I finally got around to watching "The Kingdom" last night.
That is one very incredible movie.
This is the first movie in a very long time that had me on the edge of my seat. It was extremely suspenseful.
There was one scene that was particularly difficult for me to watch. But that's because long ago I was stupid enough to watch a video on the internet of terrorists doing for real what they were acting out in the movie.
But what really got me was the part at the very end which transformed it from a very good action flick into a "kick-me-in-the-teeth-with-the-truth" movie that brought me to tears.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Riches
1st shift work Saturday MANDATORY!
“Yes?” the manager said.
“I’m not going to be in on Saturday.”
“Why not?”
“I have plans.”
“Like what?”
“Like not being here.”
“It must be nice not having to worry about keeping a job.”
“It is, everyone should live this way.”
“So, what … are you ridiculously rich or something?”
“Yes.”
“Then why work at all?”
“Because money is nice sometimes too.”
“But I thought you said you were rich?”
“I am. Not all riches are dollars.”
Fear
When I was growing up, it was said that the only thing to fear is fear itself.
But recently I have heard and read multiple comments stating that it is okay to be afraid, that it is healthy and normal.
I vehemently reject this idea.
It is not normal and healthy to be afraid.
While I was thinking about this subject, a recent experience came to memory.
When I was installing the wood stove in our house in Kansas I had to make multiple trips to the roof. I’ve never been fond of ladders, especially using them to get on and off roofs.
I had gone up and down several times that day, each time negotiating the gap between ladder and roof with much trepidation. It was taking me longer to get up and down the thing than the work I needed to do.
Finally at one point a lightbulb went on and I said “What am I doing?”
I realized that there was absolutely no point in being afraid. I realized that if I fell that there would be little I could do about it, it was either going to happen or not. And I realized that fretting about it might actually cause it to occur.
It felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. From that time on I scampered up and down that ladder like a squirrel.
And I have not been afraid of anything — and I really mean anything — since.
That is not to say that I have been inconsiderate of the consequences of my actions or of events surrounding me. But I am no longer afraid of anything that might happen. It will happen or not regardless of my emotional state. And should something bad ever occur, being afraid will certainly not help matters and could very well make them worse.
But recently I have heard and read multiple comments stating that it is okay to be afraid, that it is healthy and normal.
I vehemently reject this idea.
It is not normal and healthy to be afraid.
While I was thinking about this subject, a recent experience came to memory.
When I was installing the wood stove in our house in Kansas I had to make multiple trips to the roof. I’ve never been fond of ladders, especially using them to get on and off roofs.
I had gone up and down several times that day, each time negotiating the gap between ladder and roof with much trepidation. It was taking me longer to get up and down the thing than the work I needed to do.
Finally at one point a lightbulb went on and I said “What am I doing?”
I realized that there was absolutely no point in being afraid. I realized that if I fell that there would be little I could do about it, it was either going to happen or not. And I realized that fretting about it might actually cause it to occur.
It felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. From that time on I scampered up and down that ladder like a squirrel.
And I have not been afraid of anything — and I really mean anything — since.
That is not to say that I have been inconsiderate of the consequences of my actions or of events surrounding me. But I am no longer afraid of anything that might happen. It will happen or not regardless of my emotional state. And should something bad ever occur, being afraid will certainly not help matters and could very well make them worse.
The Fisherman
One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.
About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. “You aren’t going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman to the fisherman. “You should be working rather than lying on the beach!”
The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?” “Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’s answer. “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling. The businessman replied, “You will make money and you’ll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!” “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman again. The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman’s questions. “You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!” he said.
“And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman. The businessman was getting angry. “Don’t you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!” Once again the fisherman asked, “And then what will my reward be?” The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don’t you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won’t have a care in the world!”
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, “And what do you think I’m doing right now?”
~author unknown
About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. “You aren’t going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman to the fisherman. “You should be working rather than lying on the beach!”
The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?” “Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’s answer. “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling. The businessman replied, “You will make money and you’ll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!” “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman again. The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman’s questions. “You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!” he said.
