Saturday, 30 November 2013

Post No. 491 - Reading

G'day, hello, howdy, hi, zdravstvujtye (some of my work colleagues are Russian, including an absolutely invaluable administrator who has recently taken maternity leave - may she and young one and family be blest), guten tag (where I have connection owing to a recent past life), sveiki, czesc (I have friends, not just colleagues, at work who are Polish), bonjour (colleagues at a former workplace were French, and we practised and tried to extend my woeful and limited range of this language), selamat pagi (one of the best junior engineers I ever worked with was Malaysian, and she taught me a few words), annyeonghaseyo, pryvit, bitaem, como vai (a friend of mine a few years ago, although not Brazilian, had Portuguese ancestry), ¡Hola (a former work colleague and friend, a VERY talented artist - with a Mexican sensibility to her artwork, particularly around the Day of the Dead - used to teach me Mexican Spanish), Selamat pagi, ni hao (ah, my work trips to Asia, and the many wonderful, wonderful people I have met there - and some excellent work colleagues and friends here, as well), bongiorno (my current home city of Melbourne has lots of Greeks and Italians, who have made our culture far richer - and made us coffee snobs :) ), hoschakal, hejsan, ciao, no japolt kivanu, chào bà, chào ông, γειά σου (from the city which has, I understand, the largest collection of Greek people outside of Greece), ceau.
Here are some reading links for your consideration. 

[1] BPF = Balanced Positive (spiritual) Forces. See here and here for more on this.

[2] Please see here and my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia. I'm also exploring use of h2g2, although that doesn't appear to be as extensive (h2g2 is intended - rather engagingly - to be the Earth edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"). 

Love, light, hugs and blessings



Gnwmythr 
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear"; ... aka Bellatrix Lux?)

My "blogiography" (list of all posts - currently not up to date) is here.  

I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue (see here and here), and it grew ...  See here for my group mind project, here and here for my "pagans for peace" project (and join me at 9 PM on Sunday, wherever you are, to meditate for peace), and here for my bindrune kit-bag.
  • One size does NOT fit all. 
  • Gnwmythr's Stropping Strap: Occam's Razor only works if  the simplest solution is actually recognised as being the simplest, rather than the one that best fits one's bigotries being labelled 'simplest'.
  • May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
  • Ban the dream interpretation industry! 
  • A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
  • Housework is for ensuring a home is comfortable to live in, not competing to outdo or belittle others.
  • Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master. 
  • "Following the crowd" is not "going with the flow".
  • Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." and/or "Everyone knows ... " and/or "they can ..." and what Bruce Schneier [2] calls "security theatre" on one side, and perspicacity and the understanding that the means shape the end on the other. Indolence vs. perspicacity, and expediency vs. honour.
  • The means shape the end.  
  • Sometimes you just can't argue with a biped that is armed with a sharp stick, a thick head and not too much in the way of grunts.
  • As words can kill, the right to freedom of speech comes with a DUTY to be as well-informed, objective and balanced as you can be.
  • My favourite action movie of all time is "Gandhi". However, I loathe the stereotypical action movie - and, for similar reasons, I loathe many dramas, which are often emotionally violent, more so in some cases than many war films.
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger [people]. JOHN F. KENNEDY (quoting 19th century Episcopal Bishop Phillips Brooks)
Jesus loves you.  Odin wants you to grow up. (Facebook meme, according to John Beckett)

Females, get over 'cute'. Get competent. Get trained. Get capable. Get over 'cute'. And those of you who are called Patty and Debby and Suzy, get over that. Because we use those names to infantalise females – we keep females in their 'little girl' state by the names we use for them. Get over it. If you want to be taken seriously, get serious. JANE ELLIOTT 

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. (based on writing by) EDMUND BURKE

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." EINSTEIN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, and the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change." SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY (US Attorney General 1966 Speech) 
Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that -- counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. ... Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile." ROBERT F. KENNEDY 1968
Tags:attitudes, discrimination, dragons, education, history, news, politics, proof-of-survival, reading, respect, sexism, shamanism, society, words,

First published: Laugardagr, 30th November, 2013

Last edited: Saturday, 30th November, 2013
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Post No. 490 - Was JFK a great US President?

