"I want it all and I want it now"
- Queen/I Want It All
Funny, but sometimes when I think about American society, one of the first things that comes to mind is a song by Queen, a UK band. We really do want it all, and we really do want it now.
No where does this play out more vividly than in the area of medicine. I'm currently reading a book by Dr Dean Edell called Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Healthiness, and one of the underlying themes is that when it comes to health, we are always looking for that quick, painless fix.
Weight loss? We want a pill that pill made from an exotic African plant that will allow us to eat whatever we want and drop pounds without exercising.
Hair loss? We are looking for that magic elixir that, when spread on the scalp, will make us look like John Travolta, circa Saturday Night Fever.
Depression (and this is the worst example in my opinion, by the way)? We want a pill that, when taken daily, will make us happy.
For me, again, the most insidious example lies in the area of mental health, so that's where I want to ruminate on for a moment or so. In our society's zeal to help those with real mental health problems, we've managed to develop a whole host of medications that genuinely do provide some relief. However, they may just work a bit too well. What do I mean? Well consider this: what that kind of medication can do is to create a condition whereby someone who suffers from depression can have the clarity of thought such that they can being to work with someone to identify the underlying causes of their depression and hopefully develop strategies to combat it over the long term. Nice thought, hun? Now let me tell you what actually happens (and I speak as someone with family members who suffer from mental health issues): the medication makes them feel just well enough that they can now "get by", so they accept it. Now I can understand that course of action; for example, how many of us, after suffering from a very bad physical illness, want to hop out of bed as soon as we start to feel better? It's human nature to want to seize that moment. However the moment is fleeting.
What to do?
Maybe this is naive on my part, but I do have a thought. Anyone who suffers from severe mental health problems requiring extensive medication should be required, as a condition of receiving the medication, to also participate in some kind of introspective examination therapy (such talk therapy). Yes, I realize that you can not "force" someone to confront their real, underlying issues. I also realize that there is a very small group of people who suffer from conditions that have far more to do with brain chemistry than personal demons. However, we have to realize that medication is creating a crutch that many people who end up not taking personal responsibility for their own mental health as a result.
Personal responsibility, now there is a concept. Yes, I said it: we are all individually responsible for our own physical and mental health. It's not the responsibility of our doctors, or the drug companies. Yes, it is terrific that we have medication that, for example, can ease the symptoms of depression, but no, that's not enough. If the real purpose of that medication is to help people live fuller and better lives, then that purpose can only by fulfilled when the medication is combined with a dose of personal accountability.
In the end, you really can't cheat nature.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Replacing the Fuse/Resetting the Circuit Breaker
My brother called me this morning at 5:30am, looking for a glass fuse. It seems that the kitchen fuse in the house be bought two months ago had blown, and everything in his freezer was at risk. Now for the record...
...I had to get up soon anyway so I didn't mind the call
...I didn't have a fuse
...I've warned him before he bought the place that the entire electrical service needed to be replaced*
(*) Note...it's a great house & he got a terrific deal on it, but I would have had the electrical work done before I moved in.
Never the less, he is in something of a pickle. I'll have to check back with him later today to see how me made out.
The above does make me think about what fuses/circuit breakers actually do & the purpose they serve. For the non-electrically inclined, that purpose is prevent the system from becoming over-loaded, which could result in a fire and other sorts of horrible outcomes. So while having a fuse blow is horribly inconvenient in the short-term, it is beneficial in the grander scheme of things.
So too it is in life I suppose.
I think we all face the equivalent of the "blown fuse" or circuit breaker that needs to be reset in our lives. I know I do. Things just get to be too much to handle, be it too much emotional stress, physical stress, etc. In my own life I think I walk something of a fairly narrow path between what I'll call "normal operation" verses the "blown fuse". In fact, sometimes it takes all I've got to keep things rolling alone. And for the record, I think the path I walk isn't nearly as difficult as those walked by others. In days past, my mother would refer to this kind of thing as being the "cross you bear", which is a good analogy, given Easter. Acknowledging that others have it more difficult than me is, however, of little consequence when I'm faced with my own "blown fuse".
