After my post yesterday I thought I'd make a bold argument by claiming that the key to winning me over is to give me a lot of attention. --Take an interest in my life, do some research of your own on the things that I claim to enjoy. Talk to me on a regular basis. Give me the things I want and you'll start to see me trying to give you things you want.
It's so simple it's stupid.
However, I'll be honest when I say that THAT is the trick to winning ANYONE over. You talk to them, you get to know them. You ask them questions and you answer their questions. You take a genuine interest in their life and you don't repeat questions that have already been answered because you listened the first time, were interested the first time, and ate it all up the first time. Listen, and take an interest. That's the key to developing a solid relationship with anyone, whether it's the cop who you are trying to swoon to overlook a few issues on your drivers license, or your husband who has suddenly lost "interest" in you.
1When it comes down to it, if you really are interested in someone and you want them to be interested in you too, or you want them to do things for you, all you have to do is build a good relationship with them in which they trust you and want to help you out.
2You can build relationships in the first 30sec of meeting someone that will do this for you. --I get people to give me gifts all the time who do not know me but who take an interest in me and desire to please me. It's crazy, I know, but it works. And it's also very dangerous because it's so easy to manipulate people and fake "interest" in them so that they'll help you out.
3It isn't as simple as it sounds, well, it isn't as easy to do as it sounds, and it's even harder to do it long term--(which is why when you use it to manipulate people you have to be fully committed to manipulating or you lose interest and you give up, of you start taking interest in what they are giving you and not the person, and they start to get smart and recognize that you're interested in their money or means and not them as a person)
You can apply these 3 statements to every person in your life just as a micro example, lets say you want to get free desert from someone:
1. You find someone who has desert and you take an interest in that person. You approach them, you talk to them.
2. You devote the first few minutes with them building up the right kind of relationship in which this person will desire to give you desert because they enjoy or appreciate you.
3. You put a lot of devotion into pleasing them for that first few minutes and suddenly they are convinced that your company is worth giving you desert.
Boom.--Trade-off. You get your just dessert, they make a friend, they enjoy your company, you flatter them, they feel good about themselves, etc. etc.--the benefits from someone taking an interest in your life outweigh 90% of people's other priorities. Even babies learn this and that's why they cry to get your attention: because they know they're being taken care of if you're in the room giving them attention.
Before you dismiss everything I just said above as hogwash, let me explain something else: the life of an entertainer, whether it's a singer, a movie star, etc. etc. When you go to a show, you're paying them to entertain you. You like the entertainers who you can relate to either because they are your counter, because you are just like them, or because they bring out emotions in you that you don't often experience. --The trade off. You get these feelings, you feel intrigued, you make a "friend" out of someone imaginary but that you can relate to, recognize, and sympathize with, and they get your money and your full attention and fame.
Ethically speaking though, is it right to have relationships with such trade-offs?--I would say yes, with a clause...
The clause is that everything has to be real. You need to take a real interest in someone before you eat their cookies. You need to believe it and they need to believe it. If all you're doing is sucking up to someone who you don't like in order to get something from them then you're being quite unethical because you're giving them something that isn't real in exchange for something they own that is real. You can't give away fake emotions. --that's one of the rules in film directing too: You can't give away fake emotions. Your actors have to be really feeling it or A)you're giving your audience garbage. B)you're making money unethically.
And it's that simple. Are you convinced yet?
One of these days I'll get around to persuading you on why it's so important to be ethical, but not today. Just trust me. It is.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Ikiru is a Good movie
There is a bit of knowledge I really stand conflicted on...and it's something that has really played with my life as I experiment with it.
Let me do some leading up before I explain it:
As the title states, Ikiru is a good movie. It's a movie directed by my favorite director, Akira Kurosawa. The story is about an old man working in the bureaucratic system of city management in Japan. He's over PR I believe. As the story starts to take off, the main character is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a time and place where treatment for it was improbable. --He was given a diagnosis that he would die essentially.
At the sight of death, he realizes that he has done nothing with his life and he wants to experience things he should have done. He meets a drunkard writer who has "seen the world" and becomes his guide on the journey he begins. He also meets a young girl who worked under him in the city system and who needs his permission to quit her job (japanese laws, mleh).
To summarize the rest of the movie, the man goes through MANY phases of riotous living and falling for this young girl and realizes she's creeped out by him because he's old and she's young, but at the same time she pities him. He hits rock bottom (this all takes place in like a weeks time I believe) and then comes to the realization that although he is going to die, he can make a difference in the world and he sets out to help other people with the final days of his life. He sacrifices many things and then passes away. At his funeral he gets no credit or confused credit (the people whose lives he touched honor him, but everyone else doesn't see it and they think he was foolish). But you walk away from the movie feeling empowered that you can make a difference --the movie is VERY persuasive and I love it deeply.
At one point though, there is scene where the character remembers a song--I can't recall the exact quote of the movie but the main line is: life is brief, fall in love maidens.
(I'll insert the quote if I can find it):
Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,
Before the crimson bloom fades from your lips,
Before the tides of passion cool within you,
For those of you who know no tomorrow.
Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,
Before his hands take up his boat,
Before the flush of his cheeks fades,
For those of you who will never return here.
Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,
Before the boat drifts away on the waves,
Before the hand resting on your shoulder becomes frail,
For those who will never be seen here again.
Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,
Before the raven tresses begin to fade,
Before the flame in your hearts flicker and die,
For those to whom today will never return.
--- Essentially the meaning I take from the song is that you should fall in love before the person you love is gone and you are too.
I can tell you now that I have never felt so human as when I watched that movie. It brought out a lot of emotions in me and thoughts and divine potential and many other things that tell me I am alive, this life is real, and that I make a difference in it, but the conflict I face in life centers around just that song, and I shall attempt to paint a picture of how and why it centers around that song.
