Money, power, fame and fan adulation appear to be important to politicians, sports figures, television personalities, and online influencers among others. Given all the...
The gently sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery overlook the nation’s capital. From this vantage point, thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines look across the Potomac River in formation. It is as if in their passing, they continue to look over us and the country because it is their legacy. Here, colonels are among corporals and privates among generals. Alas, they have come together for their final rest. Some served for a short time while others did so for a lifetime. But now, time is irrelevant as we salute them, pay respect to their deeds forever as they have arrived for their final rest.
A good friend in Michigan announced the very recent passing of his father. I never met his father, but the son, my friend, is someone with whom I have spent time discussing things professionally and also passing time as we solved the world’s problems. The man was in his mid-nineties and a World War II veteran. A year has passed since I received a similar announcement from another friend in New York. In the latter case, I had met her father once, and we had dined together, having had a great, enjoyable and memorable evening.
What is good service? When guest expectations are low, and we exceed them . . . not too exciting. But when guest expectations are high, and we manage to do even better, then we have accomplished something.
Courage.
The power to make your own decisions. The ability to act despite all odds when you know you are right. The ability to stand apart from others when your convictions are more important than your popularity.
The U.S.’s primary economic rival continues its efforts to be the predominant influencer in Asia. On September 16th, China submitted its official application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The irony of this development is that the U.S. had once been the country leading the effort for concluding this agreement when it was known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.