As is the case in many things in life, it's not that a "blown fuse" can happen that's important; rather, it's what you do and how you respond to that blown fuse that really matters. My brother is calling an electrician this morning to get his blown fuse replaced...I didn't have any spare fuses (which is why he called me)...which will solve his problem in the short-term. I hope that he decides to get the entire service line...from the pole down to the his inside service box...replaced, as that's the best long-term solution. So too it is in life, at least for me. The balancing act is between those short-term fixes that need to be done to keep things running (simply replacing the blown fuse) and the long-term fixes that need to be done to prevent problems in the future (replacing the service line). In both cases...electrical systems and people (me especially)...it's a case of expending capital that drives these kinds of things; for the electrical system, the capital is actual money. In the case of people (again, especially me), it's probably a case of more emotional rather than financial capital that needs to be spent. In either case, it's always best to be prudent in how you spend the stuff. You never know when you may need some capital...be it financial or emotional...for a rainy day.
Here's to always having a spare fuse on-hand, just in case.
...I had to get up soon anyway so I didn't mind the call
...I didn't have a fuse
...I've warned him before he bought the place that the entire electrical service needed to be replaced*
(*) Note...it's a great house & he got a terrific deal on it, but I would have had the electrical work done before I moved in.
Never the less, he is in something of a pickle. I'll have to check back with him later today to see how me made out.
The above does make me think about what fuses/circuit breakers actually do & the purpose they serve. For the non-electrically inclined, that purpose is prevent the system from becoming over-loaded, which could result in a fire and other sorts of horrible outcomes. So while having a fuse blow is horribly inconvenient in the short-term, it is beneficial in the grander scheme of things.
So too it is in life I suppose.
I think we all face the equivalent of the "blown fuse" or circuit breaker that needs to be reset in our lives. I know I do. Things just get to be too much to handle, be it too much emotional stress, physical stress, etc. In my own life I think I walk something of a fairly narrow path between what I'll call "normal operation" verses the "blown fuse". In fact, sometimes it takes all I've got to keep things rolling alone. And for the record, I think the path I walk isn't nearly as difficult as those walked by others. In days past, my mother would refer to this kind of thing as being the "cross you bear", which is a good analogy, given Easter. Acknowledging that others have it more difficult than me is, however, of little consequence when I'm faced with my own "blown fuse".
As is the case in many things in life, it's not that a "blown fuse" can happen that's important; rather, it's what you do and how you respond to that blown fuse that really matters. My brother is calling an electrician this morning to get his blown fuse replaced...I didn't have any spare fuses (which is why he called me)...which will solve his problem in the short-term. I hope that he decides to get the entire service line...from the pole down to the his inside service box...replaced, as that's the best long-term solution. So too it is in life, at least for me. The balancing act is between those short-term fixes that need to be done to keep things running (simply replacing the blown fuse) and the long-term fixes that need to be done to prevent problems in the future (replacing the service line). In both cases...electrical systems and people (me especially)...it's a case of expending capital that drives these kinds of things; for the electrical system, the capital is actual money. In the case of people (again, especially me), it's probably a case of more emotional rather than financial capital that needs to be spent. In either case, it's always best to be prudent in how you spend the stuff. You never know when you may need some capital...be it financial or emotional...for a rainy day.
Here's to always having a spare fuse on-hand, just in case.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
I Go To Extremes
"Darling I don't know why I go to extremes
Too high or too low there ain't no in-betweens
And if I stand or I fall
It's all or nothing at all
Darling I don't know why I go to extremes"
- Billy Joel/I Go To Extremes
First and foremost, this is a great song. I had the pleasure of seeing Billy Joel perform it live in Syracuse (New York) during the Stormfront Tour. The live version sounded spot-on, and Billy Joel & band were about as tight of a touring band as I think you could get.
Anyway, as I'm sitting here with the notion that I want to write something...but not quite sure what that "something" may be...it occurred to me that Friday was a relatively good day. Why so? Well I worked out, went for a long walk and ate a reasonable amount of food. Saturday was the opposite: I didn't work out, and I ate crap all day long. Today being Easter, the eating situation will no doubt not be improving much. Regardless of the day, date, holiday, etc., the one constant is that all of this is truly in my head.
In my head?
Yes, there is no outside force that forces me to have that donut.
There is no outside force that tells me "you really don't need to exercise today".
There is no outside force that tells me "you will feel better if you just sit on your ass all evening".
I am the master of all that I survey, on the inside that is. For me, consistency is something the rarest element in the universe, in that I just wish I could find some level of consistency in my life on the "right" side of eating right, exercising, activity, mental attitude, etc. At times it feels as if there is this gravitational force associated with bad eating and sloth that I fight against. It's akin to an episode of (the original) Star Trek, where the USS Enterprise is being held in orbit around some alien planet, and all that it's engines can do is to at best prevent it from crashing into the planet below. Yes, I'm feeling that way from time to time. I just want to be able to "break orbit" if you will.
