The first machines to be operated by remote control were for military use. For example, during World War I the Germans developed radio-controlled motorboats to ram enemy ships. During World War II there were remote-controlled bombs and other remote controlled weapons. When the wars were over, scientists experimented to find non-military uses for them. It was in the 1940s when automatic garage-door openers were invented, and it wasn’t until the 1950s that the first TV remote controls were used. Now I’m hoping scientists will develop a remote control to help get us through our lives.
There are too many areas of our lives where we don’t have as much control as we should, and it is in these areas where it would be helpful to have a remote control. For example, wouldn’t it be great to use the “mute” button on the remote to reduce the noise in an especially rowdy restaurant? Or, to calm those who were engaged in a turbulent and rapidly escalating argument? We could use the “mute” button to have peace and quiet wherever we found ourselves—just point and click!
In addition to our numerous uses of the “mute” button, think how great it would be to have “fast forward” opportunities? We see a problem approaching, we simply fast forward our way past it. Or, when we are feeling tired and stressed, we fast forward through the hard times to a well-rested and comfortable aftermath. Students could fast forward their way through exams, reports, speeches, and talks with their teachers. Workers could use the same button to escape deadlines, meetings with superiors, and difficult presentations. In relationships, the fast-forward button would help us avoid conflicts, disagreements, hostilities, and any potentially antagonistic confrontations. For men, they could fast forward their lives through boring, repetitious, monotonous work days to those spectacular and unforgettable evenings with their spouse, a favorite sporting event, surfing the Internet, or playing video games. And women could avoid tedious work days, times with whiny, crying children, or attendance at required meetings or school activities. Just watch neighbors mowing their lawns and washing their cars in fast forward.
In the same way as we would have “fast forward” opportunities, we would have a “reverse” button, too. Thus, we could go back and enjoy once again, some of the wonderful moments. How about re-living those times when you thought of exactly the right words to say, or enjoying again an earth-shaking instant of great importance or immense satisfaction (a car accident in which everyone escaped injury, when you asked a partner to marry you, the words you used to win-over a client)? A reverse button would allow us to go back and savor, once again, a great meal, a magnificent sunset, or a unique artwork or piece of music. Also, it would permit us to study situations to see how we could improve, refine, or enhance them—not just to become better people but so that we could build an arsenal of appropriate responses.
Wouldn’t it be great if the “reverse” button on our remote was actually a “do over” button so that not only would it take us back in time, but it would actually give us as many second chances as we needed? I wonder, given a chance to re-write our own personal histories, or maybe just specific situations, would we let the same things happen? Would we make the same mistakes? Are we so locked into our own realities that things never change?
Our remote has many different channel selections. When you notice that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, by pushing a different channel, you can actually experience life on the other side of that barrier? Is the grass actually greener, or was that just an illusion? By pushing a different channel, the answer will become clear. Or, how about walking a mile in another person’s moccasins? Pushing a different channel will grant you 100% empathy, because you will now be the other person with whom you were empathizing. And if the shoe doesn’t fit, push the “return” button, and come back to your own reality—refreshed, or perhaps disenchanted, but with a whole new perspective.
Our remote has a timer, too. Just as we can set a television to turn itself off at a certain time, we can put time limits on what we experience. “I can only take just so much of that!”—but now you’ll be able to judge just how much that is, set the timer, and when the timer goes off, whatever it is, comes to a sudden and abrupt end. I don’t like conflict, but I want to hear what other people have to say. Set the timer, and give them two minutes to make their case. I don’t like shopping, but I just want to see what’s available. Set the timer, and give yourself thirty seconds to survey what’s available—then the picture goes off. Saves money, too!
There are three other buttons I want on my remote. The first is a “slow motion” button. Life comes at us too quickly. Sometimes we get too much information too fast. So you drive into a gas station for directions, you press the slow-motion button to make certain you understand. You are experiencing a moment of intense pleasure, a moment you know is soon to disappear for some time, press the slow motion button to prolong the gratification. You want the laughter, joy, or excitement to last just a little longer, so you press the slow-motion button to prolong the carnival ride of contentment and delight.
Taking the lead from computers, our remote needs a delete button, too, so that we can expunge unfavorable, critical, adverse, hostile, unfriendly, or unflattering events or remarks. In that way, we never have to be haunted by past circumstances. Mistakes and errors could be deleted immediately so that our blunders, goofs, bloopers, flubs, and gaffes would never be associated with us or with our history. We could experiment with our behavior, and if the experiment failed, it would be edited out of our past with a simple “click” as if it never took place.
The final button we need—this time taken from our word processor—is the cut and paste button. In this way, we could carry good feelings from one situation to another, especially conditions in desperate need of joy, happiness, or amusement. We could build new relationships by cutting and pasting from former ones or, in the same way, construct the ideal job.
In this age of technology, scientists need not stop with remote-controlled garage-door openers and TVs, invent a remote to help me get through life. And while you’re at it, put on the remote a number of buttons for future use—so that I can program them whatever way I choose and whenever I need them. Maybe I’ll program one to make me a very wealthy man, another to bring me many new friends, and a third.....hmmmmmm.....maybe with the third I’ll program it to keep me forever young!
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At the SoberRecovery Community website, the classic Erma Bombeck (just after she learned she was dying of cancer) column, “If I had my life to do over,” is offered. It is a wonderful, short essay. Also, I is one that I quoted for more than 20 years in the college lectures I delivered. I have a copy of the original column for I loved it when I first read it. Read this one.
At the devpsy.orghttp://www.devpsy.org/nonscience/daisies.html website, there are two brief essays on the topic, “If I Had My Life Over - I'd Pick More Daisies.” One is by Nadine Star and the other by Don Herold. Both are interesting, fun, and provocative. They are worth a read.
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Copyright June, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Examining the paranormal helps us understand how the world works
There are many paranormal and supernatural claims. Psychics, astrologers, alien abductions, alternative medicines, ghosts, and life after death are just a few of them. But when people have personal experiences with any of these, those occurrences offer them a powerful and persuasive reason to believe in them, especially if they can’t explain them.
“The need to believe in phony wonders,” writes The Reverend Canon William V. Rauscher, “sometimes exceeds not only logic but, seemingly, even sanity.”
Many people have had psychic experiences or episodes with things that science cannot explain. Whether it is extrasensory perception (ESP), haunted houses, ghosts of the spirits of dead people, telepathy, clairvoyance, astrology, communicating mentally with someone who has died, witches, reincarnation, or channeling, seventy-five percent of Americans profess at least one paranormal belief according to a recent Gallup survey. The most popular is extrasensory perception, mentioned by 41%, followed closely by a belief in haunted houses (37%). Only 27% of Americans, according to the same survey, believe in none of these.
The poll showed no statistically significant differences in beliefs among people by age, gender, education, race, and region of the country; however, Christians are a little more likely to hold some paranormal beliefs than non-Christians (75% versus 66% respectively), but both groups show a sizeable majority with such beliefs.
The main question is why do people believe in the paranormal? The first obvious answer, given above, is that so many people have had personal paranormal experiences. A second obvious reason has to do with magical thinking. For example, if an athlete wears a certain piece of clothing and wins a game, magical thinking has to do with believing that that certain piece of clothing will bring him or her luck in winning future games. Actually, this belief is based on the fallacy post hoc, ergo propter hoc or “after this, therefore because of this” and is a form of superstition.
The third answer to the question of why so many people believe in the paranormal and supernatural is captured in the expression, “true-believer syndrome,” which was coined in a book of the same name by M. Lamar Keene. Keene describes a cognitive disorder characterized by believing in the reality of paranormal or supernatural events even after one has been presented overwhelming evidence that an event was fraudulently staged. Keene writes, “How can an otherwise sane individual become so enamored of a fantasy, an imposture, that even after it’s exposed in the bright light of day he still clings to it—indeed, clings to it all the harder?”
For many people, the will to believe at times overrides the ability to think critically about the evidence for and against a belief.
Yet another explanation, described by Eric Hoffer in his book The True Believer, is that the person’s belief in the paranormal or supernatural satisfies an emotional need that is stronger than the need for the truth. He writes, “This passionate attachment is the essence of his blind devotion and religiosity, and he sees in it the source of all virtue and strength....He easily sees himself as the supporter and defender of the holy cause to which he clings. And he is ready to sacrifice his life.”
There may be no single answer to the question of why so many people believe in the paranormal and supernatural, but Michael Shermer, in his book, Why People Believe in Weird Things (W.H. Freeman & Company, 1998), offers readers twenty-five fallacies that lead us to believe weird things. In Shermer’s opinion, “most believers in miracles, monsters, and mysteries are not hoaxers, flimflam artists, or lunatics. Most are normal people whose normal thinking has gone wrong in some way.”
Some of the ways that people’s thinking has gone wrong are first, accepting anecdotes as proof. Stories do not make science unless they are supported by a great deal of corroborative evidence from other sources or by physical proof of some sort. Ten anecdotes are no better than one, and a hundred anecdotes are not better than ten. The problem with anecdotes is that they are told by fallible human storytellers.
Another way that people’s thinking goes wrong is accepting a belief based on the trappings of science. Scientific language and jargon means nothing without evidence, experimental testing, and corroboration. Because science has such a powerful mystique in our society, those who wish to gain respectability often gain it by looking and sounding “scientific.”
“If you want to do science,” Shermer writes, “you have to learn to play the game of science. This involves getting to know the scientists in your field, exchanging data and ideas with colleagues informally, and formally presenting results in conference papers, peer-reviewed journals, books, and the like.”
Another way that people’s thinking goes wrong is not understanding that the burden of proof falls on the one making an extraordinary new claim. They are the ones who have to prove to the experts and community at large that their belief has more validity than the one almost everyone else accepts.
Scientific and critical thinking does not come naturally. It takes training, experience, and effort. In his book, Logic for the Millions (Philosophical Library, 1947), Alfred Mander said, “Thinking is skilled work. It is not true that we are naturally endowed with the ability to think clearly and logically—without learning how, or without practicing. People with untrained minds should no more expect to think clearly and logically than people who have never learned and never practiced can expect to find themselves good carpenters, golfers, bridge players, or pianists” (p. vii).
The paranormal is bunk; however, the key for skeptics and critical thinkers is to try to understand how others have gone wrong and how science is subject to social control and cultural influences so they can improve their understanding of how the world works.
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There is a wonderful essay, “The Paranormal” by Remi which is well worth a read. The example used in the final paragraph is especially relevant.
At the website, LiveScience, the essay there, under the topic, “Culture,” called, “Monsters, Ghosts and Gods: Why We Believe,” by Robert Roy Britt, LiveScience Managing Editor, is informative and worthwhile. Britt says, “The bottom line, according to several interviews with people who study these things: People want to believe, and most simply can't help it.” There is a great deal of information in this essay, but it seems to boil down to one essential element: “‘Many people quite simply just want to believe,’ said Brian Cronk, a professor of psychology at Missouri Western State University. ‘The human brain is always trying to determine why things happen, and when the reason is not clear, we tend to make up some pretty bizarre explanations.’
-----
Copyright June, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.
“The need to believe in phony wonders,” writes The Reverend Canon William V. Rauscher, “sometimes exceeds not only logic but, seemingly, even sanity.”
Many people have had psychic experiences or episodes with things that science cannot explain. Whether it is extrasensory perception (ESP), haunted houses, ghosts of the spirits of dead people, telepathy, clairvoyance, astrology, communicating mentally with someone who has died, witches, reincarnation, or channeling, seventy-five percent of Americans profess at least one paranormal belief according to a recent Gallup survey. The most popular is extrasensory perception, mentioned by 41%, followed closely by a belief in haunted houses (37%). Only 27% of Americans, according to the same survey, believe in none of these.
The poll showed no statistically significant differences in beliefs among people by age, gender, education, race, and region of the country; however, Christians are a little more likely to hold some paranormal beliefs than non-Christians (75% versus 66% respectively), but both groups show a sizeable majority with such beliefs.
The main question is why do people believe in the paranormal? The first obvious answer, given above, is that so many people have had personal paranormal experiences. A second obvious reason has to do with magical thinking. For example, if an athlete wears a certain piece of clothing and wins a game, magical thinking has to do with believing that that certain piece of clothing will bring him or her luck in winning future games. Actually, this belief is based on the fallacy post hoc, ergo propter hoc or “after this, therefore because of this” and is a form of superstition.
The third answer to the question of why so many people believe in the paranormal and supernatural is captured in the expression, “true-believer syndrome,” which was coined in a book of the same name by M. Lamar Keene. Keene describes a cognitive disorder characterized by believing in the reality of paranormal or supernatural events even after one has been presented overwhelming evidence that an event was fraudulently staged. Keene writes, “How can an otherwise sane individual become so enamored of a fantasy, an imposture, that even after it’s exposed in the bright light of day he still clings to it—indeed, clings to it all the harder?”
For many people, the will to believe at times overrides the ability to think critically about the evidence for and against a belief.
Yet another explanation, described by Eric Hoffer in his book The True Believer, is that the person’s belief in the paranormal or supernatural satisfies an emotional need that is stronger than the need for the truth. He writes, “This passionate attachment is the essence of his blind devotion and religiosity, and he sees in it the source of all virtue and strength....He easily sees himself as the supporter and defender of the holy cause to which he clings. And he is ready to sacrifice his life.”
There may be no single answer to the question of why so many people believe in the paranormal and supernatural, but Michael Shermer, in his book, Why People Believe in Weird Things (W.H. Freeman & Company, 1998), offers readers twenty-five fallacies that lead us to believe weird things. In Shermer’s opinion, “most believers in miracles, monsters, and mysteries are not hoaxers, flimflam artists, or lunatics. Most are normal people whose normal thinking has gone wrong in some way.”
Some of the ways that people’s thinking has gone wrong are first, accepting anecdotes as proof. Stories do not make science unless they are supported by a great deal of corroborative evidence from other sources or by physical proof of some sort. Ten anecdotes are no better than one, and a hundred anecdotes are not better than ten. The problem with anecdotes is that they are told by fallible human storytellers.
Another way that people’s thinking goes wrong is accepting a belief based on the trappings of science. Scientific language and jargon means nothing without evidence, experimental testing, and corroboration. Because science has such a powerful mystique in our society, those who wish to gain respectability often gain it by looking and sounding “scientific.”
“If you want to do science,” Shermer writes, “you have to learn to play the game of science. This involves getting to know the scientists in your field, exchanging data and ideas with colleagues informally, and formally presenting results in conference papers, peer-reviewed journals, books, and the like.”
