If you’re my friend, you’ll read #3 in my Persuasion series. If you aren’t my friend yet, I hope that changes soon!
Have you ever planned a grand adventure with a stranger? Have you ever decided to do something scary, maybe even dangerous, because a stranger asked you to? Not likely. It usually takes a friend to convince us to do crazy things.
It also usually takes a friend if we are going to be persuaded to believe something new, something opposite of what we might have believed in the past. Whether it’s ideas about the universe and God (or no God), politics, cultural affairs or even science, we are much more likely to consider new ideas if it is a friend who sets the idea before us.
Are wanting to be influential? Be a friend first.
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who is a friendly fellow and has yet to be President.
Quote by Abraham Lincoln, who was a friendly fellow and was President.
WOO HOO! I persuaded you to continue on our ‘How to Persuade’ series!
Imagine if Eve had better persuasive abilities. Perhaps she could have convinced the serpent that it should eat the apple, not Eve (by the way, do you think it was a male or female serpent?). Then what would have happened?
What’s up with the word ‘seem’ in this quote? Does it mean you can just fake listening? Can you just pretend to be open to persuasion or do you really need to be open to it?
I think it’s obvious that at least the author of the quote (Lord Chesterfield, not sure what he was Lord over though) thinks you can just appear to be open to it. The good think about appearing to be open to persuasion is that you eventually actually do become open to it. That is a good thing. It doesn’t mean you are going to fall for anything, or accept something blindly. It simply means you are willing to have a conversation with an open mind.
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who does indeed usually think he is right.
Quote by Lord Chesterfield, who, it turns out, was Lord over the County of Nottingham way back in the 1600s. Alas, his Earldom became extinct when his descendent forgot to petition for a writ of summons to the House of Lords, died, and that was that.
I hope I don’t have to persuade you to read my ‘Persuasion Series’ this week at the NDD.
I am not a licensed counselor but I have counseled my family, friends, students, and strangers about all sorts of things for many years. There is one recurring concept I try to persuade them to grab on to when they want something to happen and they have to persuade someone else in order for that to happen. I say this: “Explain to them why it is in THEIR best interest to help you.”
Have you ever watched those reality TV shows where the participant is asked at some point, “Why do you think you deserve to remain in the competition?” The participants will unfailingly say something like, “I really want this.” or “I really need this.” What I don’t hear nearly enough is “Because I know I can help you better than any of the other participants and I want to do that.”
The host and producers of that reality TV don’t care if you need it or want it. They care if you are who THEY need and want. You actually have to convince them of that, not anything else. You have to help them see why it is in their best interest to keep you, not in your best interest.
It’s exactly the same in business, in relationships and in a million other areas. If your reasons don’t meet up with their interests, your reasons really don’t matter.
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Drawing by Marty Coleman, who has talked his way in and talked his way out.
I couldn’t think of a better thing to do to save my life but draw #3 of Nurses Week at the NDD!
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Daily Darwin Awards
I think being a certain type of nurse would be hard, mostly because you have to take care of people whose wounds and illnesses are often self-inflicted. Basically you have to watch the Darwin Awards in action every day. Funny to talk about but probably not funny to witness all the time since even the dumbest person still deserves care and you are the person who gets to give it.
If you are a nurse, what is the dumbest self-inflicted thing you have ever seen a patient do and then have to seek medical help?
Drawing by Marty Coleman, whose nickname when he was very young was ‘stitch’.
No, you aren’t dreaming. It IS day tw0 of Nurses Week at the NDD!
Nursing Would Be a Dream Job If... a Nursing School Graduation Card by The Napkin Dad
What is going on in the battle between nurses and doctors? Is it about ego? expertise? competence? fairness? resentment?
I think nurses do a pretty darn job of hiding any animosity they feel towards Drs. I haven’t seen that resentment in action in the hospital or Dr’s office even though I have heard nurses talk outside of work about certain doctors in less than flattering terms. I think that says something good about nurses.
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Drawing by Marty Coleman, who has never liked the look of scrubs and thinks they should be replaced with something much more stylish.
National Nurses Week is coming up in May. Because of that I am nursing a desire to do a series on nurses.
I REMEMBER THE NURSES
I was in the hospital for 7 weeks way back when due to a boat explosion and subsequent burns. I remember the old Irish nurse that made Alfie (the Puerto Rican gang member who was in the ICU burn unit with me because he had botched an arson fire) and myself recite the Lord’s Prayer every night. I remember the nurses that listened to how I wanted my dressings put on, and those who didn’t give a hoot.
Honestly I don’t ever remember seeing a doctor (even though I know I did). I couldn’t tell you anything about them and their way, good or bad. Not to diss the doctors, they did the skin grafts and they checked up on me. They would have been there if I had taken a bad turn for the worse. But the truth is the nurses were the ones who were there for everything and it’s to them I give the credit for saving me again and again day in, day out.
Drawing by Marty Coleman, whose favorite nurse was named ‘Cookie’.
I hope I become a famous celebrity for posting Napkin #3 of Heroes Week!
Autographs, Please
I remember reading an article in Flying magazine once about my father. The article was about his exploits as a test pilot in the 1950s, for which he became quite famous. He was famous for a brief while among the general population and has had continued fame within the aviation community ever since. Still, to this day, I get regular inquiries and requests to interview him, visit him, have autographed photos of him sent. I sent one to Scotland a few years back.
Skeets Coleman (right) and engineer with the XFY-1 POGO
Legend in Residence
The article started out talking about how the author met my father. He met him when my father was hired to be Publisher of Business and Commercial Aviation Magazine. But that is not what the author said. He said he met him when my father was hired to be ‘Legend in Residence’ (or something close, the exact words escape me right now). I understand that when you are very high up in business they are often hiring your reputation, not just you. They wanted the cache of saying they had a legendary aviator at the helm. It gave their enterprise gravitas and authority. I get that.
Skeets Coleman and Jerry Brown
Skeets Coleman and Michael Bloomberg
Celebrity vs Substance
At the same time it did seem, in my eyes, to diminish his accomplishments during the rest of his career in aviation. He didn’t just fly one amazing test flight and then do nothing. He had also been a fighter/bomber pilot in WWII, an airport owner, a salesman of high end corporate jets, a corporal in the Marine Reserves, an inventor and innovator in aviation equipment and airplanes. And he was now at the helm of a very important and influential magazine in his industry. None of those things brought him the fame of his test pilot exploits, and rightly so. The test flights he took were legendary and they deserved to be. As a matter of fact, as the years past his flights are seen in higher regard not lower. The farther we get from the time of the flights the more amazing it seems his accomplishments were. But his other endeavors were valuable, good and worthy of recognition. They proved him to be a man of substance throughout his life, not just an aviation celebrity for one event.
Skeets Coleman on Johnston Island during WWII
Skeets Coleman (3rd on right, front row) and Squadron in WWII
I started this out not knowing it would turn into an essay about my father. But his life is the root of my personal understanding of both hero and celebrity. I like that he was both and I like that he always knew the difference.
XFY-1 POGO
Here is a 1955 promotional film that shows what exactly what it was that my father flew in the test fights I have been mentioning. I think you will be impressed.