I've always been lonely in life. I don't know if it is because of some event that happened while I was young, but as far back as I can remember I have had this innate desire to be loved by other people. I needed attention, but not just attention, I needed people who I could turn to on a regular basis for emotional support. I spent a lot of my childhood trying to impress my parents, trying to be popular at school and have friends, even trying to be around my brother and sister, because I was lonely.
I hate being alone.
Yet all of my life I have felt very much alone. I have had to do everything on my own, I've been left on my own so often, and I have felt, at times, as though no one out there cared for me. I went through a part of my life where I was very much my only friend, or at least I was the only one who paid any attention to me. And this loneliness has molded and shaped me.
I pursued various things and learned many things simply because no one was listening to me, no one was watching me, no one was doing anything with me really. I just existed and I hit a point where I contemplated suicide, but faced with death in that sense, I decided I needed to change my life around somehow, and that's what started my learning process.
The problem was that while I was going through that stage of life, I stopped caring about other people. I gave up a great part of my own humanity it seemed. I stopped feeling emotions because I was hurt so bad--and it wasn't just a one time hurt, it was years compounding together of me being the youngest son who was never good enough, whose friends turned their backs on me, whose own brothers and sisters were always fighting with me and who just didn't fit in the world anywhere.
In one sense I died back then.
No one who knew me back then would know me now. My personality is very different. I have confidence now, I have self esteem and self worth, and yet, I still face the same problems that I have always faced: I strive for attention and I have a strong desire to be loved.
I have experimented with various things in an attempt to fulfill those two great needs of mine, but for the past few years I have had a hard time feeling them.
So with that in mind, when I say that I have a conflict with the line: "life is short, fall in love maidens [and young men]", it is because my whole life I have tried to be loved and yet, as Eminem says "[I] get no love".
I have had very many successes, I've developed a good character, I've mastered a lot of admirable traits, and I've gained a vision of what I would like to become. Yet every day I wake up and I'm all alone. Nothing I do with my own hands warrants love and attention. I have more enemies than I have friends, and then I realize that the only thing that gets me through the day is that I have hope for the future--a hope that fades with each day.
I feel as though I have gone beyond what that song says. I feel as though I'm too old to experience love the way I would like because I'm too serious now and I don't get excited very easily. ad hock: I'm out there trying to teach people skills they need to just fall in love while they're young and save themselves the problems i have faced.
I very much feel like an expensive violin that has a flaw in it and no one wants to take it or can afford it. I'm just waiting for someone to come along who realizes my worth who can fix me up and turn me into one of the best violins on the market.
Let me do some leading up before I explain it:
As the title states, Ikiru is a good movie. It's a movie directed by my favorite director, Akira Kurosawa. The story is about an old man working in the bureaucratic system of city management in Japan. He's over PR I believe. As the story starts to take off, the main character is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a time and place where treatment for it was improbable. --He was given a diagnosis that he would die essentially.
At the sight of death, he realizes that he has done nothing with his life and he wants to experience things he should have done. He meets a drunkard writer who has "seen the world" and becomes his guide on the journey he begins. He also meets a young girl who worked under him in the city system and who needs his permission to quit her job (japanese laws, mleh).
To summarize the rest of the movie, the man goes through MANY phases of riotous living and falling for this young girl and realizes she's creeped out by him because he's old and she's young, but at the same time she pities him. He hits rock bottom (this all takes place in like a weeks time I believe) and then comes to the realization that although he is going to die, he can make a difference in the world and he sets out to help other people with the final days of his life. He sacrifices many things and then passes away. At his funeral he gets no credit or confused credit (the people whose lives he touched honor him, but everyone else doesn't see it and they think he was foolish). But you walk away from the movie feeling empowered that you can make a difference --the movie is VERY persuasive and I love it deeply.
At one point though, there is scene where the character remembers a song--I can't recall the exact quote of the movie but the main line is: life is brief, fall in love maidens.
(I'll insert the quote if I can find it):
Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,
Before the crimson bloom fades from your lips,
Before the tides of passion cool within you,
For those of you who know no tomorrow.
Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,
Before his hands take up his boat,
Before the flush of his cheeks fades,
For those of you who will never return here.
Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,
Before the boat drifts away on the waves,
Before the hand resting on your shoulder becomes frail,
For those who will never be seen here again.
Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,
Before the raven tresses begin to fade,
Before the flame in your hearts flicker and die,
For those to whom today will never return.
--- Essentially the meaning I take from the song is that you should fall in love before the person you love is gone and you are too.
I can tell you now that I have never felt so human as when I watched that movie. It brought out a lot of emotions in me and thoughts and divine potential and many other things that tell me I am alive, this life is real, and that I make a difference in it, but the conflict I face in life centers around just that song, and I shall attempt to paint a picture of how and why it centers around that song.
I've always been lonely in life. I don't know if it is because of some event that happened while I was young, but as far back as I can remember I have had this innate desire to be loved by other people. I needed attention, but not just attention, I needed people who I could turn to on a regular basis for emotional support. I spent a lot of my childhood trying to impress my parents, trying to be popular at school and have friends, even trying to be around my brother and sister, because I was lonely.
I hate being alone.
Yet all of my life I have felt very much alone. I have had to do everything on my own, I've been left on my own so often, and I have felt, at times, as though no one out there cared for me. I went through a part of my life where I was very much my only friend, or at least I was the only one who paid any attention to me. And this loneliness has molded and shaped me.
I pursued various things and learned many things simply because no one was listening to me, no one was watching me, no one was doing anything with me really. I just existed and I hit a point where I contemplated suicide, but faced with death in that sense, I decided I needed to change my life around somehow, and that's what started my learning process.
The problem was that while I was going through that stage of life, I stopped caring about other people. I gave up a great part of my own humanity it seemed. I stopped feeling emotions because I was hurt so bad--and it wasn't just a one time hurt, it was years compounding together of me being the youngest son who was never good enough, whose friends turned their backs on me, whose own brothers and sisters were always fighting with me and who just didn't fit in the world anywhere.