Another way that people’s thinking goes wrong is not understanding that the burden of proof falls on the one making an extraordinary new claim. They are the ones who have to prove to the experts and community at large that their belief has more validity than the one almost everyone else accepts.
Scientific and critical thinking does not come naturally. It takes training, experience, and effort. In his book, Logic for the Millions (Philosophical Library, 1947), Alfred Mander said, “Thinking is skilled work. It is not true that we are naturally endowed with the ability to think clearly and logically—without learning how, or without practicing. People with untrained minds should no more expect to think clearly and logically than people who have never learned and never practiced can expect to find themselves good carpenters, golfers, bridge players, or pianists” (p. vii).
The paranormal is bunk; however, the key for skeptics and critical thinkers is to try to understand how others have gone wrong and how science is subject to social control and cultural influences so they can improve their understanding of how the world works.
-----
There is a wonderful essay, “The Paranormal” by Remi which is well worth a read. The example used in the final paragraph is especially relevant.
At the website, LiveScience, the essay there, under the topic, “Culture,” called, “Monsters, Ghosts and Gods: Why We Believe,” by Robert Roy Britt, LiveScience Managing Editor, is informative and worthwhile. Britt says, “The bottom line, according to several interviews with people who study these things: People want to believe, and most simply can't help it.” There is a great deal of information in this essay, but it seems to boil down to one essential element: “‘Many people quite simply just want to believe,’ said Brian Cronk, a professor of psychology at Missouri Western State University. ‘The human brain is always trying to determine why things happen, and when the reason is not clear, we tend to make up some pretty bizarre explanations.’
-----
Copyright June, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Human limitations and then some!
Have you ever walked by a stockade-type fence, found a knothole in it, then looked at what’s taking place on the other side of the fence through that peephole? A great deal of our lives is framed by that example. That is, we obtain information about the world we live in through a very small antennae, mounted upon a tiny pedestal, and often pointed in a well-defined, carefully selected direction. And yet, despite these limitations, the way we view the world is dependent upon the information obtained through this single, small, and somewhat insignificant antennae. Knowing this puts all that we know and all that we think we know in proper perspective—and then some!
Through my many years of writing and teaching about public speaking, one of my goals has always been to impress upon students the limitations of much of their personal experience. A personal experience, although powerful in its ability to hold the attention of listeners (and this must be acknowledged), is rendered nearly meaningless in its ability to prove a point or as evidence to support a conclusion. For that, the opinions of credible people supported by facts and statistics are not just important but necessary. That is precisely what makes research and investigation so necessary.
Why is a student’s personal experience meaningless? Often, it is for the same reasons that one person’s point of view—eyewitness testimony—can matter so little in a court of law. In a court of law it counts for little and is often contradicted by other eyewitness testimony. It is just one person’s point of view and it is likely to be distorted.
How is it distorted? It is what we do with information that comes through our minuscule antennae that causes the problems. Most information comes to us in a random, unstructured manner. We must do something with it—modify it!—to make sense of it. First, we determine relationships: how does the new information relate to other information we are receiving and to information we already have? Look out the window where you are sitting right now. Can you view nature as if there were no structure? Our world, for us to understand it, requires organization, and when we get random, unstructured information from our world, as we do every waking moment, we organize it by perceiving relationships—relationships we form from things we already know and understand.
How do we organize the information from our meager antennae? First, because information often comes in small pieces, we try to put it into a larger context so that we can understand the pieces better. This is a process called enlarging in which we look for a frame of reference for the message or messages—a frame of reference from our perspective.
You can understand the process of enlarging, for example, when you notice a nonverbal expression emitted by someone with whom you are having a conversation. Suddenly, you detect an expression of sadness or grief. Immediately you start observing the whole nonverbal picture —the facial expressions, gestures, body movements, and vocal tones of the person sending the message—and trying to place the expression you have observed into that picture. The fewer the pieces of information you have received, the more enlargement must take place.
The second way we have of organizing the information we get from our very modest antennae is simplifying. Just as we search for a relationship between pieces of information and a larger framework into which we can place those pieces, we also look for ways to simplify complex or confusing stimuli. Complex stimuli are those we have difficulty understanding. We simplify information by finding patterns, an order (derived from all that we know or observe) that will help us make sense of the message.
For example, if you drive into a gas station to get directions, you might hear the attendant say something like, “You go up here to your first stoplight and turn left on Broadview. At your next light turn right. Then just after you pass Wiley High School, turn right, and the street you are looking for will be your next left.” As a simplifying response you might reply, “So, it’s a left, two rights, and a left.” We look for order in stimuli that will help us remember the essential information. It is an order established by our brain from our experiences—based on all we know and understand.
Stereotyping, the process of assigning a fixed label or category to things or people we encounter, is one method we have of simplifying information. All human beings employ stereotypes to deal with the tremendous flow of events around them.
The third method of organizing information from your diminutive antennae is closing. It is the process of filling in gaps between pieces of information. Although we think in unified wholes, we get information in separate scraps; thus, we must put information together to make it complete rather than fragmented. It is like filling in the pieces of a puzzle we are missing; to do it, however, we draw from what we already know and understand.
We probably engage in closing (or closure) more often than we realize. For example, how often have you completed a sentence for the person you were talking to? The more you get to know people, the better you know how they think, and the more often you will think ahead and close their thoughts—or think for them. Very close friends can say a great deal to each other with few words; without realizing it, they may depend on closure for their messages to get through. Just remember, however, we are the ones filling in the gaps.
Another example of closing is when you overhear others talking but are able to pick up only fragments of their conversation. From the fragments you fill in the rest of the conversation. Have you ever sat in a bus station, airport, or next to a busy sidewalk and made up stories about the people you observed around you? From a minimum of cues you put together a fairly complete story, making sense of the available information by closure. Though it may make sense to you, it is unlikely to be correct. It is a figment of your imagination, but if you were to act, you would respond based on what you think or you believe or you feel.
Then, when you add proximity and role to the mix of enlarging, simplifying, and closing, you begin to see why a single personal example may be wildly inappropriate, inaccurate, or simply, unjustified. Proximity is simply your nearness to the event with respect to where you are located, the time that the event takes place, or your relationship to the event or people in it. If you are a distance away, it is early morning and you are barely awake, and you have no relationship to the people involved, your viewpoint is likely to be distorted. And your role relates to your expectations, needs, attitudes, and beliefs about the situation; your role restricts how you perceive situations whether it is a job role, family role, sex role, friendship role, or any of a number of others.
When people are offering a single, personal viewpoint of anything, it really caries very little meaning beyond what it is. It is an instance, anecdote, or singular example. In general, when it comes to viewing things, people are untrained, untaught, unschooled, unskilled, unpracticed, uninitiated, ill-equipped, ill-prepared, unqualified, nonprofessional, and inexperienced. They see what they see and nothing more. Much as you need to respect their point of view, and their willingness to share it, in the larger scheme of things, it is an example of our human limitations.
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At the website Cycleback.com there is a terrific essay that discusses perception entitled, “Movement Perception and Misperception,” by David Rudd Cycleback. Cycleback ends his first paragraph saying, “The human uses its complex mental template to make the final perception, or judgment of what is going on. The template was formed by experience, knowledge, genetic tendencies, physiological abilities (your visual template is literally blind to the ultraviolet light that birds see, and the infrared light snakes see), personal bias, aesthetics, etc. Often the final interpretation, or perception, is a correct representation of what is being viewed. Sometimes the perception is off."
At the Scientific American website, there is a terrific essay, “Limits of Perception,” by editor in chief, Mariette DiChristina. She begins her essay with a quotation by Arthur Schopenhauer, Studies in Pessimism : “Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.” DiChristina goes on to discuss the interference of “noise” in the brain’s functioning. It is easy to conclude that all perceptions are affected by “noise,” and it is “noise” that, in part, limits our ability to perceive accurately.
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Copyright June, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.
Through my many years of writing and teaching about public speaking, one of my goals has always been to impress upon students the limitations of much of their personal experience. A personal experience, although powerful in its ability to hold the attention of listeners (and this must be acknowledged), is rendered nearly meaningless in its ability to prove a point or as evidence to support a conclusion. For that, the opinions of credible people supported by facts and statistics are not just important but necessary. That is precisely what makes research and investigation so necessary.
Why is a student’s personal experience meaningless? Often, it is for the same reasons that one person’s point of view—eyewitness testimony—can matter so little in a court of law. In a court of law it counts for little and is often contradicted by other eyewitness testimony. It is just one person’s point of view and it is likely to be distorted.
How is it distorted? It is what we do with information that comes through our minuscule antennae that causes the problems. Most information comes to us in a random, unstructured manner. We must do something with it—modify it!—to make sense of it. First, we determine relationships: how does the new information relate to other information we are receiving and to information we already have? Look out the window where you are sitting right now. Can you view nature as if there were no structure? Our world, for us to understand it, requires organization, and when we get random, unstructured information from our world, as we do every waking moment, we organize it by perceiving relationships—relationships we form from things we already know and understand.
How do we organize the information from our meager antennae? First, because information often comes in small pieces, we try to put it into a larger context so that we can understand the pieces better. This is a process called enlarging in which we look for a frame of reference for the message or messages—a frame of reference from our perspective.
You can understand the process of enlarging, for example, when you notice a nonverbal expression emitted by someone with whom you are having a conversation. Suddenly, you detect an expression of sadness or grief. Immediately you start observing the whole nonverbal picture —the facial expressions, gestures, body movements, and vocal tones of the person sending the message—and trying to place the expression you have observed into that picture. The fewer the pieces of information you have received, the more enlargement must take place.
The second way we have of organizing the information we get from our very modest antennae is simplifying. Just as we search for a relationship between pieces of information and a larger framework into which we can place those pieces, we also look for ways to simplify complex or confusing stimuli. Complex stimuli are those we have difficulty understanding. We simplify information by finding patterns, an order (derived from all that we know or observe) that will help us make sense of the message.
For example, if you drive into a gas station to get directions, you might hear the attendant say something like, “You go up here to your first stoplight and turn left on Broadview. At your next light turn right. Then just after you pass Wiley High School, turn right, and the street you are looking for will be your next left.” As a simplifying response you might reply, “So, it’s a left, two rights, and a left.” We look for order in stimuli that will help us remember the essential information. It is an order established by our brain from our experiences—based on all we know and understand.
Stereotyping, the process of assigning a fixed label or category to things or people we encounter, is one method we have of simplifying information. All human beings employ stereotypes to deal with the tremendous flow of events around them.
The third method of organizing information from your diminutive antennae is closing. It is the process of filling in gaps between pieces of information. Although we think in unified wholes, we get information in separate scraps; thus, we must put information together to make it complete rather than fragmented. It is like filling in the pieces of a puzzle we are missing; to do it, however, we draw from what we already know and understand.
We probably engage in closing (or closure) more often than we realize. For example, how often have you completed a sentence for the person you were talking to? The more you get to know people, the better you know how they think, and the more often you will think ahead and close their thoughts—or think for them. Very close friends can say a great deal to each other with few words; without realizing it, they may depend on closure for their messages to get through. Just remember, however, we are the ones filling in the gaps.
Another example of closing is when you overhear others talking but are able to pick up only fragments of their conversation. From the fragments you fill in the rest of the conversation. Have you ever sat in a bus station, airport, or next to a busy sidewalk and made up stories about the people you observed around you? From a minimum of cues you put together a fairly complete story, making sense of the available information by closure. Though it may make sense to you, it is unlikely to be correct. It is a figment of your imagination, but if you were to act, you would respond based on what you think or you believe or you feel.
Then, when you add proximity and role to the mix of enlarging, simplifying, and closing, you begin to see why a single personal example may be wildly inappropriate, inaccurate, or simply, unjustified. Proximity is simply your nearness to the event with respect to where you are located, the time that the event takes place, or your relationship to the event or people in it. If you are a distance away, it is early morning and you are barely awake, and you have no relationship to the people involved, your viewpoint is likely to be distorted. And your role relates to your expectations, needs, attitudes, and beliefs about the situation; your role restricts how you perceive situations whether it is a job role, family role, sex role, friendship role, or any of a number of others.
When people are offering a single, personal viewpoint of anything, it really caries very little meaning beyond what it is. It is an instance, anecdote, or singular example. In general, when it comes to viewing things, people are untrained, untaught, unschooled, unskilled, unpracticed, uninitiated, ill-equipped, ill-prepared, unqualified, nonprofessional, and inexperienced. They see what they see and nothing more. Much as you need to respect their point of view, and their willingness to share it, in the larger scheme of things, it is an example of our human limitations.
-----
At the website Cycleback.com there is a terrific essay that discusses perception entitled, “Movement Perception and Misperception,” by David Rudd Cycleback. Cycleback ends his first paragraph saying, “The human uses its complex mental template to make the final perception, or judgment of what is going on. The template was formed by experience, knowledge, genetic tendencies, physiological abilities (your visual template is literally blind to the ultraviolet light that birds see, and the infrared light snakes see), personal bias, aesthetics, etc. Often the final interpretation, or perception, is a correct representation of what is being viewed. Sometimes the perception is off."
At the Scientific American website, there is a terrific essay, “Limits of Perception,” by editor in chief, Mariette DiChristina. She begins her essay with a quotation by Arthur Schopenhauer, Studies in Pessimism : “Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.” DiChristina goes on to discuss the interference of “noise” in the brain’s functioning. It is easy to conclude that all perceptions are affected by “noise,” and it is “noise” that, in part, limits our ability to perceive accurately.
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Copyright June, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Cleanse your mind of these thoughts
There are many thoughts that are unnecessary and just take up space in our brains, space that could be better utilized for productive positive thoughts, dealing with everyday problems, planning for the future, and contemplating all the past good memories. It wasn’t until I read the wonderful book by Thomas Kida, Don’t believe everything you think: The 6 basic mistakes we make in thinking (Prometheus Books, 2006), and a book by Damian Thompson called Counterknowledge (W.W. Norton & Company, 2008), that I began thinking about this topic.
I want to acknowledge my indebtedness to Kida and Thompson for these thoughts and for their support. I have borrowed heavily from these books, and I have avoided quotation marks for ease of reading—but, be clear about this, these are their thoughts, not mine.
The first big time waster is any beliefs you may have in fortunetellers, palm readers, and astrologers. The last “big name” to give credence to astrology, of course, was Nancy Reagan, who consulted an astrologist whenever deciding President Reagan’s schedule. Beliefs in any of these is pure nonsense.