Now I suppose the religious among us would say that this is the prefect time for an Easter analogy. In fact I could make one up now: Christ died for our sins, and that gives us the chance to live more holy lives, etc. I am not suggesting that this kind of analogy has no merit, but I will say that it doesn't really hold any personal commitment for me now in this time and place. Spiritually I'm somewhat a drift at the moment. Hell, maybe that's half the problem. Let's put it this way: I'm not holding much stock in an old white guy with a beard living in a cloud helping me out any time soon.
Back to the main thought at hand.
So what am I to do? Well there are things...small things...that I could do to help me make that incremental progress that I think is best. For example, I can keep the commitment to working out 4 days a week and try to drill it into my head that I really do feel better after spending time in the gym and that the overall benefits far outweigh the costs. I could also see about something like a list for around the house...something that would have small and big things I can tackle at any given time, which I think helps because I'm at my best when I'm active (and at my worst when I am not). There are also far bigger issues in my life that I have to deal with, but some of them really can't be tackled now...some must be handled in their own time. In fact, one of the things I've learned the hard way is that (and to paraphrase the Book of Ecclesiastes) there really is a time and season for everything under heaven.
On the positive side, if there is anything I am and should be appreciative of it's the fact that I do have the ability to self-analyze and self-correct. That may not sound like much, but I have people in my life who don't in fact have one or both of those attributes, which is in and of itself quite frightening. Imaging being locked in a cage, with the key to the lock being just out of reach? That's how I imagine suffering from mental illness must be like. On the flip side, while I sometimes view myself as being in that same cage, I've figured out that the door isn't actually locked, so reaching for keys isn't what's required...rather, simply opening the door is.
Happy Easter to one and all who may stumble upon this!
Too high or too low there ain't no in-betweens
And if I stand or I fall
It's all or nothing at all
Darling I don't know why I go to extremes"
- Billy Joel/I Go To Extremes
First and foremost, this is a great song. I had the pleasure of seeing Billy Joel perform it live in Syracuse (New York) during the Stormfront Tour. The live version sounded spot-on, and Billy Joel & band were about as tight of a touring band as I think you could get.
Anyway, as I'm sitting here with the notion that I want to write something...but not quite sure what that "something" may be...it occurred to me that Friday was a relatively good day. Why so? Well I worked out, went for a long walk and ate a reasonable amount of food. Saturday was the opposite: I didn't work out, and I ate crap all day long. Today being Easter, the eating situation will no doubt not be improving much. Regardless of the day, date, holiday, etc., the one constant is that all of this is truly in my head.
In my head?
Yes, there is no outside force that forces me to have that donut.
There is no outside force that tells me "you really don't need to exercise today".
There is no outside force that tells me "you will feel better if you just sit on your ass all evening".
I am the master of all that I survey, on the inside that is. For me, consistency is something the rarest element in the universe, in that I just wish I could find some level of consistency in my life on the "right" side of eating right, exercising, activity, mental attitude, etc. At times it feels as if there is this gravitational force associated with bad eating and sloth that I fight against. It's akin to an episode of (the original) Star Trek, where the USS Enterprise is being held in orbit around some alien planet, and all that it's engines can do is to at best prevent it from crashing into the planet below. Yes, I'm feeling that way from time to time. I just want to be able to "break orbit" if you will.
Now I suppose the religious among us would say that this is the prefect time for an Easter analogy. In fact I could make one up now: Christ died for our sins, and that gives us the chance to live more holy lives, etc. I am not suggesting that this kind of analogy has no merit, but I will say that it doesn't really hold any personal commitment for me now in this time and place. Spiritually I'm somewhat a drift at the moment. Hell, maybe that's half the problem. Let's put it this way: I'm not holding much stock in an old white guy with a beard living in a cloud helping me out any time soon.
Back to the main thought at hand.
So what am I to do? Well there are things...small things...that I could do to help me make that incremental progress that I think is best. For example, I can keep the commitment to working out 4 days a week and try to drill it into my head that I really do feel better after spending time in the gym and that the overall benefits far outweigh the costs. I could also see about something like a list for around the house...something that would have small and big things I can tackle at any given time, which I think helps because I'm at my best when I'm active (and at my worst when I am not). There are also far bigger issues in my life that I have to deal with, but some of them really can't be tackled now...some must be handled in their own time. In fact, one of the things I've learned the hard way is that (and to paraphrase the Book of Ecclesiastes) there really is a time and season for everything under heaven.
