While in the mountains this week, I took a big risk. No, not mountain biking or bungee jumping or cliff diving. Still, it was a scary risk in today’s day and age…I disconnected.
During our mountain vacation, we had extremely limited internet access, meaning I was just about entirely unplugged for several days. Running a business has certain responsibilities, sure – I kept my phone on in case of an emergency, but for the most part? I was freer than I’ve been in a while.
One of my favorite things to do when I’m disconnected from the hustle and bustle of everyday life is to relax with a good book. History books, in particular.
I’ve always believed in the old adage that those who don’t know their past are doomed to repeat it. Which is why I like to find a quiet place to digest it, free from distractions. Consider it meditating on our past and our future. And in a crazy election year like this one? We could all use a little reflection on our history, if you ask me. Here are some of my current favorite reads:
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. At 404 pages, this one’s pretty accessible. Plus, it’s got a lot of heart. It’s the story of the nine working class men who showed the world they were winners at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The book contains great lessons in leadership, reminding us that the leader of a team can make or break everyone’s efforts – something every boss can learn from!
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition by Jared Diamond. At 608 pages, this one’s a heavier read – both in book weight and subject matter. But like his earlier book, Guns, Germs and Steel, author Diamond does a great job of linking patterns in historical societies that created downfalls, and keeping a cautious eye toward our own future.
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 by David McCullough. I can hear some of you groaning now – 698 pages? About the Panama Canal? But it’s important to 
remember that a passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans was the 400-year dream of a world without airplanes. The Panama Canal was built with blood, sweat, and tears, on the backs of hundreds of men and women who were fulfilling the dream of centuries.
I liked McCullough’s book on the Panama Canal so much, I’m now working through another of his books, Brave Companions, Portraits in History, a series of 17 essays dedicated to people who shaped history, including: scientist Alexander von Humboldt, author Harriet Beecher Stowe, and aviators Charles and Anne Lindbergh.
In Brave Companions, McCullough (whom I would argue is the best historian of our generation) suggests that “courage is contagious.” And, I must say, the tales of the courageous history-makers in all of the books above have certainly inspired me. More on that in a future post; right now, I have to muster the courage to sift through the hundreds of emails waiting in my inbox!
Take a page out of history this weekend,
~Bob