One trap that we fall into is believing in stories rather than in statistics. I am continually telling people that when you hear of an accident, shooting, robbery, baby’s death, or any other extraordinary event, there often follows a law, ruling, or mandate designed specifically to prevent other similar accidents, shootings, robberies, or deaths. So, you have one incident that makes the news—an anecdote—and people scurry to prevent other similar instances when, often, these examples are rare, exceptional, or unique. A teenager holds up a small grocery store, and suddenly you have a curfew in the neighborhood designed to keep teenagers at home after dark. Another good example is when you hear of a recall of a certain model because of problems incurred by a small number of people, and you avoid purchasing any car made by that company.
The second area where we can cleanse our mind is in any intention we may have regarding talking with the dead, facilitated communication, therapeutic touch, and dowsing (a technique in which an individual holds an object, like a Y-shaped tree branch and walks around the land in search of water. When the branch twitches, it’s taken as a sign that water is below.) A belief in any of these is ludicrous as well, and yet bright, capable, highly trained people hold extraordinary beliefs such as these that have little or no credible supporting evidence.
A third area where a significant number of people believe in something where there is little or no credible evidence to support their beliefs, and the beliefs are contradicted by hard evidence, is that there is such a thing as extrasensory perception, that houses can be haunted, that people are sometimes possessed by the devil, that there is such a thing as telepathy—or communication between minds without the five senses—that extraterrestrial beings have visited the earth, that there is such a thing as clairvoyance—or perceiving things not present to the senses—and that reincarnation exists.
Another area where you can cleanse your mind is any beliefs you have in graphology— analyzing a person’s handwriting to determine what kind of person he or she is. Research shows that graphology is totally useless, but you may have been denied a job if a graphologist said your handwriting indicated you are untrustworthy.
A fourth area where cleansing can take place is support of a large number of commonly held beliefs. For example, that humans use only 10 percent of their brains, the blind develop supersensitive hearing, crime and drugs are out of control in the United States, low self-esteem is a cause of aggression, religious people are more altruistic than less religious people, opposites attract, or if you’re happy in your job, you will be more productive. There is no research to support these ideas.
Also, you can cleanse your mind by removing beliefs you may have in such topics as Atlantis, bigfoot, UFOs, Bible prophecy, psychic powers, religious images or patterns seen in unrelated objects, near-death experiences, miracle diets, creationism, paranormal phenomena, or the existence of ghosts. Anytime you hear a comment from someone who has witnessed an event —whatever it is—and says, “I knew right away it was a ghost/miracle/fairy/or whatever, because there is no other way to explain it,” you can rest assured that the claim is bogus, and the speaker is naive. As I said earlier in this essay, we love stories. A discussion of the contribution the media make in fostering beliefs in the weird and bizarre would offer material for a whole book.
There are a number of other beliefs, too, that you can discard. Breast implants cause serious disease. It isn’t true now, and it never was true. All anecdotal evidence. Levitation is not supported by evidence. Not a single death or serious injury has occurred from kids eating Halloween candy received from strangers. No poisoned candy or apples containing razor blades. Classified under pseudoscience is a whole range of activities related to parapsychology (some mentioned previously) such as extrasensory perception, telepathy (reading other’s minds), clairvoyance (perceiving things not present to the senses), and precognition (seeing the future). None of it exists; none of it is true.
How can you deal with falsehoods, fabrications, half truths, and lies? Kida has some suggestions, and they fall under the heading, “Think like a scientist.” First, keep an open mind, and be skeptical of any unsubstantiated claims. Second, make sure a claim or belief can be tested. Third, evaluate the quality of the evidence for a belief. Fourth, try to falsify a claim or belief (e.g., look for disconfirming evidence). Fifth, consider alternative explanations (even chance or coincidence). Sixth, other things being equal, choose the claim or belief that is the simplest explanation for the phenomenon. Seventh, choose the claim or belief that doesn’t conflict with well-established knowledge. And, eighth, proportion your belief to the amount of evidence for or against that belief.
No, there is no way to totally cleanse your mind, of course, and we will always be guilty of holding some false beliefs. Sometimes it’s just fun to consider ideas you know are clearly false or outrageous. Sometimes they just make you feel good. Sometimes, too, you just wonder how in the world someone could believe something like that? At least you know now that there are about 30 beliefs you never have to think about again. It’s a start to a cleansed mind!
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Nick Arizza, a medical doctor, has written a delightful essay entitled, “All your problems are based in false beliefs at ezinearticles.com, in which he discusses all the cleansing that can occur when you are freed of your false beliefs: “a feeling of lightening (i.e. a sense of buoyancy and an inner sense of radiance), feelings of relief, feelings of joy and contentment, feelings of self confidence, self esteem and self confidence, feelings of grounded ness and feelings of being more present in one's physical body than ever before.” Now that’s cleansing!
At trans4mind.com, Peter Shepherd has written an essay on “False beliefs,” in which his main thesis is: “Just recognizing your own particular false beliefs is the first and most important step toward letting go of them, to de-programming yourself. Next you need to re-evaluate your deeply-held belief and see if you'd like to revise it.” Shepherd offers a number of suggestions for cleansing your mind.
A third essay, this one by Julie Jordan Scott, a Life Purpose coach, writer, and speaker, at the website topachievement.com, in an essay entitled, “Taking Action to Eliminate False Beliefs,” takes a similar tack as the two authors above, and after a number of recommendations for dealing with false beliefs, she concludes: “Choose today to eliminate false thinking from your mind's vocabulary. When you "hear" your thoughts walking that path of inertia, take the power away from them. Say STOP! Replace this false belief with a Truth. Take action on truth. Watch the amazing course that flow unfold before you.”
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Copyright May, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC
I want to acknowledge my indebtedness to Kida and Thompson for these thoughts and for their support. I have borrowed heavily from these books, and I have avoided quotation marks for ease of reading—but, be clear about this, these are their thoughts, not mine.
The first big time waster is any beliefs you may have in fortunetellers, palm readers, and astrologers. The last “big name” to give credence to astrology, of course, was Nancy Reagan, who consulted an astrologist whenever deciding President Reagan’s schedule. Beliefs in any of these is pure nonsense.
One trap that we fall into is believing in stories rather than in statistics. I am continually telling people that when you hear of an accident, shooting, robbery, baby’s death, or any other extraordinary event, there often follows a law, ruling, or mandate designed specifically to prevent other similar accidents, shootings, robberies, or deaths. So, you have one incident that makes the news—an anecdote—and people scurry to prevent other similar instances when, often, these examples are rare, exceptional, or unique. A teenager holds up a small grocery store, and suddenly you have a curfew in the neighborhood designed to keep teenagers at home after dark. Another good example is when you hear of a recall of a certain model because of problems incurred by a small number of people, and you avoid purchasing any car made by that company.
The second area where we can cleanse our mind is in any intention we may have regarding talking with the dead, facilitated communication, therapeutic touch, and dowsing (a technique in which an individual holds an object, like a Y-shaped tree branch and walks around the land in search of water. When the branch twitches, it’s taken as a sign that water is below.) A belief in any of these is ludicrous as well, and yet bright, capable, highly trained people hold extraordinary beliefs such as these that have little or no credible supporting evidence.
A third area where a significant number of people believe in something where there is little or no credible evidence to support their beliefs, and the beliefs are contradicted by hard evidence, is that there is such a thing as extrasensory perception, that houses can be haunted, that people are sometimes possessed by the devil, that there is such a thing as telepathy—or communication between minds without the five senses—that extraterrestrial beings have visited the earth, that there is such a thing as clairvoyance—or perceiving things not present to the senses—and that reincarnation exists.
Another area where you can cleanse your mind is any beliefs you have in graphology— analyzing a person’s handwriting to determine what kind of person he or she is. Research shows that graphology is totally useless, but you may have been denied a job if a graphologist said your handwriting indicated you are untrustworthy.
A fourth area where cleansing can take place is support of a large number of commonly held beliefs. For example, that humans use only 10 percent of their brains, the blind develop supersensitive hearing, crime and drugs are out of control in the United States, low self-esteem is a cause of aggression, religious people are more altruistic than less religious people, opposites attract, or if you’re happy in your job, you will be more productive. There is no research to support these ideas.
Also, you can cleanse your mind by removing beliefs you may have in such topics as Atlantis, bigfoot, UFOs, Bible prophecy, psychic powers, religious images or patterns seen in unrelated objects, near-death experiences, miracle diets, creationism, paranormal phenomena, or the existence of ghosts. Anytime you hear a comment from someone who has witnessed an event —whatever it is—and says, “I knew right away it was a ghost/miracle/fairy/or whatever, because there is no other way to explain it,” you can rest assured that the claim is bogus, and the speaker is naive. As I said earlier in this essay, we love stories. A discussion of the contribution the media make in fostering beliefs in the weird and bizarre would offer material for a whole book.
There are a number of other beliefs, too, that you can discard. Breast implants cause serious disease. It isn’t true now, and it never was true. All anecdotal evidence. Levitation is not supported by evidence. Not a single death or serious injury has occurred from kids eating Halloween candy received from strangers. No poisoned candy or apples containing razor blades. Classified under pseudoscience is a whole range of activities related to parapsychology (some mentioned previously) such as extrasensory perception, telepathy (reading other’s minds), clairvoyance (perceiving things not present to the senses), and precognition (seeing the future). None of it exists; none of it is true.
How can you deal with falsehoods, fabrications, half truths, and lies? Kida has some suggestions, and they fall under the heading, “Think like a scientist.” First, keep an open mind, and be skeptical of any unsubstantiated claims. Second, make sure a claim or belief can be tested. Third, evaluate the quality of the evidence for a belief. Fourth, try to falsify a claim or belief (e.g., look for disconfirming evidence). Fifth, consider alternative explanations (even chance or coincidence). Sixth, other things being equal, choose the claim or belief that is the simplest explanation for the phenomenon. Seventh, choose the claim or belief that doesn’t conflict with well-established knowledge. And, eighth, proportion your belief to the amount of evidence for or against that belief.
No, there is no way to totally cleanse your mind, of course, and we will always be guilty of holding some false beliefs. Sometimes it’s just fun to consider ideas you know are clearly false or outrageous. Sometimes they just make you feel good. Sometimes, too, you just wonder how in the world someone could believe something like that? At least you know now that there are about 30 beliefs you never have to think about again. It’s a start to a cleansed mind!
-----
Nick Arizza, a medical doctor, has written a delightful essay entitled, “All your problems are based in false beliefs at ezinearticles.com, in which he discusses all the cleansing that can occur when you are freed of your false beliefs: “a feeling of lightening (i.e. a sense of buoyancy and an inner sense of radiance), feelings of relief, feelings of joy and contentment, feelings of self confidence, self esteem and self confidence, feelings of grounded ness and feelings of being more present in one's physical body than ever before.” Now that’s cleansing!
At trans4mind.com, Peter Shepherd has written an essay on “False beliefs,” in which his main thesis is: “Just recognizing your own particular false beliefs is the first and most important step toward letting go of them, to de-programming yourself. Next you need to re-evaluate your deeply-held belief and see if you'd like to revise it.” Shepherd offers a number of suggestions for cleansing your mind.
A third essay, this one by Julie Jordan Scott, a Life Purpose coach, writer, and speaker, at the website topachievement.com, in an essay entitled, “Taking Action to Eliminate False Beliefs,” takes a similar tack as the two authors above, and after a number of recommendations for dealing with false beliefs, she concludes: “Choose today to eliminate false thinking from your mind's vocabulary. When you "hear" your thoughts walking that path of inertia, take the power away from them. Say STOP! Replace this false belief with a Truth. Take action on truth. Watch the amazing course that flow unfold before you.”
-----
Copyright May, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The pursuit of happiness
"’Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ‘ is one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence. These three aspects are listed among the ‘inalienable rights’ of man.” So begins the entry entitled “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” at Wikipedia.org. I wonder if most people think this is an inalienable right and, thus, should be handed to them (on a silver platter), or, does this free each individual to engage in an ephemeral [anything lasting for a very short time] search for emotional fulfillment?
What is happiness? “Happiness is an emotion associated with feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy,” according to Wikipedia. The Wikipedia definition goes on to explain the various approaches taken toward defining and explaining happiness whether they be philosophical, religious, psychological, or biological and to identify its sources. Most of us don’t need to understand such approaches; most of us know what happiness is and, too, how good it feels to have it when it occurs.
“Research,” according to Wikipedia, “has identified a number of correlates with happiness. These include religious involvement, parenthood, marital status, age, income, and proximity to other happy people.” What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another and, sometimes, you can possess all of the correlates and still not be happy! You may ask, “What’s that all about?
I know of a person, for example, who wallows in unhappiness. He has constructed an unhappy life for himself, and he actually works at making life miserable for those around him. Victories and successes (if they occur) are always tainted with “Yes, but..,” “Well, if I had only..., or, “Consider the source” — always diminished, lessened, moderated, or dismissed by a cynical, disparaging, demeaning, or denigrating comment. He is ruthlessly morose, recklessly gloomy, unconscionably despondent, and, otherwise, ill-tempered and irritable.
At Stepcase Lifehack, there is an essay entitled, “9 Tips in Life that Lead to Happiness,” and after making it clear to yourself what it is that will bring happiness, Leon Ho offers 8 other tips: 1) “Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy.” 2) “Surround yourself with happy people.” 3) “When something goes wrong try to figure out a solution instead of wallowing in self pity.” 4) “Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy.” 5) “It’s also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself. 6) “Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness.” 7) “Maintaining your health is another way to achieve happiness.” 8) “Finally, it is important to understand that you deserve happiness.”
At the Dumb Little Man: Tips for Life website, David B. Bohl has written an essay entitled, “Four Steps to Achieve Happiness, Fulfillment, and Success in Your Life,” in which he says: 1) Visualize where you’ve been in your life, 2) Take responsibility for your actions, 3) Learn all you can in life, and 4) Appreciate what others bring into your life.
The “On Not Being a Sausage” website, Diedre Good has written an essay, “How to Achieve Happiness,” in which she briefly discusses the program for happiness followed by “the happiest person in the world,” (labeled that by the BBC), Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk. “First, a sense of direction is very important,” Good writes. “A sense of flourishing comes from inside, where the mind translates all the circumstances. This gives inner strength and freedom. Genuine happiness comes from altruistic love, inner peace, and not on external circumstances such as things that give us pleasure like meals with friends. Putting hopes and fears outside of us is ultimately disappointing.”
Good goes on to say, “Cultivate inner love and peace and genuine compassion. This involves training....” “Of course the mind will wander, but bring it back gently without recrimination. Our aim is to practice compassion and wisdom. Wisdom is so as to free others from suffering....‘ “We learn to deal with negative toxins or emotions. Look at anger and stop fueling it as if it were a fire and it will vanish....” And Good concludes by saying, “When the brain is practicing loving kindness, it generates positive emotions.”
