Way of the Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods

Welcome to today's Audio Essay from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods

As a Renaissance Man, Jim Woods recognizes and admires greatness in all areas of life. As a musical talent and frontman for his own band in the 90s, Jim acknowledges and gives his "hat-tip" to today's legendary audio essay feature. And now, here's Jim Woods.

"I just wish to shine brighter, and if it burns my body to a crisp, I'm happy to go right now." -Henry Rollins That bit of high-intensity wisdom comes from a man who I admire deeply; singer, songwriter, spoken-word artist, author, actor, radio and TV show host, publisher and true renaissance man, Henry Rollins. Henry made his mark on pop culture as the frontman for the quintessential punk rock band Black Flag, and then later via the Rollins Band, and he turned that experience into a multi-faceted and eminently interesting career fit for a true polymath. His career continues today, mostly through writing and one-man spoken word shows that combine the intensity of a punk rock concert with the intellectual stimulation of a Ted Talk. If you are a long-time reader of The Deep Woods, part of my financial publications, you probably know that I am a huge music fan and a huge fan of renaissance men (and women) who are able to do many different things in life and to do those things very well. In fact, this entire website and podcast appropriately called Way of the Renaissance Man, is dedicated to extracting wisdom and knowledge from these types of individuals so that we can apply that wisdom and knowledge to our own lives. A couple of years ago, another polymath I admire, entrepreneur, investor and business inspirer Evan Carmichael compiled a list that he called "Henry Rollins's Top 10 Rules for Success." You can watch the video on YouTube. I recommend doing so, as it will give you a sense of the intensity and focus Henry puts into just about every breath he takes. Here is a list of those top 10 rules (complete with sage advice straight from Henry himself), rules that I also try to live by, and rules that can help everyone — regardless of what stage they are in life — achieve just that little bit extra that makes life glorious. For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com/store for Way of the Renaissance Man Fans is open. Grab your stylish t-shirt, gear, stickers and Way of the Renaissance Man art, too! Just visit the website now! Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Ask the Renaissance Man Anything on a future episode. For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com

Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by American novelist, poet, and non-fiction author, Richard Wright. "Don't leave inferences to be drawn when evidence can be presented." — Richard Wright The great American novelist is chiefly known for his brilliant novel "Native Son" and his even more poignant memoir "Black Boy," two works I highly recommend. Here, the author reminds us that evidence is more powerful than inferences, but only if we're willing to stare existence in the face and confront the objective reality of the world. Now more than ever, facts and objective reality are what the world needs to embrace. At the same time, we also need to shed the temptation to draw tribal inferences. Jim Woods November 10, 2021 For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com/store for Way of the Renaissance Man Fans is open. Grab your stylish t-shirt, gear, stickers and Way of the Renaissance Man art, too! Just visit the website now! Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Ask the Renaissance Man Anything on a future episode. For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com

On Man's Noble Nature Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by writer, novelist, and philosopher, Ayn Rand.

"Whatever their future, at the dawn of their lives, men seek a noble vision of man's nature and of life's potential."

–Ayn Rand, "The Fountainhead"

This noble sense of mankind in novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand's work is a not-too-common line of thinking in the history of literature and thought. Perhaps it's why some of the greatest heroes that ever graced the printed page are found in her masterworks "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged." I am a big advocate of people maximizing their potential in life, and one way to do this is to see the world as a noble place where the achievement of values is indeed possible.

Jim Woods

November 3, 2021

For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com/store for Way of the Renaissance Man Fans is open. Grab your stylish t-shirt, gear, stickers and Way of the Renaissance Man art, too! Just visit the website now! Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Ask the Renaissance Man Anything on a future episode. For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com

Up next on Way of the Renaissance Man, Free to Choose Featuring Robert Chatfield.

