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Proverbs

5/30/2020

There are a lot of old proverbs that we use which over time many of us have forgotten where they were came from or didn’t know in the first place. I’m providing five of them that I think are particularly interesting.

Example: “She’s showing her true colors.”

Of course the above sentence means now we know who she really is. I especially like this proverb because its origin is based on the Navy. Naval Warships (mostly during the 1700’s), used to fly multiple flags to confuse their enemies. In other words, a British ship might fly a Spanish flag when traveling in Spanish waters to try and sail through without being attacked. These War Ships carried a multitude of flags based on what they needed at the time. However, the rules of warfare (kind of like the Geneva Convention), stated that a ship had to hoist its true flag before firing thus: displaying its true color.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

This old proverb contains a message that we all know is true but living it can be challenging. It basically means to appreciate what you have and don’t worry about what you don’t. Keep in mind this proverb is dated way back and it was during times where small prey like birds and rabbits kept people alive. So in this case, the proverb let people know to appreciate that they caught something and don’t fret about what they didn’t. Basically, count your blessings.

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

This one goes way back to the Greek fabulist Aesop (620 to 560 BC). In one of his Fables he mentions to not count your chickens before they hatch. The premise of his story is that you shouldn’t make decisions based off assumptions or it could end in ruin. If someone were raising and selling chickens and there were 12 new eggs he or she shouldn’t start counting the money until the chicks actually hatch. Someone who borrowed money based on the fact that they thought they’d have 12 chickens to sell could end up broke if not all of them successfully hatched. Once again, it’s a pretty simple concept but we’ve all been guilty at times of making assumptions; counting on something without guarantees.

Eating humble pie.

Of course we know it means making an apology and suffering humiliation along with it but its origin is interesting. During the Middle Ages, the lord of a manor would hold a feast after hunting. He and other royalty would receive the finest cuts of meat at the feast but those of a lower status in attendance were served a pie filled with the entrails and innards of the animals killed and the pie filling was called “umbles” later to be translated as humble. Therefore, receiving “humble pie” was considered humiliating because it informed others in attendance of the guests with lower status. I’ve been served the proverbial humble pie before and it definitely didn’t taste good.

He has run amok.

This is a common old proverb and it means in so many words to pretty much go wild (out of control). The word amok (amoq), was used among Malaysian tribesmen to describe when they would run wild during attacks. By the way the reason they were known to go crazy and out of control during battle is they would take opium before fighting.

In wrapping up, there are probably thousands of Proverbs and I only gave you five in order to keep this article short. The next time you use an old proverb think about whether or not you really know its meaning and where it actually came from…the answer is just a Google click away. This is what being a Knowledge Seeker is all about.

Leonardo di Vinci (1452 - 1519)

5/28/2020

According to art historian Helen Gardner, “The scope and depth of his interests were without precedent and "his mind and personality seem to us superhuman, the man himself mysterious and remote." Of course the author of “The Di Vinci Code” used Leonardo’s focus on religious paintings to create the terrible stir about the Catholic Church. I’m shocked that millions of people who purchased the book in stores or on-line in the fiction section, could think it was true…it’s kind of scary when you think about it.

Not only was Leonardo unique in everything he could do but the fact that he lived to 67 years of age and was 6’ 3” tall in this era, made him even more so. Most people think of di Vinci as an extraordinary painter with amazing works like Madonna with Child, The Last Supper, and the Mona Lisa but he was also a sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. Leonardo has often been described as the first Renaissance man, a man of "unquenchable curiosity" and "feverishly inventive imagination.”  One of the things I find most fascinating is after 500 years his prints are still highly popular. Like most famous artists, you become wealthy when you die and don’t need the money.

Leonardo was born out of wedlock (very common back then), and was destined to be a commoner but he began drawing for recreation and locals saw his amazing talent and sent him off for an apprenticeship with a well-known artist. In a short period of time di Vinci went from pupil to master…some say much to the Master’s dismay. He became known as an artistic genius but what they didn’t know at that time was he was a genius in general. He never married and there was some speculation he was gay. Although if you think about it, he was obsessed with seeking knowledge and the people he hung around with were artists and intellectuals so it might have been more of a case of lack of interests in having any romantic relationships (just a guess).

Many of Di Vinci’s greatest works were religious paintings. Because Catholicism was such a big part of people’s lives back then, people would travel for miles on horse and foot, just to see his paintings. The Pope pursued many of his works and eventually had him move into the Vatican where he became one of the Pope’s closest associates. This made sense because the Pope was an intellectual as well. So Di Vinci’s paintings and the amazing art of De Angelo’s paintings on the ceiling, make the Vatican one of the greatest places in the world to view the best artwork of all time.

