There's Not Much New Under the Sun

Published: May 27, 2004

Application

When is the last time you heard a completely new idea about how to operate a business?

Elsewhere, on this site, we refer to the method Ben Franklin used to improve himself on a number of "virtues." Read self-improvement books or search the Web today and you will find almost identical charts to those of Ben Franklin.

A recently published book lists "focus" as one of the elements common to greatly successful organizations. The descriptions are almost identical to those of another researcher who, two decades earlier, described it as, "sticking to your knitting."

And so it goes on ad nauseam as it does on these web pages. As with the others, we believe we have organized it a little more interestingly.

The repetition serves well in keeping your focus as well as being confirmation from different sources.

Stories

The Creative Editorial

As editor for a weekly newspaper I was required to write an editorial. This was usually done after everyone left the office and before the copy was delivered to the printer. Usually the editorial related to the news content in the paper.

One night, I created a piece that was my reaction to some general conditions and happenings beyond the local community events. I recall being so proud of my creative thoughts as I enclosed the documents in the printer's packet. Again, I recall showing it with pride to my colleagues and friends.

A few days later I was shocked to find an editorial in a monthly magazine that not only had all the same thoughts but, some of the words and phrases were identical to mine.

Now that magazine editorial had to have been written, at least, six weeks before its publication. There was no possible way one plagiarized the other.

My best explanation is that both writers were responding to the same stimuli from our common environment.

Submitted by: Nephew Gerry

The Wisdom of Dr. Henry F. Hall

Our graduating class was meeting with Dean Hall to prepare for the Baccalaureate Service. We were noting changes to the previous year's program when one of the student's asked the Dean what the bible reading was to be. The Dean said, "The same one." To which the astonished student responded with, "The SAME one?"

The wise old Dean looked him in the eye and said, "It's still true."