“And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman. The businessman was getting angry. “Don’t you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!” Once again the fisherman asked, “And then what will my reward be?” The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don’t you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won’t have a care in the world!”
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, “And what do you think I’m doing right now?”
~author unknown
Purusharthas
The past decade of my life has been dedicated, more or less, to the pursuit of the answer to one question: What do I want out of life, and how do I get it?
I believe I have a fairly good idea of what it is that I want. But I have been struggling with the second part of my question, how do I get it?
Lately I have been thinking a lot about balance between the various aspects of life. I have begun to suspect the answer to that troublesome part B lay in that direction.
I have swung between the extremes. Working so much I have no time for anything else, working so little I have no money for what I desire. And I've been thinking very hard about how to find my middle road.
Recently I received the February issue of Yoga Journal
in the mail. In which is printed an article titled "Aim High," by Hillary Dowdle. The focus of the article is the yoga principles known as purusharthas.
The purusharthas divide all the aspects of life into four categories, which according to the article, "offer a yogic perspective on how to engage skillfully with the world."
The four categories, or "aims of life," are: dharma (duty), artha (wealth), kama (pleasure), and moksha (the pursuit of liberation).
At first I was a little unsure what I thought of the four aims, but I have come to think that they are a wise division of life. I had only been making two distinctions in life, I was treating dharma and artha as one and the same with kama and moksha.
I have yet to grasp all of what the extra divisions mean, but the breaking up of dharma and artha will have an impact in how I approach life.
The article in Yoga Journal was a well-timed breath of fresh air.
I believe I have a fairly good idea of what it is that I want. But I have been struggling with the second part of my question, how do I get it?
Lately I have been thinking a lot about balance between the various aspects of life. I have begun to suspect the answer to that troublesome part B lay in that direction.
I have swung between the extremes. Working so much I have no time for anything else, working so little I have no money for what I desire. And I've been thinking very hard about how to find my middle road.
Recently I received the February issue of Yoga Journal
in the mail. In which is printed an article titled "Aim High," by Hillary Dowdle. The focus of the article is the yoga principles known as purusharthas.The purusharthas divide all the aspects of life into four categories, which according to the article, "offer a yogic perspective on how to engage skillfully with the world."
The four categories, or "aims of life," are: dharma (duty), artha (wealth), kama (pleasure), and moksha (the pursuit of liberation).
At first I was a little unsure what I thought of the four aims, but I have come to think that they are a wise division of life. I had only been making two distinctions in life, I was treating dharma and artha as one and the same with kama and moksha.
I have yet to grasp all of what the extra divisions mean, but the breaking up of dharma and artha will have an impact in how I approach life.
The article in Yoga Journal was a well-timed breath of fresh air.
Heroes
I was captivated last January when a commercial airline pilot managed to safely land an incapacitated jet in the Hudson river saving every single life on board. Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger became an instant sensation. The news media was all over him. And he is very reluctant to use the label they've bestowed upon him ... hero.
I recently read his book, "Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters
," in which he wrote about his experiences as a pilot, in particular the day he ended up in the river. He demurs from the title of hero saying heroes are the people who see a burning building and choose to risk their lives in order to save others. He says that he was just doing his job. But he fails to see that he made his choice when he sat down behind the controls of that aircraft and put the fate of more than 150 people in his hands.
The story of Captain Sully stirs strong emotions in me and many others. And it isn't hard to figure out why. We live in a world where we are constantly barraged by the news media. And the news media apparently thinks that the great majority of the news we need to know is bad news.
Wars, murder, crime, corruption, greed, accidents.
It is depressing.
We need good news. But good news doesn't sell as many papers. Good news doesn't pull in the viewers. Good news doesn't win pulitzers. At least, so the popular thinking goes.
And we need heroes. In these bleak times we need to hear about them. We need to know that there are still people out there doing extraordinary things for the benefit of others.
Captain Sully does not want to be known as a hero. What hero does? But I think we can find at least 150 folks that disagree with him.