A lot of people don’t know this but some of his most important work at that time was with the military. There weren’t very many maps available so the army hired Leonardo to create maps of strategic areas. It was a dangerous job as anytime he was out surveying the landscape he was in danger of being captured or killed. Knowing his value though, he was always accompanied by military personnel. There wasn’t anything close to being as good of maps as the works of art he created. The fact is, knowing the terrain could make or break a military campaign especially back then so they considered him instrumental to their success.

One of the most unique drawings I saw of his was of a baby in a womb; there’s a picture attached. I don’t have a clue how he had this insight except to figure he saw some autopsies. Then there’s the awesome drawing of a man in a circle with his arms stretched out; this was Di Vinci’s drawing of a perfectly proportioned man (also attached). Leonardo is revered for his technological ingenuity. He conceptualized a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, a calculator, and the double hull for ships, and he outlined a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics which explains how the earth is moving beneath our feet moving land masses and creating earth quakes.

Within Leonardo's lifetime, his extraordinary powers of invention and his humanity which was evidenced by his vegetarianism and his habit of helping other people. He was also known for purchasing caged birds and releasing them. Apparently he had an amazing brain and heart.

Having no heirs, Leonardo gave his money to people who worked for him along with close friends and the poor. He became extremely wealthy but it meant little to him as his happiness was in doing and learning new things. He’s one of the most amazing men in history so I thought it would be worth reminiscing about his life.

Will

5/28/2020

Where there's a Will, there's a family you haven't seen in years. :)

Sake

5/26/2020

One of the oldest alcohol companies in the world is Sudo Honke (Sake), from Japan. The Sudo family has worked this business since 1141, making this company over 870 years old and one of the world's oldest family-run businesses in history. Bonus trivia: Jim Beam was the first bourbon and it was for sale in 1795.

Food Fight!

5/26/2020

Boy, a food fight takes on a whole new meaning when you think about cannibals having one. :)

Toy Wagons

5/25/2020

There were many toy wagon manufacturers in the late 1800's but the first company to take the lead in the category was Radio Flyer when they had a booth at the 1933 Chicago World Fair. They started the company in 1917. After over 100 years the company is still going strong with various products.

Mr. Wonderful

5/25/2020

I love The Shark Tank and Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O' Leary). He always has words of wisdom like: "Happiness won't buy you money." :)

Love

5/25/2020

Foreigner has an awesome song titled: "I Want to Know What Love Is." I wish more young people had an answer to this question before stepping out into the real world.

Virus Restrictions

5/24/2020

Not saying I'm right, just some opinions at this point:

1) If the virus will spike now if we get things moving again, what stops it from spiking a month or two from now if we wait; the whole time watching businesses go under.

2) If we want to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year, all we have to do is quarantine because the Coronavirus isn't the only one killing people. We could stop almost all the deaths each year from the common flu. So why don't we do this? Because it would be outrageous. People would lose their cars, homes, etc. Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs says it all. Without economic stability, the virus isn't going to really matter. Some people would welcome death.

3) This might sound mean but there's always collateral damage. It was always a guessing game by each country around the world as to how many people would die. Every single country is trying to figure out how far they can push shutdowns before they'll experience an economic collapse. Economists aren't agreeing on the timeframe, it's once again a guess.

4) It's easy for people who aren't living paycheck to paycheck to sit back and want a longer quarantine period and say it's selfish for others to want to get back to a "normal," life. All the retail and restaurant employees who are now out of work, still have to pay car loans, rent, utilities, etc. Do we have the right to bury them financially? Seems like we'd be taking away their pursuit of happiness.

5) Telling restaurants they can re-open at 50% capacity will bankrupt some of them. They need to fill as many tables as possible over the weekend to stay afloat. Some stores in the mall will close down because their rent is extremely high and they can't survive without solid traffic. Only allowing customers to trickle back into the malls won't work.

6) We're all going to suffer much more than what we think at this point. What our government did to "protect," us from the virus is going to have a horrific impact in our local economies. The dominoes are falling and we have no where to hide.

Black Holes

5/23/2020

A blackhole is the most powerful object in the universe even though we don't know much about them. Pretty much the only reason we know they're there is that scientists around the world have noticed things around a particular spot in space get dragged to it and then they disappear. If a moon/satellite dropped into this space they wouldn't have a clue where it ended up. A complete mystery.

Do you have any blackholes in your life? People who seem to suck the life out of everything around them? People who you invest time in but at the end of the day make no difference because they are who they are and they're going to do what they want to do regardless of your insight?

The good news on earth is that we can control blackholes in our personal universes. They don't have to exist. If we stay clear of their gravitational pull, we'll have nothing to worry about. It can sometimes feel bad to let go of these blackholes because it makes us feel like we're not a good friend, but at the end of the day the best we can do for ourselves and those in our inner-circle, is to pursue being mentally healthy and quite frankly we should let go of some people who negatively impact just that. Don't allow black holes in our universe.

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Author: John Mann

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