Let's create new words

A friend pointed me to the post '25 Handy Words That Simply Don’t Exist In English' on the blog So Bad So Good.  I love how a single word can have such a detailed definition.  My favorite is Backpfeifengesicht (German): A face badly in need of a fist.  I want to use this in a conversation with my German speaking father just to get his reaction.

I think we should start creating new words in the English language to describe complex feelings, emotions or thoughts.  It's almost like the rebirth of Sniglets.  Maybe something like Stupifany - The moment that you realize you have just said something really stupid.

What words can you come up with?

My larynx has been replaced by my smart phone?

Yesterday, I read an article in the UK's Daily Mail called 'Lonely life of the techno-addict as thousands go up to 48 hours without speaking to another human' (link).  It is eye opening and sad at the same time.  Social Media is supposed to bring us closer together, but instead seems to create a barrier instead.  I don't blame technology, I blame the people who use the technology.

I do work from home some days, so can understand the 'digitally dominant' aspect of my life on those days.  But I use technology as a tool to help me do my job from home, while it seems the people referred to in the article hide behind technology for aspects of their non-working life too.

Kinda reminds me of the Sandra Bullock movie 'The Web' where she doesn't leave her house and does everything online.  After thinking about it some more, I wonder if these people would be the same people who, in the past, would just go to work and come home and never go out anyway.

So back to my reason for this post, I think that technology is great for keeping people connected, but should not be THE connection between people.  Granted, I have many on-line conversations with people I have never actually met.  But, I would never have met them in the first place, if not on-line as they live no where near me.  I would love to meet face-to-face with them if the opportunity presented itself.

I use technology to keep in touch with friends and family, but I make certain that it is not the only means of communication with them.  Do you feel that technology has replaced personal contact for you?

C'mon people, think for yourselves

I am so not looking forward to this political season.  Based on the negative ads run in the Republican primary and the inflammatory rhetoric that is already out there, it is going to be an ugly and messy election.

Regardless of where your views lie, I hope that people will stand up to the politicians and PACs and tell them to stop.  Of course, I know that is not going to happen and feel sad about it.  It seems that the issues are becoming lost or that they are being reduced to a slogan or soundbite.

I really appreciated the 2008 Democratic primaries as Obama and Clinton did a great job of debating their positions.  Granted, there were the occasional moments, but this year will be nowhere near that.  There are so many issues that need true debate and this will be lost.  I have had several discussions with people already who are parroting what is said by the media or a politician.  When I ask them to justify the statement they just made, they seem confused.  I will ask, "Why do you say that is bad? Isn't XYZ the result of that policy".  They cannot answer.  Why?  They don't really know the issue, only what what they have seen or read on their political side's news program or web site.  They don't venture outside to see or hear the other side and truly think about the issue.

I blame them for being sucked into the soundbite and headlines and not really looking at the facts and I blame the media (both sides, although the right-wing media is more fact challenged, in my opinion) for catering to this.  Americans today, it seems, do not want to think for themselves, but instead have their view presented to them to make a choice.  "You are for or against it."  "The policy is good for America or bad for America."  The world is not like that, people.  The world, like us, is diverse and complicated.  And if you try to make this simple, you polarize people.  It's OK to have a mixed opinion.  Use your brain, don't let someone else use it for you.

You are what you think you are

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” – Buddha


Beware, you can become your own thoughts.  Control them, don't let them control you.

Do I really need that?

I've said before that I am a huge proponent of simplifying my life by de-cluttering, creating open space and just doing more with less.  One thing I have tried to do is evaluate what I buy or acquire.  It is very easy to collect "stuff".

Now, absolute minimalism is not what I am looking to accomplish.  But then again, I don't like clutter.  I am always looking at what I have, what I am doing that creates complexity and stress in my life and how I can't change it.  So the one area that is easiest to address is Stuff.

I look at it this way, if it has meaning to me, true meaning, then I keep it: a picture my daughter drew for me, a ticket stub for a concert that brings back good memories or race bibs and medals.  I will keep these.  But I don't want to have stuff, just to have stuff.  I want to be a good example to my children so they will not feel the need to have things that they don't have any attachment to, but just want them to have them or because someone else has it.

I remember earlier in my life, I collected things that I didn't have an attachment, but collected anyway.  I would strive to get a complete set of something only to feel the accomplishment of completing the set, and then feel nothing afterward, realizing I didn't really want it anyway.

Today, I ask myself a few questions before going down a road like that: (1) Why do I want it? (2) Do I need it or want it? (3) Will I still want it tomorrow, next week, next year?  If I cannot come up with a good reason to have it, then I probably should not get it.  If I need it (and really do need it) then I should get it.  If I just want it, that's not bad, but then I really think hard on the 3rd question, will I still want it tomorrow.  Sometimes, I will even give myself the 24 hour rule.  If in 24 hours, I still want it and am willing to get back out and get it or go back on-line and order it, then I will get it.