When I was a kid, I watched a documentary that influenced my young brain immensely, and it was called "Free To Choose." The original 1980, 10-part television series was by the great Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman. In academic circles, Friedman was chiefly associated with the renaissance of the role of money in inflation and the consequent renewed understanding of the instrument of monetary policy. For his studies in these subjects, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1976. Yet it was the "Free To Choose" documentary, as well as his many subsequent public appearances via lectures and on TV, that helped bring into the mainstream the meaning of freedom, and why it is so vital to economic prosperity and social prosperity. The "happy warrior" approach that Friedman took, as well as his passion for ideas, are kept alive by the Free To Choose Network, a global media nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Friedman's work, as well as other outstanding scholars such as Thomas Sowell. Directing that effort is Free To Choose Network President and CEO Robert Chatfield. At the recent FreedomFest Conference, Chatfield sat down with me to reminisce about Freidman, his wife and intellectual partner Rose, Friedman's insatiable intellectual curiosity, the history of the "Free To Choose" documentary and how it came to fruition, and even how Milton Friedman, at age 90, learned how to do stomach crunches! I loved this interview with Robert Chatfield, and if you've ever wanted to learn more about the great Milton Friedman and the critical role he played in my life, and the life of society at large, then this episode is just for you. Here is a link to the Free To Choose Network: https://www.freetochoosenetwork.org/

For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com/store for Way of the Renaissance Man Fans is open. Grab your stylish t-shirt, gear, stickers and Way of the Renaissance Man art, too! Just visit the website now! Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Ask the Renaissance Man Anything on a future episode. For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com

Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by Hall of Fame Trial Lawyer and American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate award recipient, Louis Nizer. The Hands of an Artist "A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist." — Louis Nizer The British-born lawyer and author provides us a very clear verbal picture of the essence of what it is to be an artist. But you don't have to be an artist in the traditional sense to benefit from this wisdom. If you act with your hands, brain and heart in whatever you choose to do in life, you'll be that much closer to experiencing the passion, joy and success that you truly deserve. Jim Woods October 20, 2021 For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com/store for Way of the Renaissance Man Fans is open. Grab your stylish t-shirt, gear, stickers and Way of the Renaissance Man art, too! Just visit the website now! Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Ask the Renaissance Man Anything on a future episode. For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com

Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by a simple, yet powerful passage from the bible — Proverbs 21:5. "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty." — Proverbs 21:5 This verse from Proverbs extols the virtue of hard work and its connection with material gain. It also warns that if you are careless with your decisions, it could end up costing you plenty. Words to live by, wouldn't you agree? Jim Woods October 13, 2021 For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com/store for Way of the Renaissance Man Fans is open. Grab your stylish t-shirt, gear, stickers and Way of the Renaissance Man art, too! Just visit the website now! Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Ask the Renaissance Man Anything on a future episode. For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com

Up next on Way of the Renaissance Man…a conversation with thirst-quenching founder and CEO of Water 4 Mercy, Nermine Rubin.

The Way of the Renaissance Man podcast is all about conversations with interesting people who have a true passion for what they do. In this episode, Jim speaks with just such a person, and she is Nermine Rubin, Founder & CEO of Water 4 Mercy. Water 4 Mercy is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide a "One-Two-Three Solution" to permanently end thirst, hunger and poverty in our world. Through the use of innovative technologies and partners, and with a whole lot of love and passion, Water 4 Mercy provides clean water, agriculture, and educational solutions to areas in Africa that need it most. In this interview, you will see for yourself how passion, dedication and knowledge can be focused to solve a serious problem. And in doing so, you'll see how one person can spearhead a movement to make the world a better place. Jim really enjoyed this heartfelt conversation with Nermine Rubin, and we suspect you will too. To find out more about Water 4 Mercy, including how to donate to this worthy cause, go to https://water4mercy.org/. And to watch the amazing new video about what Water 4 Mercy does, simply click here.

For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com/store for Way of the Renaissance Man Fans is open. Grab your stylish t-shirt, gear, stickers and Way of the Renaissance Man art, too! Just visit the website now! Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Ask the Renaissance Man Anything on a future episode. For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com

Welcome to today's Audio Essay from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today marks the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center September 11, 2001. In this special audio presentation, Jim offers his poem and thoughts on this day. And now, here's Jim Woods.

The Cat and the Horror By Jim Woods There was a cat sleeping on my porch She didn't know what I had witnessed

The lacerated skyline of metropolis A bleeding out of her twin sons Flying lancets piercing steel hulls Black smoke seasoning the azure sky As the falling man descends to the concrete

Incendiary ideas born in Bronze To please a prophet on a white horse Hatred of the good for being the good Crumbles a once-proud icon Falling ash blankets District streets

A macabre concoction of concrete, bone, blood Fury rises in the giant's heart Rage and revenge burn white Country targeted, let there be fight Two decades later, let there be flight

There is a cat sleeping on my porch While the world remembers

Jim Woods

September 11, 2021

**********

On Saturday, we mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001.

