♠KC ACES♠
Kerosene Cowboy AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE EXCEPTIONAL SPORTSWRITER
By: Charles W. Boatright
A Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck– This is much more than just a book published in 1978 about Attributes that leads to a fulfilling life. Discipline is required to identify/develop one’s purpose on a personal and professional level
In sports, professional athletes will tell teenagers and young adults to visualize themselves as a professional athlete that they immortalize and take on their characteristics in their hard work ethic, like Tom Brady who has an unbelievable work ethic. There is even a Biblical theme from one of the most popular books in the Bible in Proverbs 23:7- As a person thinks in their heart, so are they.
While traveling with my uncle from Nixa, Missouri to Savannah, Georgia we took a route less traveled to visit a small Mississippi Town of Kosciusko for two reasons. First reason was to visit a small town named for a Revolutionary General , General Thaddeus Kościuszko. He was an Engineer with General George Washington’s Army during the Revolutionary War that built fortifications like the one at West Point.
The second reason was that this was a hometown of James Howard Meredith, that I had the pleasure of meeting, that was denied enrollment at the University of Mississippi (a.k.a. Ole Miss) by then Democrat Governor Ross Barrett on September 30th, 1962. The Supreme Court ordered James Meredith to be admitted to Ole Miss in October of that same year where riots by Democrats broke out against James Meredith admission.
James Meredith was a Staff Sergeant during his nine (9) years of service in the United States Air Force. He was a lifelong Republican.
As a young Jewish boy of 12- years old, the road less traveled to Kosciusko, Mississippi changed my life forever that my Uncle knew it would shape my entire life. The more I read about both General Thaddeus Kościuszko and James Howard Meredith it determined my career I wanted to follow and my philosophy in my life that- We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
If I was penning the Declaration of Independence and with all due respect to Thomas Jefferson; but I would have replaced Happiness with unlimited opportunity.
But in James Meredith case at Ole Miss it highlighted what one of the themes of the book- A Road Less Traveled- “The will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own and another’s spiritual growth” We must extend opportunity to all to have success or gain experience from failure.
The Designation of the Road less Traveled
That same year, 1978, when this book was published, I entered the U.S. Army with a Military Occupation (MO) of 12-Bravo, that is in the Combat Engineers. Then after leaving the U.S. Army; I attended college pursuing a career in Civil Engineering and later became a Grid Engineer covering the Mississippi’s Transmission Grid. I still travel to visit Kosciusko, Mississippi where it is located on the Natchez Trace where there is a rest stop that is dedicated to the town and to General Thaddeus Kościuszko and his service to our country as a hero.
Kosciusko, Mississippi was also where James Howard Meredith was from growing up on a 80 acre farm where his father Moses Meredith was the first generation to be freed by The Emancipation Declaration signed by Republican President Abraham Lincoln on January 01st, 1863 that declared all slaves to be free in the United States.
While The Emancipation Declaration declared that all persons previously enslaved to be freed, it took a five year bloody Civil War to actually free all slaves predominantly located in the 11 Slave States under the control of Democrats.
Finding Your Road that is Least Traveled
There are over 600,000 Trade Jobs open presently for young men and women to have unlimited potential to pursue with only 18- months of training or less. To choose the right career for yourself, do one thing: READ. When you are in all grade levels, develop a propensity for reading, first and foremost, then study these other areas- Mathematics, Science, and History to establish facts.
Before I retired at age 57, I took welding classes at a local Community College that became my second career in addition to covering sports, playing golf, and writing about health and fitness after I retired. A great opportunity is to develop hobbies during your career that can become your second career later. I try to find ways to get out into my welding shop every opportunity I have. We had a great neighbor by the name of Dow Tiner who was a Master Welder. His influence on my life was huge that led me to pursue welding as my second career.
I’m going to close with three verses:
Proverbs 23:7- As a person thinks in their heart, so are they.
Deuteronomy 29:9- Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.
Joshua 1:7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Remember That failures are used to develop experience that are like diamonds; and success is what builds confidence. Never confuse experience with education; because they aren’t the same! When you apply for a job the very first thing the employer will ask you will be how much EXPERIENCE you have?
This is the very reason you want to find your purpose in life for a career that you are interested in and shadow those skilled people working in that area. Nothing replaces experience and perseverance. And do one thing READ, READ, and do more READING as my final suggestion!
If you want to win debates study history and you can either concur or debunk a person argument.
NOTE: All of my following E-Books are on KINDLE where the links for each book will take you to KINDLE to download your copy of each. These will soon be in paperback before May 2025.
These techniques are explained and illustrated in my book entitled The Golfer’s Sync-Preset Strike Zone APP that in on KINDLE in E-Book:
To get me back into shape and rehab I went back to my SARSO DIET & FITNESS Program this in my E-book on KINDLE:
As I was recovering last year from my Prostate Cancer, I wrote a book covering one of the most elite fighting unit in the world called The Sayeret Matkal Unit that executed the Raid on Entebbe in July 4th, 1976. I took my notes from interviews and research and wrote special Operations that have been executed by Sayeret Matkal Unit where I used two ghost names to cover the identities of two Lieutenant Colonels that executed missions with this special operation unit:
All my books are on KINDLE under my name: Charles W. Boatright. What I’m really excited about is the last book that I just published on KINDLE. The Sayeret Warriors of Rephaim that I think you will enjoy reading. I hope that a movie could be made of this showing what our U.S. and other Militaries perform to provide security to their nations.
Please read the background to The Sayeret Warriors of Rephaim.