Yes.

There ... that's this post done - and with a single word :)

There's been quite a bit in the media about the former US President, given the recent 50th anniversary of Kennedy's [2] assassination. Inevitably, some of it has been speculation about whether or not Kennedy "would have been a great President". Well, I actually consider that Kennedy was a great President, and had no need of accomplishing anything further in order to attain to 'greatness'. Possibly Kennedy could have done more, had he lived - particularly IF successfully re-elected (don't forget, although it was probably unlikely, he could potentially have lost the next US Presidential election), but Kennedy could also have stuffed his legacy up, as well. Kennedy was human, as we all are, and he made mistakes - as we all do (particularly in his slowness to engage with civil rights, and his initial actions around Vietnam) ... but when you're in a position of influence as Kennedy was, the significance of your strengths and weaknesses is magnified.

Before this recent anniversary, I would have said that I consider Kennedy a great US President because of Kennedy's handling of the Cuban missile crisis, Kennedy's work to ease the threat of nuclear war, Kennedy's work for freedom such as backing those in Berlin, and some of the things he did like the Peace Corps. Having now been through this anniversary, I realise that a very large part of Kennedy's greatness was his capacity to inspire hope - the words Kennedy left behind are as much a reason to acknowledge Kennedy's greatness as anthing else.

Now, notice the impersonal way I've written the above? I've used "Kennedy" a lot, the way the media do, whereas if I'd been writing about a 'normal' human being I would have followed normal writing conventions and used 'he' after the first mention of the person's name. The problem is, if I do that, I could be accused of 'putting Kennedy on a pedestal' - worshipping Kennedy, in other words. It's bull, but it's the sort of idiotic bull that I've had thrown my way - notably, by a neo-christian who was having a go at me over Lobsang Rampa. It is also one of the ways that current media is, in my view, lacking in competence - taking on the superficial visage of impersonal words as an homage to objectivity, rather than living the intellectual grittiness of true human-focused objectivity - the sort of objectivity that realises that what is important is the principle that journalism is for and about people, about not getting caught up in the moment at the complete expense of perspective, which is something that can be hard to manage when, for instance 'embedded'.

I doubt that I - and those in Spirit that I work with - could have come up with the previous paragraph if I hadn't been thinking about words, and their capacity to inspire :)

Now, let's have a look at how what I had written would have looked if I had been writing a NORMAL way, about an everyday human being, without the fear of persecution - which is what that is - of false 'worship' hanging over my head.
Yes. 

There ... that's this post done - and with a single word :) 

There's been quite a bit in the media about the former US President, given the recent 50th anniversary of his assassination. Inevitably, some of it has been speculation about whether or not Kennedy "would have been a great President". Well, I actually consider that he was a great President, and had no need of accomplishing anything further in order to attain to 'greatness'. Possibly he could have done more, had he lived - particularly IF successfully re-elected (don't forget, although it was probably unlikely, he could potentially have lost the next US Presidential election), but he could also have stuffed his legacy up, as well. Kennedy was human, as we all are, and he made mistakes - as we all do (particularly in his slowness to engage with civil rights, and his initial actions around Vietnam) ... but when you're in a position of influence as that man was, the significance of one's strengths and weaknesses is magnified.

Before this recent anniversary, I would have said that I consider Kennedy a great US President because of his:
  • handling of the Cuban missile crisis, 
  • work to ease the threat of nuclear war,
  • work for freedom such as backing those in Berlin, and
  • some of the things he did like the Peace Corps.
Having now been through this anniversary, I realise that a very large part of Kennedy's greatness was his capacity to inspire hope - the words he left behind are as much a reason to acknowledge Kennedy's greatness as anything else.