In one sense I died back then.
No one who knew me back then would know me now. My personality is very different. I have confidence now, I have self esteem and self worth, and yet, I still face the same problems that I have always faced: I strive for attention and I have a strong desire to be loved.
I have experimented with various things in an attempt to fulfill those two great needs of mine, but for the past few years I have had a hard time feeling them.
So with that in mind, when I say that I have a conflict with the line: "life is short, fall in love maidens [and young men]", it is because my whole life I have tried to be loved and yet, as Eminem says "[I] get no love".
I have had very many successes, I've developed a good character, I've mastered a lot of admirable traits, and I've gained a vision of what I would like to become. Yet every day I wake up and I'm all alone. Nothing I do with my own hands warrants love and attention. I have more enemies than I have friends, and then I realize that the only thing that gets me through the day is that I have hope for the future--a hope that fades with each day.
I feel as though I have gone beyond what that song says. I feel as though I'm too old to experience love the way I would like because I'm too serious now and I don't get excited very easily. ad hock: I'm out there trying to teach people skills they need to just fall in love while they're young and save themselves the problems i have faced.
I very much feel like an expensive violin that has a flaw in it and no one wants to take it or can afford it. I'm just waiting for someone to come along who realizes my worth who can fix me up and turn me into one of the best violins on the market.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
It's only natural to be lazy--but does that mean it's right?
I didn't know what I would feel like writing today so I figure I'll write a simple post on how some days you get persuaded by yourself to be lazy or unmotivated or "busy"--but the only real argument to those feelings is to just push forward, be consistent and keep working.
I want to write on here at least once a day with something related to my theme of how persuasion works and how it is related to what we know as truth, but sometimes I just can't get worked up enough to write something incredibly meaningful.--it's only natural I suppose (the "natural" argument), it happens to everyone at least so I assume it's just a part of life that we will always have to deal with.
However, I've grown to the understanding that just because it's natural to be lazy doesn't mean that it's right--some natural things are that way and we've gotta go against them in order to survive or reach our goals and dreams.
I want to write on here at least once a day with something related to my theme of how persuasion works and how it is related to what we know as truth, but sometimes I just can't get worked up enough to write something incredibly meaningful.--it's only natural I suppose (the "natural" argument), it happens to everyone at least so I assume it's just a part of life that we will always have to deal with.
However, I've grown to the understanding that just because it's natural to be lazy doesn't mean that it's right--some natural things are that way and we've gotta go against them in order to survive or reach our goals and dreams.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Making Money
I read a lot of magazines and e-mags related to business and jobs and the economy. --It's part of what I do to keep on top of the current market trends and ways I can improve my own business strategies. Of course I'm always trying to get better so it's only natural for me to be studying up on it.
In any case, today I wanted to write about making money in general. Whatever it is you do, it's going to be really hard, either in level of difficulty or amount of demand. The people who have easy jobs are the ones who don't get paid very much and don't have to really get that involved.
I have always had a hard time becoming one of those people--Where I have lived has been one of the big reasons why, but I think another big reason I have such a hard time getting one of those "easy" jobs is because I have a hard time expressing to other people why it is better to hire me, who has had a lot of experiences in life and can easily associate with people. I suppose my biggest problem is really that my experiences in life have been short anecdotes that I forget what happened or how they happened but I remember the lessons I learned.
Well, with making money, I've learned quite a few things, but the more I learn, the more I realize that there is no one way of making money. What I mean is that everyone seems to have one specific thing that they think is the key to making their business successful: knowing the customer, listening, customer support, offering them what they need, lowering prices, raising prices, good management, a clear vision, etc. etc. Really though I'm learning that it is ALL important. Especially with the current trends in society and in the markets, if your business can't do all of them exceptionally well they won't do any of them well.
In any case, today I wanted to write about making money in general. Whatever it is you do, it's going to be really hard, either in level of difficulty or amount of demand. The people who have easy jobs are the ones who don't get paid very much and don't have to really get that involved.
I have always had a hard time becoming one of those people--Where I have lived has been one of the big reasons why, but I think another big reason I have such a hard time getting one of those "easy" jobs is because I have a hard time expressing to other people why it is better to hire me, who has had a lot of experiences in life and can easily associate with people. I suppose my biggest problem is really that my experiences in life have been short anecdotes that I forget what happened or how they happened but I remember the lessons I learned.
Well, with making money, I've learned quite a few things, but the more I learn, the more I realize that there is no one way of making money. What I mean is that everyone seems to have one specific thing that they think is the key to making their business successful: knowing the customer, listening, customer support, offering them what they need, lowering prices, raising prices, good management, a clear vision, etc. etc. Really though I'm learning that it is ALL important. Especially with the current trends in society and in the markets, if your business can't do all of them exceptionally well they won't do any of them well.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Do humans have hearts, or do they just say that?
Last night I returned home to discover that my apartment's parking lot was crammed full of cars, most of them were parked blocking the pathways in, out and around the parking lot.
I drove down as far as I could, even down to the dumpster and there were absolutely no places to park unless I wanted to park dead center in the lot so that NO ONE could get out. Knowing that the manager just sent out a leaflet about how they would be booting illegal cars for the rest of the semester, I decided that would be a bad idea.
At that point I made a judgement call and decided that since it wasn't snowing, it would be alright if I parked on the street.just this once.
Well don't you know but about fifteen minutes later the ticket man came and hit my car with a bright yellow ticket!
I found out in the morning as i walked to school.
I intend to see if the appeal committee has any heart and won't wave the fine for me just this once.we'll see what happens, wish me luck!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
How I would fix the world to make it better
I'll be the first one to admit that I get jealous all of the time--not like in a covetous way where I wish I had certain materials that others have, but more like I get jealous of people who get attention and love.
