ARMED FORCES DAY- WORLD WHISKEY DAY
2 Samuel, Chapter 12, Verse 18
On
the seventh day, the child died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said: “When
the child was alive, we spoke to him, but he would not listen to what we said.
How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do some harm!”
Even today advisers and courtiers of powerful men and
women dread to tell bad news or to tell the unfortunate truth to their leaders.
David has fallen by killing Bathsheba’s husband Uriah and the child of their
unholy union has died. David and even modern leaders forget the law of
sacrifice. The law of the sacrifice is simple: Those leaders who stop seeking
new challenges; stop growing, inevitably stop leading. John Maxwell states,
“When we stop sacrificing, we stop succeeding.”[1]
If
you want to become a great leader, you must be willing to make sacrifices.
1. There is no success without
sacrifice. Every person who has achieved any success in life has made
sacrifices to do so.
2. Leaders are often asked to give up
more than others. Leaders have to give up their rights. Leaders need to learn
how to put others ahead of themselves. It’s not easy, but you need to give up
more than the people you lead.
3. You must keep giving up, to stay
up. John Maxwell takes the Law of Sacrifice even further when he states that
‘If leaders have to give up to go up, then they have to give up even more to
stay up’. Today’s success is the greatest thread to tomorrow’s success. There’s
always a cost involved in moving forward. The day you stop being willing to pay
the price is the day when you stop creating the results you desire.
4. The higher the level of leadership,
the greater the sacrifice. You’ve probably noticed that the higher the
position, the fewer the number of people able to step in. It’s not because
there’s lack of capable people. It’s simply because there’s not enough people
willing to pay the price. From my childhood I remember learning about the
utopia of communism – they tried to make everybody equal. Everybody should have
the same rights and the same pay. The problem with this is the law of
sacrifice. There will always be some who will be willing to sacrifice more,
while others will not be willing to do anything extra. No philosophy of
equality will ever be able to overcome this mindset. It’s the inner job. You
must decide for yourself how much time, effort or other sacrifice you’re going
to assign to a specific job, project or task. The Law of Sacrifice states that
those who do, will go up. And those who continue doing this, will stay up.[2]
Armed Forces Day Facts & Quotes
·
According
to the US Dept. of Defense, as of 2013, there are 1,387,493 personnel serving
in active duty in the United States; 1,259,000 are serving in the different
reserve branches.
·
As
of September 2011, there were just over 214,000 women serving in active duty.
That is 14.6% of all active duty personnel.
Armed Forces Day Top Events and
Things to Do
·
Attend
a parade or a military air show.
·
Send
a care package to military personnel stationed overseas. Free flat-rate boxes
are available at USPS. Use these to mail to military bases for a low cost.
·
Fly
the American Flag.
·
Visit
a local Veteran's Hospital or Nursing Home to show your gratitude.
·
Honor
Military Working Dogs by donating to the ASPCA or other charitable
organizations that protect and serve these heroic animals.
US Air Force[4]
If you’re friends with Jack and Jim and
spend your weekends with Jameson and Johnnie, then World Whisky Day is going to
hold a special significance for you. Whisky is one of the iconic drinks of true
lovers of alcohol and is the foundation of some of the most wonderful drinks
known to man. But honestly, who needs an excuse to imbibe in these wonderful
libations? If you need one, World Whisky Day is it!
History of World Whisky Day
One of the most common forms of whisky that is sought after is Irish Whisky, and perhaps appropriately so. The origins of the word Whisky can be found in the Gaelic Language. Uisce Beatha was the original name of whiskey in classical Gaelic, which ultimately became Uisce Beatha in Ireland and Uisge Beatha in Scotland. Both of these names mean “Water of Life” and tells us just how important and vital this particular distillation was to the Gaels. It was later shortened to just Uisce/Uisge, and then anglicized to Whisky. So now you know, when someone is concerned about your whisky consumption, you can just tell them you’re drinking the water of life!
So what, exactly, is whisky? Whisky is
what happens when you create take rich flavorful grains and ferment them into a
mash, and then take that mash and distil it down into a pure delicious spirit.
Distillation takes place in a still, a device whose whole purpose is the
purification of the alcohol from the fermented mash. One of the most important
secrets of distillation is that it must take place in a copper (Or copper
lined) still, as the copper removes the sulfur from the drink that would make
this otherwise diving beverage decidedly unpleasant to drink.
How To Celebrate World Whisky Day
World Whisky Day reminds us that there is
an incredibly broad range of whisky out there to try, and its unlikely that
we’ve managed to try all of it. Whisky can be made from barley, corn, rye, and
wheat, just to name a few, and those grains are often mixed in different
proportions before fermenting and distilling. The results are then aged in
casks, with both the cask and the time inside changing the flavor. Needless to
say, you may need more than one day to sample every kind available to you!
World Whisky Day is a great opportunity for you to expand your palette, and
share your experiences with your friends.
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