On the positive side, if there is anything I am and should be appreciative of it's the fact that I do have the ability to self-analyze and self-correct. That may not sound like much, but I have people in my life who don't in fact have one or both of those attributes, which is in and of itself quite frightening. Imaging being locked in a cage, with the key to the lock being just out of reach? That's how I imagine suffering from mental illness must be like. On the flip side, while I sometimes view myself as being in that same cage, I've figured out that the door isn't actually locked, so reaching for keys isn't what's required...rather, simply opening the door is.
Happy Easter to one and all who may stumble upon this!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Thinking About Bomb-Throwers
For any number of reasons I can probably rattle off for twenty or so minutes, I don't often talk about politics here.
Side note: I say "talk" because honestly that's more of what this is like for me than really "writing". I'm talking to myself but taking the extra step of writing it down. Make sense?
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I don't talk much about politics but I'm going to make an exception, although I don't know that I'm really going to get that political...certainly not necessarily partisan. At the risk of getting even more circular, I'm going to get right to the point: I despise what I call "bomb throwers" in politics.
Who or what is a "bomb thrower"? I don't know that here is an official definition, and I've not cited what I consider to be the definitive source for such things...the Urban Dictionary...but never the less I am going to make up my own. A bomb-thrower is someone who uses shock and outlandishness more so for personal than political gain. Here are two examples at opposite ends of the spectrum:
On the Left - the "Reverend" Al Sharpton
On the Right - Rush Limbaugh
Both seem more interested in self-promotion than anything else. Both seem to see the world from blinders, where there can never be anything of value gained from considering an opposing point of view. Both are, in my mind, idiots. I know that's a strong description, but as someone who tries to apply logic and reasoning to all things in my life, I find it abhorrent when logic and reasoning is thrown out the window simply because it doesn't agree with a particular dogma. Both men seem to believe that there is no greater sin than having an open mind.
It seems to me that progress is made when we, as humans, consider possibilities. Sameness and blind agreement seem to me to run counter to progress. It doesn't matter whether the sameness and agreement comes from the far left or the far right; both are just different symptoms of the same disease.
So here's to having an open mind...regardless of your political persuasion.
Side note: I say "talk" because honestly that's more of what this is like for me than really "writing". I'm talking to myself but taking the extra step of writing it down. Make sense?
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I don't talk much about politics but I'm going to make an exception, although I don't know that I'm really going to get that political...certainly not necessarily partisan. At the risk of getting even more circular, I'm going to get right to the point: I despise what I call "bomb throwers" in politics.
Who or what is a "bomb thrower"? I don't know that here is an official definition, and I've not cited what I consider to be the definitive source for such things...the Urban Dictionary...but never the less I am going to make up my own. A bomb-thrower is someone who uses shock and outlandishness more so for personal than political gain. Here are two examples at opposite ends of the spectrum:
On the Left - the "Reverend" Al Sharpton
On the Right - Rush Limbaugh
Both seem more interested in self-promotion than anything else. Both seem to see the world from blinders, where there can never be anything of value gained from considering an opposing point of view. Both are, in my mind, idiots. I know that's a strong description, but as someone who tries to apply logic and reasoning to all things in my life, I find it abhorrent when logic and reasoning is thrown out the window simply because it doesn't agree with a particular dogma. Both men seem to believe that there is no greater sin than having an open mind.
It seems to me that progress is made when we, as humans, consider possibilities. Sameness and blind agreement seem to me to run counter to progress. It doesn't matter whether the sameness and agreement comes from the far left or the far right; both are just different symptoms of the same disease.
So here's to having an open mind...regardless of your political persuasion.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Road Apples, #23
It's Good Friday and it's a good day to be off. The weather looks reasonably good, and even if it rains (as predicted), I'm still going to have a restful day. I know, that sounds almost blasphemous, and if it makes the Catholic Church feel better, I'll perhaps feel a bit guilty about the whole thing. Never the less, the days of my having a fervent religious bent have wained, as I have noted here before. Which brings me to my next thought...
