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 how things are done and to be sociable.
There's nothing wrong with that. Except 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.
Of all the crazy ideas, those silly Wright brothers thought
they could fly! Edison and Tesla were obsessed with
electricity, and changed our world. Einstein was obsessed
with light and images of trains, and changed our 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 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 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
not 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 also have vices that enrich our lives, that make us
who we are, and that allow us to stand tall and speak our
truth. We have passions for things that drive others crazy
or cause them to doubt our sanity. 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. We dance strangely
or sing off-key. If you're having fun and not hurting anyone,
and especially if you're learning or growing, I say go for it!
To achieve the ultimate success in life, value your vices.
Follow them wherever they lead you. Cling to them, 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 how things are done and to be sociable.
There's nothing wrong with that. Except 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.
Of all the crazy ideas, those silly Wright brothers thought
they could fly! Edison and Tesla were obsessed with
electricity, and changed our world. Einstein was obsessed
with light and images of trains, and changed our 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 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 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
not 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 also have vices that enrich our lives, that make us
who we are, and that allow us to stand tall and speak our
truth. We have passions for things that drive others crazy
or cause them to doubt our sanity. 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. We dance strangely
or sing off-key. If you're having fun and not hurting anyone,
and especially if you're learning or growing, I say go for it!
To achieve the ultimate success in life, value your vices.
Follow them wherever they lead you. Cling to them, 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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