Kingpin

From the cartoon strip Kingpin by Dean Davidson

The Art of Peace

As soon as you concern yourself with the "good" and "bad" of your fellows, you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter. Testing, competing with and criticizing others will weaken and defeat you.

One does not need buildings, money, power or status to practice the art of peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.

The divine does not like to be shut up in a building. The divine likes to be out in the open. It is right here within this very body. Each of us is a miniature universe, a living shrine.

-- Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei, founder of Aikido (pictured above)

The Essence of Tao

Book One - I

The way that can be spoken of
Is not the constant way;
The name that can be named
Is not the constant name.
The nameless was the beginning of heaven and earth;
The named was the mother of the myriad creatures.
Hence always rid yourself of desires in order to observe its secrets;
But allow yourself to have desires in order to observe its manifestations.
These two are the same
But diverge in name as they issue forth.
Being the same they are called mysteries,
Mystery upon mystery -
The gateway of the manifold secrets.

Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching (translation by D.C. Lau)

Launch!

On Thursday, Oct. 12, 2007, an Atlas 5 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral and carried the first Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft into orbit above earth. Shortly after launch, contact was made with the next-generation communications satellite, one of which is equivalent to the entire fleet of vehicles currently circling our globe. Guess who is working in the heart of the operation that manages these mission-critical space vehicles. Yep, none other than USAF Airman First Class Christopher Ross Davidson. Yep, his dad is proud.

Photo credit: Ben Cooper/Spaceflight Now

On Leadership

Book One - XVII

The best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence to his subjects.
Next comes the ruler they love and praise;
Next comes the one they fear;
Next comes the one with which they take liberties.
When there is not enough faith, there is lack of good faith.
Hesitant, he does not utter words lightly.
When his task is accomplished and his work done
The people all say, "It happened to us naturally."

-- Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching (translation by D.C. Lau)

Typographer

My son Dean Davidson is a graphic designer living in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and he has a penchant for typography. He likes to create it, use it in his design work and lay down metal versions to print with. He created Cambie while he was a student at Art Center College of Design. Check it out: It's a beautiful font. While you're at it, check out his portfolio, too. If you need a talented designer, give him a call!

Worldchanging

I enjoyed the opportunity to meet author/futurist/visionary Bruce Sterling when he visited Harvey Mudd College (HMC) in October 2006. During his talk (which is available in the video archive at HMC), he held up a copy of the book "Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century" and said, "Buy three copies of this book: One for yourself, one for someone 14 years older than you and one for someone 14 years younger." He wrote the introduction and Al Gore wrote the forward. Sterling also calls worldchanging.com the most important website on the planet. While I didn't adhere to his 14-year recommendation, I have given several copies of the book to my friends. Changing the world depends on you and me, so get the book, read it and get to work! "Valorize the extremes!"