The Mouse that Roared

Kim Jong Un must be a fan of the Peter Sellers movie, The Mouse that Roared, in which a tiny country that accidentally gets hold of  a nuclear device has major powers trying to appease it. The difference is that Peter Sellers' version was funny while the current one is both pathetic and dangerous. This is exactly the type of unstable individual and national leadership that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Pact sought to avoid. North Korea is severing all ties with South Korea and aiming missiles at U.S. installations and islands in the Pacific. If this is to play out peacefully and in the interests of long-term world stability, it's time for China to exert its massive influence on the rogue on its doorstep. The major powers will not seek appeasement this time around.

This Above All, to Thine Own Self Be True...

Shakespeare had it right in the advice of Polonius to Laertes in Hamlet. This above all, to thine own self be true... Whatever your endeavor, don't try to do it the way someone else would. Do it your way, because you are unique and unrepeatable - we are each special in our own way. No one else has had your heredity plus your environment plus your experiences. You may be a bit self-conscious and afraid that you won't be as good as someone else, but if you copy the work or style of another person, you will be a poor imitation and not an original. When you do things your way, you will automatically have an approach and style that is your own. It may not be perfect, but you'll be able to learn from it and improve on your next try, because you'll know what it took to achieve the first try. Whenever you tackle a task, a project, or a way of life, you may make mistakes for which you may be blamed. If you have been copying the ways of someone else, you will be blamed for his or her mistakes. Be an original and true to your own essence and background. It is much better to be blamed for your own mistakes than to suffer for the failings of someone you emulate. You may start your career by being an apprentice, but at some point you have to step out on your own and do original work. We all have variations in our degree of originality, but an ounce of originality is worth a ton of copying.