Wisdom from A Bulldog
Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods
Wisdom from A Bulldog Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by Nobel laureate, twice British prime minister and knighted author and statesman, Winston Churchill. “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” — Sir Winston Churchill I get quite a few quotes sent to me during the year, but the best one sent to me in recent years has to be from reader Kevin S., who suggested we use this beautiful and eminently true...
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Of Christmas and Conscience
Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods
Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by a true American Renaissance Man, scientist, writer, statesman, and philosopher, Benjamin Franklin. “A good conscience is a continual Christmas.” –Benjamin Franklin This time of year is replete with reflection on the past 12 months. It’s also a time when we prepare ourselves for the coming year. But before you get to either of these things, remember what Benjamin Franklin said about a good conscience. You see, when our hearts and minds are clear, we can see the past...
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JFK on Gratitude
Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods
Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy As the late president so poignantly put it, gratitude is much more about action than mere words. This Thanksgiving, don’t just merely speak about the things you’re grateful for. This year,...
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Paine-ful Wisdom
Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods
Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods. Today's insight was inspired by English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist and revolutionary, Thomas Paine. “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” –Thomas Paine I think the great Thomas Paine said it all with this famous quote, so I’ll refrain from any further elaboration other than to say that if you haven’t read any of this incredible thinker’s work, then you need to do so immediately. I guarantee...
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Madison on Tyranny and Oppression
Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods
Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods. Today's insight was inspired by an American statesman, diplomat, Founding Father and the fourth president of the United States, James Madison Jr.. “If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” –James Madison I think it’s important, especially today, to remember Madison’s warning. Whatever battles we fight around the globe, we cannot let those battles destroy our freedom. Jim Woods October 19, 2022 For more...
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On Harnessing Passion
Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods
Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by American novelist, poet, and one of the pioneers of the Beat Generation, Jack Kerouac. “My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them.” –Jack Kerouac Passion is what makes life worth living. But controlling your passions is just as important as cultivating them. When it comes to a healthy life, balancing your enthusiasm and your self-discipline are the dual keys to success. Jim Woods October 5, 2022 For more great resources and...
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On Ignorance and Confidence
Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods
Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer, Mark Twain. “All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure.” –Mark Twain The iconic writer provides us with a humorous, yet quite profound piece of advice in the above quip. You see, sometimes not knowing what you supposedly are unable to do is just enough of an edge to get that thing done. Believe in yourself, don’t listen to naysayers, and don’t...
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On Knowing Yourself, and Your Enemy
Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods
Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by the Ancient Chinese military treatise, The Art of War by Sun Tsu. “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.” — Sun Tzu The iconic military strategist’s seminal work, “The Art of War,” is replete with lessons about life. Here, Sun Tzu reminds us that the key to victory is not only knowing your enemy, but also knowing yourself. Until you master yourself, you can never really be confident in any of life’s battles. Jim Woods July 20,...
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Will AI destroy Humankind Featuring Robert Deadman
Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods
Up next on way of the Renaissance Man, Will AI destroy Humankind Featuring Robert Deadman —and other lighthearted subjects. Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Will AI destroy humankind—and other lighthearted subjects. That’s the serious, yet playfully intriguing discussion I had with my friend, computer scientist, investor and fellow Renaissance Man, Robert Deadman (and yes, that is his real last name). Robert is one of those rare individuals who possesses a breadth of knowledge that he can eloquently translate into casual conversation, even about such advanced and interesting...
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Wisdom of a Bull Rider
Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods
Wisdom of a Bull Rider Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by American professional rodeo cowboy, Hall of Fame world champion bull rider, and co-founder of the PBR, Professional Bull Riders organization, Tuff Hedeman. “Bear down, try hard and never quit. NEVER!” –Tuff Hedeman, World Champion Bull Rider There’s perhaps no sport that requires more grit, determination and mental and physical toughness than bull riding. Nobody knows that better...
info_outlineThe Cat and the Horror
By Jim Woods
There was a cat sleeping on my porch
She didn’t know what I had witnessed
The lacerated skyline of metropolis
A bleeding out of her twin sons
Flying lancets piercing steel hulls
Black smoke seasoning the azure sky
As the falling man descends to the concrete
Incendiary ideas born in Bronze
To please a prophet on a white horse
Hatred of the good for being the good
Crumbles a once-proud icon
Falling ash blankets District streets
A macabre concoction of concrete, bone, blood
Fury rises in the giant’s heart
Rage and revenge burn white
Country targeted, let there be fight
Two decades later, let there be flight
There is a cat sleeping on my porch
While the world remembers
Jim Woods
September 11, 2021
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On Saturday, we mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001.
And yet the passing of two decades hasn’t been enough to fade our scars. And for me, those scars will never be allowed to fade.
Etched on my personal black box recorder are the memories I had circa 1999, when I checked in at the World Trade Center lobby to report to work for my first day at Morgan Stanley. The firm’s training program for new advisers/traders took place in those Twin Towers, and in the weeks that followed, I spent many an afternoon high atop the Manhattan skyline, learning the business inside the iconic monument erected to celebrate capitalism, Western achievement and the wealth of nations.
Their boldness, their glaring simplicity, their twin-brother like stance and their defiance of the rest of the New York City skyline was all part of the reason the World Trade Center was targeted for destruction by forces whose primary directive is death to the infidel.
On that day, when the blue skies were pierced by the stiletto insertion of commercial jets into the towers, I watched the events unravel from some 2,500 miles west. A condo nestled at the foot of the Hollywood Hills hardly seemed congruent to the billowing smoke oozing out of the structural siblings.
The only connection in my mind was… my mind.
A mind having been there just a couple of years earlier, wondering what it would be like to actually be there in that moment.
Wondering if I would have been incinerated along with the roughly 2,600 other souls that were extinguished that day.
Wondering if I would have acted heroically, the way so many did.
Wondering if I would have succumbed to the cowardice that so often accompanies paralytic fear.
I would like to think I could have been a hero. I need to think I would have been a hero.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to find out.
Instead, from afar, from the safety of Hollywood, I watched. All day, all night, I watched. Compelled by the horror; compelled by the enormity. Thinking to myself, “Will this be the world from here on?”
Would the world be plunged into war? At that moment, I wanted war. I wanted vengeance. I wanted to pound those responsible, and the philosophy that animated these acts, into a pulp.
I still want to.
I want to stoke the burn of that day. I want to remember the collapse of icons.
I want to keep calling out the life-hating, celebratory death cult of ideas that is radical Islam, and I want to rejoice in its defeat.
The scars of history must never be allowed to heal, and no salve of time should be permitted to mask the day America would be altered forever.