I am happier with less.  Less things makes me appreciate what I have that much more.

Music as a part of life

I love music.  Ok, not all types of music, but my tastes are very eclectic.  I love to hear new music, find new artists and even a genre I didn't know existed.  I have surrounded myself with many ways to have music playing in my life all the time (Sirius/XM, Spotify, Pandora, Internet Radio, Grooveshark) as well as some good friends that have varied musical tastes that love to share too.

I don't understand how some people will not explore outside their musical comfort zones.  Have they tried and found the music not to their liking?  This is like not travelling to new places because you once went somewhere and did not like it.  Do they not know where to go to find new music?  Really?  Ever try something called the Internet?  Do they want to remain closed to new things?  Well, nothing I can do there except shake my head and sigh.

Music is part of being human.  Don't put down someone else's tastes in music.  You can say you do not like it, but music (like any art) is about what speaks to you and there is nothing that is wrong about that.

Share and spread the music in your life.

Happy Bunny Day!

It's all possible

I've had this as my personal mantra for some time, but circumstances and events in my life had let me forget about it. I had several things lately that have put this back in the forefront of my mind. It is all possible. It may not be possible right this moment, but by keeping my goals in mind, not giving up when there are setbacks, accepting the encouragement from my friends and family and a keeping a focused determination to achieve my goals I know I can do it.

I don't have any rose colored glasses on (smashed them to bits a while ago) and realize that my goals will not just drop in my lap. I have my goals laid out in front of me. It's all possible. I am a persistent and some may say stubborn (but in a good way, right?). These goals are range from public to very private goals. But all of my goals are linked in someway. I know people that need to tell everyone their goals, either they feel the need for people to know or that they need others to know to help hold them accountable for achieving those goals. I am a bit of a mix of telling people and not telling people.

I don't feel I have the need to tell people my goals as a way to make sure I achieve them. I used to be that way. But reflection has shown me that it doesn't really work. I will gladly accept encouragement and love receiving it. But that is not what will keep me going. If I really need someone else to push to achieve a goal I set for myself, why would I create the goal for myself. My goals come from me, so the motivation and drive must also come from me. Selfish? Maybe. But that is me now. I must be able to rely on me. I can lean on others to help me through, but the fire must be in me first to fuel the drive to make me achieve my goals.

What are your goals? Do you have goals? I can't imagine not having goals. Even after I achieve mine, there are always more stars to reach for, more conquests, more life to live.

I have my goals written down (old school style, in a notebook). I look at them daily and remind myself why they are are important to me. I love the feeling of making that line through it. Done! WooHoo! Onward to bigger and better things. It is all possible. I can think it, so it can be done.

I will stumble, I will fail, I will struggle. I know that, but that will never be a reason to give up. Each stumble, failure and struggle is a learning experience and something that makes me stronger and more focused.

Truth Be Told

Is it me, or does it seem that the truth has become an archaic idea to people today? There are two trends that I find really troublesome. One is just plain annoying and the other is alarming. Maybe, it's because I am still jaded by the recent mid-term election that had some of the worst negative ads ever or maybe I am just become more attuned to it.

The first assault on truth is the out right lie. These are easy to spot and to refute. They are created to just put a complete untruth out there with the objective to make the subject of the untruth have to refute the lie and defend themselves. Proving the statement is a lie can be easy sometimes, but can also be very difficult. The difficult ones are lies that are based on what someone "said". This is the they said/I said scenario. I have been in this position recently. The good thing about this is that the person making up the lies is eventually found out and then everything they have been saying in the past becomes suspect.

The second assault, is the use of a truth in a lie. It has become very easy to take a part of some truth and turn it into a lie. This adds a bit of credibility to the lie, making it harder to refute. Many example are taking a statement or action out of context. Someone may they didn't like a specific dish they had a restaurant. This can be turned around that the person hates the restaurant. This is a pretty benign example, but you can definitely see how much bigger, more damaging lies can be created (see many of the attack ads from the last election as an example).

Finally, a rant on something that just scares and baffles me at the same time. I call it Lying Just To Lie (LJTL). Ok, I made up that acronym. Anyway, this is when people lie for no reason (although there are very few good reasons to lie). Lying has become so common place for people like this, that it rolls off their tongues without a thought. There's no shame in it for them. No feeling of guilt or remorse. That is what scares me.

I had instilled in me by my Grandmother, one of the most honest people I have even known, that you just don't lie. You tell the truth because it is right. No other reason was necessary. When she caught any of her grandchildren lying, you could tell it hurt her. And that in turn, hurt us back.
Let me make my last remarks and then I will step down from my soap box. No matter what faith, nationality, race, age, etc. you are, truth transcends all of that. To be truthful is really human nature.

Thursday Morning Quote - April 15, 2010

"Every day I live I am more convinced that the waste of life lies in the love we have not given, the powers we have not used, the selfish prudence that will risk nothing and which, shirking pain, misses happiness as well." - Mary Cholmondeley