Sure, I get plenty of attention and I am loved by quite a number of people, but sometimes I forget about that and feel as though I'm really just not that important to anyone. --And as far as love goes...well, let's just say I really only care about whether a few certain key individuals love me, and at times it's hard to really tell.
There is one way of fixing the world that sticks out to me more prominently than all others--that is, if the world really needs "fixing" because I'm actually quite fond of my world.
Not long ago I had a conversation with a friend of mine about what she would say if she had 10min to stand before the world and give a speech. It was one of those hypothetical questions that you ask when you're bored and want to determine what the other person is thinking about at that moment. When she asked the same question back to me I already had an answer: I would give the best speech I could possibly give on showing your love more and not being afraid to open up to people you don't know.
It seems to me that most of the problems you hear about in the world could easily be prevented if we cared a little more about other people. My experience is that most people don't really care so much that they aren't getting what they want from, but they do care that other people don't understand them and no one is trying to help them get what they want. This sounds like it's contradictory to what I said yesterday, but really it isn't: we're all working on our own lives, but that doesn't mean we can't try to assist other people's lives as long as we aren't bringing them down.
All of those robbers out there and the rapists and the jerks that are in such a rush to get to where they're going they'll cut you off to get there--they'll all could use a little more love in their life and some attention. Speaking from experience, the times I did some of the most rude things I have ever done have been when I really could have just used someone telling me they loved me and cared about me.
I have a friend, T, he was hit by a car when he was little and it messed him up pretty bad. I didn't get to know him until I was in high school and he took a little getting used to--I think it was the car that did it, because once you get past his speech problems and his desperate cry for attention, he's actually one of the nicest people you'll ever know...if you have hard enough skin to withstand the pokes he gives (literally, he went through a phase where every time he saw me he'd ram his finger into me and yell "poke!"--I'm sure it was great fun, but it got a little annoying.) He's since calmed down a bit and I rank him pretty high on my friends list.
Every so often he sends me messages or he'll talk to me at church--It really shows that he cares about people because he's doing really simple things that make a big difference.
I suppose my 10 minutes is up now, so I better get off so that someone more important can share their message with the world
Sure, I get plenty of attention and I am loved by quite a number of people, but sometimes I forget about that and feel as though I'm really just not that important to anyone. --And as far as love goes...well, let's just say I really only care about whether a few certain key individuals love me, and at times it's hard to really tell.
There is one way of fixing the world that sticks out to me more prominently than all others--that is, if the world really needs "fixing" because I'm actually quite fond of my world.
Not long ago I had a conversation with a friend of mine about what she would say if she had 10min to stand before the world and give a speech. It was one of those hypothetical questions that you ask when you're bored and want to determine what the other person is thinking about at that moment. When she asked the same question back to me I already had an answer: I would give the best speech I could possibly give on showing your love more and not being afraid to open up to people you don't know.
It seems to me that most of the problems you hear about in the world could easily be prevented if we cared a little more about other people. My experience is that most people don't really care so much that they aren't getting what they want from, but they do care that other people don't understand them and no one is trying to help them get what they want. This sounds like it's contradictory to what I said yesterday, but really it isn't: we're all working on our own lives, but that doesn't mean we can't try to assist other people's lives as long as we aren't bringing them down.
All of those robbers out there and the rapists and the jerks that are in such a rush to get to where they're going they'll cut you off to get there--they'll all could use a little more love in their life and some attention. Speaking from experience, the times I did some of the most rude things I have ever done have been when I really could have just used someone telling me they loved me and cared about me.
I have a friend, T, he was hit by a car when he was little and it messed him up pretty bad. I didn't get to know him until I was in high school and he took a little getting used to--I think it was the car that did it, because once you get past his speech problems and his desperate cry for attention, he's actually one of the nicest people you'll ever know...if you have hard enough skin to withstand the pokes he gives (literally, he went through a phase where every time he saw me he'd ram his finger into me and yell "poke!"--I'm sure it was great fun, but it got a little annoying.) He's since calmed down a bit and I rank him pretty high on my friends list.
Every so often he sends me messages or he'll talk to me at church--It really shows that he cares about people because he's doing really simple things that make a big difference.
I suppose my 10 minutes is up now, so I better get off so that someone more important can share their message with the world
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
It's not a competition
For whatever reason I've been blessed with a lot of things. And I enjoy the things I've been given. In fact, you might could say I walk around with my head held high, in good posture, and confident-like all because my life is going pretty good.
But also for whatever reason, there is always that one person in any collection of people who thinks they've gotta compete with everyone.--I forget what it's called but I believe there is a specific complex (little man syndrome?)
In any case, without fail there hasn't been any moment in my life where I haven't had one of these pesky kids who can't stand that I'm always doing things with my life and they want to either bring me down for them or brag about something they are doing that they think is equally as important or cool.--Look, I really don't care about what you're doing. If you want to compete do it on your own time because I'm more concerned about getting my projects done so I have time to relax, and don't bother me while I'm relaxing because no one wants to be annoyed by a little fish in a small pond.
Truth of the day? Life isn't a competition. We're all trying to do our own things and make it through this test we call life. It's an individual thing, living is...no one else can do it for you, and you really don't have to compare yourself to other people ever as long as you have a purpose to your life and you're reaching to goals that you are setting for yourself.
But also for whatever reason, there is always that one person in any collection of people who thinks they've gotta compete with everyone.--I forget what it's called but I believe there is a specific complex (little man syndrome?)
In any case, without fail there hasn't been any moment in my life where I haven't had one of these pesky kids who can't stand that I'm always doing things with my life and they want to either bring me down for them or brag about something they are doing that they think is equally as important or cool.--Look, I really don't care about what you're doing. If you want to compete do it on your own time because I'm more concerned about getting my projects done so I have time to relax, and don't bother me while I'm relaxing because no one wants to be annoyed by a little fish in a small pond.