At one website, Solve Your Problem.com, Jeff Cohen, in his essay, “How Do You Achieve Happiness...Really?” says happiness appears as easy to achieve as changing your attitude: “Be happy, thankful, and contented. Count your blessings now. You will be surprised at how much has already been given and provided to you.
“Pay attention and focus on your blessings. Be thankful of the small things in life. Be happy that you wake up each day and see the sunrise. Be happy that you have a comfortable bed, nutritious food on the table, a reliable car that you use to go to the office, and family or friends around you. Appreciate the things that you usually take for granted and feel instant happiness. Do this first thing in the morning and the rest of the day will be bright..”
When you enter “how to achieve happiness?” (without the quotation marks) in the Google search window, you will get over 500,000 websites with suggestions that range from meditation to books on happiness, from serving others to living honorable and true, from pursuing Truth to developing compassion. The point isn’t the number of websites nor the specific suggestions, the point is that wherever you are in life, whatever your circumstances, numerous suggestions and a great deal of advice is available at the click of your mouse.
To say, “I just don’t know how to be happy,” is a comment that reeks of naivete. Nobody is going to hand you happiness, and nobody can make you happy. It is an internal process over which you have complete control. All you have to do now is make yourself happy!
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At Life Optimizer, Donald Latumahina has written an essay entitled, “Finding Happiness: 20 Ways to Achieve Happiness in Life.” His 20 suggestions are practical and realistic
At Ezine articles.com , there is a terrific, short essay, by Rebecca Olkowski, “3 Survival Tips to Achieve Happiness When You Are Living With Negativity,” in which she suggests: 1) Get help immediately, 2) Work to achieve your own happiness, and 3) Work on your inner happiness.
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Copyright May, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.
What is happiness? “Happiness is an emotion associated with feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy,” according to Wikipedia. The Wikipedia definition goes on to explain the various approaches taken toward defining and explaining happiness whether they be philosophical, religious, psychological, or biological and to identify its sources. Most of us don’t need to understand such approaches; most of us know what happiness is and, too, how good it feels to have it when it occurs.
“Research,” according to Wikipedia, “has identified a number of correlates with happiness. These include religious involvement, parenthood, marital status, age, income, and proximity to other happy people.” What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another and, sometimes, you can possess all of the correlates and still not be happy! You may ask, “What’s that all about?
I know of a person, for example, who wallows in unhappiness. He has constructed an unhappy life for himself, and he actually works at making life miserable for those around him. Victories and successes (if they occur) are always tainted with “Yes, but..,” “Well, if I had only..., or, “Consider the source” — always diminished, lessened, moderated, or dismissed by a cynical, disparaging, demeaning, or denigrating comment. He is ruthlessly morose, recklessly gloomy, unconscionably despondent, and, otherwise, ill-tempered and irritable.
At Stepcase Lifehack, there is an essay entitled, “9 Tips in Life that Lead to Happiness,” and after making it clear to yourself what it is that will bring happiness, Leon Ho offers 8 other tips: 1) “Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy.” 2) “Surround yourself with happy people.” 3) “When something goes wrong try to figure out a solution instead of wallowing in self pity.” 4) “Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy.” 5) “It’s also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself. 6) “Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness.” 7) “Maintaining your health is another way to achieve happiness.” 8) “Finally, it is important to understand that you deserve happiness.”
At the Dumb Little Man: Tips for Life website, David B. Bohl has written an essay entitled, “Four Steps to Achieve Happiness, Fulfillment, and Success in Your Life,” in which he says: 1) Visualize where you’ve been in your life, 2) Take responsibility for your actions, 3) Learn all you can in life, and 4) Appreciate what others bring into your life.
The “On Not Being a Sausage” website, Diedre Good has written an essay, “How to Achieve Happiness,” in which she briefly discusses the program for happiness followed by “the happiest person in the world,” (labeled that by the BBC), Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk. “First, a sense of direction is very important,” Good writes. “A sense of flourishing comes from inside, where the mind translates all the circumstances. This gives inner strength and freedom. Genuine happiness comes from altruistic love, inner peace, and not on external circumstances such as things that give us pleasure like meals with friends. Putting hopes and fears outside of us is ultimately disappointing.”
Good goes on to say, “Cultivate inner love and peace and genuine compassion. This involves training....” “Of course the mind will wander, but bring it back gently without recrimination. Our aim is to practice compassion and wisdom. Wisdom is so as to free others from suffering....‘ “We learn to deal with negative toxins or emotions. Look at anger and stop fueling it as if it were a fire and it will vanish....” And Good concludes by saying, “When the brain is practicing loving kindness, it generates positive emotions.”
At one website, Solve Your Problem.com, Jeff Cohen, in his essay, “How Do You Achieve Happiness...Really?” says happiness appears as easy to achieve as changing your attitude: “Be happy, thankful, and contented. Count your blessings now. You will be surprised at how much has already been given and provided to you.
“Pay attention and focus on your blessings. Be thankful of the small things in life. Be happy that you wake up each day and see the sunrise. Be happy that you have a comfortable bed, nutritious food on the table, a reliable car that you use to go to the office, and family or friends around you. Appreciate the things that you usually take for granted and feel instant happiness. Do this first thing in the morning and the rest of the day will be bright..”
When you enter “how to achieve happiness?” (without the quotation marks) in the Google search window, you will get over 500,000 websites with suggestions that range from meditation to books on happiness, from serving others to living honorable and true, from pursuing Truth to developing compassion. The point isn’t the number of websites nor the specific suggestions, the point is that wherever you are in life, whatever your circumstances, numerous suggestions and a great deal of advice is available at the click of your mouse.
To say, “I just don’t know how to be happy,” is a comment that reeks of naivete. Nobody is going to hand you happiness, and nobody can make you happy. It is an internal process over which you have complete control. All you have to do now is make yourself happy!
-----
At Life Optimizer, Donald Latumahina has written an essay entitled, “Finding Happiness: 20 Ways to Achieve Happiness in Life.” His 20 suggestions are practical and realistic
At Ezine articles.com , there is a terrific, short essay, by Rebecca Olkowski, “3 Survival Tips to Achieve Happiness When You Are Living With Negativity,” in which she suggests: 1) Get help immediately, 2) Work to achieve your own happiness, and 3) Work on your inner happiness.
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Copyright May, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Looking back over my lifetime, these have been my “eureka” moments
Being a writer I have spent many hours looking back over my life. It hasn’t been a question of what I would do differently as much as a situation of analyzing and writing about what took place. It is more about establishing historical markers than about mentally reconstructing the past— although, I admit, I do a little of both. In this essay I want to highlight those events in my life that did not just happen but that changed the way I did things. They are my “eureka” moments.
I am aided in my quest by an article in USA Today (May 20, 2007), by Byron Acohido, Jim Hopkins, Jefferson Graham, and Michelle Kessler entitled “25 years of ‘eureka’ moments.” In their article, they present and briefly discuss the top 25 life-changing inventions.
Now, I have to admit — although I don’t like doing this — that I am slow to change. I prefer my comfort zones because they are safe, secure, and require no new learning. For me, my comfort zones protect my routines, plans, methods, customs, and habits. When my pattern is predictable, I do not have to spend time thinking about how to do something; all I have to do is plug in the new content. I like my typical, everyday, commonplace activities, and I protect them.
This admission — that I’m slow to change — will explain why much of the technology that has been introduced over the past 25 years has not taken root in my activities. For example, some of the top “life-changing inventions” according to the authors of the USA Today article, are not included in my list: cellphones (my wife and I have them, even though I seldom use mine), laptop computers (because I am not “on the road” for my work, and I do not take a computer with me on vacations), and blackberrys, iPods, iPads, or any similar devices. (Unlike Barack Obama, I have no need for a mobile e-mail device nor the bells and whistles (apps) they offer, since I spend most of my time at home writing at my desktop computer).
These were the authors’ top three “eureka” moments. Others were iPods (the iconic portable digital music player), digital cameras, flat-panel TVs, online stock trading, TiVo (the digital device that allows subscribers to record their favorite TV shows and to view them without advertisements), home satellite TV, and karaoke. None of these, too, make my list, although I have to say that may not be true in the future.
When I wrote this essay, blogging was not part of my life. Now, I have to include blogs and blogging as a eureka moment because it is currently part of AndThenSomeWorks.com, a website (that did not exist when I originally wrote this essay) that promotes and discusses products (primarily books) designed for sale by And Then Some Publishing, LLC. I was brought (kicking and screaming) into this aspect of new technological developments — but only when dragged in at the hands of concerned family members! As a “eureka” moment, it now falls somewhere within the list offered below.
Here, then, is a list of my “eureka” moments over my lifetime. Interestingly, the first four are technology related. I list them in order, and I offer a brief discussion of their importance to me as justification for their inclusion on my list.
The first and most influential “eureka” moment in my lifetime was, indeed, technology oriented. It was the invention of the Word Processor which allowed me, as a writer, to move from a typewriter to a computer screen. For me, this occurred in 1985. And in that change the three most important aspects involved, first, the ability to easily move large pieces of information from place to place within a manuscript (“cut and paste”), the ease of pressing on the keys to get an impression, and, third, the ability to produce an error-free manuscript.
The second most influential “eureka” moment in my lifetime was also technology related. It was the invention of the Internet. Yes, it has value as an important entertainment alternative, and, yes, it yields tremendous benefits in maintaining contact with others. For me, however, the most important feature is its use in researching (searching out) ideas and information. Never before has so much information been so available so quickly.
The third most influential “eureka” moment, also technology related, had a direct, but secondary, effect on me. PowerPoint changed public speaking forever. Although I have never made use of it, I have had to write about it in all of my communication textbooks; thus, I had to learn it well enough to explain it to readers. Because it allows speakers from CEOs to sixth-graders, to display topic headings, charts, and animation with the click of a mouse, it has become not just a dominant, but an overwhelming, force in presentational public speaking.
Because I love moview, the fourth most influential “eureka” moment is the invention of DVDs. As DVDs were being released, and as my family rented them for home viewing, I watched in the rental venues as DVDs slowly acquired more space, and the space devoted to VHS rentals plummeted. Then DVDs began to fade as direct downloading of movies took place. A whole generation of technology swept through like a brisk wind.
A related invention, CDs, also had a major influence. I had a very large (500 plus) collection of 45s, and my LPs numbered close to 500 hundred as well; thus, replacing my collection with CDs took some time; however, I have now acquired most of the recordings I am interested in. Then my wife bought me a music center which allowed me to transfer my LPs to CDs, and now my CD collection far surpasses that of my former record collections—and is soon likely to be replaced by MP3s (but only after a great deal more kicking and screaming).
For my fifth “eureka” moment, it took me awhile to finally convert, but it happened suddenly on one of our many vacations. Instead of pumping gas then proceeding into the station to pay the cashier, I used my credit card at the pump. The saved time is what affected me most, but the ease of the process, too, convinced me that my fifth most influential “eureka” moment had to be the invention of “pay at the pump.”
Lettuce in a bag is my sixth most influential “eureka” moment. My wife and I eat a lot of salads. When the garden isn’t producing lettuce, we depend on lettuce in a bag. The variety is outstanding, the quality is superb, and the cleanliness has been proven over and over.
My seventh “eureka” moment—and most recent—is microwaveable popcorn. What’s odd about this choice is that I wrote an earlier essay on popcorn in which I talked about how I prepare and season it. The problem is the time it takes to do that. When I am writing, have other tasks to complete, and feel pressured to produce, I find microwaveable popcorn to be a godsend. It is tasty, nutritious, and fast— pops entirely during one commercial break! (As I updated this essay for current posting, I have to admit that several weeks ago I purchased another 50-pound bag of popcorn kernels—so, even though I sometimes use microwave popcorn, I kick and scream and cook it the old-fashioned way as much as I can.
It was Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, physicist, and engineer who, having made a discovery or created a new machine, forgot himself and ran around the town, butt naked, shouting “Eureka! Eureka!” I never ran around shouting “Eureka! Eureka!,” but I kick and scream a lot. It’s amazing how drums seldom beat and bugles never blare, but the effect is the same; the effect of these changes, alone, has been immeasurable.
-----
What are the top ten eureka moments in history? Find them listed and discussed at the Science Channel website, . It states, “... These stories represent times when inspiration struck like a bolt out of the blue and the world was changed by that eureka... that, or these scientists are just the ones with the best P.R.” They are: 1) special relativity, 2) alternating current, 3) nerve impulses transmitted chemically, 4) Archimedes and the Golden Crown, 5) television, 6) PCR (the way a small amount of DNA can be exponentially amplified), 7) coordinate geometry, 8) microwave oven, 9) Velcro, and 10) Post-It Notes. Don’t agree? What would you add or subtract from the list?
At the Newsweek website, Sharon Begley has a terrific essay on how the brain produces these “Eureka” moments, entitled, not surprisingly, “Eureka! How the Brain has 'Aha' Moments.”
Want to read the article that spawned my essay? Read, “Twenty-five Years of Eureka Moments,” at USA Today.
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Copyright May, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.
I am aided in my quest by an article in USA Today (May 20, 2007), by Byron Acohido, Jim Hopkins, Jefferson Graham, and Michelle Kessler entitled “25 years of ‘eureka’ moments.” In their article, they present and briefly discuss the top 25 life-changing inventions.
Now, I have to admit — although I don’t like doing this — that I am slow to change. I prefer my comfort zones because they are safe, secure, and require no new learning. For me, my comfort zones protect my routines, plans, methods, customs, and habits. When my pattern is predictable, I do not have to spend time thinking about how to do something; all I have to do is plug in the new content. I like my typical, everyday, commonplace activities, and I protect them.
This admission — that I’m slow to change — will explain why much of the technology that has been introduced over the past 25 years has not taken root in my activities. For example, some of the top “life-changing inventions” according to the authors of the USA Today article, are not included in my list: cellphones (my wife and I have them, even though I seldom use mine), laptop computers (because I am not “on the road” for my work, and I do not take a computer with me on vacations), and blackberrys, iPods, iPads, or any similar devices. (Unlike Barack Obama, I have no need for a mobile e-mail device nor the bells and whistles (apps) they offer, since I spend most of my time at home writing at my desktop computer).
These were the authors’ top three “eureka” moments. Others were iPods (the iconic portable digital music player), digital cameras, flat-panel TVs, online stock trading, TiVo (the digital device that allows subscribers to record their favorite TV shows and to view them without advertisements), home satellite TV, and karaoke. None of these, too, make my list, although I have to say that may not be true in the future.
