A Lesson Too Late

Linds Redding passed away a short time ago from esophageal cancer at the age of 52. I never knew of him until I stumbled across his writing today. He was a star of the advertising industry, but for the last 6 months of his life, he was forced to pull away from the meat grinder of his creative agency to deal with his illness.

And in that time, he found clarity.

One of the last posts on Lind’s blog was entitled, A Short Lesson in Perspective (http://www.lindsredding.com/2012/03/11/a-overdue-lesson-in-perspective/). Here, he writes of his own life experience, and the insane pressures of his work that was endured because he believe it was a noble cause, but in the end was an empty shell, providing little value of any kind expect to those who were already wealthy.

His piece is a shocking echo of my last blog post (Advice to a Graduating College Student), where I discussed the potential for losing your identity as you move into the work force and you find yourself on the insane ride motivated only by profit.

Here is an excerpt from Linds’s blog post:

It turns out I didn’t actually like my old life nearly as much as I thought I did. I know this now because I occasionally catch up with my old colleagues and work-mates. They fall over each other to enthusiastically show me the latest project they’re working on. Ask my opinion. Proudly show off their technical prowess (which is not inconsiderable.) I find myself glazing over but politely listen as they brag about who’s had the least sleep and the most takeaway food. “I haven’t seen my wife since January, I can’t feel my legs any more and I think I have scurvy but another three weeks and we’ll be done. It’s got to be done by then. The client’s going on holiday. What do you think?”

What do I think?

I think you’re all fucking mad. Deranged. So disengaged from reality it’s not even funny. It’s a fucking TV commercial. Nobody gives a shit.

This has come as quite a shock I can tell you. I think, I’ve come to the conclusion that the whole thing was a bit of a con. A scam. An elaborate hoax.

---

As long as money is the motivating force behind nearly every human activity, we will never reach our full potential. Imagine a world with no money, where we all share everything of what we make – and we are all dedicated to making the best of whatever is required. We would no longer need to try to convince people to buy inferior products, or create false claims to differentiate between competitive products.

There is much more in Linds’s post that is well worth the time to read. Do it now!

Advice to a Graduating College Student

I stumbled across a question on Quora today where a graduating college senior, who had just acquired his dream job, was asking for advice on how to finish this last semester. Most people responded with advice to take it easy, relax, and party.

My advice was a bit different. Here is my post:

----

The most important advice you can be given at this point of transition in your life is to always maintain your integrity. Too many people get swept up in the desires of the businesses they work in and, in the process, forget who they are and what they stand for. Particularly, as your dedication to the business's goals pulls you away from the things that are truly more important - spending time with your family, becoming an integral part of a community, and caring for the resources of our environment.

Nearly every employer, especially large and impersonal businesses where you will never meet the people in charge, will try to maximize your output for as little investment possible. They are not interested in your welfare and betterment unless it benefits the company. To them, you are nothing but a tool for the merry-go-round of quarterly profits and shareholder satisfaction.

If you have the luxury of another semester before you enter the "real" world, then spend the time to consider these three things: 

• Meditate on who you truly are - not what someone else wants you to be. 
• Train yourself in the art of critical thinking - do not take anything for granted. 
• Ask yourself everyday, why is this the way? Is there a better way? Are my actions today consistent with whom I believe myself to be?

Big companies will tempt you with a high starting salary. For they know that once they get you inside, your peers will do a fine job of getting you to want more things and live beyond your means. Gotta get the latest mobile device, a better car, or a big house in a nice neighborhood. You will be made to feel inferior if you do not have these things. This creeps up slowly if you let it. And then one day, you will find yourself enslaved to the acquisition of money to support a lifestyle that you probably never wanted in the first place.

Two years ago, at the age of 48, I found a way to start unwinding my corporate servitude and enslavement to money. Today, I make less than 10% of what I did then but I am rich in love, friendships, and the inspiration that nature provides. 

I hope you keep these things in mind as you make your life choices. 

The REAL Energy Crisis

We are being told that we are facing an energy crisis because we may run out of oil soon. The REAL CRISIS is that we are extracting and burning all the carbon that we can get our hands on. The earth took eons to filter poisonous carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store the carbon into the ground to make an environment suitable for life. In a single human lifetime, we have nearly undone this balance - despite the continual warnings from so many. We have extracted nearly all the carbon out of the earth and have burned it up. Oh - and the cherry on top of the crisis - we have cut down the vast majority of forests that are our only chance for repairing the damage we have done. 

Demand alternative energy - NOW! 

The only viable options are those that do not continue to require the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Biofuels are carbon-based and therefore not a solution. Biofuels are simply a way for agri-corps to get on the carbon-addiction band wagon. 

Demand energy direct from the sun, wind and water. These are free resources and are available to all. You can build devices yourself to harness this energy. If you combine efforts with others in your community, you can do spectacular things in this area. 

Become a catalyst for sensible change. 

Getting some perspective on American Politics

I was really hoping after the election, there would be a respite from the incessant arguments about which man was most qualified to lead our country. But, apparently, there is no rest for the weary. The vindictive rhetoric continues.