Truth of the day? Life isn't a competition. We're all trying to do our own things and make it through this test we call life. It's an individual thing, living is...no one else can do it for you, and you really don't have to compare yourself to other people ever as long as you have a purpose to your life and you're reaching to goals that you are setting for yourself.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Technology Solves everything
I would like to focus this blog on things that I feel are "true". However, a lot of my life is composed of things that I don't know if they are really all that true--I have doubts ya know? One of those doubts is about technology.
In philosophy and sociology and...etc etc. There is a theory that no matter what problem we have technology can fix it--well, not just technology, more like knowledge in general, because it includes humanitarian advances as well.
The theory is most applicable when you're talking about problems that threaten society: take for instance that people are getting fatter and more unhealthy in America so the idea is that eventually they'll find a pill or a machine or something else that you can purchase to become healthy. --it makes a hard problem into an easy problem really because either way you need money to buy the pill and if you couldn't afford it you could always do it the old fashion way.
Take another example: there is a theory that pollution is ruining the earth (not 100% provable in my mind as I can see that it's not as simple as that), there are people out there under the assumption that what we pollute right now doesn't necessarily matter because eventually technology will fix the problem and so if we have to control our pollution output it is merely because we need to give ourselves some time to allow technology to solve the problem.
I can see a lot of problems to this theory though I think generally it is true: eventually we'll develop some piece of technology to handle every problem we face from the medical field to the prison system.
In either case, one thing I do know is that we are advancing at an alarming rate in our development of new things--over the last 10 years that I can remember, we went from having computers that were the size of today's microwaves to the small enough to fit in your hand.
My cell phone is more powerful than the computer I had when I was 10...and possibly when I was 14 too. And I feel like that is saying something considering my family used to stay up to date on our computers.--I had my own computer when I was 6 years old--boy was I spoiled, but because of that I was able to stay up to date on the latest technological ergonomics--using computers has gotten a lot more complex than it was back then however.
I find it difficult to figure out problems with devices that come in the latest "generation" of the device if I failed to get the generation just right before it. If for whatever reason (usually cost) I didn't get the last of a product then just by skipping a generation of the device I have to waste some time trying to figure out the latest. --now apply what I just said to someone who comes from a generation older than I am age wise, it must be very difficult for them because they usually skip about 20 generations and have to start from square one.
Such is the case with my mother's new smart phone--looks like I'll have to get out the whiteboard so I can guide her through using the device.
C'est le vie. My life anyway...
In philosophy and sociology and...etc etc. There is a theory that no matter what problem we have technology can fix it--well, not just technology, more like knowledge in general, because it includes humanitarian advances as well.
The theory is most applicable when you're talking about problems that threaten society: take for instance that people are getting fatter and more unhealthy in America so the idea is that eventually they'll find a pill or a machine or something else that you can purchase to become healthy. --it makes a hard problem into an easy problem really because either way you need money to buy the pill and if you couldn't afford it you could always do it the old fashion way.
Take another example: there is a theory that pollution is ruining the earth (not 100% provable in my mind as I can see that it's not as simple as that), there are people out there under the assumption that what we pollute right now doesn't necessarily matter because eventually technology will fix the problem and so if we have to control our pollution output it is merely because we need to give ourselves some time to allow technology to solve the problem.
I can see a lot of problems to this theory though I think generally it is true: eventually we'll develop some piece of technology to handle every problem we face from the medical field to the prison system.
In either case, one thing I do know is that we are advancing at an alarming rate in our development of new things--over the last 10 years that I can remember, we went from having computers that were the size of today's microwaves to the small enough to fit in your hand.
My cell phone is more powerful than the computer I had when I was 10...and possibly when I was 14 too. And I feel like that is saying something considering my family used to stay up to date on our computers.--I had my own computer when I was 6 years old--boy was I spoiled, but because of that I was able to stay up to date on the latest technological ergonomics--using computers has gotten a lot more complex than it was back then however.
I find it difficult to figure out problems with devices that come in the latest "generation" of the device if I failed to get the generation just right before it. If for whatever reason (usually cost) I didn't get the last of a product then just by skipping a generation of the device I have to waste some time trying to figure out the latest. --now apply what I just said to someone who comes from a generation older than I am age wise, it must be very difficult for them because they usually skip about 20 generations and have to start from square one.
Such is the case with my mother's new smart phone--looks like I'll have to get out the whiteboard so I can guide her through using the device.
C'est le vie. My life anyway...
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The One Proveable Truth
I've already mentioned that nothing is 100% provable. But I think that's a lie, and let me prove to you why:
When it finally hits you that God is out there, he exists, he loves you, he cares about you and wants the best for you, and you realize that he watches over you and wants to have a relationship with you, there's this insane feeling that overcomes you that proves the existence of divinity which is literally undeniable.
However, later on people who have this sure proof have a way of forgetting or justifying themselves to the point where they don't believe in God. In other words, they forget about the rock solid argument that was placed before them in which ultimately resulted in receiving that proof. There are others who will get to a point in their life where they wish it were not true because it brings with it a few other implications and requires a lot more out of them. In other words, they still believe it's true, they just want to forget it.
--I don't want to seem like I'm one of those ultra conservative christians or that I'm hard core on Jesus Christ, however when it comes to talking about life, I simply can't deny the hand that God plays in mine--
There have been times in my life where I wished it were not true, and there are other times when I go ahead making stupid decisions before realizing that I really do believe in God. In any case, at this point it would be stupid for me to deny that there is a God, and because I feel that way it implies a lot of other things that I have to do in/with life.
When it finally hits you that God is out there, he exists, he loves you, he cares about you and wants the best for you, and you realize that he watches over you and wants to have a relationship with you, there's this insane feeling that overcomes you that proves the existence of divinity which is literally undeniable.
