Best Executive

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

Stewardship

The best leader brings out the best in those he has stewardship over.

Leadership

The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.

No Peace

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

Always Changing Process

Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.

Competion

Competition is a by-product of productive work, not its goal.  A creative man is motivated by the desired to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.

Having Character

With all the power that a president has, the most important thing to bear in mind is this:  You must not give power to a man unless, above everything else, he has character.  Character is the most important qualification the president of the United States can have.

Drive-Thru

I can remember when drive-thrus were new. The First National Bank on Main St, had not been built yet, but they had the drive-thru working out back. It was if they just stuck this little building out there with a couple of lanes. One day I was with Elsie and she went to the drive-thru it was neat. It is funny how you recall random thoughts.

Finds Things to Do

A good leader is not the person who does things right, but the person who finds the right things to do.

Granny’s Hands

I know I’ve been absolutely terrible at keeping up my contribution on the Martin Box. I feel bad, I do. But I’m barely keeping my own blog going as it is. I’m just really busy! Anyway, there was one thing in particular that I wanted to share with everyone. I’m taking an online art class for my art credit. My latest discussion question was this: “If you had the money, time, and skill to create a great work of art, what would you create and what purpose would it serve and why? Describe your work in detail.” I shared my response with my mom and she thought it would be a good idea for me to share it with all of y’all. So here’s what I said:

I’ve never really thought about what kind of art I would create if I had the time or the money. I’m not a big art person. The only reason I could see myself creating a work of art would be to, as the book says, “record and commemorate experiences”. It took me a long time to think of what I would want to create. After awhile I came up with the idea of honoring my grandmother’s memory by creating a free-standing sculpture of her hands. My grandmother was an amazing woman. She had eleven children and raised eight of them on her own. She worked numerous jobs and countless over time hours to provide her family with the bare minimum. A few years back a cousin of mine, who is a professional photographer, began taking pictures of my grandmother’s hands. These photos are a big deal among our family. A few examples: Granny’s hands signing her name, Granny’s hands holding a bible, Granny’s hands crocheting, etc. Granny’s hands became a symbol of love and devotion to our family. Her calluses and scars from years of self sacrifice for us became a reminder of the love that binds our close knit family together. So I would want to create a sculpture of my Granny’s hands. I would want to pay close attention to the texture of the sculpture, both the actual and implied texture. I would want it to be smooth to the touch. But firm, to represent the strength of Granny’s hands. I would also want the implied texture to show the wrinkles and lines in her skin, developed by years of hard use. The sculpture would be both of her hands, sort of cupped together as if she were going to hold something. The two hands give the sculpture symmetrical balance and a sense of unity. I would also use distortion scale to make the hands bigger than normal. (I want it to be large enough that a person could climb inside and be cradled in Granny’s hands.) But I would pay very close attention to make the hands appropriately proportioned and as accurate a rendition as possible. This sculpture would be an expression of the strength and beauty of my grandmother’s hands. It would also capture their physical appearance and symbolism. That’s what I would do if I had the skills, time, and money to create a great work of art.