THE NEED FOR A GURU

You see the need all your life --

 though you may not recognize it 

until high school 

or later ... 

or never.

But it is there.

It seems so many are hungry for the security of walking in the footprints 

of someone who declares confidently that they know THE way.

Being an adult in the world in which we find ourselves is a scary proposition.

Take the Marie Kondo phenomenon.

From Jennifer Gardner to hordes of Netflix watchers, 

new disciples are taking up her challenge to tidy up, much to the delight of thrift stores and Container Stores.

Last month, it was Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 

whose fact-challenged resume and fact challenged solutions to enormous problems seemed not to matter to her supporters.

For Ms. Kondo, the focus is unironic and extremely personal.

 It calls for inwardness and quiet contemplation, 

two things that are rarely celebrated in our too-performative world. 

We’ve been looking in the wrong places 

for meaning and happiness. 

 We keep looking ahead for answers, 

when maybe we should be looking inward.

Only answers we carve out ourselves 

through effort and thought 

will endure the test of time.

Perhaps that is why so many get so violent 

when your view of life seeks to intrude into theirs

with something so mild as a question.

Inside they feel insubstantial,

and they fear their inner core

in danger of being blown away.

What really matters is what’s inside us. 

Our character and hearts.

 It’s the core of who we are 

that others appreciate most. 

Our unique personality, honesty and authenticity.

 And perhaps our sense of humor.

“The privilege of a lifetime is 

to become who you truly are.” 

― C.G. Jung

WHAT WAS THE FIRST IDEA?

“If you want something new,

 you have to stop doing something old”

- Peter F. Drucker

What Was The First Idea?

History happens first in the mind.

History is driven by ideas.  Deeds follow ideas.

When we compare ourselves to animals, we see how changeable we are.

Animals' lives change very little compared to the convulsions and revolutions

that shape our history.

New ideas are destabilizing, even dangerous.

But what is the source of ideas?

Our minds.

Yet, our science has yet to understand how ideas generate in them.

Ideas have shaped the world as we know it now.

 They will sculpt it into the shape of the future.

But What Were The First Ideas?

The earliest ideas in many ways were the best.

No, the earliest idea was not writing.

We can infer ideas by the actions and tools born of them.

Flaking flint to make shelves and arrow heads bespeak of an idea to hoard and kill from afar.

And Man has been hoarding and killing from afar ever since.

One arrow may easily break but not so a bundle of ten.

And from that thought sprang the idea to band together for safety and to forage afar for food.

But to band together Man needed to be able to communicate ...

So sprang the idea of Symbols that grew into crude Language.

And from symbols and language grew the urge to express ourselves in Art...

as in the caves of Lascaux:

{Image Courtesy of Prof. Saxx}

What Do You Think 

The First Idea Was?

6 Ways to Get People to STOP VISITING Your Blog

“Step right up and don’t read my blog!”

Would you ever write that on your blog?  You just might be if ...

1.)  Make it hard for me to find the comments box:

If I am taking time out of my day to read what you have to say but have a hard time finding the comment/reply option,

don’t expect me to comment.

Knowing I am unable to interact with you, I might not return.

Make it easy for me to find your comment/reply option.

2.) Keep the load time at its absolute maximum:

If your blog post/title catches my eye, but once I click to get there,

your load take takes what seems like forever, I might not come back.

*) Want to avoid this?

The more images, videos and other multi-media you have on your blog the longer it will take to load.

 However, images and other multimedia are important to attracting users to your blog SO

Decrease the size of your images or use thumbnails that link to the full-size image.

3.) Post content sporadically or rarely:

Do you like getting your news current or just now and then with no order to it?

 Most of us like up-to-date information.

Once your readers know your blog exists, take time to nurture and craft a blog post with regularity.

Even if you decide to post once a week, don’t stray from that.

Consistency breeds loyalty.

4.) Ignore Your Readers:

Don’t engage with people and neglect reciprocating on their blogs to ensure minimum repeat visitors to your blog.

Seriously, the first word in social media is “social”—

it’s a two-way street.

Talk to your readers, visit the blogs that visit you, engage with your audience.

Content is king but interaction rules the online social media universe.

5.) Have lots of WHINE to the cheese of your posts:

You might be one of the greatest new writers around, but if you whine continuously then expect a drop in visitors.

Depressing life-events dumps itself on my doorstep daily

so I really don't have to go out of my way to your blog for the experience!


6.) If you hawk it, they will come:

Ever been to those blogs that has tons of advertisements that shout at you?

How did you feel?

Having some advertisements is alright but crowding your blog with banners and links would turn off your readers.

Moreover, blogs with lots of advertisements usually take a long time to load,

which I’m sure you know, is not good for SEO purposes.

What do you think are ways to get people to stop visiting your blog?

SJW Culture_When Did It Begin?

When did it begin?  

Most experts believe about 2011

The phrase originated in the late 20th century as a neutral or positive term 

for people engaged in social justice activism.

In 2011, when the term first appeared on Twitter, 

it changed from a primarily positive term to an overwhelmingly negative one.

Perhaps "SJW" movement isn't the right term... 

I can't think of any other that would identify it as well.. modern social progressivism movement? 

You can tell its members by their lack of a sense of humor ... 

they would not be able to find the humor in the above image.

They count coup by calling out someone in the spotlight for offending them and their standards.

They gain prestige in the eyes of their peers and you pay in external cost for not living up to their ideas of what is right.   

They search for faults in others and not in themselves ...

failing to realize they can only change themselves not others.

