Instilling A Sense Of Self-discipline And Focus

Real Self-esteem Has To Be Earned. I Also Believe In Virtuous Circles, Like, Nothing Is Fun Until You Are Good At It. It Is Great If You Can Instill In Children The Ability To Not Give Up, To Have A Work Ethic.

My Dogs Can't Do Anything--and What A Relief. I Don't Make Any Demands Of Them, And I Don't Try To Shape Them Or Their Future. For The Most Part, I Trust Them To Make The Right Choices For Themselves. I Always Look Forward To Seeing Them, And I Love Just Watching Them Sleep. What A Great Relationship.

I Once Won A Second Prize In A History Concert. My Parents Came To The Ceremony. Somebody Else Had Won The Prize For Best All-around Student. Afterwards My Father Said To Me, 'never, Ever Disgrace Me Like That Again.' When I Tell My Western Friends, They Are Aghast. But I Adore My Father. It Didn't Knock My Self-esteem At All.

The Most Successful Hyperpowers Are The Ones Where There Was Actual Intermixing. Tang Dynasty China Was Chinas Golden Age, And Contrary To What I Was Told When I Was Growing Up, Tang China Was Founded By A Man Who By Todays Standards Was No More Than Half Chinese. It Was A Mixed-blood Dynasty That Pulled In "barbarians" From The Steppe.

I'm Suggesting That, Ironically, The Secret To Becoming A World 'hyperpower' Is Tolerance. If You Look At History, You See Great Powers Being Very Tolerant In Their Rise To Global Dominance.