How do your spiritual values help you in life?
People like to moralize a lot about values and they offer empty platitudes about peace and love and God. But, I tell my kids that virtue is the right action, not a set of rules in an etiquette book. Right action is learned over time and is not dictated by anyone else’s simple notions of goodness or badness. In other words, I learn what is right by exercising my judgment, independently making choices I think are right, and over time I find out if that was so.
What advice would you offer about building a network?
Value people as much as whatever you are seeking to gain. You are always working on something bigger than you think. You will be able to return to those relationships over time. They will also return to you. Everything worthwhile is mutually beneficial and built over time – networks included. But, networks are just sweaters. The relationships are the thread. The careful work produces the result.
How would you describe your fatherhood culture?
In my fatherhood culture, there are a large majority of fathers who are single. There are a lot of attitudes that sound great in this culture that I just can’t adopt. I love to spread my seed as much as the next guy. But, seeds don’t stay seeds forever. They become people. Like plants, they need sunlight and water regularly. Having love and pride is great, but the job is watering the plants when they need it.
