I’ve been reminiscing about when I was young. I’d flit from one thing to the next, never worrying about what was around the next corner. I didn’t plan for tomorrow unless it included fun or something for me to do that wouldn’t affect my retirement.
Now, I can’t take a dump without working out what I’m going to do next and plan my time around it.
My kids are grown now, but I told them to not grow up too fast. They all have mortgages, plus pets and kids that rely on them, like they did on me.
I hurt a lot more now. I’m sore from my first round of golf of the year yesterday, and I didn’t even go at it that hard.
Since 2010, our government has “given free money” to people. Yes, billions were siphoned off the top to people that don’t need it and were just dipping their hands in the till. There are plenty of cases documented. In the court of law, it’s called money laundering.
We’ve known about the fraud associated with the COVID relief program known as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP):
Many who participated in what prosecutors are calling the largest fraud in U.S. history — the theft of hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money intended to help those harmed by the coronavirus pandemic — couldn’t resist purchasing luxury automobiles. Also mansions, private jet flights and swanky vacations.
They came into their riches by participating in what experts say is the theft of as much as $80 billion — or about 10 percent — of the $800 billion handed out in a Covid relief plan known as the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP. That’s on top of the $90 billion to $400 billion believed to have been stolen from the $900 billion Covid unemployment relief program — at least half taken by international fraudsters — as NBC News reported last year. And another $80 billion potentially pilfered from a separate Covid disaster relief program.
Like hitchhiking; it’s ass, grass or cash, no one rides for free. The bill is now due and it’s being paid at the grocery store and the gas pump. I’ll give it to you that the gas pump prices don’t have to happen, but the current administration is just giving us pain. It was half the price a year and a half ago and the ability to take it back to that prices is available still, if they wanted to do it.
This is what the MSM/current government/SJW/Woke/PC/climate change people/Fake book/Twitter/Youtube/Google and the left are doing. If you aren’t worried about your truth being challenged, you don’t have to silence anyone. If the facts don’t support your spew, see Harry’s quote.
It seems that you can’t say anything without offending someone. If you read my blog, it’s there waiting for you somewhere. It’s not going to stop me. Look down a post or two about John not giving a fuck.
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone,” Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century.
I like others and have socialized for many decades, but given the choice I’d rather be alone.
I watch people who don’t know what to do with themselves if they are alone. Now, a lot of people don’t know what to do with themselves without a phone.
Instead of looking at it as withdrawing from others, I view it as learning to enjoy the time alone and discover the real me.
Writing has been invaluable to me. I write here, but my diaries are hundreds of thousands of words that are how I find out who I am and how to cope with the day to day issues. It helps me put my thoughts together before I have to face people because most can out talk me before I can put my thoughts together cogently.
Once you have mastered the ability to be alone, you have freed yourself from the bonds of others to live life on your own terms.
Biden effectively said that a career criminal who died of a fentanyloverdose while resisting arrest dwarfs the most iconic figure in the civil rights movement, presumably because Floyd’s death was exploited as a pretext for hundreds of riots, $billions in property damage, and the War on Police that caused the ongoing explosion of violent crime.
But Democrats voted for Biden anyway. The rest is unfolding history.
Actually, from the Democrat viewpoint, Biden is right. Floyd is the more important figure. According to our state religion under Democrat rule (i.e., critical race theory), focusing on content of character instead of color of skin is racist. George Floyd is the role model they have in mind for blacks, not MLK.
Let’s look at who Floyd really is.
Star Parker, African American thought leader puts it better than I can:
On Aug. 28, 1963, King delivered one of the great speeches in American history, popularly known as the “I Have a Dream” speech. It is a speech that must be dusted off and studied anew today, because it contains the very message that our nation sorely needs to hear and digest now.
It’s a message that has been tragically lost and buried and replaced with great and destructive distortions.
Two things jump out when reading through that speech: One is how this black preacher captured in his words that day the heart and soul of America. Second, how King’s great message that day stands in total contrast to the rhetoric peddled by today’s progressives as the remedy to our racial strife.
The indictment of the woke movement is that America is the problem. King offered up America as the solution. He talked about the “magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.”
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”
The problem, as King explained, is not America or the eternal truths that were brought to bear in its founding. The problem was the failure of the nation to live up to the challenges of its great founding principles.
That was the heart of King’s message that day. He appealed to the nation to realize the dream of its Founding Fathers, not to crush it and bury it, as we hear today.
The problem is not white people. “The marvelous new militancy … must not lead us to a distrust of all white people,” he said. And, of course, the most memorable and oft-quoted line of the speech, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
What has happened instead? Where has this great message of King gotten lost? In the name of racial justice, our race campaigns today are defined by selection and placement based on race, based on the color of skin, and not based on the content of character, as King implored the nation to do.
Adjusting the facts to fit the predetermined outcome she’d already decided with the 100,000 kids in hospitals with Covid. How are we going to trust any further decision? Actually, we can trust that it will be on the wrong side of right and the law.
Enjoy, there are a lot more out there.
Now, how did she get on the court in the first place? That is why I added #assholes to the tags.