Bishop Martino Strikes Again. Yes, Scranton Bishop Martino is upset...yet again...over something being done at a religious institution involved with education. Article reference here. Let me see, anyone else sense a pattern here? Martino closes Catholic schools and constantly threatens Catholic Universities. I'm thinking that this is a man who does not believe that the Roman Catholic Church should even be involved in the business of educating young people. Truly sad. If Martino really wanted to discuss these issues with university leaders...call me crazy...but I would think the MORE PRUDENT thing to do would be for him to meet with the leaders in person. Instead, Martino makes the conscious choice to wage these wars via the press. Even the most die-hard Catholic has to wonder why he makes this choice. It's difficult to believe that self-promotion isn't among his motivations.
The Balance of Today will be spent hopefully not doing too much, other than maybe tackling some things on my perpetual to-do list. For example, I have a book case that I need to paint, so maybe that will make the cut. I'm also going to try and get up to work to pay a visit to the gym.
Yesterday Evening I went for a nice walk, although the number and intensity of hills in this town leaves something to be desired. I'd like to be able to do that more frequently, as I find it very relaxing, especially when I bring my camera with me. If it's not raining, maybe I'll head up to Nay Aug Park over the weekend, as I haven't been there in a while. I'd also like to run up to the Sugarman's Flea Market on Saturday. There is absolutely nothing but junk there, but it's fun to look through it. Maybe I'll ask Kate to come with me.
Culling the CD Herd. Among the things I need to do is to go through my CDs and pull out those that are duplicates (for example, I now have two Supertramp "Best Of" CDs...although one is better than the other). I have someone I can give most of what I cull to; anything not worth giving will be donated. It's amazing how yo accumulate this kind of stuff over the years.
Speakers. I saw a pair of speakers at SonyStyle that I'm thinking about getting for my office audio/video gear. The only problem is that the are a tad bit big. I went through the whole late 70's/80's male fascination with enormous speakers. Now that I'm a bit older I don't need the ego boost, but having a bit more audio kick would be nice. Something contemplate. I certainly can't beat the price or Sony quality.
Bishop Martino Strikes Again. Yes, Scranton Bishop Martino is upset...yet again...over something being done at a religious institution involved with education. Article reference here. Let me see, anyone else sense a pattern here? Martino closes Catholic schools and constantly threatens Catholic Universities. I'm thinking that this is a man who does not believe that the Roman Catholic Church should even be involved in the business of educating young people. Truly sad. If Martino really wanted to discuss these issues with university leaders...call me crazy...but I would think the MORE PRUDENT thing to do would be for him to meet with the leaders in person. Instead, Martino makes the conscious choice to wage these wars via the press. Even the most die-hard Catholic has to wonder why he makes this choice. It's difficult to believe that self-promotion isn't among his motivations.
The Balance of Today will be spent hopefully not doing too much, other than maybe tackling some things on my perpetual to-do list. For example, I have a book case that I need to paint, so maybe that will make the cut. I'm also going to try and get up to work to pay a visit to the gym.
Yesterday Evening I went for a nice walk, although the number and intensity of hills in this town leaves something to be desired. I'd like to be able to do that more frequently, as I find it very relaxing, especially when I bring my camera with me. If it's not raining, maybe I'll head up to Nay Aug Park over the weekend, as I haven't been there in a while. I'd also like to run up to the Sugarman's Flea Market on Saturday. There is absolutely nothing but junk there, but it's fun to look through it. Maybe I'll ask Kate to come with me.
Culling the CD Herd. Among the things I need to do is to go through my CDs and pull out those that are duplicates (for example, I now have two Supertramp "Best Of" CDs...although one is better than the other). I have someone I can give most of what I cull to; anything not worth giving will be donated. It's amazing how yo accumulate this kind of stuff over the years.
Speakers. I saw a pair of speakers at SonyStyle that I'm thinking about getting for my office audio/video gear. The only problem is that the are a tad bit big. I went through the whole late 70's/80's male fascination with enormous speakers. Now that I'm a bit older I don't need the ego boost, but having a bit more audio kick would be nice. Something contemplate. I certainly can't beat the price or Sony quality.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
At the Garden of Gethsemane
One of the most insightful (at least for me) biblical stories is found in the Gospel of Matthew, and deals with Christ at the Garden of Gethsemane. In case you are not overly familiar with the story, it takes place the day before the Crucifixion of Christ. The details aren't so important to this discussion, other than Christ goes to this garden to pray, knowing that he would be betrayed by Judas, turned over to the Romans, and ultimately put to death.
Now what's so insightful about that?
