Friday Reflections

What Are You Thinking?

 

POINT TO PONDER

"If everyone is thinking alike, then nobody is thinking."

 

STORY LINE

 

Robin Williams (07/21/1951 - 08/11/2014)

POINT TO PONDER

"Risking is just for me, it's always been kind of the thing like, just trying different things. That's what the drill is... But why do I risk it? Cause the gains are pretty great when you do take a chance and you find something new - when you do find a new area..." 

                                       - Robin Williams

 

STORY LINE

Robin Williams was one of our favorite comedian/actors here at Friday Reflections. We were sad to hear of his passing this week and the tragic circumstances that surrounded it. He brought joy to so many and even in his passing, his genius and hilarity live on. 

As Robin was a long time resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, we wanted to share an outtake of his observations of the valley that many of us call home. We hope it leaves you with a smile, as it did with us, and we can remember the staggering talent Robin Williams shared with us all.  

 

R.I.P. Robin McLaurin Williams. We will miss you. 

Friday Reflections (on 29th anniversary): Steve Jobs talking about Joe Juran and Quality

FRIDAY REFLECTIONS started on August 5th, 1985 as stories I would tell our children during Friday evening rides. Ten years ago, FRs went high tech (onto the Internet and the www) with the help of two very young and very restless people: Neil Simpson and Analisa Hightower. Over the past years,  Friday Reflections has grown, read by the tens of thousands in over 150 countries.

A note with a youtube video I received from my good friend Jim Mulready last week seems appropriate to share as we begin our 30th year.

"There are people other than me who have been influenced by the thinking of Joe Juran, and some of them have had reasonably successful careers.  This guy shows a real understanding of quality thinking at a relatively young age." 

 

 

REFLECTION by Anand Shah

What I found most interesting about this interview is Steve's view about Joseph Juran, the man. Quality was his passion but it is his personal characteristics - the ones common amongst successful people - that resulted in huge contributions the world. The secret of success is ultimately - Constancy of Purpose.

Thank you to the readers around the world, to the many story contributers, blog participants, as well as Neil, Analisa and Rajiv for carrying on these weekly reflections throughout the years.  

I end this 29th year with a quote from Patrick Swayze movie:  City of Joy.

"Things that are given away are never lost."

Just Give Me The Facts

in the light of world events we repeat this refection oiginally published on May 31, 2012

POINT TO PONDER

There are no facts, only interpretations.

                    ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

 

REFLECTION by Rajiv Shah

facts - something that actually exists; reality; truth 

interpretations - to give or provide the meaning of; explain; explicate; elucidate

Can a fact ever be divorced from the interpretation of that fact? Or does the truth always lie somewhere in between, where each person's truth is different from the other? Perhaps, it is not the truth that matters but how we use it to get what we individually need? 

 

STORY LINE

Have you ever seen Rashomon? If not, check it out (click the photo above for a link to the complete film), not only because it's one Akira Kurasowa's great films but because the film seems to attempt to answer this very question posed by Friedrich Nietzsche. Warning: the following reflection contains spoilers for the film. 

    The film centers around the rape of a wife and the subsequent murder of her husband. The film recounts what happened from four different points of view: the bandit that supposedly raped the wife, the wife herself, the now deceased husband (told through a medium), and a woodcutter who witnessed the rape and kept the dagger that was used to murder the husband.  

    The film takes us into the court hearing of the murder to determine what really happened. The facts at that point were that all the said people were involved in some way, a man was dead, and a dagger had been used to kill him.

    According to the badit, he seduced the woman after tying her husband to a tree. Filled with shame, the wife pleaded that he fight her husband in a duel so as not to dishonor her. After fighting valiantly, he claims to have emerged the victor and the wife ran away. When asked about the dagger, he claims he forgot all about it and made a mistake leaving such a valuable piece at the scene. 

    The wife's story claims that she was not seduced but raped. After which the bandit left her in shame with her husband. Her husband, full of loathing and contempt refused to look or acknowledge her. She took the dagger and begged her husband to kill her to save her from shame. She claims to have passed out from shock and awoke to find the dagger in the body of her dead husband. 

    Through a medium the husband's story is told. According to this version the husband claims that his wife was raped and agreed to escape with the bandit on his journey only if he would agree to kill her husband before they left. The bandit, horrified, asked the husband whether he should kill his cold hearted wife or let her go. She runs away and the husband kills himself. 

    The woodcutter's story is the only one coming from a person not directly involved in the events. The woodcutter did see the rape and the murder. But how things transpired were not exactly as anyone had said. According to his account, the bandit did rape the wife. After begging her to leave her husband and marry him, the wife freed her husband who was too ashamed to defend her honor. The wife chastised both claiming they were not real men and that real men would fight for her. Pushed to fight, the men fought not valiantly - as the bandit had claimed - but pitifully with the bandit finally knocking the husband to the ground after a lucky blow. The husband begged for his life as his wife fled. Roiled with conflict, the bandit finally killed the husband. This version isn't without doubt either as the woodcutter is then accused of tailoring his story to hide the fact that he was indeed the one that had stolen the dagger and didn't want to get caught. 

*Watch the complete film above if you're curious to the outcome of the film*