When I wrote this essay, blogging was not part of my life. Now, I have to include blogs and blogging as a eureka moment because it is currently part of AndThenSomeWorks.com, a website (that did not exist when I originally wrote this essay) that promotes and discusses products (primarily books) designed for sale by And Then Some Publishing, LLC. I was brought (kicking and screaming) into this aspect of new technological developments — but only when dragged in at the hands of concerned family members! As a “eureka” moment, it now falls somewhere within the list offered below.
Here, then, is a list of my “eureka” moments over my lifetime. Interestingly, the first four are technology related. I list them in order, and I offer a brief discussion of their importance to me as justification for their inclusion on my list.
The first and most influential “eureka” moment in my lifetime was, indeed, technology oriented. It was the invention of the Word Processor which allowed me, as a writer, to move from a typewriter to a computer screen. For me, this occurred in 1985. And in that change the three most important aspects involved, first, the ability to easily move large pieces of information from place to place within a manuscript (“cut and paste”), the ease of pressing on the keys to get an impression, and, third, the ability to produce an error-free manuscript.
The second most influential “eureka” moment in my lifetime was also technology related. It was the invention of the Internet. Yes, it has value as an important entertainment alternative, and, yes, it yields tremendous benefits in maintaining contact with others. For me, however, the most important feature is its use in researching (searching out) ideas and information. Never before has so much information been so available so quickly.
The third most influential “eureka” moment, also technology related, had a direct, but secondary, effect on me. PowerPoint changed public speaking forever. Although I have never made use of it, I have had to write about it in all of my communication textbooks; thus, I had to learn it well enough to explain it to readers. Because it allows speakers from CEOs to sixth-graders, to display topic headings, charts, and animation with the click of a mouse, it has become not just a dominant, but an overwhelming, force in presentational public speaking.
Because I love moview, the fourth most influential “eureka” moment is the invention of DVDs. As DVDs were being released, and as my family rented them for home viewing, I watched in the rental venues as DVDs slowly acquired more space, and the space devoted to VHS rentals plummeted. Then DVDs began to fade as direct downloading of movies took place. A whole generation of technology swept through like a brisk wind.
A related invention, CDs, also had a major influence. I had a very large (500 plus) collection of 45s, and my LPs numbered close to 500 hundred as well; thus, replacing my collection with CDs took some time; however, I have now acquired most of the recordings I am interested in. Then my wife bought me a music center which allowed me to transfer my LPs to CDs, and now my CD collection far surpasses that of my former record collections—and is soon likely to be replaced by MP3s (but only after a great deal more kicking and screaming).
For my fifth “eureka” moment, it took me awhile to finally convert, but it happened suddenly on one of our many vacations. Instead of pumping gas then proceeding into the station to pay the cashier, I used my credit card at the pump. The saved time is what affected me most, but the ease of the process, too, convinced me that my fifth most influential “eureka” moment had to be the invention of “pay at the pump.”
Lettuce in a bag is my sixth most influential “eureka” moment. My wife and I eat a lot of salads. When the garden isn’t producing lettuce, we depend on lettuce in a bag. The variety is outstanding, the quality is superb, and the cleanliness has been proven over and over.
My seventh “eureka” moment—and most recent—is microwaveable popcorn. What’s odd about this choice is that I wrote an earlier essay on popcorn in which I talked about how I prepare and season it. The problem is the time it takes to do that. When I am writing, have other tasks to complete, and feel pressured to produce, I find microwaveable popcorn to be a godsend. It is tasty, nutritious, and fast— pops entirely during one commercial break! (As I updated this essay for current posting, I have to admit that several weeks ago I purchased another 50-pound bag of popcorn kernels—so, even though I sometimes use microwave popcorn, I kick and scream and cook it the old-fashioned way as much as I can.
It was Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, physicist, and engineer who, having made a discovery or created a new machine, forgot himself and ran around the town, butt naked, shouting “Eureka! Eureka!” I never ran around shouting “Eureka! Eureka!,” but I kick and scream a lot. It’s amazing how drums seldom beat and bugles never blare, but the effect is the same; the effect of these changes, alone, has been immeasurable.
-----
What are the top ten eureka moments in history? Find them listed and discussed at the Science Channel website,
At the Newsweek website
Want to read the article that spawned my essay? Read, “Twenty-five Years of Eureka Moments,” at USA Today
-----
Copyright May, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
How to build a personality from the ground up
by Richard L. Weaver II
He came to me early in the first semester after graduating from high school. He was exactly what one might characterize as a “nerd,” “computer geek,” “dork,” “dweeb,” or “techie.” Charles had his own label: “loser.” He had been assigned as my advisee because as a top, highly skilled debater in high school, he sought to capitalize on his speech-communication prowess by becoming a politician, lawyer, minister, or teacher. With his background and skill, the choice was clearly his; however, he had a serious problem, and he knew it. He had no friends, and what he needed the most was a “personality makeover” — some kind of transformation or overhaul that would make him well liked (affable, amiable, genial, charming, appealing, delightful, and good-natured).
As a speech-communication advisor, I had never worked with someone like Charles, but I found him fascinating and the refurbishment he sought a challenge. The first thing I told him was that entering college was, perhaps, one of the best times in life to make major personality changes. He could leave his high school persona behind as well as all those who knew him then, and he could now construct — from whatever foundation he chose — the personality that would not only please him but the personality, too, that would best serve his future interests and goals.
How do you begin to build a new personality from the ground up? It is actually a simpler process than what one might imagine; however, there are two prerequisites. First, one needs a completely new situation. It’s a little like sitting next to a stranger on an airplane or chatting with one on the Internet — a person you know you’ll never see again — and supplying the kind of information and details that cause the other person to form a complimentary, praiseworthy, and totally favorable opinion of you. Second, you need a whole set of new acquaintances who have no ties or relationships to your former persona. What these new acquaintances must only hear and see is “the new you.”
There is an important principle that underlies this remodeling scenario. The “self” is a socially constructed entity. That is, we learn about our self through the eyes of others. It is others who provide the specific information and knowledge we use as we put together our concept or perception of our self. That is exactly how Charles learned, for example, that people do not like nerds, geeks, dweebs, dorks, and techies. He had no friends, but he knew why.
So, where did I start? Although I did not have the help of Scott Ginsberg when assisting Charles, Ginsberg’s book, The Power of Approachability (Front Porch Productions, 2005), offers excellent advice that permits people to begin at the ground floor. There is nothing earth shattering in the book, however, one must have a place to begin, and if the intent is to build a new self, and if the self is socially constructed, then one must assume the responsibility of establishing the social connections through which new information and knowledge will be channeled.
The first thing Charles needed to do was make a major change in the way he approached others — all others. It required an attitude readjustment. No longer could Charles blame others for not liking or approaching him. Now, the responsibility was entirely his. Entirely! No matter what the basic motivation for engaging others — to help them, learn from them, relate to them, influence them, or play with them — Charles must be ready to engage them, and there are a number of ways to do it:
—Encourage people to break their silence with you by opening with a question.
—Identify and amplify others’ names to make them feel appreciated and connected with you.
—Use humor. Because humor disarms people, find something funny in the situation or about yourself that you can use to make them laugh or smile.
—Find information. Is there information others have that would help you or that you can find out from them?
—Depend on your own knowledge. Is there any information or knowledge you have that you can offer others that would in some way help, assist, benefit, encourage, stimulate, or facilitate the situation?
You can’t stand on the sidelines and expect others to take the initiative. It may require that you think outside the box — outside what is expected, believed, thought, or assumed. Often, if a connection is to be made, someone must be willing to break the ice, disturb the flow, or change the expectations. Having information and knowledge, of course, is a good way to do this.
The second thing Charles needed to do was to make himself accessible and easy to deal with. Because of his background and upbringing, he tended to present a rather formal, staid, and dignified presence. This certainly aided him when debating. But that demeanor conveyed to others that he was aloof, reserved, remote, detached, and unapproachable. This wasn’t an easy change for Charles to make. I suggested that Charles play the role of a relaxed, comfortable, easygoing person who was open, friendly, unpretentious, unstuffy, and casual. I told him that by playing the role, many of these characteristics would stick and become natural and comfortable.
The third thing Charles needed to do was become friendly and ready to listen to others. Because he was extremely well-informed and knowledgeable, seldom was Charles at a loss for words; however, this trait got him into trouble. Others found communicating with him difficult, to say the least. Jean De La Bruyere, the French essayist and moralist said it best, “The great gift of conversation lies less in displaying it ourselves than in drawing it out of others. He who leaves your company pleased with himself and his own cleverness is perfectly well pleased with you.”
Friendliness is always two-way. That is, to have a friend, you must be a friend. Once again, Charles had to break from his standard operating procedure. He had to show others he cared, build trust with them, remind others that talking with him was worth it, trigger others’ psychological need to be included, and draw others to him with surprising, honest, appealing, memorable and fun answers that personified his new attitude by expediting interaction and creating engaging conversation.
Charles saw changes immediately, liked the results, and continued his program of growth, development, and change. He had built a new, positive, outgoing personality from the ground up.
-----
At ezinearticles.com, there is a terrific essay by Christina Sponias, entitled, “How to build your personality,” in which she offers great advice and numerous suggestions.
If you are looking for practical suggestions that you can adopt and use immediately, visit “Personality Development.”
-----
Copyright March, 2009 by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.
He came to me early in the first semester after graduating from high school. He was exactly what one might characterize as a “nerd,” “computer geek,” “dork,” “dweeb,” or “techie.” Charles had his own label: “loser.” He had been assigned as my advisee because as a top, highly skilled debater in high school, he sought to capitalize on his speech-communication prowess by becoming a politician, lawyer, minister, or teacher. With his background and skill, the choice was clearly his; however, he had a serious problem, and he knew it. He had no friends, and what he needed the most was a “personality makeover” — some kind of transformation or overhaul that would make him well liked (affable, amiable, genial, charming, appealing, delightful, and good-natured).
As a speech-communication advisor, I had never worked with someone like Charles, but I found him fascinating and the refurbishment he sought a challenge. The first thing I told him was that entering college was, perhaps, one of the best times in life to make major personality changes. He could leave his high school persona behind as well as all those who knew him then, and he could now construct — from whatever foundation he chose — the personality that would not only please him but the personality, too, that would best serve his future interests and goals.
How do you begin to build a new personality from the ground up? It is actually a simpler process than what one might imagine; however, there are two prerequisites. First, one needs a completely new situation. It’s a little like sitting next to a stranger on an airplane or chatting with one on the Internet — a person you know you’ll never see again — and supplying the kind of information and details that cause the other person to form a complimentary, praiseworthy, and totally favorable opinion of you. Second, you need a whole set of new acquaintances who have no ties or relationships to your former persona. What these new acquaintances must only hear and see is “the new you.”
There is an important principle that underlies this remodeling scenario. The “self” is a socially constructed entity. That is, we learn about our self through the eyes of others. It is others who provide the specific information and knowledge we use as we put together our concept or perception of our self. That is exactly how Charles learned, for example, that people do not like nerds, geeks, dweebs, dorks, and techies. He had no friends, but he knew why.
So, where did I start? Although I did not have the help of Scott Ginsberg when assisting Charles, Ginsberg’s book, The Power of Approachability (Front Porch Productions, 2005), offers excellent advice that permits people to begin at the ground floor. There is nothing earth shattering in the book, however, one must have a place to begin, and if the intent is to build a new self, and if the self is socially constructed, then one must assume the responsibility of establishing the social connections through which new information and knowledge will be channeled.
The first thing Charles needed to do was make a major change in the way he approached others — all others. It required an attitude readjustment. No longer could Charles blame others for not liking or approaching him. Now, the responsibility was entirely his. Entirely! No matter what the basic motivation for engaging others — to help them, learn from them, relate to them, influence them, or play with them — Charles must be ready to engage them, and there are a number of ways to do it:
—Encourage people to break their silence with you by opening with a question.
—Identify and amplify others’ names to make them feel appreciated and connected with you.
—Use humor. Because humor disarms people, find something funny in the situation or about yourself that you can use to make them laugh or smile.
—Find information. Is there information others have that would help you or that you can find out from them?
—Depend on your own knowledge. Is there any information or knowledge you have that you can offer others that would in some way help, assist, benefit, encourage, stimulate, or facilitate the situation?
You can’t stand on the sidelines and expect others to take the initiative. It may require that you think outside the box — outside what is expected, believed, thought, or assumed. Often, if a connection is to be made, someone must be willing to break the ice, disturb the flow, or change the expectations. Having information and knowledge, of course, is a good way to do this.
The second thing Charles needed to do was to make himself accessible and easy to deal with. Because of his background and upbringing, he tended to present a rather formal, staid, and dignified presence. This certainly aided him when debating. But that demeanor conveyed to others that he was aloof, reserved, remote, detached, and unapproachable. This wasn’t an easy change for Charles to make. I suggested that Charles play the role of a relaxed, comfortable, easygoing person who was open, friendly, unpretentious, unstuffy, and casual. I told him that by playing the role, many of these characteristics would stick and become natural and comfortable.
The third thing Charles needed to do was become friendly and ready to listen to others. Because he was extremely well-informed and knowledgeable, seldom was Charles at a loss for words; however, this trait got him into trouble. Others found communicating with him difficult, to say the least. Jean De La Bruyere, the French essayist and moralist said it best, “The great gift of conversation lies less in displaying it ourselves than in drawing it out of others. He who leaves your company pleased with himself and his own cleverness is perfectly well pleased with you.”
Friendliness is always two-way. That is, to have a friend, you must be a friend. Once again, Charles had to break from his standard operating procedure. He had to show others he cared, build trust with them, remind others that talking with him was worth it, trigger others’ psychological need to be included, and draw others to him with surprising, honest, appealing, memorable and fun answers that personified his new attitude by expediting interaction and creating engaging conversation.
Charles saw changes immediately, liked the results, and continued his program of growth, development, and change. He had built a new, positive, outgoing personality from the ground up.
-----
At ezinearticles.com, there is a terrific essay by Christina Sponias, entitled, “How to build your personality,” in which she offers great advice and numerous suggestions.
If you are looking for practical suggestions that you can adopt and use immediately, visit “Personality Development.”