It’s why I don’t bother even continuing the conversation with some people who want to challenge me just to prove they are right.
It just gives me another reason not to talk to people if I don’t have to. I love talking to the smart ones about deep topics, but there aren’t that many around.
At one job, one of the tech support guys spoofed the receptionist and she paged Mike Hunt across the entire warehouse. It was funny. All the guys got it, but only some of the girls.
It was childish, but it broke up the day. It also was very funny to me.
I’ve written these down on Sunday’s, obviously from portions of sermons, but they have a lot to do with a meaningful life.
Don’t be rich in the world and poor towards God.
It is only by thinking clearly about the future that you will live wisely in the present.
You are not defined by your sin when forgiven.
God’s purposes doesn’t depend on our preferences.
Worry – placing faith in the worst outcome.
Finding a solution is different than solving the problem.
Some gifts are valuable because of the good they can do in the world. Others are valuable for the statement they make about the heart of the giver and worth of God for whom they are given.
Sometimes you miss the most obvious things because your heart isn’t tuned to it.
Thinking about Jesus doesn’t mean you know him or the bible.
If you look for Jesus he will show himself to you and give you life, peace and hope.
I’m smart enough to never have listened to a song by her (that I’m aware of). The drugs affected John and her by then and there wasn’t much to listen to. He was better with the Beatles. She was never good.
It doesn’t affect me as much anymore because my age gets me up whenever it feels like it. I (for the most part) don’t have to get up for anything. I agreed with my golfing partner not to get up too early for a tee time next round. Not being rushed is a great thing at this point in life.
I don’t miss early meetings, e-mail road rage or having to get the kids ready for school. That is for young people.
Here is a guide on how to set each of your devices for DST. You’ve been warned if you click on it. You’ll get another dose of sarcasm.
The governor said he was surprised at the HHS “abrupt and sudden” announcement that it would be taking control of distribution. He said this took him by surprise because a week prior, on Sept. 9, the Biden administration said they were increasing monoclonal antibody distribution by 50 percent.
Now the HHS, as of Monday, “seized control” of the treatments, the governor said, adding that earlier in the week he received “official word” that Florida’s shipments of the monoclonals would be reduced by 50 percent.
Before, providers and infusion centers, as well as the state of Florida, would simply call Amerisource, a third-party affiliate of Regeneron that makes the monoclonal antibodies treatment, and request whatever amount was needed. Now, DeSantis said this new method will make it “doubly difficult” for hospitals and other providers because they will now have to go through the state to get their treatments.
“They sprung this on us,” DeSantis said at the press conference on Thursday. “They pulled the rug out from under us.”
It is surprising when the hospital Covid cases have been reduced by 50 percent because of this.
He said the results of the monoclonal antibodies are positive and that there have been 24 consecutive days in the decline of the COVID hospital census statewide.
The governor said he is pleased with the trends that are occurring and credits the vaccine and the monoclonals for the reduction in hospitalization rates. Florida hospital admission rates have decreased by 50 percent.
Meta-analyses based on 18 randomized controlled treatment trials of ivermectin in COVID-19 have found large, statistically significant reductions in mortality, time to clinical recovery, and time to viral clearance. Furthermore, results from numerous controlled prophylaxis trials report significantly reduced risks of contracting COVID-19 with the regular use of ivermectin. Finally, the many examples of ivermectin distribution campaigns leading to rapid population-wide decreases in morbidity and mortality indicate that an oral agent effective in all phases of COVID-19 has been identified.
During your show on 8 September 2021, you commented on the shortage of ICU beds, saying “Vaccinated person having a heart attack? Yes, come right on in, we’ll take care of you. Unvaccinated guy who gobbled horse goo? Rest in peace, wheezy.” I take issue with your commentary for three primary reasons: 1) the comments appear to be racially discriminatory, 2) the comments are not founded in science and serve to further divide a country that, unfortunately, is taking medical advice from too many non-physicians, and 3) the suggestion that doctors should selectively treat patients is unethical.
The Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) is exploding with vaccine injuries, at a rate never seen before. The number of injuries and deaths from these vaccines is so immense, all prior vaccine injury data over the past two decades pales in comparison to the carnage observed in 2021.
The government’s passive vaccine injury surveillance system has logged over 675,000 adverse reactions from the vaccines in just eight short months. If these medical issues were divvied up among the roughly 17,000 hospitals in the United States, there have been roughly 40 COVID vaccine injuries for every hospital in the nation.
Over the past forty-seven days of reporting, there have also been 3,296 deaths reported to VAERS. This is equivalent to SEVENTY deaths per day — a sacrificial routine of medical malpractice and wrongful death that must be stopped.
Singapore has just reached a level of vaccination penetration that many other developed economies would envy: 80% of its adult population has been vaccinated. And yet, it continues to struggle with one of the worst outbreaks yet. On Sunday, the nation of 5.7 million people reported 555 new local COVID-19 cases, the most since August 2020. One day prior, Singapore recorded its 58th COVID death, a partially vaccinated 80-year-old man with a history of diabetes, hypertension and heart problems.