However, later on people who have this sure proof have a way of forgetting or justifying themselves to the point where they don't believe in God. In other words, they forget about the rock solid argument that was placed before them in which ultimately resulted in receiving that proof. There are others who will get to a point in their life where they wish it were not true because it brings with it a few other implications and requires a lot more out of them. In other words, they still believe it's true, they just want to forget it.
--I don't want to seem like I'm one of those ultra conservative christians or that I'm hard core on Jesus Christ, however when it comes to talking about life, I simply can't deny the hand that God plays in mine--
There have been times in my life where I wished it were not true, and there are other times when I go ahead making stupid decisions before realizing that I really do believe in God. In any case, at this point it would be stupid for me to deny that there is a God, and because I feel that way it implies a lot of other things that I have to do in/with life.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
I am a Dating Coach
Every other week I post an article on another site related to how to improve your dating life or the relationships you are in. It's (the blog)a free service I'm offering that I hope people benefit from as I only make money off of people clicking on ads. --Although I would like to make money just as a blogger, it's not a feasible with the content that I'm writing about. Not unless someone picks me up as a writer for their own site.
Blogging is mostly a ploy for marketers to lure in their customers: the ones that read blogs or the news that is...
Unfortunately, I don't have any products to sell just yet, so my blog is not only difficult to attract readers but difficult to make money at. I do however sell my services as a dating coach.
But making money isn't entirely the point. I write for people who want to benefit in life because I get really frustrated to hear people's "sob stories" about how crappy their dating experiences have been in life. The most frustrating thing about that is that I learned a long time ago what the big picture is with dating and how everything in your life plays a factor in it and I'm mostly just fed up with people who don't try at life who get into terrible situations and relationships and don't even realize it. --It's hard for me to explain in just a few lines, but simply put I wish men and women in general were at a higher level because it would make the whole world better. I'm talking: maturity, intelligence, sociability, spiritually, physically, etc. The sooner the entire world raises it's level, the sooner the world will become a better, nicer, happier place.
The time to raise the bar on life is now, and it's not like I'm raising it, the entire world is raising it's own bar and more and more people are failing to rise above it.
As more and more people reach a higher level, it puts pressure on people who aren't like them to become like them.
Case in point: when celebrities get prettier, women in general are under greater pressure to get prettier as well. When more and more geniuses rise to prominence in the world, it puts greater pressure on the rest of the world to become that smart too.
If I were to use an analogy, I'd use the: run with the herd or get left behind, analogy.
So long story short, I'm a dating coach. I understand what it takes, I'd say I do a fairly good job at keeping ahead myself, and I want others to pass the bar as well because when you pass the bar, you can be successful in other areas of life. All of them. And I think it is appropriate for Latter-day saints (my target market) to rise above the bar and quit letting the selfish, greedy, world beat them out on every fronts.
The problem however, is that the world IS nicer, less-selfish, and less greedy than a majority of those latter-day saints in the church. There's a major issue with pride in the church and I really wish there wasn't because it's blinding and not really recognized by the people who have it. Heck, I probably have a little pride too, but at least I recognize it and I'm willing to admit it and work at it.
Yes, being a dating coach is frustrating, but if I ever get the chance to REALLY help someone, it'll all be worth it. Someone just needs to LET me help them, and I think that's the hardest part about marking this business is finding people who want to succeed so bad that they'll hire a coach to do it.
In the athletic world a coach improves a player's game. In the dating world I improve a person's game. Personal trainers help people lose weight and look good. I help people lose those flaws that prevent them from looking good, and I help them look good character wise an personality wise.
Maybe I need to target beauty pagents and the like...they're more like athletes in their investment to win...
Blogging is mostly a ploy for marketers to lure in their customers: the ones that read blogs or the news that is...
Unfortunately, I don't have any products to sell just yet, so my blog is not only difficult to attract readers but difficult to make money at. I do however sell my services as a dating coach.
But making money isn't entirely the point. I write for people who want to benefit in life because I get really frustrated to hear people's "sob stories" about how crappy their dating experiences have been in life. The most frustrating thing about that is that I learned a long time ago what the big picture is with dating and how everything in your life plays a factor in it and I'm mostly just fed up with people who don't try at life who get into terrible situations and relationships and don't even realize it. --It's hard for me to explain in just a few lines, but simply put I wish men and women in general were at a higher level because it would make the whole world better. I'm talking: maturity, intelligence, sociability, spiritually, physically, etc. The sooner the entire world raises it's level, the sooner the world will become a better, nicer, happier place.
The time to raise the bar on life is now, and it's not like I'm raising it, the entire world is raising it's own bar and more and more people are failing to rise above it.
As more and more people reach a higher level, it puts pressure on people who aren't like them to become like them.
Case in point: when celebrities get prettier, women in general are under greater pressure to get prettier as well. When more and more geniuses rise to prominence in the world, it puts greater pressure on the rest of the world to become that smart too.
If I were to use an analogy, I'd use the: run with the herd or get left behind, analogy.
So long story short, I'm a dating coach. I understand what it takes, I'd say I do a fairly good job at keeping ahead myself, and I want others to pass the bar as well because when you pass the bar, you can be successful in other areas of life. All of them. And I think it is appropriate for Latter-day saints (my target market) to rise above the bar and quit letting the selfish, greedy, world beat them out on every fronts.
The problem however, is that the world IS nicer, less-selfish, and less greedy than a majority of those latter-day saints in the church. There's a major issue with pride in the church and I really wish there wasn't because it's blinding and not really recognized by the people who have it. Heck, I probably have a little pride too, but at least I recognize it and I'm willing to admit it and work at it.
Yes, being a dating coach is frustrating, but if I ever get the chance to REALLY help someone, it'll all be worth it. Someone just needs to LET me help them, and I think that's the hardest part about marking this business is finding people who want to succeed so bad that they'll hire a coach to do it.
