Bar Fights That Do Not Kill You Make You Stronger

Columnist Ron Hart on personal responsibility, risk-taking, and ear-biting:

When one interviewer, without even looking up from my resume, said to me, "Well Mr. Hart, we see so many Ivy League MBA's here at Goldman Sachs, how are you different?" I thought for a second and said the following: "I have been to a cock fight; I have spent a night in a county jail, and I have seen a man bite another man's ear lobe off in a bar fight. Other than that, there is probably no difference."

This guy was shocked, and as my interviews went on that day each person would ask me in detail about that earlier comment. My thinking, and eventually theirs, was that we are all products of our experiences, and the ones that do not kill you make you stronger.

We all must take some risks, understand those risks and find a way to survive them. Failure, success, consequences and the underlying premise of all human activity is that you, not the government or your parents, are responsible for yourself.

What got him started? A proposed law in Massachusetts that would mandate kids to wear helmets while playing soccer. Sadly, the World Cup final may well push such legislation forward. Damn you, Zidane!

Whole thing here.