I recently read his book, "Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters
," in which he wrote about his experiences as a pilot, in particular the day he ended up in the river. He demurs from the title of hero saying heroes are the people who see a burning building and choose to risk their lives in order to save others. He says that he was just doing his job. But he fails to see that he made his choice when he sat down behind the controls of that aircraft and put the fate of more than 150 people in his hands.The story of Captain Sully stirs strong emotions in me and many others. And it isn't hard to figure out why. We live in a world where we are constantly barraged by the news media. And the news media apparently thinks that the great majority of the news we need to know is bad news.
Wars, murder, crime, corruption, greed, accidents.
It is depressing.
We need good news. But good news doesn't sell as many papers. Good news doesn't pull in the viewers. Good news doesn't win pulitzers. At least, so the popular thinking goes.
And we need heroes. In these bleak times we need to hear about them. We need to know that there are still people out there doing extraordinary things for the benefit of others.
Captain Sully does not want to be known as a hero. What hero does? But I think we can find at least 150 folks that disagree with him.
Sizing a bike
If you only want to ride a bike every so often around the neighborhood, then by all means go out and buy any bike you like. My grandparents recently found an old three speed at a garage sale for me that cost $5. I love it ... for riding around the block.
But if you're going to be serious about your riding, or think there's even the slightest possibility you'll want to get serious. I have one piece of advice for you: Spend the money to buy a bike that fits you.
When I got serious about bicycling I went to the local bike store and explained what I wanted and they helped me pick a bike. But I made a mistake. When I tried the bike on for size, the only measurement that I knew to check was the height of the top tube.
And from what I understand that will get a reasonable fit for folks with average body proportions. The problem is that I do not have average proportions.
I am relatively tall, measuring in right at 6-feet. But I have short legs. The only reason I buy 30-inch inseam pants is because most stores do not carry shorter lengths in my waist size.
So what I ended up with was a bike that was the right size for my legs, in other words I wouldn't bust my balls if I slipped off the saddle; but did not fit my upper body at all.
Riding long distances on the thing was not as comfortable as it should have been. I was constantly playing with the handlebars trying to make for better posture for my back, but I never could find that Goldilocks "just right." And the front wheel would often hit my foot while making a turn.
I'm not really certain what this means as far as my next "serious bike" is concerned. I've talked with some more folks and it seems to be the consensus that I need a frame with a longer top tube, to give my upper body more space to spread out in.
So when you're out looking for a bike, please go to a real bike shop and ask all the questions you can think of. And get a bike that really fits you. It'll really make all the difference in the world.
But if you're going to be serious about your riding, or think there's even the slightest possibility you'll want to get serious. I have one piece of advice for you: Spend the money to buy a bike that fits you.
When I got serious about bicycling I went to the local bike store and explained what I wanted and they helped me pick a bike. But I made a mistake. When I tried the bike on for size, the only measurement that I knew to check was the height of the top tube.
And from what I understand that will get a reasonable fit for folks with average body proportions. The problem is that I do not have average proportions.
I am relatively tall, measuring in right at 6-feet. But I have short legs. The only reason I buy 30-inch inseam pants is because most stores do not carry shorter lengths in my waist size.
So what I ended up with was a bike that was the right size for my legs, in other words I wouldn't bust my balls if I slipped off the saddle; but did not fit my upper body at all.
Riding long distances on the thing was not as comfortable as it should have been. I was constantly playing with the handlebars trying to make for better posture for my back, but I never could find that Goldilocks "just right." And the front wheel would often hit my foot while making a turn.
I'm not really certain what this means as far as my next "serious bike" is concerned. I've talked with some more folks and it seems to be the consensus that I need a frame with a longer top tube, to give my upper body more space to spread out in.
So when you're out looking for a bike, please go to a real bike shop and ask all the questions you can think of. And get a bike that really fits you. It'll really make all the difference in the world.
Bicycles
I love bicycles.
I think that bicycles are a nearly perfect synthesis of human and machine. When I think of how to make our lives on this planet more ecologically sound, the bicycle is my mascot.
