A dangerous mind

My mom used to reprimand me with a simple question:

"If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?"

She knew better than to use "ain't", it was her way of getting me to remember what she said.

Of course, I often pointed out that I was only 10, or 12, or 13, or 15 and to give me time. Well, time has come and gone and I am still not rich so maybe I am not so smart.

I still like to believe that I am a smart man. Now, to some of you (mostly female, I suspect) that may sound like an oxymoron. It's not. Anyone can be intelligent, not everyone can be smart. To be smart, one must have intelligence, knowledge, and common sense and be able to use them together. I feel I have a little of each. Not a lot, mind you, just enough to be dangerous.

Here are some of my dangerous thoughts:

Any socio-political system which requires cooperation at the point of a gun is not a good one.

Human beings seek safety and complain about restriction. We trade liberty for security all the time. But we don't like it.

Life should be hard. At least hard enough to keep one distracted from petty complaints.

As bad as a ruler is, the people will defend him from an outside enemy.

Life is full of choices. You may not like them but you either choose or someone else will choose for you.

Never close yourself off from an opposing point of view, it will reveal the weaknesses in your own.

Assume the driver of the car in front of you will do something stupid.

Courtesy should be a habit rather than a duty.

Your worst days become some of your best in memory.

What doesn't kill you is more likely to leave you weakened than stronger. At least physically.

I am naturally suspicious of a rich person who will spend a fair portion of his/her millions to get a temporary job that pays less than $200,000 per year.

I don't regret the roads I have taken but I wonder about the ones I did not.

I am sure I could think of some more... given enough time.