
 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Feb. 21, 2006
/ 23 Shevat, 5766
The Rhino Principle
By
Paul Johnson
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
There's a certain rule in life that I've found worth considering. It
particularly applies if you're confronted by a crisis. I call it the
Rhino Principle.
Now, the rhino is not a particularly subtle or clever animal. It's
the last of the antediluvian quadrupeds to carry a great weight of
body armor. And by all the rules of progressive design and the
process of natural selection the rhino ought to have been
eliminated. But it hasn't been. Why not? Because the rhino is
single-minded. When it perceives an object, it makes a decision — to
charge. And it puts everything it's got into that charge. When the
charge is over, the object is either flattened or has gone a long
way into cover, whereupon the rhino instantly resumes browsing.
Few people think of learning from a rhino. But I have. And when I
hear of an author who cannot finish or get started on a book, I send
him (or her) a rhino card. I paint a watercolor of a rhinoceros on
the front of a postcard — something I do well, as I've practiced it a
great many times. And in the space next to the address I write:
"Stop fussing about that book. Just charge it. Keep on charging it
until it is finished. That's what the rhino does. Put this card over
your desk and remember the Rhino Principle."
Sending a rhino card usually works. Now, the Rhino Principle may not
produce the perfect book, but it does produce a book. And once a
book is drafted, it can be improved, polished and made satisfactory.
But if the Rhino Principle is ignored, there is no book at all.
This principle can be applied to many other things, particularly
business. When an entrepreneur has an object in his line of vision,
he should dismiss all other considerations from his mind, abandon
all other activities and charge directly at that object, continuing
to charge until the object has been secured. All kinds of qualities
are needed to make a great businessman. But aggressive
single-mindedness is by far the most important. Indeed, it is
indispensable.
To what extent does the Rhino Principle apply to politics and
statesmanship? In my view it applies with even more force. The story
of Moses in the book of Exodus is an exposition on this approach. So
is the monumental story of Alexander the Great of Macedonia and the
destruction of the Persian Empire. Caesar's conquest of Gaul, as
described by himself, is another epic in the need to charge and keep
on charging until the object is taken.
In the history of the United States one sees time and time again how
success was achieved through the concentrated pursuit of a clear and
definite aim.
The original settlers who arrived on the Mayflower observed this
principle. They wanted the freedom to practice the religion of their
choice, and to secure this they disregarded wealth, comfort and
safety and worked toward their goal until it was achieved.
The American leaders who objected to George III's government argued
around (and beside) the point until they produced the Declaration of
Independence. This was the moment at which America adopted the Rhino
Principle: A salient object was perceived, and everything was
sacrificed for its attainment.
Abraham Lincoln concentrated all his energies into one two-pronged
aim: the preservation of the Union and the defeat of those trying to
sunder it. He pursued this aim wherever it took him and never
deviated from it, despite enormous difficulties and reverses, until
the Union was triumphant.
Winston Churchill embodied the Rhino Principle. His objects were not
always consistent—and they were sometimes the wrong objects. But
there was always the same single-mindedness in his pursuit of them.
In 1940 Churchill and the defense of freedom in Europe came together
in a common destiny. I remember, as a boy of 11, listening to his
broadcasts during that fateful summer and hearing my father say,
"That man Winston Churchill has a clear aim and is very determined.
That is what we need today."
I've often noted that the statesmen who succeed on the big issues
have a distinct vision of their goals combined with undeviating
energy in pursuing them. Konrad Adenauer was one such example,
Charles de Gaulle another. And in the 1980s two others who shared
that trait, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, joined forces to
win the Cold War. Neither was very sophisticated nor subtle, but
both understood the importance of having a clear aim and
concentrating unreservedly on that aim until it was accomplished.
Is President George W. Bush cast from the same mold? I rather think
so. I certainly hope so.
We can choose to lead quiet lives and get through them without
achieving much. But if we want to do the big thing, if we hope to
leave a record that will be admired and remembered, we must learn to
distinguish between the peripheral and the essential. Then, having
clearly established our central objective, we must charge at it
again and again until the goal is achieved.
That is what the rhinoceros does. It may not be a model animal in
most ways. But it does one thing very well. And that one thing we
can learn: Charge!
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
| BUY THE BOOK |
|
Click HERE to purchase it at a discount. (Sales help fund JWR.). |
|
Eminent British historian and author Paul Johnson's latest book is "American Presidents Eminent Lives Boxed Set: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S. Grant". Comment by clicking here.
© 2006, Paul Johnson
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Tony Blankley
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

Mr. Know-It-All
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|