Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

I was hunting down the origins of some of my favorite quotes today when I came across this:
"A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both."
- Francoise Rene Auguste Chateaubriand

...and then I started thinking about all of the FIRST people I know or have met. Kamen, Flowers, Lavery, Baker, JVN, Wayne Cokeley, Dave Beck, Al Ostrow, Joe Troy, Dina Campagna, John Larock, ...

Thoughts?

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

Profound.

Yes I agreed, it does describe all the dedicated momentous FIRST'ers.
The state of FIRST becomes our lives.
:cool:

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

very profound indeed...it sure fits countless of people in FIRST...

we are one with FIRST, FIRST is one w/ us....and it's just great!!! :)

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

A quote I like is "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum and I can move the world"-Archimedes

FIRST is our lever and the mentors are the fulcrum. That's the way I see it.

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

This is something we should all strive to achieve. Whether in FIRST or your "real" work.

Basically, he was saying that it's not about making tons of money. Unless, of course, you enjoy making tons of money,

It's all about being happy doing whatever you are doing.

In other words, "Don't worry, be happy."

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

"Find a job you enjoy, and never work a day in your life."

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

<start Dave thinking> So I have learned that Chateaubriand is more than just a piece of meat!!! <end Dave thinking> :D

-dave

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

I hate it when he does that ... ;)

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

To make Dave feel smarter, and Rich dumber (dumber for the fact that rich on occasion talks to me)

(Big Mike Starts thinking)....holy crap my head is on fire.......I could say something funnier than Dave about Chateaubriand but i don't know how to say Chateaubriand....(Big Mike stops thinking, and dumps a cup of water on his head)

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

shätōbrēäN' ;)

Or: http://www.bartleby.com/61/93/C0259300.html to listen to it.

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

*tries desperately to come up with cooler comeback than big mike and dave, spontaneously combusts*

in other news, (keeping with my theme of the day), me cavegirl. me love FIRST.

and in even more news, you should all go read the comic 'pearls before swine' :D

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

I think that this is talking about anyone who is passionate about anything.

If your passion is what you make a living doing, all the better for you.

But, then there is the flipside of the coin.
Don't make a living doing what you love, cause then when you want to do it in your free time, you will come to hate it.
I can see both aspects being true.

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

'Work' and 'play' can be totally different occupations - in fact, there's no limit to the number of things you can be interested in.

I think this speaks about one's approach to life; it's about finding 'magic' in all of life's tasks and situations, whether simple or overwhelming. It's about allowing the present to be new, and to be celebrated.

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

Ah yes. That can be very true.

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

Dave,
You are so deep.
My first thought when I read this thread was a quote of one of the greatest thinkers of my generation, Maynard G. Krebbs, "WORK!?!?!?!?" (rising inflection on the last exclamation.)

Elgin, I have been doing what I love, all day long, every day, and have not hated it yet. (Thirty two years last Saturday, but really 40+ if you go back into my hobbies in grade school.) I only hate it when I can't do it right.

Thank God, someone is willing to pay me for playing around. America, what a county!

Re: Is Chateaubriand talking about FIRST people or ... ?
 

I think that this quote represents a HUGE part of what FIRST is all about.

What is the purpose of a career?
The answer is multifold - one obvious aim is to provide some kind of beneficial service to the world. However, another function of a career is to benefit YOU, the employee, by giving you a sense of purpose.

What drives people to take a job? Some people take jobs (even if they don't like them) so that they can earn a living. Others take jobs that will bring them a sense of accomplishment in their lives. I too believe that the best type of career is one that brings a person happiness through their work.

In order to be happy, people need to be constantly challenged by something. I don't think that happiness can ever be achieved by overcoming ONE specific challenge in life. I don't believe in the pursuit of a solitary "Holy Grail", so to speak - I don't think that the achievement of a SINGLE momentous goal is truly capable of bringing you happiness for the rest of your life. The reason why I don't believe in a single "Holy Grail" is the fact that once you reach the top, you will become dissatisfied when you find that there are no more challenges left to overcome. The "denouement" will be boring and unsatisfactory, and you will wish for another challenge so that you can experience the "rush" of success once again. There is no central goal in life - life is a SERIES of goals that bring you happiness as you achieve them one by one.

In order to be a happy person, you need to continue to have goals. Your career should provide you with the challenges you need to keep you happy. Without careers (and their consequent goals) we would never experience the rewards yielded by success. According to Chateaubriand, the happiest people are those who view their work as their source of pleasure. Their work provides them with the series of challenges that brings happiness to their lives. If you find a career that you enjoy, life will be much more fulfilling and enjoyable.

In my view, FIRST is not merely a tool for inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and technology. FIRST is about guiding kids to find out where their future lies. Through FIRST, students are given the opportunity to find out what type of a career will make them happy. Some students join FIRST and find out that the LAST thing they would want to do is become a scientist or an engineer! Does that mean that the purpose of FIRST is lost on them or that FIRST has failed? Absolutely not! FIRST has served that student by helping them explore different career options, and has given them an opportunity to learn more about themselves. FIRST has created animators, web designers, business people, writers, journalists, and artists. All of these people have found their niche through FIRST.

Kudos to FIRST for endorsing this philosophy. It has changed the lives of many.

-- Jaine