We are clearly suffering from a collective cognitive dissonance in America that will eventually destroy us or make us absolutely insane. Business is important for a stable economy - but we must find a way to support that without raping all our resources - including the quality of life for people around the world. And we must find a way to support those who are less fortunate, since very few of us are willing to get our hands dirty and do it ourselves.

But I do believe we are on the cusp of some major changes as more and more people are fed up with the status quo. The Occupy Movement, while poorly organized and without a clear goal, was a foreshadowing of the potential for people to rise up and make something better. I predict some major moves in this area over the next year.

At the core, the problem is in a hierarchical leadership model. Our society has become too complex, too technical, and too diverse for one person to hold all of these issues in mind, make sense out of them, and provide leadership in a way that will make everyone happy.

Fortunately, there are a lot of people in this country who are devoting their lives to the resolution of very specific problems. Their solutions are ingenious and inspired. They are finding ways to improve education, diminish poverty, protect our planet, make us healthier and remind us that there is joy everywhere if you simply look around and pay attention.

These are the people I want to get behind. I hope you will, too.

Of Monkeys and Magic

Before I start, I have to confess, I have been spending a great deal of time lately thinking about the nature of reality. But, I never thought that a silly holiday might actually give me some insight into how we perceive.

Yesterday for Halloween, I dressed as an Organ Grinder, complete with a monkey (puppet) for about an hour while hundreds of children and parents strode down Main Street past our gallery.

The idea was proposed by my incredibly talented and capable wife, Sarah, who drew the inspiration from a monkey puppet we bought a while back. The puppet was simple but Sarah added a cute little red hat and vest along with new legs and snazzy little shoes. To top off the costume, I wore a jacket with a fake right arm, so that my real arm could slip out and control the monkey. With an organ box around my neck, I had the perfect stage for the monkey who jumped around, told jokes, stole candy and did naughty things when only adults were around.

I have always enjoyed puppets, but I have never spent this much time interacting with people through a puppet - especially with so many people I did not know - and did not know me. At some point during this frenzy, I realized that something truly magic happens. The monkey puppet becomes alive. Both outwardly to the observers and inwardly for the guy that has his hand inside.

The most telling reaction is fear. I would say about 25% of the people that came by were afraid of the monkey in some way. Mostly young children - but a surprising number of older kids and adults. One adult woman refused to walk directly past and went out as far as she could in the street without taking her eyes off the monkey.

The other telling reaction is acceptance. A surprising number of people had a direct conversation with the monkey. And many also did what the monkey told them to do - as long as they were not afraid. Again, this reaction included adults.

The most surprising aspect of this event was how the personality of the monkey evolved. Now, I have acted a little, and I have written stories with human characters, so I am fully aware of how the human mind can manifest attributes for a fictional character - and can decide how that fictional character might act based on those attributes. What is shocking is this can happen without months of planning and rehearsal. This phenomenon can take place in realtime. I had no idea what I would do or say when I started. But the monkey quickly developed a clear personality. He had his own voice, laugh, and a very specific sense of humor that only a mother could love. I believe the monkey was way funnier than I can be on my own. A startling thought.

My initial hypothesis on this phenomenon is that the monkey appeared to be alive because he was unpredictable. Really unpredictable. And unpredictability is at the root of both fear and humor - two very real emotions in life that are tied together. Consider how often laugh we when we are afraid.

My most significant insight from this event was around the nature of perception and the modeling of reality in our human consciousness. The monkey became real in some way in the mind of the observers - even for adults who knew what was really going on. And that leads me to questioning the nature of living things that I know are real. Of course, people, animals and plants are truly alive. But I can't help but wonder if there is someone or something inside me that is making me feel a little uneasy right now.

Bacon is an Evil Lover

Bacon is an evil lover,
For your comely crisp is just a cover,
To disguise your goal to try to smother
My life in a deathly squeeze.

I awake each morning in splendid bliss
To meet you with a greasy kiss.
My wistful mind can only wish
To dress you in some cheese.

You are so innocent, after all,
As you fatten my abdominal wall
And paint me with cholesterol
That clogs my arteries.

Such yearning o'er this porcine treat!
Such desire for this tasty meat!
Is nothing less than bittersweet
as I succumb to heart disease.

Honorable Mention in Impromptu Writing Contest

I received a distinguished mention under "These lines just cracked me up" in the recent writing contest hosted by Janet Reid, Literary Agent. The goal of the contest was to write a story with 100 words or less including the words: junk, dignity, gunbelt, hungover, punch.

Here is my "winning" story:

The Cowboy

"Excuse me," said the cowboy, "I gotta go powder my junk."

"Front or back?" asked the girl, sitting on the bed next to him.

"I don't need to answer that," he said, "I still have my dignity."

Ha, he thought, as if he still had his dignity like some hungover memory from a simpler time.

The gunbelt hung loosely at his hips as he stood up.

Too loose, she thought.

"I could punch a new hole in that thing for you," she said, "tighten you right up."

"One hole is enough," the cowboy said, "I gotta go."

-----

I also took a stab at a poem - which I think is way better - but not a story:

It's jealous junk that gets you drunk in a restless reverie.
Breathe slow and deep, and try to keep that desperate dignity.
In a hungover haze of gunbelt grays, you strain and try see,
That hazardous hunch, that packs a punch, and just might set you free.