Sam: do it right, sleep at night. A phrase I’ve lived by for some time. I’ve got a few years on you, but the principle and its applications transcend mere time. Another spot on elucidation of a concept with origins in ancient times, but present day immediacy and importance.
We have boat duckers at my corporate job. I always strive to do the work and keep a zero inbox, so I am never the roadblock. I help the team by progressing the work ASAP.
One guy has an inbox with over 10,000 unanswered emails. Sadly, no one is yelling in his face encouraging him to ring the bell.
That is a sin. I am always struck by businesses that have the opportunity to craft exceptional culture and yet find ways of allowing free riders to flourish. On the other hand, those who take pride in their work and effort are, at least sometimes, rewarded if they are noticed. Thank you for the comment, Tim.
This is a fantastic article. Thank you. Stoicism never fails to give my conscience a good kick! I've done more than my share of boat ducking, but mainly in team sports, nothing anywhere near as important as military selection. As you say, how to face the big things if I duck the little ones? I think Christ says something similar about trustworthiness.
Thank you Sam. MUCH room for thought. If you had a teammate that was injured would others carry his load until he recovered or would he have to ring the bell?
You’re very welcome. This all depends on the teammate. BUDS is designed to be a form of natural selection. If the injured man was a contributor, we would carry his load, the instructors would see this, and he would get the chance to leave, recover, and come back to try again. If he was not, he would be forced to ring the bell by the class or the instructors. The former are almost always taken care of; the latter rarely ever. The painful ones are the good guys who get unlucky and the bad ones who sneak by.
“Of course I will stand up under that weight if it comes to that.”
This really resonated with me. I heard it a few times from folks who quit under academy training “pressure” (a far, far cry from carrying a boat). They wanted the badge and the prestige of wearing a uniform without earning the respect such a position demands.
They wanted the accomplishment without the work of becoming someone who deserved it.
This is spot on Tim. To this day I still hear this assumption within myself and have to pressure test it. It’s not so much a destination as it is a never ending journey.
"But that does not make it pain unless you yourself label it as such". The entire article so well put with so much power. But this quote is where power in life is generated. This moment in the mind when a choice is made to bear the weight. Accept the forces applied and assign them nothing. Powerless to power full. Great stuff Sam. Appreciate your words and work a great deal.
"We do not know how useful to others we are until we are truly challenged'. Yes. I'm British, and the exceptional people in my family history (many of them women) were the ones who were challenged but didn't duck, and gave everything to their community. For no glory at all. The modern individualism of "winning" was completely alien to them.
Well said, and your point about modern individualism is interesting. It is a profoundly important ideal and yet when not done with a strong community, it becomes a curse. Hopefully we can orient society back on course with some ancient wisdom.
Sam: do it right, sleep at night. A phrase I’ve lived by for some time. I’ve got a few years on you, but the principle and its applications transcend mere time. Another spot on elucidation of a concept with origins in ancient times, but present day immediacy and importance.
I haven’t heard that six word hitter before, but I’m a fan. Thank you, Timothy.
Sam,
We are cut from the same bolt.
We do battle in different realms.
I'm a psychoanalytic seal.
I never duck boat
when treating the malignant mind.
I just checked out your work and you are most certainly doing battle in the mind.
What I love about it is that there is only one type of human mind, but many ways to explore this beautiful thing.
And never ducking boat is the crux of the matter.
Yep.
This applies to all areas of life.
We have boat duckers at my corporate job. I always strive to do the work and keep a zero inbox, so I am never the roadblock. I help the team by progressing the work ASAP.
One guy has an inbox with over 10,000 unanswered emails. Sadly, no one is yelling in his face encouraging him to ring the bell.
That is a sin. I am always struck by businesses that have the opportunity to craft exceptional culture and yet find ways of allowing free riders to flourish. On the other hand, those who take pride in their work and effort are, at least sometimes, rewarded if they are noticed. Thank you for the comment, Tim.
This is a fantastic article. Thank you. Stoicism never fails to give my conscience a good kick! I've done more than my share of boat ducking, but mainly in team sports, nothing anywhere near as important as military selection. As you say, how to face the big things if I duck the little ones? I think Christ says something similar about trustworthiness.
Great piece of writing.
Well said Greg, thank you.
Thank you Sam. MUCH room for thought. If you had a teammate that was injured would others carry his load until he recovered or would he have to ring the bell?
You’re very welcome. This all depends on the teammate. BUDS is designed to be a form of natural selection. If the injured man was a contributor, we would carry his load, the instructors would see this, and he would get the chance to leave, recover, and come back to try again. If he was not, he would be forced to ring the bell by the class or the instructors. The former are almost always taken care of; the latter rarely ever. The painful ones are the good guys who get unlucky and the bad ones who sneak by.
Profound message and packed full of one liners that can empower any perspective. Incredible post
The sailor on the far left was the JO in my third platoon. One of the best people I know.
He has the look of a crusher. That is a small world.
“Of course I will stand up under that weight if it comes to that.”
This really resonated with me. I heard it a few times from folks who quit under academy training “pressure” (a far, far cry from carrying a boat). They wanted the badge and the prestige of wearing a uniform without earning the respect such a position demands.
They wanted the accomplishment without the work of becoming someone who deserved it.
This is spot on Tim. To this day I still hear this assumption within myself and have to pressure test it. It’s not so much a destination as it is a never ending journey.
"But that does not make it pain unless you yourself label it as such". The entire article so well put with so much power. But this quote is where power in life is generated. This moment in the mind when a choice is made to bear the weight. Accept the forces applied and assign them nothing. Powerless to power full. Great stuff Sam. Appreciate your words and work a great deal.
Well said, David, you're more than welcome.
One of your best Sam. 🫡👊
Thank you, Dee.
"We do not know how useful to others we are until we are truly challenged'. Yes. I'm British, and the exceptional people in my family history (many of them women) were the ones who were challenged but didn't duck, and gave everything to their community. For no glory at all. The modern individualism of "winning" was completely alien to them.
Well said, and your point about modern individualism is interesting. It is a profoundly important ideal and yet when not done with a strong community, it becomes a curse. Hopefully we can orient society back on course with some ancient wisdom.
Wow.