So ... don't forget: impersonal words are not objectivity: if you're writing about a human being, you should be acknowledging that, because our humanity is a key part of the fact of our existence.

As a final point, my slightly altered perspective is due largely to this article: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/22/kennedy-assassination-50-years-jfk



[1] BPF = Balanced Positive (spiritual) Forces. See here and here for more on this.

[2] Please see here and my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia. I'm also exploring use of h2g2, although that doesn't appear to be as extensive (h2g2 is intended - rather engagingly - to be the Earth edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"). 

Love, light, hugs and blessings


Gnwmythr 
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear"; ... aka Bellatrix Lux?)

My "blogiography" (list of all posts - currently not up to date) is here.  

I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue (see here and here), and it grew ...  See here for my group mind project, here and here for my "pagans for peace" project (and join me at 9 PM on Sunday, wherever you are, to meditate for peace), and here for my bindrune kit-bag.
  • One size does NOT fit all. 
  • Gnwmythr's Stropping Strap: Occam's Razor only works if  the simplest solution is actually recognised as being the simplest, rather than the one that best fits one's bigotries being labelled 'simplest'.
  • May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
  • Ban the dream interpretation industry! 
  • A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
  • Housework is for ensuring a home is comfortable to live in, not competing to outdo or belittle others.
  • Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master. 
  • "Following the crowd" is not "going with the flow".
  • Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." and/or "Everyone knows ... " and/or "they can ..." and what Bruce Schneier [2] calls "security theatre" on one side, and perspicacity and the understanding that the means shape the end on the other. Indolence vs. perspicacity, and expediency vs. honour.
  • The means shape the end.  
  • Sometimes you just can't argue with a biped that is armed with a sharp stick, a thick head and not too much in the way of grunts.
  • As words can kill, the right to freedom of speech comes with a DUTY to be as well-informed, objective and balanced as you can be.
  • My favourite action movie of all time is "Gandhi". However, I loathe the stereotypical action movie - and, for similar reasons, I loathe many dramas, which are often emotionally violent, more so in some cases than many war films.
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger [people]. JOHN F. KENNEDY (quoting 19th century Episcopal Bishop Phillips Brooks)
Jesus loves you.  Odin wants you to grow up. (Facebook meme, according to John Beckett)

Females, get over 'cute'. Get competent. Get trained. Get capable. Get over 'cute'. And those of you who are called Patty and Debby and Suzy, get over that. Because we use those names to infantalise females – we keep females in their 'little girl' state by the names we use for them. Get over it. If you want to be taken seriously, get serious. JANE ELLIOTT 

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. (based on writing by) EDMUND BURKE

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." EINSTEIN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, and the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change." SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY (US Attorney General 1966 Speech) 
Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that -- counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. ... Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile." ROBERT F. KENNEDY 1968
Tags: attitudes, John F Kennedy, politics, society, 

First published: Laugardagr, 30th November, 2013

Last edited: Saturday, 30th November, 2013
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

Friday, 22 November 2013

Post No. 489 - Attaining mastery

I recently came across an idea that it is necessary to spend 10,000 hours practising something before one has mastered it. If I recall correctly, that was allegedly based on the hours that the Beatles spent learning music and then refining their act in Hamburg. From my point of view, if I think about driving a car, I often tell people it took until about 10 years after I got my drivers licence for me to feel comfortable driving. A lot of that time I actually didn't have a car (uni student), but when I did get a car after I graduated, I drove over 100,000 km in three years for work - sometimes up to 1,000 km in a day, and now I'm probably somewhere between 900,000 and 1,000,000 km (I was thinking per car when I wrote an earlier, lower figure), and the last accident I was involved in was when a car stopped too close behind me and, when hit by a car behind it, was thrown into my car, and that was back in the early 90s, so ... not 10,000 hours of driving to get to reasonable  'mastery' back then, but some very good experience in that time which probably helped to make what time I have useful experience (ever driven on Queensland's black soil territory, which is inland and around the middle of the State, when it's wet, trying to dodge sharp bits of timber and other construction debris at the same time ... in a two wheel drive car? I have: it's like trying to drive on ice while dodging spikes - good experience for wet conditions generally ... ).