The Puritans only embedded the sin in a person they put into stocks not erased it.

When you point a finger at someone, three more are pointing back at you.

Safe Spaces. Micro Aggressions. 

Bias Response Teams.

Hate Speak. 

Trigger Warnings.

Teachers used to use as their guide for writing

their lectures

THE REASONABLE PERSON 

STANDARD

Would this offend a reasonable person?

Now, they have to write

their lectures using

THE MOST SENSITIVE PERSON 

STANDARD

In the past, 

good teachers challenged

 their students

to think for themselves

by presenting ideas 

that forced them

to think outside 

the safety of their 

preconceived notions 

of what was reality.

Now, they are no longer free to present

the Matterhorn to them.

Only mole hills of thought are acceptable.

There is no longer room for nuance

 in the classroom.

Only Stark Black and White .

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

There are several social trends that started in the 80's 

and later that shaped children in that time to be hyper-sensitive.

OUTDOOR PLAY SHELVED 

FOR SAFETY

The 80's  and 90's saw an increase in the headlines of children outdoors being at risk for abduction.

But outdoor play, besides the needed sunshine and exercise, also provided

opportunities to negotiate with others, to toughen up their feelings, 

learning the world does not revolve around what they wish.

It's called Socialization:

Children need to learn how to work together. 

They need to learn to make friends, how to share and cooperate, how to treat other people. 

If they only interact in very structured settings,

 such as school or sports teams, they won’t — they can’t — learn everything they need to know.

RISING POLITICAL POLARIZATION

The political parties never really liked each other.

But in the late 90's and especially after 2000, 

the disparity and snark grew vicious until you have the toxic atmosphere you have today.

IVY LEAGUE UNIVERSITIES 

GONE FAR LEFT

Those faculties had always leaned to the left.  

Forget Lean.  

They have now leapt to the far left and are passing off their surmises as certainties

 onto their impressionable students.

This at a time when political tensions are higher than ever.

So it has devolved from the Truth Seeking Path to the We Have to Beat the Other Team! Path.

We know what we believe!  

Don't give me Data!  You change!  

We're right; you're wrong!

LOST IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA ZONE

Children born after 1995 

were snatched to the safety of the home right at the time Social Media started taking off.

Instead of having to learn to handle conflict constructively, 

these youngsters could cocoon themselves in a safe cyber-womb, 

surrounded by like-minded souls who reinforced whatever attitudes they found appealing.

END RESULT

You put all these social trends together,

and you get young people who are much more anxious, fragile, and depressed, 

coming onto campuses with all the super-charged political and social propaganda 

being delivered as truth from every professor to whom they listen.

Those few students are the vanguard of the Social Justice Movement.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

    FREEDOM OF DEBATE

        CRITICAL THINKING

have long been the cornerstones of our democracy.

Without them, how long before our nation devolves into a Civil War between Ideologies?

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE 

SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT?

WIDE-EYED

In the science of body language

  
1.) Raised eyebrows often indicate discomfort or insincerity.

2.) Lack of crinkles around the eyes suggest a fake smile.

3.) Real smiles cause the eyes to close.

 One of the key ingredient in a genuine smile is the movement of the orbicularis oculi muscle. 

 The vast majority of people that fake smiles will show no movements in the upper face area.

 4.) See their bottom teeth?

      Another way you can tell if a person is fake smiling is if you can see the bottom teeth in her mouth. 

It is called The Duchenne Smile, named after the French neurologist Duchenne de Boulogne 

who conducted pioneering research into the science of electrophysiology.

      In true smiles the bottom teeth are totally absent.

5.)  This is because when you smile and you mean it, the mouth muscle, the zygomatic major moves upwards.

WIDE-EYED ...

having or showing a lack of experience or knowledge. 

See the full definition for wide-eyed in your dictionary

"If we work our butts off to make sure that we take back all three chambers of Congress ...

 Uh, rather all three chambers of government: the presidency, the Senate, and the House."

How do say this in a PC way?

Miss Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, 

is a young, ambitious, and outspoken Hispanic woman, 

who suffers occasional bouts of hyperbole and verbal imprecision.

Sadly, we suffer along with her. 

She is the Non-Thinker's Representative

 who likens her election 

to the first Lunar landing.

Narcissistic much?

Yes, I know that President Trump
has his own issues with 
hyperbole and factual imprecision.

Yet, the line that attacks him
for it goes around the block.

 Miss Ocasio-Cortez
seems to be made of Teflon.

When asked whether she supported 

Rep. Nancy Pelosi 

for House speaker .

Her answer:

“We gotta take a look at what’s going on, and how the U.S. would pay for multi-trillion-dollar universal healthcare,

 why we don’t consider “the cost of all the funeral expenses of those who died” because we don’t have universal healthcare." 

Instead of asking if Miss Ocasio-Cortez was sober, the interviewer simply nodded along thoughtfully. 

She used the tired route of answering the question she wanted to be asked, not the one she heard.

Or more frightening:

 Did she actually hear that question?

No one challenges her directly on her wild, fact-challenged, narcissistic statements. 

This is how terribly unsuited individuals 

achieve positions of power 

to which they are woefully ill-prepared.

Yes,

she has two degrees 

and won in a race that

seemed impossible.

After her father passed away 

from cancer in 2008, 

Miss Ocasio-Cortez worked two jobs

 in the restaurant industry 

to help her family make ends meet.

It just seems odd 

her words do not reflect

her accomplishments. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Besides that I am about to lose a ton of followers.