-----
Copyright March, 2009 by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Eight steps for raising your standards And Then Some
Are you happy with “good enough,” or have you become complacent with the “ordinary”? It’s a little like living with all the junk you have accumulated over the years and making no move to change the situation. As-a-matter-of-fact, you have become so accustomed to it, you don’t even notice it anymore. Often, it is this same mindset that carries over into every aspect of your life — relationships, jobs, household chores, and projects. To change the mindset requires effort and commitment, and when “good enough” is sufficient, why bother?
One of the reasons people consistently perform at a higher level than others or produce more remarkable results is that they possess a higher mental standard. Because you always move in the direction of your currently dominant thought, when your mindset is “excellence,” you will move toward that and perform at a higher level.
The important point here is a simple one. Trying to change behavior and performance — like improving your life, upgrading your standards, enhancing your relationships, advancing your employment status, and bettering your everyday experiences — requires a change in your mindset, otherwise any change you plan or undertake is likely to fail.
The question clearly becomes, how do you do it? The very first step is to realize you are in control. It is your choice about how you want to live your life. Because standards are a reflection of you and what’s right for you, you must make a choice: Choose to raise your standards. You are in control, and until you raise your standards at a deep, internal level, then nothing is going to change in your life.
The second step is to look at the people you admire. What is it about them that you admire? How do they behave? How do you feel when you’re around them? What would you have to change in your life to become more like the people you admire? These comparisons can offer a useful plan of action or, at the very least, a place to begin.
The third step is to expect more from yourself. To change, you are going to have to adjust, modify, revise, reshape, rework, and, perhaps, transform yourself. Not only is this risky, but also it requires work. Demand more of your performance in everything you do. You may need to become more creative in looking at and selecting from a wide variety of options; you may need to become more efficient by cutting out time-wasting, unnecessary distractions; you may need to put some pressure on yourself to break out from your secure, safe, and contented comfort zone. Although leaving any safe, stable environment for something unknown is unpredictable and potentially fraught with danger, also it can be an invigorating, action-packed adventure.
The fourth step is to expect more from others. You need to surround yourself with people who will challenge you. This may mean finding new players in your life. New co-workers, new friends, new relationship partners are more likely to test you, make demands on you, stretch, stimulate, inspire, and excite you. This is precisely what you need to push you to your limits.
The fifth step is to become more assertive. You get what you settle for; thus, when you risk rocking the boat, disappointing (or surprising others), or giving yourself more than what you think you deserve, you automatically raise your standards. When you raise your standards, you will automatically start to attract better things into your life — better friends, more varied experiences, superior relationships, and even higher quality material possessions.
There is no reason you need to settle for an inferior meal in a restaurant, a dirty room in a motel, a product that is below the quality you expect and deserve, a bad seat in an airplane or on a bus, or a negative conversation that may damage your ego, adversely affect your mindset, or unfavorably bear on your future goals. Take things back, write letters of complaint, buy higher quality things, do not support low-quality TV programming, refuse to pay for advertising, fix things instead of throwing them out, never buy anything on impulse, and stop settling for less.
The sixth step is to be easy on yourself. Change like that being discussed in this essay is not going to happen overnight. Much of what is being changed required your whole lifetime to learn and practice, thus, it is accepted, comfortable, and pleasant behavior. That is why so many people do not change. Become aware of your new behavior, and when you find yourself slipping back into your old ways, stop trying to change and live your new standard. Be easy on yourself when you slip; it is a necessary, always-present aspect of growing and changing.
Think of “raising your standards” as creating a new habit for yourself. It is a new way of acting. Remember that it takes a minimum of twenty-one repetitions of a behavior before it becomes a new habit. Consider this a journey, and as on any excursion — especially one with as important a destination as this voyage may have — you must enjoy the ride. Be observant and aware as this expedition takes you into new, uncharted territory.
The seventh step, in addition to the fourth step where you may find new players in your life, make a commitment to socialize more. When you raise your standards, the people around you will respond to you differently. There will be those who choose to leave your life while others choose to remain. New people will enter your life because they are attracted to your new standards. By socializing more — especially with raised standards — you will contact more of those likely to see and enjoy your new standards and more of those people who will choose to become part of your life because of those new standards. The quality of your life will improve.
The eighth step is to remove the words “good enough” and “okay” from your vocabulary.
Higher mental standards — desiring distinction, superior quality, and remarkable brilliance — can provide a framework for everything you do. It could be an event you’re planning, a product you’re designing, a meal you’re preparing, a letter you are writing, a project you are completing, a proposal you’re submitting, a speech you are creating, a vacation you are planning, or a room you are rearranging, when your standard is excellence, you will perform at a higher level. We tend to take our standards for granted, however, standards matter, and it is possible to raise them. By following the eight steps outlined in this essay, you will raise your standards And Then Some!
-----
A very good essay with some good practical ideas for raising your standards can be found in the essay, “Raise Your Standards,” at Take Action With Coach Lee (September 4, 2007).
Valorie Burton (July 27, 2009) writes an essay, “Raise Your Standards, Change Your Life,” at the website, blackamericaweb.com This was retrieved January 12, 2010, and in the essay Burton discusses four suggestions: 1) Decide what’s acceptable, 2) Exemplify what you expect, 3) Take steps to meet the new standard, and 4) Be willing to let go.
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Copyright April 2010 by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.
One of the reasons people consistently perform at a higher level than others or produce more remarkable results is that they possess a higher mental standard. Because you always move in the direction of your currently dominant thought, when your mindset is “excellence,” you will move toward that and perform at a higher level.
The important point here is a simple one. Trying to change behavior and performance — like improving your life, upgrading your standards, enhancing your relationships, advancing your employment status, and bettering your everyday experiences — requires a change in your mindset, otherwise any change you plan or undertake is likely to fail.
The question clearly becomes, how do you do it? The very first step is to realize you are in control. It is your choice about how you want to live your life. Because standards are a reflection of you and what’s right for you, you must make a choice: Choose to raise your standards. You are in control, and until you raise your standards at a deep, internal level, then nothing is going to change in your life.
The second step is to look at the people you admire. What is it about them that you admire? How do they behave? How do you feel when you’re around them? What would you have to change in your life to become more like the people you admire? These comparisons can offer a useful plan of action or, at the very least, a place to begin.
The third step is to expect more from yourself. To change, you are going to have to adjust, modify, revise, reshape, rework, and, perhaps, transform yourself. Not only is this risky, but also it requires work. Demand more of your performance in everything you do. You may need to become more creative in looking at and selecting from a wide variety of options; you may need to become more efficient by cutting out time-wasting, unnecessary distractions; you may need to put some pressure on yourself to break out from your secure, safe, and contented comfort zone. Although leaving any safe, stable environment for something unknown is unpredictable and potentially fraught with danger, also it can be an invigorating, action-packed adventure.
The fourth step is to expect more from others. You need to surround yourself with people who will challenge you. This may mean finding new players in your life. New co-workers, new friends, new relationship partners are more likely to test you, make demands on you, stretch, stimulate, inspire, and excite you. This is precisely what you need to push you to your limits.
The fifth step is to become more assertive. You get what you settle for; thus, when you risk rocking the boat, disappointing (or surprising others), or giving yourself more than what you think you deserve, you automatically raise your standards. When you raise your standards, you will automatically start to attract better things into your life — better friends, more varied experiences, superior relationships, and even higher quality material possessions.
There is no reason you need to settle for an inferior meal in a restaurant, a dirty room in a motel, a product that is below the quality you expect and deserve, a bad seat in an airplane or on a bus, or a negative conversation that may damage your ego, adversely affect your mindset, or unfavorably bear on your future goals. Take things back, write letters of complaint, buy higher quality things, do not support low-quality TV programming, refuse to pay for advertising, fix things instead of throwing them out, never buy anything on impulse, and stop settling for less.
The sixth step is to be easy on yourself. Change like that being discussed in this essay is not going to happen overnight. Much of what is being changed required your whole lifetime to learn and practice, thus, it is accepted, comfortable, and pleasant behavior. That is why so many people do not change. Become aware of your new behavior, and when you find yourself slipping back into your old ways, stop trying to change and live your new standard. Be easy on yourself when you slip; it is a necessary, always-present aspect of growing and changing.
Think of “raising your standards” as creating a new habit for yourself. It is a new way of acting. Remember that it takes a minimum of twenty-one repetitions of a behavior before it becomes a new habit. Consider this a journey, and as on any excursion — especially one with as important a destination as this voyage may have — you must enjoy the ride. Be observant and aware as this expedition takes you into new, uncharted territory.
The seventh step, in addition to the fourth step where you may find new players in your life, make a commitment to socialize more. When you raise your standards, the people around you will respond to you differently. There will be those who choose to leave your life while others choose to remain. New people will enter your life because they are attracted to your new standards. By socializing more — especially with raised standards — you will contact more of those likely to see and enjoy your new standards and more of those people who will choose to become part of your life because of those new standards. The quality of your life will improve.
The eighth step is to remove the words “good enough” and “okay” from your vocabulary.
Higher mental standards — desiring distinction, superior quality, and remarkable brilliance — can provide a framework for everything you do. It could be an event you’re planning, a product you’re designing, a meal you’re preparing, a letter you are writing, a project you are completing, a proposal you’re submitting, a speech you are creating, a vacation you are planning, or a room you are rearranging, when your standard is excellence, you will perform at a higher level. We tend to take our standards for granted, however, standards matter, and it is possible to raise them. By following the eight steps outlined in this essay, you will raise your standards And Then Some!
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A very good essay with some good practical ideas for raising your standards can be found in the essay, “Raise Your Standards,” at Take Action With Coach Lee (September 4, 2007).
Valorie Burton (July 27, 2009) writes an essay, “Raise Your Standards, Change Your Life,” at the website, blackamericaweb.com This was retrieved January 12, 2010, and in the essay Burton discusses four suggestions: 1) Decide what’s acceptable, 2) Exemplify what you expect, 3) Take steps to meet the new standard, and 4) Be willing to let go.
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Copyright April 2010 by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Random observations for those planning a Caribbean cruise
There is no order to these observations; I wrote them down as they occurred. Also, they were written as reminders for me since I know that I will be cruising the Caribbean again one day. I keep a journal when I cruise (or travel anywhere), and throughout my journals I make random observations as well that are specifically designed to alert me the next time I read the notes.
1) Take plenty of sunscreen. Every place you go is hot, the sun is intense, and most places are humid as well. If you are wearing sandals make sure you protect your feet from the sun as well as the back of your neck. I remember being on the deck of a car/passenger ship between the northern and southern islands in New Zealand. Although we were warned of the dangers of the sun, the cool breeze and clouds seemed to ameliorate its effects — temporarily. Not true! We (meaning my family members and myself) received severe, very uncomfortable burns.
2) Most ports — meaning countries — are desperate for tourist dollars and, thus, watch out for tourist safety and happiness. You find little trouble in most ports, but travelers must always be careful. This means you carry your wallet in your front pocket where you can keep your hand on it, carry your driver’s license with its picture and leave your passport in the safe in your room, and refrain from going into places that look unsafe. Use your head. (Everywhere pickpockets have been active, we have been warned to be extra careful.)
3) If you carry drinking water and snacks in a fanny pack or back pack, you don’t have to be dependent on local places for drinks or food. We carry our own empty plastic 10-12 ounce plastic bottles that we fill with ship water before going ashore. When rooms have their own refrigerators, you can even carry cold water by wrapping it in a towel. Also, there are places like McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC in most ports that can be trusted for their food, water, and “clean” restrooms. (“Clean” is a relative term.)
4) If you purchase items from local vendors, bargaining is expected and, inevitably, you can reduce the cost of various items. Another theory is that the local people in these countries are much poorer than we are and need the tourist dollar far more than we would. For that reason (and to avoid having to bargain), you can pay the asking price (knowing that it is a bit high). The important thing is that you are happy with your purchase. (It seems, after our fourth Caribbean cruise, that all shops will bargain.)
5) Pack light. On sea days, for men, bermudas, sandals, and a tee shirt is all that is needed. The “smart” casual style requested by cruise lines for evening dining, means slacks and a knit shirt with a collar. You’ll need comfortable shoes for walking, plus “dress” shoes for the restaurant and for the evening.
6) You really don’t need a great deal of background study and preparation for understanding most islands/countries. The cruise line offers brochures on each port that includes general information (e.g., capitol, location, size, population, language, currency, time zone, and tourist information). The brochure offers a map of the location of the island as well as a history, information on how to get to town, store hours, bank and post office hours, and emergency numbers. The brochures we receive include a close-up map of the main town/city of each island as well as recommended stores and restaurants — more information than most people need, want, or even will read.
Now, it must be said here that by not taking any excursion away from the port area, you get a very skewed impression of an island/country. A port city doth not a country make! On most cruises we schedule an excursion of each of the new places we visit (e.g., on our Mediterranean cruise we took an excursion at every port of call except for the small Greek island of Mykonos. That meant nine excursions (two on our two-day stay in Rome) for ten ports — with none in Barcelona nor in Venice, our beginning and ending points.
7) Some useful items to take with you that we have discovered during our travels include books, writing materials, magazines, a hat, back pack, fanny pack, plenty of single dollar bills (you can get more onboard ship), some U.S. change, walking shoes, band aids (for blisters or for protecting blisters), flip flops (especially if you plan to swim), and plastic bags for protecting lotions from spilling, for taking food from the cafeteria for room snacks or excursions (e.g., we took muffins, cookies, and fresh fruit for our walks into town), and for keeping food from the souvenirs we put in the back pack as we travel.
8) Do not bring a knife, letter opener, or any sharp metal object (e.g., a nail file). Sitting near a woman in the Princess Theater, we overheard her say she bought a rather fancy letter opener for a friend, and they confiscated it at the runway and told her she could retrieve it in Fort Lauderdale (at the end of our cruise). I showed her the pocket knife I had been taking through security (you and everything you carry with you are scanned every time you board the ship). I have a steel-cased glasses case which goes through the scanner on top of my backpack. The small knife conveniently fits into the case along with my dark glasses.
As a short aside, you may wonder why I even need a small pocket knife? I must cut apples or corn-on-the-cob before eating them because I cannot bite into them with my expensive, front-teeth implants. I have found having the small pocket knife has been an invaluable tool.
9) Plan to use the room safe for any valuables. While on board, we keep our wallets and money there. It is where we store our passports at all times. It is easy to use; you need a four-number sequence to open or close it; we use our house number because it is easy to remember.
10) If your goal is not to gain weight on a cruise, one way to avoid some of the calories is to avoid all bread and potatoes (and most desserts!). Your ship cook will make it very tempting! By avoiding bread and potatoes, you can concentrate on the main foods. It is also easy to avoid all deep-fried foods and pasta. If you are thinking as you read this that it is precisely these items that make up the cruise-food you expect for the cost of your cruise, then you will check onto your ship as a cruiser, but you will surely leave it as cargo!