Consider This: According to Christian teaching, Christ...being God...knew that by going to Gethsemane he would ultimately be put to death. At any point he could have changed his path and spared his own life, but he chose not to. He consciously sacrificed his own life, if you believe in Christian teaching, for the greater good of all mankind.
Consider This: To this day, people make conscious choices that ultimately lead to their death. For example, Father Mychal F. Judge, a Franciscan priest, went into the south tower of the World Trade Center after it had been hit by an airplane to minister to the wounded. While history doesn't record whether or not he thought he would die, it's pretty clear he knew what he was doing was exceptionally dangerous.
In the final analysis, some of us will be faced with our own "Garden of Gethsemane", where we need to make a choice between self-preservation or preservation of the greater good. Ultimately that is the most personal of decisions that anyone can make, and furthermore I doubt any of us are prospectively capable of saying what we would do if put into that situation. There is, however, no greater love that can ever be expressed than through the thoughtful and conscious act of sacrificing oneself for the greater good.
Now what's so insightful about that?
Consider This: According to Christian teaching, Christ...being God...knew that by going to Gethsemane he would ultimately be put to death. At any point he could have changed his path and spared his own life, but he chose not to. He consciously sacrificed his own life, if you believe in Christian teaching, for the greater good of all mankind.
Consider This: To this day, people make conscious choices that ultimately lead to their death. For example, Father Mychal F. Judge, a Franciscan priest, went into the south tower of the World Trade Center after it had been hit by an airplane to minister to the wounded. While history doesn't record whether or not he thought he would die, it's pretty clear he knew what he was doing was exceptionally dangerous.
In the final analysis, some of us will be faced with our own "Garden of Gethsemane", where we need to make a choice between self-preservation or preservation of the greater good. Ultimately that is the most personal of decisions that anyone can make, and furthermore I doubt any of us are prospectively capable of saying what we would do if put into that situation. There is, however, no greater love that can ever be expressed than through the thoughtful and conscious act of sacrificing oneself for the greater good.
Some Folks Just Don't Get It...
From ABC News...
Maybe it was a small private jet and a small boat.
Finally, ABC News reports that billionaire financier Allen Stamford has blasted his critics, suggesting that claims that he ran a Ponzi scheme are 'baloney, baloney, baloney'. In a tearful interview with ABC, Stamford, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, insisted that there were assets to back up client investments and reconfirmed that he would fight for his survival and integrity.
Stamford also added that 'I've always lived very frugally. I flew around in a private jet, I had a boat, but I've always lived very frugally'.Maybe it was a small private jet and a small boat.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Question To A President
Times like this can easily take the wind out of your sails. For me, the potentially worst part is that you get into this mindset where you begin to believe that just about anything negative that happens to you at work is somehow now acceptable because "at least you have a job".
I was at an all day conference yesterday where the keynote speaker was the president of the division of the firm for which I work (gosh, that last phrase was really, really difficult to write). Anyway, her brief talk was about personal leadership, and after about 25 minutes she opened the session up to questions & answers. All of the questions asked up to just about the end had to do with issues other than leadership, so for reasons that I can't really understand, I felt compelled to ask a question that was "on topic". It went something like this...
"Chris, in times like this, where associates have worries about employment, declining savings, etc., the cheap and easy way to motivate people is to say something like 'at least you still have a job'; knowing that the cheap and easy way to motivate people isn't really effective over the long run, what recommendations do you have for motivating people in tough times?."
Regarding her answer, I'll first say that I don't think she was comfortable with the question. Thankfully in the grand scheme of things I am a nobody, so I highly doubt there will be any "why did Albert ask that question" fallout. Anyway, in her answer she talked about what motivates her as a person and leader, but in all candor, I can't say that she really answered my question about how to motivate others. Why? I honestly don't think she actually thinks about it. As is typical for senior "strategic" people, she's good when it comes to esoteric things like long-term market strategy, but less so when it comes down to the nut-n-bolts of facing people in tough times. In her defense, I don't think any of us are good at that sort of thing, but that's why I asked the question in the first place and that's why she makes my salary multiplied by twenty (or something like that).
Now the above may sound overly harsh, but it's not meant to be in the least. I simply don't think she has capability to think "down" to a level where someone actually has economic and career worries to the extent that an average person does. Sure, at a senior level you can find yourself unemployed, but at a high salary & lots of prior titles, you an always live off of savings/investments and hire a headhunter to help you find a job if the worst should happen. What's more, wealthy executives usually have spouses with professional/well paying jobs as well, so that's also a mitigating factor. That's certainly not true for the average worker, of which I consider myself to be in large part.