There exists no more efficient means to move people from one place to another than the bicycle.
I have to admit that I have not been riding my bike very much lately. That is due to the abnormal sub-freezing temperatures that we have been experiencing. Not that you can't ride a bike in cold, icy weather; I was car-free all last winter, I assure you that it is possible. Even pretty nice when you do it right.
But I'm currently living outside of town, and an 8-mile ride through snow on these back country roads is not something I'm willing to risk my life for at this point in time. Not to mention that my current ride needs a bit of work before it'll be running as smoothly as it should.
But as the weather warms up, you can expect to see more bicycle-related posts from me. And not just bicycles either, I'm a major fan of any human-powered tool.
I think that bicycles are a nearly perfect synthesis of human and machine. When I think of how to make our lives on this planet more ecologically sound, the bicycle is my mascot.
There exists no more efficient means to move people from one place to another than the bicycle.
I have to admit that I have not been riding my bike very much lately. That is due to the abnormal sub-freezing temperatures that we have been experiencing. Not that you can't ride a bike in cold, icy weather; I was car-free all last winter, I assure you that it is possible. Even pretty nice when you do it right.
But I'm currently living outside of town, and an 8-mile ride through snow on these back country roads is not something I'm willing to risk my life for at this point in time. Not to mention that my current ride needs a bit of work before it'll be running as smoothly as it should.
But as the weather warms up, you can expect to see more bicycle-related posts from me. And not just bicycles either, I'm a major fan of any human-powered tool.
How fundamentalism sabotaged my life
I recently picked up the book "I'm Perfect, You're Doomed: Tales from a Jehovah's Witness Upbringing
," by Kyria Abrahams, from the library.
It's a story about a girl growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, later to be "disfellowshipped." I'm not particularly interested in reading about JWs but a snippet from the cover jacket caught my eye ...
I wasn't taken to particularly extreme churches as a child, but the groundwork was laid. And when I found myself cast out of my mother's house after turning 18, newly married and out in the real world on my own for the first time in my life, that early conditioning took control.
I never finished high school. I was failed my senior year for handing out "Chick tracts," and I didn't go back. College was out of the question because the rapture would happen any minute, why waste time in class when I could be out "winning souls." Not that -- to my knowledge -- I ever actually won any souls. Funny how constantly arguing with people about how wrong they are tends to turn them away.
Eventually I realized how insane I was being and quit. Quit everything to do with Christianity. In fact, I declared myself pagan. But by that time the damage was done. I was too busy earning a living to go back to school. I'd found myself a career that I was good at that didn't require schooling (photojournalism) and I coasted on that for nearly 10 years.
Now here I am 31 years old, working on finishing that high school diploma and trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. One thing I will be doing ... living.
," by Kyria Abrahams, from the library.It's a story about a girl growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, later to be "disfellowshipped." I'm not particularly interested in reading about JWs but a snippet from the cover jacket caught my eye ...
"... explores the ironic absurdity of growing up believing that nothing matters because everything's about to be destroyed."And that resonated with me, because that's pretty much what I grew up believing.
I wasn't taken to particularly extreme churches as a child, but the groundwork was laid. And when I found myself cast out of my mother's house after turning 18, newly married and out in the real world on my own for the first time in my life, that early conditioning took control.
I never finished high school. I was failed my senior year for handing out "Chick tracts," and I didn't go back. College was out of the question because the rapture would happen any minute, why waste time in class when I could be out "winning souls." Not that -- to my knowledge -- I ever actually won any souls. Funny how constantly arguing with people about how wrong they are tends to turn them away.
Eventually I realized how insane I was being and quit. Quit everything to do with Christianity. In fact, I declared myself pagan. But by that time the damage was done. I was too busy earning a living to go back to school. I'd found myself a career that I was good at that didn't require schooling (photojournalism) and I coasted on that for nearly 10 years.
Now here I am 31 years old, working on finishing that high school diploma and trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. One thing I will be doing ... living.
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