My day job is something that I have definitely had more than 10,000 hours of experience in - at 40 hours per week, it takes around five and a half years to get that time, so the general attitude that engineers start to be more useful after around five years' experience possibly has some basis (other than the fact of observation - the time at uni doesn't count: that just gets you a licence to start learning).

In sailing we had a similar approach, but it was based on miles of sailing ... and, sad to say, I can't recall what the criteria were (they were developed during the 70s as part of an approach to introduce national consistency in teaching sailing - which didn't work because it had some phenomenally stupid things in it as a result of the bias created by flat water sailors from down south - Sydney, for instance [I was living in Queensland at the time, remember :) ] ). In any case, with sailing up to three times a week, I had a fair bit of dinghy experience - and, as most of that was in rough weather exacerbated by a six knot tidal current, that was the reason I and others at our central Queensland sailing club could safely take Heron sailing dinghies out in waves over 20' in height (and did not perform anywhere near as well in the light conditions that the Sydney people excelled in). I still emphasise, when teaching sailing, that is necessary to work gradually up to such things. Your first year sailing should be in winds between 5 and 15 knots (sailing in conditions that are too light is as bad for learning as trying to sail in winds that are too strong), and then you can slowly, gradually start extending it out until, after, say, three years at least, your safe sailing range is 1 to 30 knots of wind. (There is a similar guide for waves, but size is not necessarily the issue. Any wave going against a six knot current is going to be difficult ... square, we used to term it.)

What I would like you to consider however, is the typical person who is trying to develop their psychic ability. Let's say they do ... oh, perhaps ... two hours of a development circle per week, for maybe ... 50 weeks a year (that number is for the convenience of the maths - it is likely to be a lot fewer weeks). At that rate, they will achieved the 10,000 hours after ... 100 years ...

Finding it hard to get the results you want?

Try   practising   more ...

I mentioned an example of this from the musical world. Many non-musical people (such as myself) look at performers, think it is wonderful, and think they could grab a guitar and, a few easy lessons later, be outshining Santana, or Mark Knopfler, or Brian May, or John Williams, or Tommy Emmanuel, or - well, you get the idea. They don't know of the hundreds of hours of practise to develop and then speed up their coordination, the development of muscular strength and calloused finger tips (I once "did" [yeah, it was me and the cat listening] a version of the wonderful song Yesterday with words along the lines of "Yesterday, all my finger tips were band aid free, now I play guitar you see ..." etc - and no, I won't give up my day job :) ), learning new songs, refining coordination with other muso's  they just think that the final result looks so effortless that it must be effortless.

It's not. Not for music, and not for psychic abilities.

When I ran regression-rescue groups, I drilled my sitters on practising fundamental techniques, such as clearing links, or objects, or types of energies. Bored the hell out of them - but it is what is needed, if you are going to be serious about this.

So ... how about keeping a diary or log, and see how many hours you have to accumulate before you attain your desired level of competence?

Now, for your information, this notion of 10,000 hours comes from Malcolm Gladwell's [2] book "Outliers", which has attracted admirers and critics, so you may also wish to consider viewing:
Another thought I have had about this is that parents would possibly consider that they've got 10,000 hours of parenting fairly early on, but that figure would really be for each major development stage of the child's life. So ... once you've mastered the art of being parent to a toddler, you have to master the art of parenting a small child, and then master the art of dealing with teenagers, and so on and so forth. No wonder parents get so exhausted!