There are, of course, many potential “random observations,” and just as each set of my own might be different if written at different times, each person will have a different set as well. For example, take naps, avoid ship charge-card expenses (they add up fast — especially drinks), and book your own excursions off the ship, might be some additional “observations.” These are just some thoughts to help make your Caribbean cruise more enjoyable and more successful. You just have to be prepared for pleasure!
-----
At Cruise Travel Vacations, just before you get to the direct sales-pitch information, the site includes some useful suggestions especially designed for first-time cruisers.
At Cruise Critic, there are links to many useful websites. For example, there are quick links to: Cruise Deals, Cruise Ship Reviews, Community, Cruising Regions, Cruise Styles, and US Homeports.
-----
Copyright April 2010 by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.
1) Take plenty of sunscreen. Every place you go is hot, the sun is intense, and most places are humid as well. If you are wearing sandals make sure you protect your feet from the sun as well as the back of your neck. I remember being on the deck of a car/passenger ship between the northern and southern islands in New Zealand. Although we were warned of the dangers of the sun, the cool breeze and clouds seemed to ameliorate its effects — temporarily. Not true! We (meaning my family members and myself) received severe, very uncomfortable burns.
2) Most ports — meaning countries — are desperate for tourist dollars and, thus, watch out for tourist safety and happiness. You find little trouble in most ports, but travelers must always be careful. This means you carry your wallet in your front pocket where you can keep your hand on it, carry your driver’s license with its picture and leave your passport in the safe in your room, and refrain from going into places that look unsafe. Use your head. (Everywhere pickpockets have been active, we have been warned to be extra careful.)
3) If you carry drinking water and snacks in a fanny pack or back pack, you don’t have to be dependent on local places for drinks or food. We carry our own empty plastic 10-12 ounce plastic bottles that we fill with ship water before going ashore. When rooms have their own refrigerators, you can even carry cold water by wrapping it in a towel. Also, there are places like McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC in most ports that can be trusted for their food, water, and “clean” restrooms. (“Clean” is a relative term.)
4) If you purchase items from local vendors, bargaining is expected and, inevitably, you can reduce the cost of various items. Another theory is that the local people in these countries are much poorer than we are and need the tourist dollar far more than we would. For that reason (and to avoid having to bargain), you can pay the asking price (knowing that it is a bit high). The important thing is that you are happy with your purchase. (It seems, after our fourth Caribbean cruise, that all shops will bargain.)
5) Pack light. On sea days, for men, bermudas, sandals, and a tee shirt is all that is needed. The “smart” casual style requested by cruise lines for evening dining, means slacks and a knit shirt with a collar. You’ll need comfortable shoes for walking, plus “dress” shoes for the restaurant and for the evening.
6) You really don’t need a great deal of background study and preparation for understanding most islands/countries. The cruise line offers brochures on each port that includes general information (e.g., capitol, location, size, population, language, currency, time zone, and tourist information). The brochure offers a map of the location of the island as well as a history, information on how to get to town, store hours, bank and post office hours, and emergency numbers. The brochures we receive include a close-up map of the main town/city of each island as well as recommended stores and restaurants — more information than most people need, want, or even will read.
Now, it must be said here that by not taking any excursion away from the port area, you get a very skewed impression of an island/country. A port city doth not a country make! On most cruises we schedule an excursion of each of the new places we visit (e.g., on our Mediterranean cruise we took an excursion at every port of call except for the small Greek island of Mykonos. That meant nine excursions (two on our two-day stay in Rome) for ten ports — with none in Barcelona nor in Venice, our beginning and ending points.
7) Some useful items to take with you that we have discovered during our travels include books, writing materials, magazines, a hat, back pack, fanny pack, plenty of single dollar bills (you can get more onboard ship), some U.S. change, walking shoes, band aids (for blisters or for protecting blisters), flip flops (especially if you plan to swim), and plastic bags for protecting lotions from spilling, for taking food from the cafeteria for room snacks or excursions (e.g., we took muffins, cookies, and fresh fruit for our walks into town), and for keeping food from the souvenirs we put in the back pack as we travel.
8) Do not bring a knife, letter opener, or any sharp metal object (e.g., a nail file). Sitting near a woman in the Princess Theater, we overheard her say she bought a rather fancy letter opener for a friend, and they confiscated it at the runway and told her she could retrieve it in Fort Lauderdale (at the end of our cruise). I showed her the pocket knife I had been taking through security (you and everything you carry with you are scanned every time you board the ship). I have a steel-cased glasses case which goes through the scanner on top of my backpack. The small knife conveniently fits into the case along with my dark glasses.
As a short aside, you may wonder why I even need a small pocket knife? I must cut apples or corn-on-the-cob before eating them because I cannot bite into them with my expensive, front-teeth implants. I have found having the small pocket knife has been an invaluable tool.
9) Plan to use the room safe for any valuables. While on board, we keep our wallets and money there. It is where we store our passports at all times. It is easy to use; you need a four-number sequence to open or close it; we use our house number because it is easy to remember.
10) If your goal is not to gain weight on a cruise, one way to avoid some of the calories is to avoid all bread and potatoes (and most desserts!). Your ship cook will make it very tempting! By avoiding bread and potatoes, you can concentrate on the main foods. It is also easy to avoid all deep-fried foods and pasta. If you are thinking as you read this that it is precisely these items that make up the cruise-food you expect for the cost of your cruise, then you will check onto your ship as a cruiser, but you will surely leave it as cargo!
There are, of course, many potential “random observations,” and just as each set of my own might be different if written at different times, each person will have a different set as well. For example, take naps, avoid ship charge-card expenses (they add up fast — especially drinks), and book your own excursions off the ship, might be some additional “observations.” These are just some thoughts to help make your Caribbean cruise more enjoyable and more successful. You just have to be prepared for pleasure!
-----
At Cruise Travel Vacations, just before you get to the direct sales-pitch information, the site includes some useful suggestions especially designed for first-time cruisers.
At Cruise Critic, there are links to many useful websites. For example, there are quick links to: Cruise Deals, Cruise Ship Reviews, Community, Cruising Regions, Cruise Styles, and US Homeports.
-----
Copyright April 2010 by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
“If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all”
A number of people who have cruised the Caribbean have said it: “If you’ve seen one Caribbean island, you’ve seen them all.” First, this statement is untrue. Each island has its own distinct culture, geography, and sights to see. But, if you are not interested in such distinctions, or, if your desire is simply to enjoy the cruise experience without leaving the ship, then such a comment is easy to throw off, for it is obvious you are not concerned about the veracity of the statement.
Having visited more than ten islands, there is no doubt this comment could apply to some of them — if you don’t explore beyond the port cities. For example, I might group the port cities of St. Vincent, Granada, St. Kitts, and LaRomana in that category for these port cities, unlike Aruba, Curacao, San Juan, Barbados, St. Martin, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas, are really under-developed when it comes to handling tourists in their port cities — and that is the criteria I am using to render this judgment. (I think most people who live in the Caribbean would find such a comment (“If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”) offensive — like grouping all people of the same race or all people from the same country.
Now I have to admit there is a difference when you visit a port where you have previously been. In Grenada, for example, we walked from the ship through the Sendal tunnel — a tight squeeze, one way (for cars), pedestrian walkway — and followed Carenage Street around Carenage Harbour. This is a very scenic, but very local area of St. George’s.
Back through Sendal Tunnel (the local van drivers seem to enjoy scaring the hell out of tourists using the tunnel), we walked along Bruce Street/Melville Street (it changes names), to Branby Street, and then down just a block to Market Square where there is a large local market that sells food, spices, and a variety of local merchandise. We visited it last time we were in Granada. This time we stopped at Maggie’s Spice Shop and picked up 5 nutmeg seeds (for $1.00) and took a picture of Maggie.
There wasn’t a single person from the ship in this large market. Also, Maggie said she must get her nutmeg from other places because the nutmeg trees on Granada were destroyed by hurricane Ivan in 2004 (over 90% of the nutmeg crop was destroyed), and it takes from 7 to 15 years for nutmeg trees to mature. (Just an aside: one of the seeds had worms in it, and the sealed plastic bag in which we kept it was full of worms when we wanted string it to put on our Christmas tree the following winter.)
In walking from the market back to the terminal, my wife and I stopped in a shop looking for a Granada tee-shirt. Two local teenage boys saw me go into the shop, recognized me as a potential target, followed me into the shop with the intention of getting my wallet out of my back pocket. Although I didn’t notice it, my wife did, and she stepped between them and me, and seeing that their intention was foiled, they immediately left the shop.
I’ve said it before, but if your only impression of the island of Granada (and this goes for all other Caribbean islands/countries) is gained just from walking around the port city, you have a very partial, incomplete picture of the island/country. Our excursion the last time we visited Granada took us through a destroyed nutmeg plantation, a lush, beautiful arboretum, and the hilly, attractive interior of this volcanic island.
I watched as our ship left the port of Granada from the 18th deck of the Grand Princess, and as I watched it grow smaller, you could see the clear demarcation of a volcano. Clouds hung over the center part of the island as we left, and not only was it raining in the interior of the island, but there were several beautiful rainbows as well, adding to the luster and grandeur of the topography.
Granada is a beautiful island — the smallest independent country (just 21 miles long by 12 miles wide or only 133 square miles) in the world. It is part of a three-island nation that also includes Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Grenada lies 75 miles southwest of St. Vincent and 90 miles north of Trinidad. We visited Granada on this trip because of civil unrest in Trinidad.
Barbados, the island we visited immediately following Granada, is another island we visited on a previous trip. It is the eastern-most island of the West Indies lying 270 miles from the Venezuelan coast and about 100 miles east of St. Vincent. It is a 14 by 21 mile haven covering 166 square miles. While Grenada has only 93,000 people of African (75%), East Indian, and European descent., Barbados has 279,000, is one of the world’s most densely populated nations, has one of the highest standards of living and literacy rates in the world, and has a distribution of ethnic groups typical of the Eastern Caribbean; 90 percent of the population is black, 5 percent mulatto, and 5 percent white.
Looking at Barbados and Granada from 18 decks above the sea, Granada looked quaint, natural, and lovely. Barbados, on the other hand, looked flat, or, it might be more accurate to say, it is composed of low, undulating hills (four or five) that are fairly heavily treed. It doesn’t look nearly as flat or arid as Aruba or Curacao, however.
But, once again, this is an island where the impression you get from walking the city of Bridgetown (an austere, European, rather pricey, high-class (very British), expensive stores), is not an accurate picture of the island as a whole. Our excursion, the last time we were here, gave us an overview of the island, and the tour painted a much different (and more varied) portrait.
Our excursion on February 20, 2005, began at 8:25 a.m. There were 21 of us on an air conditioned bus, and we headed to the east coast through rolling hills and farmland. We saw a Giant Baobab Tree and stopped at Park’s Farm to see the Barbados Black Belly Shop. Next, we went to the Andromeda Garden. This 6-acre garden had orchids, palms, ferns, heliconia, hibiscus, bougainvillea, begonias, and the Toci Pot palm tree. We spent one hour in the garden with our guide, then went to the Bathsheba Rock formations, a place popular for surfing. We saw the last working windmill in the Western Hemisphere at Morgan Lewis, then the bus took us back to Bridgetown, the island’s capital, and to the docks where the ship was located. My point in detailing this excursion is to prove my point: you must venture out beyond the port cities if you want a complete feeling about what these islands are like.
Even though it is unfair to say, “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all,” it might apply to the less-developed islands/countries and, too, if you do not venture beyond the port city. It is more accurate to say that each port is totally unique in its own way, but the more tourist-friendly they become, the more homogenous they appear. If your goal is to gain a sense of the local culture, ethnic diversity, and local merchandise and food, then it is clear where you need to go.
-----
This is a cool web site. It results from an essay contest in cooperation with the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Want to read what these essayists find unique on a variety of Caribbean islands? If you think “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all,” then read this information.
At Cruise Critic: Cruise Reviews and News, there is at this site, specific information about Aruba, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Barth’s, St. Kitt’s, Granada, Antigua, and Dominica. By just reading the descriptions here, you will quickly come to the conclusion that the cliche, “if you’ve seen one Caribbean island, you’ve seen them all,” is way off base, unfair, and ignorant.
-----
Copyright April 2010 by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.
Having visited more than ten islands, there is no doubt this comment could apply to some of them — if you don’t explore beyond the port cities. For example, I might group the port cities of St. Vincent, Granada, St. Kitts, and LaRomana in that category for these port cities, unlike Aruba, Curacao, San Juan, Barbados, St. Martin, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas, are really under-developed when it comes to handling tourists in their port cities — and that is the criteria I am using to render this judgment. (I think most people who live in the Caribbean would find such a comment (“If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”) offensive — like grouping all people of the same race or all people from the same country.
Now I have to admit there is a difference when you visit a port where you have previously been. In Grenada, for example, we walked from the ship through the Sendal tunnel — a tight squeeze, one way (for cars), pedestrian walkway — and followed Carenage Street around Carenage Harbour. This is a very scenic, but very local area of St. George’s.
Back through Sendal Tunnel (the local van drivers seem to enjoy scaring the hell out of tourists using the tunnel), we walked along Bruce Street/Melville Street (it changes names), to Branby Street, and then down just a block to Market Square where there is a large local market that sells food, spices, and a variety of local merchandise. We visited it last time we were in Granada. This time we stopped at Maggie’s Spice Shop and picked up 5 nutmeg seeds (for $1.00) and took a picture of Maggie.
There wasn’t a single person from the ship in this large market. Also, Maggie said she must get her nutmeg from other places because the nutmeg trees on Granada were destroyed by hurricane Ivan in 2004 (over 90% of the nutmeg crop was destroyed), and it takes from 7 to 15 years for nutmeg trees to mature. (Just an aside: one of the seeds had worms in it, and the sealed plastic bag in which we kept it was full of worms when we wanted string it to put on our Christmas tree the following winter.)
In walking from the market back to the terminal, my wife and I stopped in a shop looking for a Granada tee-shirt. Two local teenage boys saw me go into the shop, recognized me as a potential target, followed me into the shop with the intention of getting my wallet out of my back pocket. Although I didn’t notice it, my wife did, and she stepped between them and me, and seeing that their intention was foiled, they immediately left the shop.