And yet the passing of two decades hasn't been enough to fade our scars. And for me, those scars will never be allowed to fade.

Etched on my personal black box recorder are the memories I had circa 1999, when I checked in at the World Trade Center lobby to report to work for my first day at Morgan Stanley. The firm's training program for new advisers/traders took place in those Twin Towers, and in the weeks that followed, I spent many an afternoon high atop the Manhattan skyline, learning the business inside the iconic monument erected to celebrate capitalism, Western achievement and the wealth of nations.

Their boldness, their glaring simplicity, their twin-brother like stance and their defiance of the rest of the New York City skyline was all part of the reason the World Trade Center was targeted for destruction by forces whose primary directive is death to the infidel.

On that day, when the blue skies were pierced by the stiletto insertion of commercial jets into the towers, I watched the events unravel from some 2,500 miles west. A condo nestled at the foot of the Hollywood Hills hardly seemed congruent to the billowing smoke oozing out of the structural siblings.

The only connection in my mind was… my mind.

A mind having been there just a couple of years earlier, wondering what it would be like to actually be there in that moment.

Wondering if I would have been incinerated along with the roughly 2,600 other souls that were extinguished that day.

Wondering if I would have acted heroically, the way so many did.

Wondering if I would have succumbed to the cowardice that so often accompanies paralytic fear.

I would like to think I could have been a hero. I need to think I would have been a hero.

Fortunately, I didn't have to find out.

Instead, from afar, from the safety of Hollywood, I watched. All day, all night, I watched. Compelled by the horror; compelled by the enormity. Thinking to myself, "Will this be the world from here on?"

Would the world be plunged into war? At that moment, I wanted war. I wanted vengeance. I wanted to pound those responsible, and the philosophy that animated these acts, into a pulp.

I still want to.

I want to stoke the burn of that day. I want to remember the collapse of icons.

I want to keep calling out the life-hating, celebratory death cult of ideas that is radical Islam, and I want to rejoice in its defeat.

The scars of history must never be allowed to heal, and no salve of time should be permitted to mask the day America would be altered forever.

For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com/store for Way of the Renaissance Man Fans is open. Grab your stylish t-shirt, gaiters, stickers and Way of the Renaissance Man art, too! Just visit the website now! Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Ask the Renaissance Man Anything on a future episode.

Welcome to today's #WednesdayWisdom from Way Of The Renaissance Man Starring Jim Woods Today's insight was inspired by Russian-born American author, philosopher and creator of Objectivism, Ayn Rand. "Every man builds his world in his own image. He has the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice." –Ayn Rand The novelist/philosopher reminds us here that choice is not an option in life, it's a requirement. Remember that the next time life confronts you with a difficult or important decision, because the choices you make really do determine your existence. Jim Woods September 8, 2021. For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com/store for Way of the Renaissance Man Fans is open. Grab your stylish t-shirt, gaiters, stickers and Way of the Renaissance Man art, too! Just visit the website now! Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Ask the Renaissance Man Anything on a future episode. For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com

Up next on Way of the Renaissance Man, Five Minutes with Dave Rubin.

During the recent FreedomFest conference in Rapid City, South Dakota, talk show host, author, and ideas activist Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report came by for a quick visit with the Renaissance Man. Although brief, the discussion covered several interesting topics, including classical liberalism, the rise of "Big Tech," and the problems it's brought to the issues surrounding free speech. Plus, find out what Dave's entrepreneurial solution is to this problem, a solution that's based on competition. And now, here's Jim's introduction and thoughts on the episode, followed by 5 minutes with Dave Rubin.

For more great resources and inspiration visit WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com WayOfTheRenaissanceMan.com/store for Way of the Renaissance Man Fans is open. Grab your stylish t-shirt, gaiters, stickers and Way of the Renaissance Man art, too! Just visit the website now! Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Way of the Renaissance Man podcast? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Ask the Renaissance Man Anything on a future episode.