The good thing is, both for these sets of skills and all others, that you can, to some extent, accelerate your learning and mastery by drawing on the experiences of others. Of course, in the case of parenting, you have to find someone who succeeded at the style of parenting [3] you feel comfortable with - if someone is a success at a different style of parenting than your style, it is pointless listening to them - it would be like a brain surgeon trying to tell a burns specialist what to do: both medical people, but vastly different approaches.

[3] On that, I had a young friend who was worrying about making a decision about whether or not to have a child as her biological clock ticked on, and to help her, I came up with the following table. I tried the table out on a few others, and the only extra suggestion I got was add in being fit during pregnancy, but others I knew disputed the importance of that. It's not a guide to parenting: it's the start of a guide to making a decision about whether or not to aim towards becoming a parent. One of the issues I consider many people in such situations need to consider, is that of parenting style.

Oh, and I quite liked the car window sticker I saw today .. "be the change you wish to see in your children"

A plan for having kid(s)


Issue
Explanation / sub-issue
Options
Comments
Conclusion
1. Lifestyle / finances





Exactly how much money is needed?
Spend a week or two buying groceries as if have a toddler (including nappies), tot, primary school and secondary school kid? Work out budget for these cases?
Level of schooling. If want private school, need more money
Some consider financial issues are given undue importance.
Do a budget, and supplement by trial shopping for a week or two if needed.


Minor supplementary options
Government grants etc aren’t much.

2. Support
This is most commonly from a partner.





Be single
There are exceptions to having a partner - e.g., women who are widowed after giving birth, some women who plan of raising a kid alone.
If single, a recommended action could be to use disposable nappies, for instance, but others disagree.  


Current partner
Do they want kids? If they do, and have previous kids, they are making an informed decision.
Look at other options (more “spreads the burden” of support, cuts the load down to something an occasional enjoyment for the supporter). Relationships can always end, so other options are probably prudent anyway. In other words: plan multiple back up supports for physical illness etc.


Child’s grandparents. Need to cover: is this OK in principle first, then when how etc, and finally specifics (styles of discipline, etc )
Issues about relationship to these people? Many grandparents like grandkids.



Others?
Friends / family / honorary “aunts/uncles” fairly common in extended families and lesbian etc communities. How would you feel about these people? Need to cover same issues as for grandparents (when can call on, any limits, etc).

3. Physical preparation (1) - the environment





Need baby stuff and space for baby.





Space:
Initially could be in same room as parent, but should be in a separate room as grows older.



Getting baby stuff. Can get little bit at a time. Where store it? (See space issue above.)
Baby needs:
- baby bath
- bouncinette,
- cot,
- nappy bag,
- bottles and various size/style teats (babies have their likes and dislikes too - especially the fashion conscious ones),
- plastic cutlery (there is some which changes colour when gets hot)
- steriliser (groceries + plastic box or similar to disinfect bottles) + bottle scrubbing brush,
- clothes (op shop / friends’ cast offs for baby/toddler?
- face washers / nappies (for spillages, burping, etc)
- turkey baster (see item 5) and commemorative frame.
Later will be more expensive as grows.)
- blankets
- toys
- children’s books (range of ages)
- school uniforms and books etc (as grows up)


4. Physical preparation (2) - the Mum To Be





Before becoming pregnant.

Mother's physical health - comprehensive tests are needed, including
Status of immunisation; if need booster for some (can't remember the specific one but I can find out) she will need to wait 6 months or so before getting pregnant


When pregnant.

Morning sickness varies: some have severe problems, some don’t. Consider provisions if it is severe (e.g., talk to work HR officer).

4. Parenting skills





Actual skills required.
Grandparents.
Is public support through community nurses, etc.
Consider having foster kids for a while first, to see how you go.
Start by talking to own GP or a social worker.

How is confidence? Almost no parent feels confident initially but could be a big issue.
“Trial run” by some respite care for kids / limited term fostering?

?

