Meinert & Meinert

Brothers.

Writing.

Sometimes you are in the mood. Other times you are not. However, when you feel so inclined, do not stop yourself. Do not be cautious; say anything, say everything.

The only thing I remember from freshman philosophy . . .

Aristotle argues that friends can be viewed as second selves. Just as virtuous behavior improves oneself, friends can improve each other--this is the importance of friendship, and the reason it may be regarded as a type of virtue. The success or failure of a friend can be like one’s own success or failure. Aristotle divides friendships into three types, based on the motive for forming them: friendships of utility, friendships of pleasure and friendships of the good.

Friendships of utility are relationships formed without regard to the other person at all. Buying merchandise, for example, may require meeting another person but usually needs only a very shallow relationship between the buyer and seller. In modern English, people in such a relationship would not even be called friends, but acquaintances (if they even remembered each other afterwards). The only reason these people are communicating is in order to buy or sell things, which is not a bad thing, but as soon as that motivation is gone, so does the relationship between the two people unless another motivation is found.

At the next level, friendships of pleasure are based on pure delight in the company of other people. People who drink together, or share a hobby may have such friendships. However, these friends may also part--in this case if they no longer enjoy the shared activity, or can no longer participate in it together.

Friendships of the good are ones where both friends enjoy each other's characters. As long as both friends keep similar characters, the relationship will endure since the motive behind it is care for the friend. This is the highest level of relationship, and in modern English might be called true friendship.

Wiki on Wikipedia

To be a . . .

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours."

Henry David Thoreau

Images.

. . . i can't answer these things for you, but i can tell you this. and i say this to you after a lot of reflection. i think too many things in your life are built on images and ideas of what you think they should be. not everything is like that; especially with people. see people for their hearts. you give, you will receive.

1,2 and 3 or rather, 3, 2 and 1, amended and edited for the web.

3. Be extraordinary. Whether it is someone you date, your friends or your family -- anyone that is real, pure and honest must see this. They will value you. They will cherish you. They will seek and find you, no matter what. This must be your consistent belief.

2. We always have to be open to opposing perspectives. Recognize when you are pulling yourself too much to one extreme. Know your potential and know that you have a long way to go to reach it. Never settle. Never be boring and achieve all those things, professionally or emotionally that bring you happiness. Have a big heart and a keen mind. You have so much more to learn and give, but you have to push yourself. Only you can do that.

1. Learn to have faith. Not just in words, but in your heart. Do not allow past disappointment to bring you down. This is faith. Faith in the most important thing: yourself. You have to believe with everything that makes you, you, that this is unique, beautiful and strong. That you could give with all your heart, to yourself, to anyone or to the world and not receive one thing back, not one affirmation (verbal or otherwise), yet you will get everything you need despite this. Because you have faith that you will receive what you seek, because you are indeed that valuable. That somehow it will all work because this is what makes you worth these words and many more.

Working on it.

16 days before she passed away, Margaret Craig McNamera received the Medal of Freedom for her work in improving childhood literacy.

Music.

I listen to songs repeatedly. I get ideas to pursue things and change my mind. I wake up at 4 in the morning and write email. I am hard on myself; I do not like making the same mistakes twice. I leave my iron on when I walk out of my apartment. I like ice cream for breakfast. Have early, mid-day or late night conversations. Enjoy waking up early, but still managing to sleep in. I like to write, sometimes directly, sometimes for a glimpse.

I like people who notice. That save text messages. Who understand. Who offer things when they are missing (a thought, a gift or even p.b. and jelly). Who show their interest. Who have big hearts. Who listen to music. People who do not talk about work so much. Speak other languages. Like to travel. Who contradict themselves. Who are there when you need them. Who do not let you down. Who can make you feel special. Who give as much as they receive. From whom you learn. Make you better. Make you feel strong. Who appreciate you for who you are -- the good and the bad and fight to include you. Who make mistakes, but recognize them and apologize. Who conjure cliche, but with so much more meaning.

Somewhere in between there is balance, we like to say. Between differences, searching for common ground. We learn that there is no perfect ending or fairy tale, that we work to make things happen. What do we cherish? For whom do we fight?

I have been in a mood this week. Looking at things in new ways, maybe more honestly.

I listen to songs repeatedly.

Washington, DC

In one moment, my faith is interrupted and my belief seems misguided. This realization is bitter and unfulfilling. I wish I could pretend not to know, but this is not the way it happened. With a conversation and concentration on its meaning, I realize that it may not have been worth it. That despite sensing these things before their full context was impressed upon me; I ignored dissent. Why am I always such an idealist?

