Thursday, May 26, 2011

Two Minutes Short Of Being Smart

I think it probable that most folks experience it from time to time, but dammat if it doesn't happen to me weekly, or even daily: the perfect reply, comment, witticism, retort, rebuttal, observation, or wisecrack always occurs to me two minutes after it would have been useful.

What's to be done about such a thing?

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

10,000 Burpees: Day 54

Five thousand four hundred burpees! More than halfway to the end of the challenge. In order to push myself harder, I now publish some of my personal fitness goals...
  1. 100 burpees in 8 minutes.
  2. 5k in 21 minutes.
  3. 20 pull-ups in a row.
  4. Dunk a basketball.
  5. 10 double-unders in a row.
Dare to dream! By the end of my 10,000 burpee challenge, I hope to have accomplished #1. I should take some benchmarks on the other goals soon, so I can determine how far I need to go to achieve those numbers. Number 5 will take some doing - I've only ever done one double under ever. But this burpee challenge is the most interesting thing I have going on right now, and my self-expectations are climbing.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Osama bin Laden Is Dead

So he is dead. Good riddance. Personally, I would rather have seen him arrested, tried, convicted, and imprisoned. But given how much we have compromised our own justice system upon the altar of security, it may not have been a very meaningful trial.

It remains to be seen whether this so-called 'significant achievement' in the war on terror will alter U.S. foreign policy or military operations. I have my doubts.

In the meantime, let us recall that Osama bin Laden did not consider himself a wicked or evil man. He was utterly convinced of his own righteousness. In that light, one can see that unquestioned beliefs and absolutism are poisonous to humanity. Eschew belief and shun certainty; rather, seek knowledge and embrace uncertainty.

May the victims of this terror war rest in peace, and may their survivors find the strength and hope and healing to carry on.

Update: this essay captures much of my ambivalence about the occasion of OBL's death.

Update 2021: on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, these two essays continue the theme.