In the athletic world a coach improves a player's game. In the dating world I improve a person's game. Personal trainers help people lose weight and look good. I help people lose those flaws that prevent them from looking good, and I help them look good character wise an personality wise.
Maybe I need to target beauty pagents and the like...they're more like athletes in their investment to win...
Friday, February 18, 2011
We are so powerful
I'm a little confused about why there are so many quotes out there that deal with how one person can make a difference even though they don't realize it. The reason why this confuses me is that it ALWAYS takes one person. In every group of people there is only one leader who leads them, even when it seems like several people are in charge, those "several people" typically have one person that they turn to in order to get directions. I think its only natural for people to seek direction and leadership--we have it programed into us because of how important it is.
With that said, I think if people only realized that they have so much potential that they could become anything they want do anything they want, and convince others to take up their cause with them, they probably wouldn't be saying silly things about being only one person and yet still making a difference. --and that's not even getting into those people who think they are only one person and can't make a difference.
With that said, I think if people only realized that they have so much potential that they could become anything they want do anything they want, and convince others to take up their cause with them, they probably wouldn't be saying silly things about being only one person and yet still making a difference. --and that's not even getting into those people who think they are only one person and can't make a difference.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Party Politics in the U.S. and Utah
I made a genuine fool of myself today--actually, I did something which public speakers usually call "eating the microphone".
It was during a group discussion in one of my classes where we talked about the two party system in the U.S. and gave opinions on pros and cons to this and how it related to the voting system the U.S. has in place.
Long story short I was inserting a comment into my group's discussion, and although I knew generally what I was talking about, I did a very horrible job of explaining it. I fumbled over the explanation and made the assumtion "I'm doing a horrible job of explaining this but I'm sure you guys know what I'm saying". And one of the people in my group said "No...well, I'm still a little confused."
--I simply couldn't put into words what I wanted to comment on and it reached a point where I gave up trying. In public speaking if you get stumbled like that the proper response is "I'm not sure where I am going with this, give me a moment and I will come back to you" --but I didn't even do that. I just talked until I ate the microphone and people got so lost and confused that they didn't care what I had to say anymore.
Now I want to have another go at it:
My intended comment was this: In U.S. politics, with the way we have a two party system, our diversity in candidates comes from the primary elections in the two parties. --the two main parties (democrats and republicans) have several potential candidates for the general election and they seek consensus first within the party by choosing from this diverse group of potential candidates who can vary on many levels but still have a mutual agreement with the values of the party.
After the party has made a decision, the option is placed before the entire country (speaking of presidents) or states (speaking of senators and representatives), but at this point, the general population merely has two options because the diversity of it is already eliminated.
What that means is that when you are voting at general elections you aren't really voting for a candidate, you are voting for what types of changes you would like to see happen in the government: liberal changes, or conservative changes?
In modern rhetoric they teach you that when you make an argument you never make it to the extremes of the situation--they are unlikely to change--you make your case to the moderates who are still choosing a side or who aren't fully settled with the side they have chosen.
In primary elections (where the party chooses their candidate) all focus is placed on those people within the party who want a diverse option--the people who want to perhaps change some of the party values that are in place, or who want more representation and a "better" method of handling affairs.
Once candidates are chosen, for both sides, the election moves on those people who are unaffiliated with either party and those who are in minor parties.--The option to be diverse is missing though and really it comes down to whether this country needs a more conservative approach to government over the next few years or whether this country needs a more liberal approach to government over the next few years.
My comment was in response to another person claiming he would vote if he had a more diverse selection to choose from.--I agree with him, in Utah, the vote is always for the republican. However, ever election offers a somewhat diverse group of people to chose from who ARE republicans and yet have different views of how the government should be run. Personally, at this point I've given up on voting democratic--I disagree with them more often than not anyway--but really I think the place to vote in Utah is on which republican candidate will support my views better.
It was during a group discussion in one of my classes where we talked about the two party system in the U.S. and gave opinions on pros and cons to this and how it related to the voting system the U.S. has in place.
Long story short I was inserting a comment into my group's discussion, and although I knew generally what I was talking about, I did a very horrible job of explaining it. I fumbled over the explanation and made the assumtion "I'm doing a horrible job of explaining this but I'm sure you guys know what I'm saying". And one of the people in my group said "No...well, I'm still a little confused."
--I simply couldn't put into words what I wanted to comment on and it reached a point where I gave up trying. In public speaking if you get stumbled like that the proper response is "I'm not sure where I am going with this, give me a moment and I will come back to you" --but I didn't even do that. I just talked until I ate the microphone and people got so lost and confused that they didn't care what I had to say anymore.
Now I want to have another go at it:
My intended comment was this: In U.S. politics, with the way we have a two party system, our diversity in candidates comes from the primary elections in the two parties. --the two main parties (democrats and republicans) have several potential candidates for the general election and they seek consensus first within the party by choosing from this diverse group of potential candidates who can vary on many levels but still have a mutual agreement with the values of the party.
After the party has made a decision, the option is placed before the entire country (speaking of presidents) or states (speaking of senators and representatives), but at this point, the general population merely has two options because the diversity of it is already eliminated.
What that means is that when you are voting at general elections you aren't really voting for a candidate, you are voting for what types of changes you would like to see happen in the government: liberal changes, or conservative changes?
In modern rhetoric they teach you that when you make an argument you never make it to the extremes of the situation--they are unlikely to change--you make your case to the moderates who are still choosing a side or who aren't fully settled with the side they have chosen.
In primary elections (where the party chooses their candidate) all focus is placed on those people within the party who want a diverse option--the people who want to perhaps change some of the party values that are in place, or who want more representation and a "better" method of handling affairs.
Once candidates are chosen, for both sides, the election moves on those people who are unaffiliated with either party and those who are in minor parties.--The option to be diverse is missing though and really it comes down to whether this country needs a more conservative approach to government over the next few years or whether this country needs a more liberal approach to government over the next few years.