This contradicts determination and my predisposition to do things in ways others would not. Therefore, I struggle with these thoughts, as I try to write them without clear expression, as to mask their real meaning.

Perhaps it is logical to try new things. Compassionate not to compare. To give new feelings a chance to develop. Anything less would not be fair. I may write it, even say that, but I do not believe it. How can we let go of things we know to be so special? How can we try to find something unique again, somewhere else, when we know what we have seen, held and cherished is charmed? How can we be so careless?

Washington has always been a place for many lessons for me. Our fates intertwined. So be it. There is no bitterness in truth. It just saddens me that moments cannot last forever, as I thought they could. Maybe I do not believe that, just feel that way today.

Beethoven's 9th

I have been recently listening to Beethoven’s 9th symphony. When studying and while working. What I enjoy the most is the range of emotion present in the music. The build up, the slow back and forth and the triumphant conclusion. I am by no means a musical scholar, so from my untrained ear, what I believe brilliant about it all is Beethoven succeeds in capturing many themes. The change of seasons and or the change in individuals.

The Ode to Joy. Reminiscent of everything we know that brings us to smile and meet satisfaction. A stranger’s smile. Conversations with parents. The energy of a child. The unselfish thought of a friend. I could go on and go into more detail, but happiness is so personal.

Heros.

It will be a tough act of his own to follow. Even in defeat, this run in New York was one of the most irresistible of his career, and when it ended, he made his way off the court and into the tunnel, where his 3-year-old son, Jaden Gil, was waiting for his customary postmatch hug.



"Daddy, who did you play with?" Jaden said.

It could have been a long answer, but Agassi chose to keep it simple. "Somebody with long hair," he said.



-- From the New York Times, September 12, 2005

This was a memorable US Open for me. Every year I make the pilgrimage to Flushing Meadow, but 2005 I will never forget.

Cheering on Andre in the 5th of his 3rd consecutive extended match. Watching a champion, the reason I started my life-long passion for this sport that has taught me about triumph and defeat. The next day, I rooted for Andre as I sat with my old high school tennis partner; we cheered him on in the Final, but in the end, his competition was too much.

But that is ok. Because the lesson here is not one about winning or losing. It's about personal grace. Family. Maturity.

Thanks for all the memories Andre. Here's to many more.

September 11th.

4 years ago I couldn't return home because all roadways back to New York were blocked off because of the attacks on September 11th. That night I slept on my office floor watching the non-stop coverage.

I remember feeling scared that night. Scared about what was next and wondering why this happened. I also remember feeling hope, hope that we would overcome this and somehow be better because all of it.

Heres to that night.

Ambition.

I had a drink yesterday with a former intern and enjoyed listening to him tell me about his plans after completion of his MBA. Part of the conversation was a struggle, because I could sense some apprehension on his part regarding the many things he wanted to achieve; he told me that when he discussed these things with people at his office, there was often doubt or resistance towards his plans.

It is very important we are careful about with whom we talk about our dreams. It is not out of spite or malice; it is just that not everyone is going to understand the things we want. When someone criticizes or places doubt in our plans, it is very easy to rethink things, to stop believing. So like our hearts, our dreams are things we need protect and expose to others that will support us, guide us and build hope.

Lloyd Dobler said it best, “I am looking for a dare to be great situation”. If you dream big: plan, strategize, be relentless. Take what you want. And even if you struggle, it takes twice as long as you planned or you sometimes feel like it will never happen, just be determined. And your moment will arrive.

Hurricane Katrina

My thoughts go out to every family that has been affected by this horrible tragedy. It is hard to think about much else these days, given the magnitude and long term impact this natural disaster has had and will have.

Because of the inadequacies of the post-Katrina disaster management, there is a natural tendency to assign blame. I think the key thing we should focus on right now is what we should have in place and why things are not yet where they need be. We must be able to prepare and act on situations of this magnitude and our minimum result should be excellence. Anything less is below the standard we should set and we can’t be afraid to admit this to ourselves. With Katrina, no matter who is at fault, we failed. We must do better.

I don’t know how we will get there, but it is clear we have a long way to go.

Labor Day Weekend 2005

The end of summer and beginning of the fall? Change of seasons, making the most of the rest of the year.

There are always many more words, as you can imagine. Hard to focus when pulling myself back from writing them. Why? Who knows.

To be an author.