Ship

[An oldie but a goodie, I'm posting it in preparation for the soon coming follow up.]

A captain must choose his ship wisely. There are many ships docked here, but not all are seaworthy. Some, though appearing seaworthy, will surely sink before you get out one nautical mile, while others will make it much farther before the holes and rotted wood become a problem. Often the captain sets off on his lifeboat, but every classic tale has taught us that a good captain goes down with his ship.

I’ve attempted to sail a few ships, but the open water has proven difficult. It takes a steady hand, a steady eye, and a steady mind - areas I continue to work toward but continue to need to grow. Ships scrape on docks, and I have difficulty steering. I see others much younger than myself navigating like Ishmael himself, and I try harder (not in this case for the good of the ship, but for myself). Repeated failures, near capsizes, the necessity to return to the dock - all part of the journey.

There was one ship I never tried to sail. I observed her from afar, then much closer. I learned a lot about that ship: the controls and the sails, the hull and the mast. Never did I once try to sail. I was fearful and full of excuses. As such, I wasn’t even worthy to sail. Behind the wheel is no place for a coward. It takes wise decisions and quick thinking, bold maneuvering and deep understanding (both of oneself and one’s ship). That was quite a magnificent ship indeed, though I’m not sure we were such a good fit as it was: I’ve never envisioned myself as a yachter.

Captaining a ship is not a matter of feigning fullness of knowledge, but of having confidence and carrying out decisions to the end. There will be consequences, and those must be dealt with. There must be a plan, which must be taken one day at a time. This is the way that a captain sails a ship.

This captain will go down with the ship.

[An oldie but a goodie, I'm posting it in preparation for the soon coming follow up.]

A captain must choose his ship wisely. There are many ships docked here, but not all are seaworthy. Some, though appearing seaworthy, will surely sink before you get out one nautical mile, while others will make it much farther before the holes and rotted wood become a problem. Often the captain sets off on his lifeboat, but every classic tale has taught us that a good captain goes down with his ship.

I’ve attempted to sail a few ships, but the open water has proven difficult. It takes a steady hand, a steady eye, and a steady mind - areas I continue to work toward but continue to need to grow. Ships scrape on docks, and I have difficulty steering. I see others much younger than myself navigating like Ishmael himself, and I try harder (not in this case for the good of the ship, but for myself). Repeated failures, near capsizes, the necessity to return to the dock - all part of the journey.

There was one ship I never tried to sail. I observed her from afar, then much closer. I learned a lot about that ship: the controls and the sails, the hull and the mast. Never did I once try to sail. I was fearful and full of excuses. As such, I wasn’t even worthy to sail. Behind the wheel is no place for a coward. It takes wise decisions and quick thinking, bold maneuvering and deep understanding (both of oneself and one’s ship). That was quite a magnificent ship indeed, though I’m not sure we were such a good fit as it was: I’ve never envisioned myself as a yachter.

Captaining a ship is not a matter of feigning fullness of knowledge, but of having confidence and carrying out decisions to the end. There will be consequences, and those must be dealt with. There must be a plan, which must be taken one day at a time. This is the way that a captain sails a ship.

This captain will go down with the ship.

Ship