let's pay teachers more
We love our teachers. The best ones give our kids an edge on the future. They take the pain and sterility out of learning. If they do it right they teach our kids how to parse the differences between what they mean versus what they say. Fresh off the holidays I can’t fault them for reminiscing about how many days they have until spring break. So let’s pay them more. Let’s lift them up. Our best teachers infuse their lessons with color and story. They deftly move our students away from just rote learning.
When our young students are constantly talking in platitudes and cliches it is our teachers that ask, “What do you mean by that?” And thereby instantly help our students move away from predictable slang. Our best teachers know that how each student interprets the world is custom to them.
Thank you to our teachers. Hang in there, spring break is right around the corner.
The wellness festival
Have you ever noticed in your local community how many silly wellness day events there are? There are weekend festivals to help you understand the right amount of gluten-free cheese to be eating. As I walk through these events someone is inevitably acting like it is fun. They tell me the different events, “Over here in our over 50 tent we have the Hemorrhoids Help Group.” Give me a break.
As a troglodyte from the North American cave system a purple haired lady calls out, “Sir maybe you would like to visit our vitamin tent? We offer a variety of vitamin C and D horse pills to keep your sores from festering.” Of course, they don’t tell you that you will be backed up for a week. They have another special laxative tent for that. “Try our special, oolong-colon blow tea, it’s guaranteed to work before you can get to the porta-a-jon.”
Someone talked me into getting my blood pressure checked to see how bad of shape I’m in. They had several unregistered nurses and some do-gooders standing by to help me. While I was sitting there one of the do-gooders asked me, “So what brings you to the wellness festival today?” To which I reply, “Oh just trying to get healthy and my wife wanted to walk through it.” Of course in the thought bubble of my mind I’m thinking ust stop it already. I hate being here. I am only thinking about the BBQ sandwich my wife promised me later.
If you are lucky and I usually am, you’ll find some local shaman talking about the benefits of crystals. She might say something like, “If you place this rose quartz crystal on your forehead at night you will no longer have a migraine when you wake up.” To which, I think it is most likely because I rolled the crystal into my mouth and chipped my tooth. So even though my mouth hurts, my headache is now gone. And viola instant quackery. I just can’t do it anymore.
Maybe if they advertised something like, “There’s going to be a miserable group of sourpuss men in the Hemorrhoids Help Group tent, come make fun of them and it will make you feel better,” I would go. If you are going to host and put on a wellness festival at least stop acting like it’s fun or at a minimum have a BBQ truck off in the distance that we can burn calories walking to it.
The power of not being noticed
There is a power that comes with invisibility. Bill Russell, a back-in-the-day famous NBA basketball player, captured it well. He said, “Invisibility opens doors, creates opportunity, where none seemed to exist before. When we are unseen, we have an enormous advantage in moving in, doing things we wish or need to do, and in the process, to change the very dynamic of existing, seemingly closed, patterns.”
What led to his revelation was his intense rivalry against a 7’2″ player named Wilt Chamberlain. Bill Russell told audiences that Wilt was unstoppable and dominated the floor. He could not stop him. So in response to Wilt Chamberlain’s dominance, Bill decided to simply get in his way and try to change the trajectory of his shots by a small percentage. If he did that it usually resulted in Wilt missing a shot. Bill Russell went on to win 11 NBA championships.
So there you have it. We can quietly and positively influence those around us without screaming for attention to be seen.
Must I network ?
As an extroverted introvert, I don’t really relish the concept of networking. I’m just here for the fellowship 😀 as my wife says. I guess I can turn it on when I need to. I’d prefer to connect over a cup of coffee. We need a better term for networking when it feels phony baloney.
Don't waste time clamoring to be heard
Don't waste time trying to get people's attention. For how you interpret the world is custom to you. If you do start bending as others want you to, you risk constructing your own self-made purgatory. In the end they categorize you and move on. Now of course there are times when we have to decide if we want to be right or do we want a relationship? Particularly with family and those that we love, maybe we don't always have to be right.
The trouble with technology
With all our fussing about with technology we left out one important element – people. People must still adapt to technology. We seem to have lost the ability to appreciate the people in front us. Our pushers of technology have the cadence and consistency down. Cranking out new technology faster than you can say, “Moore’s Law.” Along the way someone forgot to ask if we can eat more of it. They forgot to tell us that it comes with a certain sterility in our working environment. Mainly sitting behind a desk all day. Can we catch up with all this technology?
Making a living with computers
Although I make living with computers, I prefer to live in a world of sensations. I was reminded of this when I was sitting by a pond trying to figure out what two birds behind me were fighting about. I could only see brief flashes and hear the flutter of wings. Some sort of kerfuffle. Although I had to admit I really don’t know much about birds. I had no fancy ornithology theory to explain to me what was happening. Before I knew it, the argument was over. I came away thinking that even though our society prizes analysis there are many times that we need to let nature wash over us and become part of it. Not separate from it. We teach our kids to analyze literature rather than reading for enjoyment. It dawned on me how good it feels to to use my intuition.
I stand against racism
In my opinion it’s the beginning of the end of Elon Musk. Was it not enough for him to be one of world’s richest men? As he entered politics does he think the average person will applaud his ambition to cut the livelihoods of civil servants and many other wonderful people working to run our government. I predict most Americans will not. In fact, let us start by cutting out all public tax funding of Space Ex, Tesla, and Neuralink. In fact, anything he is involved with from this point forward should be considered a conflict of interest.
Mr. Musk could have continued and been perceived as a quirky and miserable leader. A champion of great technology that has touched all of our lives. But as he enters into politics with a nazi salute I would like to give you one back Mr. Musk. Here’s my middle finger.
Nature is my inspiration
Nature is my inspiration. It gives me a break from the sterility of technology. The time I spend between the amalgam of busyness and productivity melts away. Nature reveals what is important. It teaches me to set aside what is not. It shows me where knowledge is distilled. Calm, connecting, and restorative.
Explore your passions
We start bending at a young age when we are counseled by our teachers, parents, and society. These well meaning people foist their perspectives onto us. “Be this, do more,” they say. Maybe they project onto us something we are not. Thus we move away from our own authenticity. We set aside our natural intuitions. Don’t be fooled by those that cloak themselves in righteousness. They are pseudo listening and waiting for their chance to tell you their point. Get out and explore and make your own opinions.