I was at an all day conference yesterday where the keynote speaker was the president of the division of the firm for which I work (gosh, that last phrase was really, really difficult to write). Anyway, her brief talk was about personal leadership, and after about 25 minutes she opened the session up to questions & answers. All of the questions asked up to just about the end had to do with issues other than leadership, so for reasons that I can't really understand, I felt compelled to ask a question that was "on topic". It went something like this...
"Chris, in times like this, where associates have worries about employment, declining savings, etc., the cheap and easy way to motivate people is to say something like 'at least you still have a job'; knowing that the cheap and easy way to motivate people isn't really effective over the long run, what recommendations do you have for motivating people in tough times?."
Regarding her answer, I'll first say that I don't think she was comfortable with the question. Thankfully in the grand scheme of things I am a nobody, so I highly doubt there will be any "why did Albert ask that question" fallout. Anyway, in her answer she talked about what motivates her as a person and leader, but in all candor, I can't say that she really answered my question about how to motivate others. Why? I honestly don't think she actually thinks about it. As is typical for senior "strategic" people, she's good when it comes to esoteric things like long-term market strategy, but less so when it comes down to the nut-n-bolts of facing people in tough times. In her defense, I don't think any of us are good at that sort of thing, but that's why I asked the question in the first place and that's why she makes my salary multiplied by twenty (or something like that).
Now the above may sound overly harsh, but it's not meant to be in the least. I simply don't think she has capability to think "down" to a level where someone actually has economic and career worries to the extent that an average person does. Sure, at a senior level you can find yourself unemployed, but at a high salary & lots of prior titles, you an always live off of savings/investments and hire a headhunter to help you find a job if the worst should happen. What's more, wealthy executives usually have spouses with professional/well paying jobs as well, so that's also a mitigating factor. That's certainly not true for the average worker, of which I consider myself to be in large part.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Evil
I was reading a bit of biographical information on the late Senator Hale Boggs when I came across this map, showing the status of school segregation in the United States during the 1950's.
Click on the map for a larger image.
You can also read a rationalization behind opposition to school desegregation here, in the "Southern Manifesto".
In the end, we are all captives of our conscience, but it's hard to believe anyone with a conscience could argue for required racial segregation.
Describing Sleep
What I think of when the subject of sleep comes to mind:
Did I sleep well last night? I don't really know. I had some vivid dreams, and while the details escape me, I don't think they were necessarily bad dreams. If anything, they probably had something to do with me solving some kind of problem, which is what most of my dreams center around. Clearly dreaming isn't a problem for me.
Now I will probably try to sleep late (or as late as such things happen for me) on Friday, as I have the day off. Maybe Mr Advil PM will lend a hand with that, as just one of those things really knocks me out. That's where I can maybe sleep in until about 8am or so. How freaky does that sound? "Sleep in until about 8am"; I know people that can sleep until about 11am or so on a regular basis if they had the opportunity.
One thing is for sure: if I'm this much of a nut with how much sleep I currently get, I wonder what I would be like with even less?
As I type this I have a very large (about 24+ pounds) domestic house cat sleeping about two feet from me, snoring. Go figure.
- "Little slices of death" (I think it was Poe that said this...)
- Unfortunate necessity
- Conscious vacation
- Pain-in-the-butt
- Wish I didn't need to
- Feeling ripped off (as in there should be more to it)
- Not restful
- Bad
Did I sleep well last night? I don't really know. I had some vivid dreams, and while the details escape me, I don't think they were necessarily bad dreams. If anything, they probably had something to do with me solving some kind of problem, which is what most of my dreams center around. Clearly dreaming isn't a problem for me.
Now I will probably try to sleep late (or as late as such things happen for me) on Friday, as I have the day off. Maybe Mr Advil PM will lend a hand with that, as just one of those things really knocks me out. That's where I can maybe sleep in until about 8am or so. How freaky does that sound? "Sleep in until about 8am"; I know people that can sleep until about 11am or so on a regular basis if they had the opportunity.
One thing is for sure: if I'm this much of a nut with how much sleep I currently get, I wonder what I would be like with even less?
As I type this I have a very large (about 24+ pounds) domestic house cat sleeping about two feet from me, snoring. Go figure.
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