Some advice for young men

David Cain of Rapititude (see the blog-roll) published a thoughtful post yesterday on the values of young men, and what he terms, "... the responsibility of creating a new answer to the ancient question of what it means to be a man." I enjoyed reading it, and thought you might, too.

The full post can be read here.

Shakespeare's Sonnet no. 145

I first read this sonnet many years ago, and come back to in from time to time.

Sonnet no. 145
By: William Shakespeare

Those lips that Love's own hand did make
Breathed forth the sound that said 'I hate,'
To me that languish'd for her sake:
But when she saw my woeful state,
Straight in her heart did mercy come,
Chiding that tongue that ever sweet
Was used in giving gentle doom,
And taught it thus anew to greet:
'I hate' she alter'd with an end,
That follow'd it as gentle day
Doth follow night, who like a fiend
From heaven to hell is flown away;
'I hate' from hate away she threw,
And saved my life, saying -- 'not you.'

Copied from here.

A favorable comparison between Japanese and American schools (in this case, universities)

I found this post by Yumi Nakata to be an interesting opinion from the point of view of a Japanese person studying at an American university.

I was surprised most by the first point:

"I was surprised to find out that it is ok to raise your hand and interrupt your teacher to ask a question. They actually like that because it shows that you are interested in learning the subject. But it’s the complete opposite in Japan. Japanese teachers expect students to stay quiet while they teach and write on the blackboard. I was used to copying whatever my teacher wrote on the board and then anxiously waiting for my teacher to ask me a question."

 My thanks to Charles for posting the link.

Sub-2:03, and a new world record in the men's marathon

Congratulations to Dennis Kimetto on his world-record run this morning in Berlin (2:02:57), and becoming the first man in recorded history to run under 2:03 for the marathon.

A good summary of the race can be read here.

A bright side to poorly timing the market

This was interesting: the hypothetical tale of Bob, "... the world's worst market timer."

His plan was to save $2,000 a year during the 1970s and bump that amount up by $2,000 each decade until he could retire at age 65 by the end of 2013 (so $4,000/year in the 80s, $6,000/year in the 90s then $8,000/year until he retired).

He started out by saving the $2,000 a year in his bank account until he had $6,000 to invest by the end of 1972.

 Bob’s problem as an investor was that he only had the courage to put his money to work in the market after a huge run up...

He never sold a single share...

So how did he do? 

Even though he only bought at the very top of the market, Bob still ended up a millionaire with $1.1 million.

 The fully story can be read here. The blog, "A Wealth of Common Sense," is run by Ben Carlson, and is a new one for me. Looks pretty neat. Nice job, Mr. Carlson.

"The Way of Walking Alone" 独行道

I came across the following, brief text today, and thought it worth sharing.

"The Way of Walking Alone"
By: Miamoto Musashi (1584-1645)

1. Accept everything just the way it is.
2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
5. Be detached from desire your whole life.
6. Do not regret what you have done.
7. Never be jealous.
8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others.
10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.
11. In all things, have no preferences.
12. Be indifferent to where you live.
13. Do not pursue the taste of good food.
14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
15. Do not act following customary beliefs.
16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
17. Do not fear death.
18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.
19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
20. You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honor.
21. Never stray from the way. 

 Drawn from the wikipedia entry. To read more about Musashi, see his entry here.