I’ve said it before, but if your only impression of the island of Granada (and this goes for all other Caribbean islands/countries) is gained just from walking around the port city, you have a very partial, incomplete picture of the island/country. Our excursion the last time we visited Granada took us through a destroyed nutmeg plantation, a lush, beautiful arboretum, and the hilly, attractive interior of this volcanic island.
I watched as our ship left the port of Granada from the 18th deck of the Grand Princess, and as I watched it grow smaller, you could see the clear demarcation of a volcano. Clouds hung over the center part of the island as we left, and not only was it raining in the interior of the island, but there were several beautiful rainbows as well, adding to the luster and grandeur of the topography.
Granada is a beautiful island — the smallest independent country (just 21 miles long by 12 miles wide or only 133 square miles) in the world. It is part of a three-island nation that also includes Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Grenada lies 75 miles southwest of St. Vincent and 90 miles north of Trinidad. We visited Granada on this trip because of civil unrest in Trinidad.
Barbados, the island we visited immediately following Granada, is another island we visited on a previous trip. It is the eastern-most island of the West Indies lying 270 miles from the Venezuelan coast and about 100 miles east of St. Vincent. It is a 14 by 21 mile haven covering 166 square miles. While Grenada has only 93,000 people of African (75%), East Indian, and European descent., Barbados has 279,000, is one of the world’s most densely populated nations, has one of the highest standards of living and literacy rates in the world, and has a distribution of ethnic groups typical of the Eastern Caribbean; 90 percent of the population is black, 5 percent mulatto, and 5 percent white.
Looking at Barbados and Granada from 18 decks above the sea, Granada looked quaint, natural, and lovely. Barbados, on the other hand, looked flat, or, it might be more accurate to say, it is composed of low, undulating hills (four or five) that are fairly heavily treed. It doesn’t look nearly as flat or arid as Aruba or Curacao, however.
But, once again, this is an island where the impression you get from walking the city of Bridgetown (an austere, European, rather pricey, high-class (very British), expensive stores), is not an accurate picture of the island as a whole. Our excursion, the last time we were here, gave us an overview of the island, and the tour painted a much different (and more varied) portrait.
Our excursion on February 20, 2005, began at 8:25 a.m. There were 21 of us on an air conditioned bus, and we headed to the east coast through rolling hills and farmland. We saw a Giant Baobab Tree and stopped at Park’s Farm to see the Barbados Black Belly Shop. Next, we went to the Andromeda Garden. This 6-acre garden had orchids, palms, ferns, heliconia, hibiscus, bougainvillea, begonias, and the Toci Pot palm tree. We spent one hour in the garden with our guide, then went to the Bathsheba Rock formations, a place popular for surfing. We saw the last working windmill in the Western Hemisphere at Morgan Lewis, then the bus took us back to Bridgetown, the island’s capital, and to the docks where the ship was located. My point in detailing this excursion is to prove my point: you must venture out beyond the port cities if you want a complete feeling about what these islands are like.
Even though it is unfair to say, “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all,” it might apply to the less-developed islands/countries and, too, if you do not venture beyond the port city. It is more accurate to say that each port is totally unique in its own way, but the more tourist-friendly they become, the more homogenous they appear. If your goal is to gain a sense of the local culture, ethnic diversity, and local merchandise and food, then it is clear where you need to go.
-----
This is a cool web site. It results from an essay contest in cooperation with the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Want to read what these essayists find unique on a variety of Caribbean islands? If you think “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all,” then read this information.
At Cruise Critic: Cruise Reviews and News, there is at this site, specific information about Aruba, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Barth’s, St. Kitt’s, Granada, Antigua, and Dominica. By just reading the descriptions here, you will quickly come to the conclusion that the cliche, “if you’ve seen one Caribbean island, you’ve seen them all,” is way off base, unfair, and ignorant.
-----
Copyright April 2010 by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The St. Vincent Incident
We did not engage an “official” Princess-supported excursion on the island of St. Vincent because my wife has a cousin, Ben, who lives outside Toronto, Canada, and winters on the island for four months every year. He and his wife, Sheila, agreed to be our hosts and guides during our seven-hour stay. We met them as they drove through the dock gates in their little, red Toyota Ben bought on the Internet. They loaded us into the back seat, and we were off.
After a brief tour of Kingstown, the capital of St. Vincent, we headed toward the leeward side and to their home. Their home will be located (in 2011) on the other side of a massive new airport runway being built to accommodate the biggest jet liners. The many small mountains in the area are being leveled, homes in the way are being destroyed, roads are being diverted, and the geography and ecology of the area is being radically altered. Their home will sit near the end of the runway where jets are decelerating for their forthcoming landing.
After lunch at their home and additional sightseeing on the northern end of St. Vincent, we drove beyond the airport project to a small road that leads up to the volcano. St. Vincent is a volcanic island, and the still active volcano dominates the northern third of the island. It last erupted in 1973, and the destruction it caused is still evident in the small villages you pass along the main road on the northern end.
Ben and Sheila turned left onto the small road, looked into the back seat, and asked us if we wanted to go up. Without hesitation, we took their obvious lead and said, “Sure.”
The single-lane road was heavily rutted, full of pot holes, and rough. It went up through an active banana plantation where large bunches of bananas were wrapped in tubular poly vinylchloride (PVC), blue plastic to enhance fruit development, resist bad weather and sunburn, and avoid blemishes. Workers were evident on both sides of the car as we progressed up to a small parking lot where the trail to the volcano began.
Ben was surprised there were no vans carrying excursioners from our ship. The government was building a small picnic pavillion and restrooms, but they were far from finished and there were no workers present. A single, old picnic table sat where the trail into the lush growth began, and a native St. Vincensian was sitting there, his pack on the table’s seat and a large, well-worn machete showing from within it. We all engaged in informal chit-chat with him, and he not only suggested a place where we could take a better picture of the volcano, but he introduced me to the small pear-like fruit from the tree under which the table was located.
While we were talking, an old white car came up to the parking lot, turned around quickly and headed back down the mountain. We thought nothing about it nor about the fellow at the table walking down the road from the parking lot.
Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the fellow with whom we had been talking and a second native fellow (this time with no front teeth) came walking up the road to the parking lot. The new fellow carried a very heavy backpack on his head. Clearly the two native fellows knew one another, and we chatted with both of them as the fellow threw his backpack down onto the picnic table and unzipped it. Inside were large brick-like, rectangular blocks wrapped in heavy dark green plastic. My wife thought the fellows were especially concerned about keeping their clothes dry for in our talks with the two of them, they said they planned to hike the trail up and over the ridge to the other side.
Because we were in a hurry to get back to the ship by 4:30, we all got back into Ben’s car and headed down the mountain road only to find the white car that had come up and into the parking lot, had crashed off the left side of the road, blocking the road completely. Just beyond the car was a small police van, and five police officers were already out surveying the car. The female police officer had just found a cell phone and was waving it in the air.
Just as we could not proceed down the mountain, the police could not come up. Ben explained to the police that we needed to get by the car so we could get back to the cruise ship.
There was an additional dilemma as the officers tried to move the car. The steering column was locked, so when the police officers tried moving it, they could not get it out of the road. It was clear Ben and I needed to help. I ordered the police to get stones to put under the back tires, then it was decided we needed to lift the back of the car out farther onto the road. On the count of three by one of the police officers, all seven of us lifted the back of the car and moved it five inches. We did this about five times which improved the turning radius so the car could be pushed off the road. Expanding the turning radius worked, the car was pushed aside, the officers drove their van alongside the damaged car, and the road was clear for us to pass.
It turns out the police officers were part of the D.E.A. (Drug Enforcement Agency), and they told us they had been following this fellow. The fellow with the backpack was carrying bricks of marijuana worth, according to Ben, somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 (street value), and knowing the police were blocked from coming up, they chatted leisurely with us.
We proceeded down the narrow access road to the highway to get back to the ship. People in St. Vincent drive poorly. The main road is a narrow highway with many hills and turns, and most of the road is marked by a solid white line, although cars pass randomly solid line or not. One black car passed us, and when we turned the corner ahead, he had just crashed into an oncoming car and, thus, blocked the main road. With no police there yet, and the accident still fresh, we crept around the crashed vehicle on the far left and soon after that encountered a car with an “L” on the back. Ben said the “L” meant “learner,” and, by law, could not go faster than 20 miles per hour. We were finally able to get around this car only to find ourselves behind a small bus full of older people. Determining that it was an excursion from the ship, we felt a bit relieved, even though the time for getting back to the ship was tight. We arrived at the dock at 4:25, just in time to wave goodbye to Ben and Sheila, show our identification, make it through the gates, and hurry up the gangway onto the ship.
In the end, we had to compliment our hosts for having “arranged” such an exciting incident. We were told, in retrospect, that the cultivation of marijuana in St. Vincent is a common phenomena, and its exportation helps support a very poor nation and needy farmers.
-----
At id 21 insights, an essay by Axel Klein entitled, “Growing cannabis in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” explains the situation in St. Vincent far better than I could.
At the web site, Crime and Society, the essay there by Dr. Robert Winslow of San Diego State University, on St. Vincent and the Grenadines states, “St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the largest producer of marijuana in the Eastern Caribbean and the source for much of the marijuana used in the region. Extensive tracts are under intensive marijuana cultivation in the inaccessible northern half of St. Vincent. The illegal drug trade has infiltrated the economy of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and made some segments of the population dependent on marijuana production, trafficking and money laundering.”
-----
Copyright April 2010 by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.
After a brief tour of Kingstown, the capital of St. Vincent, we headed toward the leeward side and to their home. Their home will be located (in 2011) on the other side of a massive new airport runway being built to accommodate the biggest jet liners. The many small mountains in the area are being leveled, homes in the way are being destroyed, roads are being diverted, and the geography and ecology of the area is being radically altered. Their home will sit near the end of the runway where jets are decelerating for their forthcoming landing.
After lunch at their home and additional sightseeing on the northern end of St. Vincent, we drove beyond the airport project to a small road that leads up to the volcano. St. Vincent is a volcanic island, and the still active volcano dominates the northern third of the island. It last erupted in 1973, and the destruction it caused is still evident in the small villages you pass along the main road on the northern end.
Ben and Sheila turned left onto the small road, looked into the back seat, and asked us if we wanted to go up. Without hesitation, we took their obvious lead and said, “Sure.”
The single-lane road was heavily rutted, full of pot holes, and rough. It went up through an active banana plantation where large bunches of bananas were wrapped in tubular poly vinylchloride (PVC), blue plastic to enhance fruit development, resist bad weather and sunburn, and avoid blemishes. Workers were evident on both sides of the car as we progressed up to a small parking lot where the trail to the volcano began.
Ben was surprised there were no vans carrying excursioners from our ship. The government was building a small picnic pavillion and restrooms, but they were far from finished and there were no workers present. A single, old picnic table sat where the trail into the lush growth began, and a native St. Vincensian was sitting there, his pack on the table’s seat and a large, well-worn machete showing from within it. We all engaged in informal chit-chat with him, and he not only suggested a place where we could take a better picture of the volcano, but he introduced me to the small pear-like fruit from the tree under which the table was located.
While we were talking, an old white car came up to the parking lot, turned around quickly and headed back down the mountain. We thought nothing about it nor about the fellow at the table walking down the road from the parking lot.
Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the fellow with whom we had been talking and a second native fellow (this time with no front teeth) came walking up the road to the parking lot. The new fellow carried a very heavy backpack on his head. Clearly the two native fellows knew one another, and we chatted with both of them as the fellow threw his backpack down onto the picnic table and unzipped it. Inside were large brick-like, rectangular blocks wrapped in heavy dark green plastic. My wife thought the fellows were especially concerned about keeping their clothes dry for in our talks with the two of them, they said they planned to hike the trail up and over the ridge to the other side.
Because we were in a hurry to get back to the ship by 4:30, we all got back into Ben’s car and headed down the mountain road only to find the white car that had come up and into the parking lot, had crashed off the left side of the road, blocking the road completely. Just beyond the car was a small police van, and five police officers were already out surveying the car. The female police officer had just found a cell phone and was waving it in the air.
Just as we could not proceed down the mountain, the police could not come up. Ben explained to the police that we needed to get by the car so we could get back to the cruise ship.
There was an additional dilemma as the officers tried to move the car. The steering column was locked, so when the police officers tried moving it, they could not get it out of the road. It was clear Ben and I needed to help. I ordered the police to get stones to put under the back tires, then it was decided we needed to lift the back of the car out farther onto the road. On the count of three by one of the police officers, all seven of us lifted the back of the car and moved it five inches. We did this about five times which improved the turning radius so the car could be pushed off the road. Expanding the turning radius worked, the car was pushed aside, the officers drove their van alongside the damaged car, and the road was clear for us to pass.
It turns out the police officers were part of the D.E.A. (Drug Enforcement Agency), and they told us they had been following this fellow. The fellow with the backpack was carrying bricks of marijuana worth, according to Ben, somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 (street value), and knowing the police were blocked from coming up, they chatted leisurely with us.
We proceeded down the narrow access road to the highway to get back to the ship. People in St. Vincent drive poorly. The main road is a narrow highway with many hills and turns, and most of the road is marked by a solid white line, although cars pass randomly solid line or not. One black car passed us, and when we turned the corner ahead, he had just crashed into an oncoming car and, thus, blocked the main road. With no police there yet, and the accident still fresh, we crept around the crashed vehicle on the far left and soon after that encountered a car with an “L” on the back. Ben said the “L” meant “learner,” and, by law, could not go faster than 20 miles per hour. We were finally able to get around this car only to find ourselves behind a small bus full of older people. Determining that it was an excursion from the ship, we felt a bit relieved, even though the time for getting back to the ship was tight. We arrived at the dock at 4:25, just in time to wave goodbye to Ben and Sheila, show our identification, make it through the gates, and hurry up the gangway onto the ship.
In the end, we had to compliment our hosts for having “arranged” such an exciting incident. We were told, in retrospect, that the cultivation of marijuana in St. Vincent is a common phenomena, and its exportation helps support a very poor nation and needy farmers.
-----
At id 21 insights, an essay by Axel Klein entitled, “Growing cannabis in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” explains the situation in St. Vincent far better than I could.
At the web site, Crime and Society, the essay there by Dr. Robert Winslow of San Diego State University, on St. Vincent and the Grenadines states, “St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the largest producer of marijuana in the Eastern Caribbean and the source for much of the marijuana used in the region. Extensive tracts are under intensive marijuana cultivation in the inaccessible northern half of St. Vincent. The illegal drug trade has infiltrated the economy of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and made some segments of the population dependent on marijuana production, trafficking and money laundering.”
-----
Copyright April 2010 by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.
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