A curious thing has happened since Singapore hit 80%, Cook reminds us: “The community cases have actually gone up since reaching 80 per cent coverage, in part because we’re allowing more social events for those who are vaccinated and, I dare say, more fatigue at the control measures,” Cook told the ABC.
And the outlook isn’t exactly positive: Gan Kim Yong, co-chair of the multi-ministry task force, said the “worrying” spike in infections would “probably get to 2,000 new cases a day,” describing the next two to four weeks as “crucial.”
It’s a lesson that’s not unique to Singapore; “One main lesson from across South-East Asia is that it is incredibly hard to prevent Delta’s spread and, as Singapore shows, even high vaccination rates will not help that much,” Cook added.
Of course there are the other 2 countries, Israel and the UK that have the same high level of break through Covid cases.
Another series of inconvenient facts exist in VAERS data. People are definitely dying from the vaccines. There are far too many reports to conclude that they’re all just lies or misunderstandings. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that only 1%-10% of actual adverse reactions to the vaccines are reported to VAERS, which means the total dead is almost certainly much higher than what anyone is saying.
Gibraltar has a 99% Vaxx rate:
MONEY
Well, isn’t that always the reason? Isn’t that the lesson from Watergate, follow the money?
Big Pharma gets paid for every “free” vaccination by Government. Government gets lobbying money from Big Pharma to have them push their products. One hand washes the other. In real life, it’s called laundering and crime.
The Government is pushing everyone to get vaxxed, knowing that it is causing the variants and killing people. The long term effects are not known, but it is not good.
Did the FDA largely shrug-off its regulatory duties and abandon its normal standards and protocols because
a– It wanted to rush the Covid vaccines into service as rapidly as possible? b– It knew the Covid-19 vaccine would never meet long-term safety standards?
We don’t know yet, but the adverse events report strongly suggests that the Covid-19 vaccine is hands-down the most dangerous vaccine in history.
VERDICT
The Government is guilty of getting money from Big Pharma in the form of lobbying. They want control over people and are willing to kill them. They have no idea what the long term effects will be because they rushed it to market without proper testing.
Big Pharma is raking in the profits while having a track record of producing vaccines that don’t work. They paid off the Government to get emergency authorization and didn’t do proper testing to know what the effects will be.
Both are guilty of murder, but neither will be held accountable. Money talks and there is a lot of it going around. The People’s best interest is not a concern for them, power and control are.
Note: I have nothing against them, except they always tell you and complain about what I’m eating. I never mention how they are missing out on the joy of bacon.
“Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center. Big, undreamed-of things — the people on the edge see them first.”
I love being out on the edge. I love to think deeply and talk to deep thinkers. I’ve seen trends exactly by doing this. It can serve you well to take yourself out of the center of your life and watch what is going on from the bleachers. You can see the whole game that is called life a lot clearer.
Of course Introverts have an advantage here because of observation skills.
“Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.”
Desire is a passion. I’ve noticed over time that to start and continue any task, vocation or avocation requires passion to do it. This is different from trying a fad.
Find someone who is competent and passionate about something and you’ll have loyalty and a better chance of success.
I know some introverts. They have a lot to say and are very deep people. The problem is that the others talk over them a lot of the time. I watch the introverts just shut down at that point and a great story or deep conversation stops.
If you know someone like this, give them a chance. You might be surprised to find a loyal and interesting friend.
This is his, not mine. I have some other days that deal with eternity, but will be another day and another saying.
Enjoy what Twain says and I hope it helps you discover yourself. Hint: If you concentrate more on improving you instead of others, you’ll probably be ahead in life and others will be able to stand you easier.
“The incompetent with nothing to do can still make a mess of it.” – Lawrence J. Peter
I know this is not all that witty but bear with me. The reason it is there other than it is true is that in all of my posts, I have one entitled Euphamisms for Stupid, which has been in the top 5 for Google since 2006 worldwide. It is pages and pages of these. Go get one and use it at a meeting today:
Like a pair of children’s scissors, bright and colorful, but not too sharp Million dollar body and a 2 dollar engine. Mind is in neutral, body is in gear Mind like a rubber bear trap. Needing a few screws tightened Not firing with all spark plugs Not the brightest light in the harbor Not the brightest light on the Christmas tree Not the sharpest hook in the tackle box. Not the sharpest pencil in the box Off his rocker On/off switch is broken in the off position One Fruit Loop shy of a full bowl One neuron short of a synapse One taco short of a combination plate One turbine short of an airplane One-celled organisms out score him in IQ tests Prime candidate for natural deselection Proof that evolution CAN go in reverse Requires directions to lay sod Room temperature IQ Running about a quart low Running on empty Sets the lowest possible goals, and consistently fails to achieve them. Sharp as a bowling ball. She is so dumb, she couldn’t tell which way an elevator was going if she had two guesses.
I wish I had written something of extreme intelligence that changed the course of history, but it looks like laughing at ways to say someone ain’t that bright is what it is for now.
Note: to the SJW, this post as with most of mine is made in jest. Try to have fun and not ruin the day for others.
Thinking clearly about the future lets you live wisely in the present. – Unknown.
Part of the discussion when I heard this was to not live in the past. Be guided by your past to avoid mistakes or achieve success, but that is different for everyone.