Physical issues
Doctor / health care centres
Seek to have own health as good as possible before pregnancy.
Start by talking to own GP

Interruption to sleep
Happens. How handle it? e.g. - minimise other commitments, have support networks to help share load etc (even if DO have partner).
Plan multiple back up supports for physical illness etc.

5. Parenting roles 
Male role model.
Can be arranged if no male partner, either through sperm donor or other male friends.




Sperm donors: … ah, … er, …

Talk to _ re legal issues, _ re health issues / screening
7. Purpose





Wanting a baby is understandable, but what is going to result in feeling worthwhile / fulfilled? Healthy baby and child? Mature / competent offspring? Someone to look after in old age? How feel when arguing? What are the down times one would expect? Would one be concerned if the baby turned out to be ho-mo-sex-ual, transgender, intersexed or a politician? What about Downs, lack of interest in intellectual stuff, etc?






Main issues:


Do a budget (just like doing a business plan dearie :) ), and supplement by trial shopping for a week or two if needed.

Consider fostering as a trial.

Plan multiple back up supports for physical illness etc (child’s grandparents, Rent-A-Grandmother [RAG for short] _, etc).

Commit to a space.

Start accumulating baby and tot stuff when space commitment made.

Talk to own GP re physical care, health centres, etc.



[1] BPF = Balanced Positive (spiritual) Forces. See here and here for more on this.

[2] Please see here and my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia. I'm also exploring use of h2g2, although that doesn't appear to be as extensive (h2g2 is intended - rather engagingly - to be the Earth edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"). 

Love, light, hugs and blessings



Gnwmythr 
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear"; ... aka Bellatrix Lux?)

My "blogiography" (list of all posts - currently not up to date) is here.  

I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue (see here and here), and it grew ...  See here for my group mind project, here and here for my "pagans for peace" project (and join me at 9 PM on Sunday, wherever you are, to meditate for peace), and here for my bindrune kit-bag.
  • One size does NOT fit all. 
  • Gnwmythr's Stropping Strap: Occam's Razor only works if  the simplest solution is actually recognised as being the simplest, rather than the one that best fits one's bigotries being labelled 'simplest'.
  • May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
  • Ban the dream interpretation industry! 
  • A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
  • Housework is for ensuring a home is comfortable to live in, not competing to outdo or belittle others.
  • Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master. 
  • "Following the crowd" is not "going with the flow".
  • Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." and/or "Everyone knows ... " and/or "they can ..." and what Bruce Schneier [2] calls "security theatre" on one side, and perspicacity and the understanding that the means shape the end on the other. Indolence vs. perspicacity, and expediency vs. honour.
  • The means shape the end.  
  • Sometimes you just can't argue with a biped that is armed with a sharp stick, a thick head and not too much in the way of grunts.
  • As words can kill, the right to freedom of speech comes with a DUTY to be as well-informed, objective and balanced as you can be.
  • My favourite action movie of all time is "Gandhi". However, I loathe the stereotypical action movie - and, for similar reasons, I loathe many dramas, which are often emotionally violent, more so in some cases than many war films.
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger [people]. JOHN F. KENNEDY (quoting 19th century Episcopal Bishop Phillips Brooks)
Jesus loves you.  Odin wants you to grow up. (Facebook meme, according to John Beckett)

Females, get over 'cute'. Get competent. Get trained. Get capable. Get over 'cute'. And those of you who are called Patty and Debby and Suzy, get over that. Because we use those names to infantalise females – we keep females in their 'little girl' state by the names we use for them. Get over it. If you want to be taken seriously, get serious. JANE ELLIOTT 

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. (based on writing by) EDMUND BURKE

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." EINSTEIN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, and the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change." SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY (US Attorney General 1966 Speech) 
Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that -- counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. ... Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile." ROBERT F. KENNEDY 1968
Tags: attitudes, boredom, children, family, mastery, parenting, persistence, practice, skills, 

First published: Fryrsdagr, 22nd November, 2013

Last edited: Friday, 22nd November, 2013
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