My comment was in response to another person claiming he would vote if he had a more diverse selection to choose from.--I agree with him, in Utah, the vote is always for the republican. However, ever election offers a somewhat diverse group of people to chose from who ARE republicans and yet have different views of how the government should be run. Personally, at this point I've given up on voting democratic--I disagree with them more often than not anyway--but really I think the place to vote in Utah is on which republican candidate will support my views better.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Opener
While talking to a friend named M last night I realized that I have a lot of very sticky, controversial viewpoints that I wish people understood at the same level as I do.
For starters, I'm a Utilitarian: I believe that ethical choices are based on whether or not the outcome produces more good for more people than it causes harm. I'm also a conservationist: I believe that the environment is there for us to use and we should use it responsibly, including replenishing it when possible and hopefully reach a point where it is self sustaining. I'm also an Optimist: I feel like there is enough good in the world that eventually things will turn out better on their own and occasionally it just takes time for that to happen.
Those three things constituted the argument that M and I had last night.
I'm a self-proclaimed Rhetorician: I seek for common consent in all of my views and actions and use the skills that I know pertaining to communication in order to convince people to agree with the things I believe in. However, a good rhetorician is one that is never settled completely on one viewpoint, so I also believe that everything I know about life is subject to what I can be ethically persuaded to believe at the time. In the future, I may not hold the views that I do today merely because someone has come along and was able to persuade me to see the picture from a different angle that makes more sense.
Simply put, I believe the things I believe because of the experiences I've had, the people I've encountered, and the persuasion that I have been put under.--I get it from school, church, the media, you name it, but I get it responsibly. I'm not easily persuaded, so it takes a pretty strong argument for me to change my opinions. But, like I said: I'm always open to changing them because it means that I have found a little greater truth.
All of that said, I'm starting up this blog to have a place to write about these things I encounter--the arguments that people make to me and why I agree or disagree with them.
The title of the blog actually spins off of a few things, particularly one truth I am coming to know more and more as time goes on: everything we "know" about life is not 100% provable. There is no "proof" out there that is so solid that it is readily accepted.-- Outside of the truth that is manifested by the Holy Spirit (I can get to why that is later), I can only think of one thing that comes close: Gravity.
Nearly everyone believes that when you drop something, it will always drop (on earth) due to gravity. However, the only reason we know this is because of demonstrative data, or data that we can see: we've seen things fall so many times that we know that they'll do it. --try putting us in outer space: do they fall? No...well, yes, they're constantly falling (as far as we know anyway...I've never been there and seen it, so the level in which I believe that is limited to the ethos of astronauts who have been there and the science teacher who told me so--I've never felt what it's like).
So my point is, nothing is completely provable and the only reason why we believe what we do is because we are persuaded to believe that way based on the empirical evidence, ethos of others, and philosophical evidence. In other words, we either sense it with one of the 5 senses, we believe it because of the source it comes from, or we are persuaded to believe it based on various philosophical tools that orators use.
What I truth and knowledge if not what we as mankind make it out to be?
Along with all of that, I am a firm believer in God, I am a Mormon or Latter-day saint, and I don't merely "believe" in my religion, I know it is true based on something more than philosophy, other people, or empirical evidence.
For starters, I'm a Utilitarian: I believe that ethical choices are based on whether or not the outcome produces more good for more people than it causes harm. I'm also a conservationist: I believe that the environment is there for us to use and we should use it responsibly, including replenishing it when possible and hopefully reach a point where it is self sustaining. I'm also an Optimist: I feel like there is enough good in the world that eventually things will turn out better on their own and occasionally it just takes time for that to happen.
Those three things constituted the argument that M and I had last night.
I'm a self-proclaimed Rhetorician: I seek for common consent in all of my views and actions and use the skills that I know pertaining to communication in order to convince people to agree with the things I believe in. However, a good rhetorician is one that is never settled completely on one viewpoint, so I also believe that everything I know about life is subject to what I can be ethically persuaded to believe at the time. In the future, I may not hold the views that I do today merely because someone has come along and was able to persuade me to see the picture from a different angle that makes more sense.
Simply put, I believe the things I believe because of the experiences I've had, the people I've encountered, and the persuasion that I have been put under.--I get it from school, church, the media, you name it, but I get it responsibly. I'm not easily persuaded, so it takes a pretty strong argument for me to change my opinions. But, like I said: I'm always open to changing them because it means that I have found a little greater truth.
All of that said, I'm starting up this blog to have a place to write about these things I encounter--the arguments that people make to me and why I agree or disagree with them.
The title of the blog actually spins off of a few things, particularly one truth I am coming to know more and more as time goes on: everything we "know" about life is not 100% provable. There is no "proof" out there that is so solid that it is readily accepted.-- Outside of the truth that is manifested by the Holy Spirit (I can get to why that is later), I can only think of one thing that comes close: Gravity.
Nearly everyone believes that when you drop something, it will always drop (on earth) due to gravity. However, the only reason we know this is because of demonstrative data, or data that we can see: we've seen things fall so many times that we know that they'll do it. --try putting us in outer space: do they fall? No...well, yes, they're constantly falling (as far as we know anyway...I've never been there and seen it, so the level in which I believe that is limited to the ethos of astronauts who have been there and the science teacher who told me so--I've never felt what it's like).
So my point is, nothing is completely provable and the only reason why we believe what we do is because we are persuaded to believe that way based on the empirical evidence, ethos of others, and philosophical evidence. In other words, we either sense it with one of the 5 senses, we believe it because of the source it comes from, or we are persuaded to believe it based on various philosophical tools that orators use.
What I truth and knowledge if not what we as mankind make it out to be?
Along with all of that, I am a firm believer in God, I am a Mormon or Latter-day saint, and I don't merely "believe" in my religion, I know it is true based on something more than philosophy, other people, or empirical evidence.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)