The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next. – Mignon McLaughlin
People familiar with addiction will recognize this. Sometimes you just have to make it to the next goal in front of you because the whole view of what is going on in life can be overwhelming at times.
You can make this little accomplishment and then the next. You build on these small steps and you’ve made it through whatever you’re going through, even if it is the election
“The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away.” – Ronald Reagan
I saved this gem as election day is tomorrow. For the most part, it’s 90% true. The only difference in this election is that one of the candidates was stolen from the business world.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela
“Being terrified but going ahead and doing what must be done—that’s courage. The one who feels no fear is a fool, and the one who lets fear rule him is a coward.” – Piers Anthony
“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
This says it better than I can. Everyone is afraid at some point. Learn to use fear as a fuel to fight against it and you can learn to overcome it.
Facing your fears means just that. If you run away, you will be afraid from then on until you deal with it.
“In all recorded history there has not been one economist who has had to worry about where the next meal would come from.”
I suppose that being an economist is like being a weather forecaster. You are more likely to be wrong about your guess, but people still tune in the next day in case you might be right.
“The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand things well.” – Horace Walpole
I just finished a conversation with a successfully retired executive. He told me the secret to retirement is to keep your life uncomplicated. These two are related.
If you do something really well are paid for it, you hit the lottery. If it is one of your 1000 things, you still are ok. If you are hating your job and don’t something you do well you might be a dumbass.
Life is too short to not enjoy what you are doing. Sure, we have to do things we don’t want to, but not all the time.
If you do this, your life will be a lot easier than swimming upstream doing something you don’t like and aren’t good at. There is nothing wrong with tenacity, as long as it is combined with intelligence.
I have noticed that nothing I never said ever did me any harm. – Calvin Coolidge
I heard another version that went never miss a good opportunity to shut up.
I liked how Coolidge spoke after he thought. That way, he didn’t have to say that much and got right to the point. Others knew he wasn’t going to waste their time with BS so when he talked, they listened.
Still, most of you, cut the crap and the small talk. It’s a waste of time and is annoying.
You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” – Henry Ford
It’s true, you can really only promise to do something once and get fully believed, unless you do what you promised.
The bane of Introverts is small talk and inevitably, during small talk comes promises or boasting of things one will absolutely do. I’m more surprised when they actually do what is promised than by the cheap words now.
Yes, you are being judged by what you do, and probably fairly. Don’t make a promise you can’t keep. Better yet, keep your mouth shut unless you’ve already delivered on the promise.
Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light. – Madelline L’Engel
Some have to reach their rock bottom to recover from disease, broken heart, addiction or whatever the poison is. Everyone has a story.
Going through it, recovering or learning how to live with the darkness is when you grow. Admitting what is bothering you is a good first step, but we move on and deal with things our own way.
You sure appreciate how much you have when you think how little time you have to enjoy it. Choose light and not darkness.
The only source of information for most people now is a machine that is designed to partially inform people, misinform people, spread conspiracy theories, and lies faster than facts.”- Tristan Harris
The alternate view by Mark Manson is this:
Social media algorithms do not manipulate and push users into believing awful things. People already believe the awful things and social media simply spreads them more easily. Critics like Harris imply that tech companies are sitting in Silicon Valley scheming for ways to extract more ad dollars from people’s anxiety and misinformation.
Either way, it points out that there isn’t that much good to it the way it exists. At best it is a time waster for most. At worst it is the above.
I say think for yourself and stop believing the group think on Twitter, Fakebook, Instagram and the other time suck platforms.
They could be a a useful tool for sharing pertinent information, but it just isn’t that way. There is so much out there that spending more than 5 minuted a day on this probably isn’t helping your life.
“In truth, the degree of anyone’s success depends on how often they can say the word yes and hear the word no.” – Chuck Palanuik
Some people stop at no. Not me. If you want to succeed, you have to just look at that as a stepping stone to overcome. Life is about overcoming. That gives us the greatest satisfaction. It’s not likes on social media. It’s when we dig deep, think clearly, seek help and pull ourselves up to victory from the jaws of defeat that gives us the greatest sense of accomplishment.
They’ll say yes sooner or later if you don’t take no for an answer.
Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. – Mark Twain
I wasn’t sure if this should have been a sarcasm post instead of a saying. Why? Everyone, especially sports stars, rioters, news makers and celebrities seem to think that they are owed something. They are like the rest of us, the world owes you nothing.
You are what you make of yourself and the sum of your choices that got you where you are. That means the responsibility for life is yours to either buck up or suffer for not pulling your share. The responsibility is yours and no one else’s. Except for some circumstances that are random or uncommon, ou can take either the credit or blame for where you are in life.
My advice is to do good, stop blaming anyone else and make good choices.
“The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.” – James Baldwin
Someone said find your passion and you’ll never work a day in your life. This is not true. Sooner or later we become victims of routine or more likely other people will make your job a pain.
This is the ugly side. At some point even Michael Jordan had to retire, but he still can’t go to a restaurant without people bothering him.
Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can. – Paul Tournier
Rocket Scientist Ozan Varol wrote this about winning:
1. You think you can’t do something.
2. You’re forced to do it (or you’re brave enough to try).
3. You find out that you actually can.
Winning is a habit. Seals and champions know how to win by practice and banning any thoughts of giving up. A lot of winning (or just succeeding, which is a win for some) is beating your mind. When you give yourself positive thoughts and remember how you’ve achieved success in the past you’ve accomplished a lot of the battle.
Life is a fight sometimes. It is always a fight for some. Winners don’t win by accident. They learn how to win, but they thought they were going to win.
In an interview about being in the zone, Hall of Fame players were asked about being in the zone. Most said it happened once in a while but couldn’t predict it. Dan Marino said he was in the zone for 17 years because he thought he could win.
Don’t give up. Take the challenge bit by bit and be a winner.
If you can’t convince them, confuse them. – Harry S. Truman
Big words seldom accompany good deeds. – Charlotte Whitton
I put two quotes today because they represent the BS that comes from most politicians, from either party.
In reality, most of them are lawyers so they are smart enough to pass both law school and the Bar. That means they know they are full of it and know that they are saying exactly nothing most of the time.
As with most things, actions speak louder than words. Some politicians just talk. A few of them actually make and keep promises. That should help you judge who to support, regardless of your position on right or left, D or R.
As always, use your mind and make good decisions. Don’t listen to others or the MSM/News/Social Media to tell you what to believe or how to act.
“No man remains quite what he was when he recognizes himself.” – Thomas Mann
Once you take your guard down and truly admit who you are, you get to see the person that is you. It’s doubtful that you’ll ever show this person to others except on a deathbed, but once you see yourself as you view and judge others.
We think we are invincible and nearly immortal when we are young, but the scars of life take it’s toll as do the decisions we make or avoid and we aren’t who we think we are.
As we age, inside we still see ourselves as the younger version until things start breaking down, but Zoom meetings will show you that age is taking it’s toll. Maybe that is why some hide their looks with makeup.
The winds and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators. – Edward Gibbon
I’ve heard a version of this that goes, “The harder I work and prepare, the luckier I am”.
Sure every pig finds an acorn once in a while, but nothing beats being prepared for most outcomes, situations and other events. Yes, the more you do something, the more experience you have to call upon to guide you. The only gotcha is human emotion and interaction. That is never predictable in the outcome.
Fortunately, you can at least anticipate that this is going to happen and how you will react.
There you go. It was 3 sayings in one for today, enjoy.
“Don’t do what you want. Do what you don’t want. Do what you’re trained not to want. Do the things that scare you the most.” – Chuck Palahniuk, Author of “Fight Club”
The more difficult the struggle, the greater satisfaction from the accomplishment. That saying is from both my Mother and me.
No one gives a rats ass about a participation trophy. We want to win. To win you have to struggle, train, learn and fight for what you want. Look at what athletes do to attain victory. There is only one winner and second place is first loser.
There is only one CEO, but that person sacrificed along the way in time, travel and lack of attention to their family.
Dedication, training and commitment to any goal is necessary to achieve and succeed.
Overcoming what you are afraid of is and equal victory. The sense of satisfaction we get from beating our demons is as great for some as is winning a competition or succeeding in life. We were made to overcome obstacles in life and learn from that struggle.
Don’t give up or give in. Relish the sweet sense of victory or vanquishing what held you back.
Even if one tree falls down it wouldn’t affect the entire forest. Chen Shui-bian
Yes, the one we know is “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it does it make a sound?”, but in a way the above one is more correct.
Of course it makes a sound, but unless it is a forest of one, it doesn’t affect the forest. The reason is that life goes on. We are all trees in the forest of life, but we are born, live and then die. Most are forgotten, but that is the way of life. What is it’s meaning and what is your contribution to society, family or….?
Here’s a quick test to see what you’ve done. Write your own obituary. You’ll see what you’ve contributed and what you have done.
Which brings me to my favorite Mensa joke. What is the meaning of life, give 3 examples. Those who understand it will get it.
“In truth, the degree of anyone’s success depends on how often they can say the word yes and hear the word no.” – unknown.
Many are afraid of what others will think if they divert from their principles and don’t give the real answer. It would save both parties a lot of time and angst if you would just be honest.
For Introverts, this is the best conversation. It cuts through the BS small talk about why you can or can’t do something and gives the appropriate answer. You’ll be respected for getting to the point quickly and will feel better about yourself for being honest.
Some, albeit a few might get their feelings hurt, but it will pass once they see you have done the right thing. Many will appreciate that you gave them a straight answer, even if it isn’t dressed up and decorated with flowers and bows before you dance around your answer.
Say it, Yes or No. Then move on to a deeper conversation.
I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.
Many have heard this as if at first you don’t succeed try, try again. While this is true, it assumes that you can just force success.
As we know, Einstein could see things through his thinking that few could fathom. This was finesse rather than force. Nevertheless, this does show that he never gave up and continued despite setbacks.
That is the lesson, don’t give up just because you didn’t get it right the first time. Will you come up with the Theory of Relativity? It’s doubtful, but you just might find meaning in your life.
