Above title could be given to both Hilary Clinton and Me self.
To me because after over a month’s absence from my blog I am finally posting again.
And to Hilary Clinton because she won the states of Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island in the Democratic primaries on the road to becoming President of the United States.
After having the US media count her out twice before in this contest, she has at the very least ensured that calls for her to withdraw cannot be made with any validity. HRC was apparently able to stop the 11-state month-long winning streak of Barack Obama by “going negative” in the run up to Tuesday’s contests. She ‘threw the sink’ at him apparently. (I love that expression!)
There were three main thrusts according to US media. A debateable ad showing sleeping kids at 3am and asking who Americans would feel more comfortable with when a national security phone call came through; Highlighting Obama’s links to a landlord in Chicago whose trial for criminal activity started this week; And finally the revelation that one of Obama’s top advisors had spoken to the Canadian government and told them not to pay attention to Obama’s posture on NAFTA.
All this apparently swung the late deciders Hilary’s way.
Hilary was also able to bring to the fore the unfair media handling of the two Democratic candidates. She opined that Obama was getting a ‘free ride’ from the media and perhaps out of guilt the media DID sharpen its scrutiny of the potentially historical Democratic nominee for the office of President of the United States.
For a neutral like I (ok ok not so neutral… I do think Hilary is the better candidate) I am concerned about the impact of this on the Democrats' chances in the general election. It is obvious Hilary and Obama have legitimate arguments to want to be named nominee of the party. At this stage of the contest, whoever gets nominated will have a huge task of bringing in the other person’s supporters. I believe that either one of these candidates would still win in the general election in November but ONLY if this impasse is resolved in a way that ensures both sets of supporters bring the energy and excitement they have thus far brought to the nomination process to the general election.
Drawing out the contest does not guarantee this. And it doesnt help that the Republicans have already confirmed John McCain as their nominee for the general election. He now has the opportunity to sit back and watch the Democrats eat themselves alive!
So what to do? Perhaps an Obama and Hilary team-up? Dream Ticket anybody? But who would be Prez and who would be Vice? And is America ready for BOTH a black man AND a woman on the same ticket? They definitely seem ready for one or the other but both at the same time?
Whatever happens, it definitely makes for a gripping narrative!
I Love American politics.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
The Driving Force
To control a man, you need to know what drives him.
Different things drive different men. The most successful individuals who have wielded considerable influence as the ‘power behind the throne’ knew exactly what their charges needed to succeed and provided it to them.
The best example of such a ‘power behind the throne’ would be Cleopatra. She seduced Julius Ceasar, then the most powerful man in the world and after he fell on the steps of the senate in Rome to assassins, Cleopatra turned her sights on his presumptive heir Mark Anthony and not only secured her kingdom but made Anthony turn his back on the business of ruling the empire he had acquired.
A bit of overkill there really on Cleopatra’s part.
For some people, romance is what drives them. Or more accurately, the theme of being a romantic. They dream elaborate dreams and imagine themselves as the central character in a happily ever after story. The majority of this kind of people end up bitterly disappointed as they (maybe) lack the pragmatism needed to make their dreams reality. This disappointment then becomes the driving force in their lives. So yes, one’s driving force may be positive or negative.
Positive - Love, (for your spouse, children, your own pleasures); Altruism; Ambition (to be President, the greatest golfer, to climb Mt Everest) etc.
Negative - Revenge; Bitterness (from a past incident or a love gone wrong) etc.
So yes, the things that drive a human being are varied in scope. The more positive your drive, the better it is. I think. And there is yet a third class of people apart from those with positive and negative drives.
Those with no drive at all.
If you have got no drive, you most likely have no values. You plod through life accepting of what it brings to you. You find it difficult to get excited about anything or anybody. You are wrapped in a timeless cocoon of inactivity and live a humdrum existence.
You go to school because your parents made you, not necessarily because you dreamed of becoming an astronaut or medical doctor. You get married because that’s what everyone else was doing or your spouse was attracted to your seeming ‘easy-going’ nature; not because you recognized the missing half of your own soul. You take care of your kids because well… that’s what parents do right? And not because you enjoy and take seriously the experience of moulding another human being’s values and entire persona from scratch.
He without drive is a very sad individual indeed.
And me what drives me? Still trying to figure it out to be honest. I can tell you what drives my beautiful Tope, she is a hopeless romantic even worse than I am. Happily Ever After is something to strive for. And while she accepts that it will not always be smooth sailing, this has not stopped her from projecting and working towards it all the same.
