highly.
biographies and one of my goals is to visit his home at
Chartwell and see the bunkers where he led England through
WW II. One of Churchill's many famous quotes is an insult
he directed at a Member of Parliament: "He has all the
virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."
I love that! One of my mother's less-appreciated
admonitions when I was a mischievous boy (something I've
long-since outgrown!) was, "Behave yourself!" If I was
feeling particularly cantankerous, I'd reply, "I am
behaving myself. Just not the way you'd prefer!"
We've all learned to "behave ourselves." As adults we learn
to "go along to get along." We learn to be polite, pay our
taxes, work hard, be responsible, and to "play well with
others." We learn "the way things are done" and to be
sociable. There's nothing wrong with that. Except, of
course, when there is.
Sometimes, going along with convention and being "normal"
truly stifles our creativity, our individuality and our
greatness.
I love eccentrics. Eccentricities are simply another way of
describing our individuality. Eccentrics have made all--or
certainly most--of the great advances in history. It's
weird and eccentric to question reality, to doubt
convention, and insist there has to be a better way.
The Wright brothers were obsessed with flying, of all the
crazy ideas! Edison and Tesla were obsessed with
electricity, and changed our world. Einstein was obsessed
with light and images of trains, and changed our
understanding of the universe. In the 1930's, a guy named
Werner von Braun thought it might be fun to go to the moon.
Madame Currie played with things that glow in the dark, and
an abused little kid named Oprah Winfrey thought she could
make the world a better place.
Eccentrics and their ideas are our heroes!
Our eccentricities and, yes, even our vices make us who we
are. They make us unique and when they are deployed in
useful ways, they make us rich while making the world a
better place for everyone.
Now, clearly there are vices and eccentricities that are
neither noble nor useful. Swearing and cursing, having a
bad temper or being intolerant of others probably adds
little to the quality of life. Addictions of all sorts and
simply being obnoxious are rarely good things. We can all
think of vices that rob us of our freedom, shorten life or
deprive it of richness. I doubt these are good things or
worth defending.
But we all have vices that enrich our lives, that make us
who we are, and that allow us to stand tall and speak our
truth. We all have passions for things that drive others
crazy or cause them to doubt our sanity at times. We love
golf, or hate wasting time. We crave knowledge or obsess
over art, music, poetry or nature. We are committed to our
politics or to our spirituality. We are "crazy" for good
food, good health, for collecting little figurines or for
fishing.
To achieve the ultimate success in life, value your vices.
Follow them where they lead you. Cherish them and immerse
yourself in them. See where they take you, go boldly
through whatever doors they open for you. Few will follow
and some will criticize, and that's alright. Visionaries
have always been misunderstood.
Choose your vices wisely, then value them highly.
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