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to tell them to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.
Nietzsche hated “the Herd”. He was often writing against the ideas and ways of the masses in favor of the free thinker who has risen above them. This statement is a clear example of this worldview.
Who are the herd? They are social media telling you what to think, say, speak and what your values should be. They are the MSM, celebtards and sports stars who want to force their values on you because of an outdated construct that equates fame with power.
Think for yourself and don’t be afraid to say it. Don’t be a dumb ass though and say it when you are surrounded by Antifa or the rioters. There is no reasoning with them right now and even agreeing with them can get you an ass whooping.
Don’t take your views from the media. Almost no entity is more biased at this point. Don’t succumb to pressure from social media. That is just the new high school for the in crowd. Be your own person instead and think for yourself.
Nietzsche is not wrong about the herd. You’ll never respect yourself if you think like the herd just to be one of them. It isn’t worth it.
It is a smart person who avoids trouble, but chooses wisely when and where to take a stand for his values.
For Nietzsche, psychological growth is one of the most important things there is. Experiences do not have to be pleasurable to be good for us. Often it is suffering which gives meaning to our lives. By gaining experiences, good or bad, we grow as people, so long as we survive them, of course.
This quote is usually said as a quip, rather than to understand it’s true meaning. Navy Seals fully understand this and what it takes to not give up even when you want to and it is the easy path to take.
File this under the school of hard knocks, of which I have a Ph.D.
All of life is peaks and valleys. Don’t let the peaks get too high and the valleys too low.
John Wooden
Wooden was perhaps the greatest college basketball coach ever. I think the fans at Duke, UNC and Kentucky may argue, but would still accept his legacy.
My mother told me something similar. Life is about overcoming problems. She said it is a series of hurdles that you have to overcome and there will always be another one.
One will always be on one of 3 sides of a situation. You will be approaching it, enduring it or having just overcome it. How you deal with it defines you.
With respect to Wooden, it does make life easier when you don’t go too overboard on any of the peaks and valleys. They all pass and there will always be another one.
Act as if what you do makes a difference, it does – William James
No matter what you do, someone is watching. Your kids learn by imitating you. Your co-workers watch you to see if you carry your load.
The military in the trenches of warfare want someone next to them they can trust, with their lives. It could come down to that in an instant.
Whether you are spiritual or secular is noticed also. The way they treat you will be your judge of how they perceive your actions.
So, actions speak louder than words. Others notice. Some may not care, but with the internet, nothing you do is ever forgotten. The politicians in this years election are going to have to deal with it. Some have decades of experience, some have a few years. They will all be judged by what they have done and who they have done it for.
Also, don’t be a dick on social media. It will haunt you forever.
Act right, do the right thing because it makes a difference.
“The only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well.” – Joe Ancis
Some say there are skeleton’s in everyone’s closet. The way I say it is that everyone has a story.
When you meet someone, it’s like a job interview. They put on the best version of themselves. It’s kind of like a first date. They show you the best version of themselves and how good they are.
Once you know them, the warts begin to show. We let our guard down and you begin to see the real person.
Unless you go through this process and learn, you play a video in your head of who you think the other person is. It’s rarely right because you don’t know them or what they’ve been through, or what they are capable of doing (to you). That is why they seem normal. My rule is that most are not. Everyone has a story.
It’s why I usually don’t talk much about myself and just try to be the real me. The sooner you show who you really are, the quicker you can weed out the fakes you run into.
“The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides.”
A more common version of this is he who hesitates, hesitates.
No one knows the outcome of any decision. We only have a few scientific theorems that are somewhat certain, for now. They could be proven incorrect (Einstein’s Theory of Relativity) if we use scientific methods.
The same can be said for our everyday lives. We usually think we are right, but we don’t know how it will turn out. Many times our decisions help or harm others in ways we never intended them to.
Nevertheless, most of the time, making a decision is better than not making one, or procrastinating. I’m in favor of getting the best intel you can to make a good decision, but in the heat of the battle you have to make one.
This is why some are better leaders than others. They have the right instincts or have been through enough to have history and experience on their side to make a better decision.
There have been good young leaders, it’s just that most don’t have the wisdom of a life lived to not know when to shut up.
We’ll never have perfect clearness because we can’t see the future. If we did, life wouldn’t be worth living.
“The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject.”
Marcus Aurelius
Celebrities pretend to be someone else. They are trained liars. Sports stars are the best of the best at playing kids games. Politicians for the most part live to be re-elected and like celebtards, are trained liars (many are lawyers who are masters at not telling the truth). The MSM are the worst. They are news readers that have a bias one way or the other. None of them really know about what they are telling us to do. It is almost always do as I say, not as I do.
Why the hell would we listen to these people’s opinions? For the idiots who trust social media, it’s because they live a false life on social media. Kids (I include millennial’s to teenagers here) haven’t had enough hard knocks in life. Sometimes it is the parents fault for trying to not have them go through what made them learn about life. That’s why everyone got participation trophies and time out.
Older people who buy into what others are saying instead of finding out and deciding for themselves have no excuse. Life causes us to learn whether we want to or not. It’s called making mistakes and learning from it. They just didn’t learn from it.
