Lean Quote: Strength and Splendor Make a Great Team

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray head."   — Proverbs 20:29

A young man who was an avid golfer found himself with a few hours to spare one afternoon. He figured if he hurried and played very fast, he could get in 9 holes before he had to head home. Just as he was about to tee off, an old gentleman shuffled onto the tee and asked if he could accompany the young man since he was golfing alone. The young man was simply not being able to say, "No." So he allowed the old gent to join him. To his surprise, the old man played fairly quickly. He didn't hit the ball far, but plodded along consistently and didn't waste much time. Finally, they reached the 9th fairway and the young man found himself with a tough shot. There was a large pine tree directly in front of his ball and directly between his ball and the green. After several minutes of debating how to hit the shot, the old man finally said, "You know, when I was your age I'd hit the ball right over that tree." With that challenge placed before him, the youngster swung hard and hit the ball high! Unfortunately, it was not high enough. It hit right smack into the top of the tree trunk and it rattled its way back to earth where it thudded on the ground and came to a stop not a foot from where it had originally lay. The old man offered one more comment: "Of course, when I was your age, that pine tree was only 3 feet tall."

There are a lot of things that we could do when we were younger that, for whatever reason, we may not be able to do now. Then again, there are some things we can do now that we couldn't do when we were younger.

Those who are younger should use their strength and enthusiasm to serve mankind. Those who are older should make use of their experience and wisdom. Together, what a great team they make!