Last Thursday in a comment at Transforming Stress Dixie said she values wisdom. Some of my top values would be curiosity, creativity and resilience. The above cartoon is my version of one I saw in the New Yorker about 50 years ago, and it still tickles me every time I think of it. It keeps this pessimist cheerful. 
What about you? What qualities do you admire most?
Thanks to Nick, tammy, bikehikebabe, Cathy, Dixie, Ursula and Rummuser for commenting on last week’s post.
13 comments ↓
Mastery, attentiveness, skill
Evan´s last [type] ..Thinking and Critiquing Are Good
ability to adjust
warmth of spirit
open mindedness
tammy´s last [type] ..the runaway
Intelligence
Those guys hanging, are twins. You must know a computer trick to do mirror image.
I love it!
Evan,
Yay, craftsmen!
tammy,
I agree with those too. I combine the last two in the term “generosity of spirit”.
bikehikebabe,
It’s easy–just make a copy of the part you want, flip it horizontally and shift it to the new spot.
Kaitlin,
Thanks!
Have you read Richard Sennett’s book The Craftsman? He relates it to democracy and much else.
Evan´s last [type] ..Thinking and Critiquing Are Good
Evan,
No, I haven’t read the book but thanks to you I’ve read reviews of it. I am definitely a craftsman:
I have that obsessive energy and love working for its own sake, not for the end product or external rewards. I don’t worry if the work is any good or not, I love the process and learning new things. Just last night I heard Willa Cather’s quote, which is related:
Yay, craftsmanship!
you are the last person i would think of as a pessimist !!!
tammy´s last [type] ..the runaway
Sense of humour, humility and gratitude.
Rummuser´s last [type] ..Gratitude And Happiness.
qualities come and go, I can’t pinpoint one in particular…every so often (often more than I want) life changes to include all kinds of situations – about 5% would be classed as doing down a steep hill with not much reason to pull back
Cathy in NZ´s last [type] ..Less than 5million here
tammy,
Yes, I’m a cheerful pessimist. It reminds me not to take things for granted and also to develop courage. I’d much rather be pleasantly surprised (which has happened a lot) than to be disappointed.
Rummuser,
I agree with those too.
Cathy,
Your comment reminds me of one of my favorites: Over the hill and ready to roll.
Those three would be among my top values too. I guess determination and self-confidence are also pretty essential qualities. Without those, you won’t get very far in life.
Nick´s last [type] ..Unshared memories
Nick,
I agree. We need to have some confidence that our efforts will pay off, and we need to be stubborn enough not to give up when things don’t go smoothly.
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