What do these two past leaders have in common?
Both men in history have been remembered over a long period of time for their leadership and accomplishments in life. Anyone who ever served in a leadership position has experienced stress. In my previous post series, King Solomon, Long Life, I stated if a modern medicine advises us to reduce stress in your life and you may live longer.
Yet both of these men as well as numerous other famous men and women in history lived long lives. What major inspirational or common beliefs did they share?
Some Clues
Compare the above George Washington (1732 AD) quote in the feature image of this post with some other quotations recorded over 3000 years of history.
“One thing is the words which men say, another is that which the Gods decide. If the tongue of man were the rudder of a boat, the All-Lord is its pilot.” (Amenemope, 1300 BC)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverb 3:5-6 King Solomon, 980 BC)
A man can achieve nothing without God or against the design of God. (Ahika, 500 BC)
“For man proposes, but God disposes” (Thomas à Kempis, 380 AD)
Another Clue
One other clue, if you are in doubt of the validity of their writings and why they survived over time may be found in the context of this proverb.
“Truthful speech lasts forever, but false speech only for a moment. (Proverb 12:19)
“I cannot tell a lie.” (George Washington)
Wisdom requires the ability to discern truth in order to make good common sense decisions and judgments. Truth is strength that will withstand the test of time. Falsehoods are fragile and will fall to the ground and be detected and discredited. (Proverbs Mc Kane)
In My Opinion
If you study the lives of the above men and their sayings, along with numerous wise men and women of many different cultures in history, many shared a common belief and trust in God to make the final decision of their endeavors. Perhaps this may have reduced stress in their lives and helped them to live relative long lives.
Be wise and honest in whatever standards you endeavor to accomplish and perhaps the same belief will help reduce stress in your life. You decide.
King Solomon
She (Wisdom) is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. (Proverbs 3:15-17)
Regards and goodwill blogging.
Source Link HERE
From the Wikipedia entry for Parson Weems:
Among the exaggerated or invented anecdotes is that of the cherry tree, attributed by Weems to “… an aged lady, who was a distant relative, and, when a girl, spent much of her time in the family …” who referred to young George as “cousin”.[8]
It was later declared by most historians to be a fabrication — a lie about not telling a lie. Perhaps it is a poor choice for a quote to illustrate your point.
However, you have a different point that is not quite hit square-on: It isn’t stressful events in your life that cause problems, it is how you decide to react to them.
If you react with stress, that is tough on your system. But if you have the mental discipline to react with relative equanimity, “stress” in the sense people think of won’t touch you. Washington was no doubt possessed of mastery of this skill.
I’m pretty fair at it after my fashion, but I am “only an egg” as the old expression goes, and always learning.
===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle
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Perhaps your remedy works for you.
However, many people of faith have a different remedy throughout the ages as I stated in this post.
I personally know the faith remedy worked for my mother. My aunt once asked her if worried about my delivering newspapers in downtown Chicago when I was eleven years old. Her reply to my aunt was, she did not worry because “my guardian angel would watch over me.”
She lived to be 99-1/2 years… young.
As for the story about George, who knows for certain if it was truth or fiction? There is a wise old saying.
“Where there is smoke, there is fire.”
If it is a myth, perhaps someone who knew him well may have originated it?
Regards and goodwill blogging.
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I don’t think it’s a different method at all. Faith helps many people to adopt the same calmness of mind and acceptance that I was talking about. I wasn’t trying to read faith out of the process, just pointing out the distinction between stressful events and stress taken in by the person dealing with those events.
Two people can have radically different reactions to (and health effects from) the same events. And I know that faith can help in this area a lot.
===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle
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My Grandson has a contemporary answer to what you just explained. I have to agree with both of you.
“Grandpa, different strokes for different folks. ”
I consider him to be fairly wise and even wrote a previous post about him if you are interested.
https://rudymartinka.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/king-solomon-on-a-sinking-boat/
Regards and goodwill blogging.
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If it’s a myth, as most people now believe (Parson Weems had a habit of invention and exaggeration) it’s probably not the best quote to use in a post on honesty.
A lot of people will recognize that it is almost certainly a myth; I stumbled when I hit that line in your post (metaphorically) and it distracted from the point you were aiming at. But if you insist on using this fable, now you have the language to get the quote correct (e.g., he supposedly said “can’t” rather than “cannot” or “can not”).
But I don’t advise this; you now know the nature of the quote, and it runs directly counter to your “falsehoods are fragile … and discredited” point. Surely you would not insist on using it on the off chance that it might resemble something Washington might have said as a boy, as related by someone with a track record of fabrication?
Mother Jones Magazine was sued for libel, and won — their defense was that it was permissible to fabricate quoted statements by people if you really believed that they might say such a thing. The judge bought off on this evil notion, and I was in that judge’s courtroom (Judge Ernest Hiroshige) though my involvement in the case was very peripheral and not relevant to the issues.
Later, an Internet rumor floated around that it was Fox News that earned the right to lie in their reporting. This is false; it was the far left Mother Jones Magazine.
Basically, the magazine was told that it was all right to lie about statements their political targets made as long as they believed their targets were so evil as to say such a thing. To me, this is a despicable notion.
===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle
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I don’t read far left magazines because I concur with this proverb
Stay away from a fool,
for you will not find knowledge on their lips.
Reading them can cause one foolish stress…if one takes them seriously.
Regards and goodwill blogging..
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But I do from time to time, and read their websites … and I listen occasionally to Los Angeles’ communist/anarchist/socialist radio station. It is interesting to see the myths and fables they’ve adopted as their truths, with no desire to correct them as they fit the desired narrative. And often, I know more about the stories they’re propagating than they do, from what they say to the public.
Another benefit to such a catholic intake is that I can pick up a story that is unfamiliar to me and research it before it appears on more usual sources. Sometimes it never does, but at least I’ll understand the real history. Useful philosophically, even if such details don’t do me any good financially.
===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle
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You are indeed wiser and more discerning than a lot of people on the web in my opinion.
Now if only you would discern one more message…..from above……my prayers for you might be answered, and I believe benefit you and your time more than correcting fools on the internet, including me…. sometimes, and there are certainly no shortage of them on the internet, in my opinion. .
Regards and goodwill blogging.
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You and I disagree on some topics, but I don’t consider you a fool. Nevertheless, the time on the Internet comment is well-taken.
As to the rest, it seems unlikely at this point. But you know that this is not from hostility.
===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle
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Stress is a modern excuse for unsolved promises and mistakes. Stress can cause illness which leads to early death. Faith and beliefs in God or a “Higher Power” can ease stress. Maybe that is why many people seem to die earlier than their ancestors???? I also liked Keith’s replies to this blog.
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Thanks again.
Regards and goodwill blogging.
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