In previous posts, I have acknowledged that my interests and passion include: Family, Football, Good Governance and how to make a million dollars without stirring off your butt. But how does any of this translate into a clear articulate driving force for me?
I'll figure it out!
________________________________________________
It has been a month since Temitope arrived here in New Zealand and this period has coincided with an absence from this blog. Needless to say, it is NOT because of a lack of activity but because the last month has left no room to spare. The last month has been
- settling Tope in with the basics. Bank account; GP visit; etc.
- Putting documents together for immigration for a long term visa/permit
- Starting a company-sponsored course on Supply Chain management
- Exploring options for a Post-graduate diploma with the University of Auckland
- Basking in the glow of having a loved one to go home to at the end of every day
So yes it has been an interesting month for me. Obviously there is a whole lot more concerning Tope and I that I could fill a notebook with already. But I hesitate to publish these thoughts on this forum. When I publish my autobiography be rest assured that this heavenly period of my life will be captured in it.
And I can charge millions of readers a fee for the privilege of sharing it.
Different things drive different men. The most successful individuals who have wielded considerable influence as the ‘power behind the throne’ knew exactly what their charges needed to succeed and provided it to them.
The best example of such a ‘power behind the throne’ would be Cleopatra. She seduced Julius Ceasar, then the most powerful man in the world and after he fell on the steps of the senate in Rome to assassins, Cleopatra turned her sights on his presumptive heir Mark Anthony and not only secured her kingdom but made Anthony turn his back on the business of ruling the empire he had acquired.
A bit of overkill there really on Cleopatra’s part.
For some people, romance is what drives them. Or more accurately, the theme of being a romantic. They dream elaborate dreams and imagine themselves as the central character in a happily ever after story. The majority of this kind of people end up bitterly disappointed as they (maybe) lack the pragmatism needed to make their dreams reality. This disappointment then becomes the driving force in their lives. So yes, one’s driving force may be positive or negative.
Positive - Love, (for your spouse, children, your own pleasures); Altruism; Ambition (to be President, the greatest golfer, to climb Mt Everest) etc.
Negative - Revenge; Bitterness (from a past incident or a love gone wrong) etc.
So yes, the things that drive a human being are varied in scope. The more positive your drive, the better it is. I think. And there is yet a third class of people apart from those with positive and negative drives.
Those with no drive at all.
If you have got no drive, you most likely have no values. You plod through life accepting of what it brings to you. You find it difficult to get excited about anything or anybody. You are wrapped in a timeless cocoon of inactivity and live a humdrum existence.
You go to school because your parents made you, not necessarily because you dreamed of becoming an astronaut or medical doctor. You get married because that’s what everyone else was doing or your spouse was attracted to your seeming ‘easy-going’ nature; not because you recognized the missing half of your own soul. You take care of your kids because well… that’s what parents do right? And not because you enjoy and take seriously the experience of moulding another human being’s values and entire persona from scratch.
He without drive is a very sad individual indeed.
And me what drives me? Still trying to figure it out to be honest. I can tell you what drives my beautiful Tope, she is a hopeless romantic even worse than I am. Happily Ever After is something to strive for. And while she accepts that it will not always be smooth sailing, this has not stopped her from projecting and working towards it all the same.
In previous posts, I have acknowledged that my interests and passion include: Family, Football, Good Governance and how to make a million dollars without stirring off your butt. But how does any of this translate into a clear articulate driving force for me?
I'll figure it out!
________________________________________________
It has been a month since Temitope arrived here in New Zealand and this period has coincided with an absence from this blog. Needless to say, it is NOT because of a lack of activity but because the last month has left no room to spare. The last month has been
- settling Tope in with the basics. Bank account; GP visit; etc.
- Putting documents together for immigration for a long term visa/permit
- Starting a company-sponsored course on Supply Chain management
- Exploring options for a Post-graduate diploma with the University of Auckland
- Basking in the glow of having a loved one to go home to at the end of every day
So yes it has been an interesting month for me. Obviously there is a whole lot more concerning Tope and I that I could fill a notebook with already. But I hesitate to publish these thoughts on this forum. When I publish my autobiography be rest assured that this heavenly period of my life will be captured in it.
And I can charge millions of readers a fee for the privilege of sharing it.
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