The net is don’t change your values because you went with the crowd. That didn’t work in high school and it won’t work now. Learn to think for yourself and do what you know is the right thing to do.
Seek out those who know what they are talking about, not those described in paragraph one above
“Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.”
William Penn
The peer pressure (or social media pressure) to go with the crowd is burdensome at best, overwhelming at worst. Standing out from the popular opinion and risk being ostracized for doing what is right is too much for some.
This seems tougher for the youth who are trying to fit in, or those who are not self-assure in who they are.
Stop seeking adoration if it causes you to drift from your moral compass. You may drop from the popular crowd, but why would you want to be a part of a group that seeks to do wrong?
If today’s youth (and a good percentage of adults) would think about this, we might not have riots in big cities, we might get along better, we might give each other more space instead of condemning them or cutting them off in traffic.
In your heart, you know right from wrong. Try doing it for a change.
Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t like getting told how and what to think by people who aren’t qualified to do so. Athletes are paid well to entertain us and distract us from the drudgery of life.
Celebrities pretend to be other people on screen or on stage. They are paid liars basically.
Politicians, well I guess everyone has their own opinion, but most hold them in low regard. When I say low, most who are polled have them below used car salesmen.
All of the above get fame, adoration and a lot of money for what they do. I don’t fault them for making the most of their work, only how much influence they think we care about
With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.
Yes, I know you have to plan for the future, but you don’t know what path it will take. Plan for multiple scenarios if you want.
I heard this saying in different words: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, I live for today (Kimi Raikonnen).
Life goes by fast. Stop suffering for things you did in the past. There is nothing you can do to change what happened.
Stop worrying yourself about what might or might not happen tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself. You have the past as a guide to know how to deal with it.
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.
A person must know their limits. Those who know more than you will quickly know when you have gone past the line of your knowledge (abilities, capabilities, etc.)
It’s no shame to say I don’t know, especially if it gives you the opportunity to learn or grow. It’s only those afraid to say they don’t know or act like they do that miss the chance to expand their life.
Swallow your pride and seek others help.
Also, don’t say here, hold my beer and do something stupid.
“Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.”
– John Kenneth Galbraith
We’ve now found out during Covid that in person meetings are not necessary. Actually, most of us knew that from sitting in them and wishing we were dead or anything to not be there.
I do know a few people that love meetings and live for them. I think they don’t want to work, or it’s the place they think they can actually wield power. I avoid those people so I don’t have to go to their meetings.
Nobody loves a woman because she is handsome or ugly, stupid or intelligent. We love because we love.
-Honore de Balzac
There is someone for everyone. I once read (so it might be somewhat true) that there are 15,000 Mr. or Mrs. Right’s for each person. The problem is that they are spread around the world so they might not be next door.
The other saying is that goes with this is that Love is blind. You love because we were created to love and to be together.
With all the nonsense going on in the world right now, it would be a whole lot better if we concentrated on loving someone instead of causing mayhem because they think they hate someone.
Love is a decision. The romance usually wears off in 12-18 months. After that, it is a cause, not an emotion. Looks wear off with age. The real beauty is inside a person.
I have had more trouble with myself than with any other man. – D.L. Moody
Yes, we are many times our biggest problem. The constant decisions of right vs. wrong and living with the consequences.
We all have a moral compass, it’s just that some choose to ignore it. Unfortunately, the more you do something, the more you become numb to it. There are few regrets for doing the right thing. There are always regrets for doing wrong, either now or down the road.
Even if you escape it in the temporal world (while you are living), there are consequences in the Eternal world (your soul).
Moody was a biblical scholar and he refers to all of the above. He is worth reading up on as he was a wise person, but still fought with himself and his struggle on Earth.
Real knowledge is to know the extent on one’s ignorance. – Confucius
The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it. – Jean Paul
How many have said I wish I knew then what I know now? Well, you would have lived life differently and not have learned what you know now.
The known unknowns and the unknown unknowns are the mysteries of life to learn. Don’t be blinded by arrogance to think that you know everything. Always try to learn something, anything no matter how little and you will never be disappointed.
Also, appreciate what you have for today. You don’t know what tomorrow brings, or how many tomorrow’s you have. It’s easy to be dissatisfied when you are selfish or self-centered. Try looking at things from anothers point of view, especially their view of you and see if your thinking is clear.
“Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes.” – Edgard Varese
A sucker is born every minute – P.T. Barnum
“Barnum was wrong – it’s more like every 30 seconds.” – unknown
“Human genius has its limits, but stupidity does not.” – Alexandre Dumas
We live in trying times. It is tough to know what is really true, especially if you listen to the MSM, celebrities, sports stars or trust social media. This means more as we are in an election cycle.
Inside, we all have a moral compass, it’s just that many refuse to look at it, study the facts and make the right decision. Most see the world through the view of someone else’s beliefs.
Be smart and don’t be afraid to go against what is popular while sacrificing what is true and the right thing to do. Sure, you may lose a few people in your life, but in the end you’ll be a heckuva lot better off not swimming against the current into the jaws of those who feast on the idiots.
“Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.” – Franklin
I think this was referring to materialism People always want more, even when they get what they want.
King Midas wanted everything he touched to be gold, but he couldn’t eat and lost his child who was turned to gold.
I read that 4 out of 5 NFL players go bankrupt after being multimillionaires. Most lottery winners declare bankruptcy. Steve Jobs, Rockefeller’s, the Rothschild’s, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes and all of the most wealthy died stinking rich but wanting more.
You can’t serve 2 masters. It’s a quote in the Bible. You will serve one or the other, God or money. It also says that where your treasure is, so shall your heart be.
For some, it is not wealth, rather they seek fame or some hobby or a person. None of that will make you rich.
I’ve already said above where to look for answers that will give you your only source of happiness. It isn’t in material things, rather spiritual. There is nothing wrong with having material wealth, just don’t worship it.
“Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use.”
Wendell Johnson
When I went to a group for married couples early in my marriage, this was one of the significant topics.
Sure, it’s written in humor in the quote above, but it is very true. Nothing is always or never like you never put the toilet seat down or you always leave the lights on. It’s just not true and both parties know it.
The reason I say married couples is that people dating or living together can just leave with little damage other than feelings. While it’s not believed by a lot of people, the concept of marriage is until death do us part. Some still pull that off.
“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine!” — The Count of Monte Cristo
This is one of my favorite books. I’ll be honest that I don’t remember this line, but when I came across it I found it to be the story of everyone’s life.
How you face adversity should be with the same intensity that you face success. The emotion will be different, but the effort should be equal.
Your hopes will be dashed on the rocks more than once. Learning how to handle that without being destroyed gets you through the next dashing.
Conversely, when you succeed, how you handle it should be as if you have done it before. There should be internal satisfaction with no need to put down the opponent, other than the hurdle you overcame.
“A man’s ledger does not tell what he is, or what he is worth. Count what is in man, not what is on him, if you would know what he is worth — whether rich or poor.” –Henry Ward Beecher
Steve Jobs died with 9 billion dollars. It does him no good now. He built a dynamic company that employees thousands and touches millions. He also refused to acknowledge his daughter when she was growing up. Which is more important?
Many of us want to show off what we have or what we look like on the outside. Look no further than the cesspools that are Facebook and Instagram. No matter how good the lives look there, what do they look like on the inside? Actually, most people reveal how terrible they really are on Twitter, but that is not a dress up platform like the others.
“Arithmetic is being able to count up to twenty without taking off your shoes.”
Mickey Mouse
I’m going to leave any sense of my usual pontificating based on wisdom here. They of course couldn’t say it on TV, but the old locker room joke is that guys can count to 21, do the math.
I haven’t looked at his picture recently, but I don’t think Mickey had 5 fingers on his hand either.
People only see what they are prepared to see. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I’m not going to get political here because I think people should make up their own minds. Most already have. The problem with the MSM and Social Media is that you can confirm you bias, no matter what it is by going to what sources you feel comfortable to read. That is your filter.
What I do think is that the actual smart people will have an open mind to both sides of any situation and look at the facts and ask questions. We should challenge what is out there every time there is a “major issue” to see what the real answers are.
It takes time and you will have to have an open mind, but coming to the right conclusion instead of viewing a situation through the filter of what someone else says is the way to truth.
This is not easy. What is easy is to fall back to your usual sources and just believe and regurgitate what is being said.
Take off the filter and evaluate like a detective. Come to the right conclusion based on facts, not feelings or especially on what someone else said.
“The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised. ”
George Will
Yes, you are never wrong when you do this. Covid/China/Wuhan/whatever virus deaths were off by millions. You can’t really trust a weather forecast until the time you need it to be right. You can’t lose. Predict the worst with a probability and then you can’t really be wrong, just a little off.
I’m an optimist, but I want things to be correct, based on facts and history whenever possible. Forecasts can be based on these 2 things to get an accurate measurement, when you want it to be. I guess that’s the big gotcha for these 2.
“Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.”
-Douglas Adams
I worked with the press/media for 3+ decades. I know they don’t write the correct story and at best it is partially true. It is also biased one way or another depending on the publication.
It seems these days that all we get is bad news. There is an old saying for news outlets, “If it bleeds it reads”. There is also the sex sells and others that are the same.
It might be best to not look at the news very much right now, at least until the election is over.
My other piece of advice is to not just read (if you have to) things that confirm your bias. It won’t really inform you although it could make you feel better than what you don’t agree with.
The MSM isn’t going to write anything good or unbiased right now. If you know that going into it, you can treat it with the (dis)respect it deserves. Also, don’t even pretend to get proper information from social media. You’ll drive yourself and others crazy.
You can only win in the game of life if you play. Those who stand and watch others don’t get to play or live life.
Some sit on the sidelines and watch. Some want to play but are too afraid. Others jump in and never worry what happens and some can fall into a mud puddle and come up wearing a dry cleaned tuxedo.
Most of us do all of these things, but not trying is the worst sin of the above. There is no shame in trying and failing if you learn and try again. Use what you learn and apply it to the next situation.
Delusions of Adequacy 