3 Insights
“The crowd admires common foolishness and places no stock in excellent counsel.” – Baltasar Gracian
“Success in any undertaking comes of patient, unremitting effort. You cannot have it, unless you resolutely concentrate your energies upon your work; and resolutely refuse to be diverted by other subjects, no matter how important or interesting. When something else thrusts itself in, and demands notice, you must be ready to say: “I pass that by. I am going ahead.” – William Henry Seward, 1872
“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.” – Epictetus
What I Learned this Week
Alaska is 586,000 square miles, which is larger than Texas and California combined. In 1725, Russian Czar Peter the Great dispatched Vitus Bering to explore the Alaskan coast. Even though Russia had an interest in the region, they never numbered more than 400 permanent settlers. As the United States expanded westward in the early 1800s, Americans soon found themselves in competition with Russian explorers and traders. However, the government in St. Petersburg lacked the financial resources to support major settlements or a military presence along the Pacific coast.
The fortune of living well
When Russia offered to sell Alaska to the United States in 1859, they believed the United States would off-set the plans of Great Britain who was Russia’s greatest rival in the Pacific at the time. It was not until Secretary of State William Seward quickly took up a renewed Russian offer in 1867 that the US was able to agree to terms. On March 30, Seward agreed to a proposal from Russian Minister, Edouard de Stoeckl, to purchase the Alaskan territory for $7.2 million, or $0.02 an acre. Within months the Senate approved the purchase and President Andrew Jackson signed the treaty. This 1867 purchase ended Russia’s presence in North America and ensured U.S. access to the Pacific northern rim.
For almost three decades after its purchase the United States paid little attention to Alaska. Many American skeptics had called the purchase of Alaska “Seward’s Folly.” It seemed like a foolish decision. But time always tells the real story.
But in 1896, the former Secretary of State was vindicated when a major gold deposit was discovered in the Yukon. The strategic importance of Alaska was truly recognized during World War II. Eventually the Alaska territory became a state in January of 1959, almost 100 years after negotiations started with Russia.
“Good fortune has its rules, and to the wise not everything depends upon chance. Fortune is helped along by effort.” – Baltasar Gracian
In our own lives, whether at work or at home, it can be hard to know how our decisions will play out. But if you take a short term view of the world, you are barely experiencing life. Merely existing is not a way to live. Coasing through your day to day will not help you in the long run. A good life is not an easy life. It requires effort and reflection. It requires picking yourself up when you get knocked down. It requires focus. It requires the ability to check your direction to make sure you are heading down the right path.
Where do you want to be 100 years from now? Whether you are alive or not, you can start now by living.
Reflections
What is your philosophy for living well? Are you living or merely existing?
The Real Con 128