If Overwhelmed, Why Not Try Underwhelmed?

An overwhelming climb done by underwhelming steps!

Have you ever been overwhelmed? Of course, we all have. For this post, I am using overwhelmed as a “feeling in the mind which causes us to think we have too much to do.” There are other ways to interpret the word, such as: overthrow, cover, bury, etc. Even though I’m aware of those other interpretations, I know when I hear or read the word, “overwhelm,” I immediately think, “too much.”

Climbing overwhelming academics - underwhelming step by step!

So, what do you do when you have this feeling of being overwhelmed? Do you do nothing? Do you complain? Do you cry out in “mental pain?” I think if you do any of these, you are doing what a lot of people do. As I wrote the last few sentences, another word “popped – out” at me. Procrastination! It seems to me that many procrastinate because they feel overwhelmed.

Procrastination implies that a person’s behavior is counterproductive, delaying and needless. Well, when someone is overwhelmed, we often see the person satisfying that behavior. Consider a student who feels overwhelmed with the studies required by an academic course. I personally, as a former teacher, have observed such students – those who throw away applicable notes (counterproductive), do not attempt required practice work (delaying) and have another person do their practice work (needless).

Under the book can be overwhelming!

Ok, this post is not about procrastination, per se, but being overwhelmed does cause us to behave in diverse ways. We need to recognize when we are overwhelmed and then find something other than procrastinating, complaining, and/or crying to help us with this negative feeling.

What can we do if “doing nothing” is not the answer? How can we get rid of the feeling of being overwhelmed and know that we are doing so in a positive and productive manner? I think we should consider being underwhelmed – expecting and doing less than we think we should do AND shorten the time we spend working on the tasks.

Take the task we are overwhelmed with and consider small manageable parts of the overall task. Consider completing the overwhelming task like the time-sharing done by computers in the 1960’s and 70’s. Take, for example, cleaning your home. If you are overwhelmed by the task of cleaning it during a single time period, then take a few minutes to clean the dishes and then later clean the floor of one room. Continue with this approach until the cleaning of your home is complete. Even if you don’t finish the dishes, you could do as many as time allows. The important thing is to not feel guilty because the overwhelming task is not completed. The guilty feeling is most likely related to the underwhelming aspect of your effort toward completing the task. But, that is a problem only if you make it so.

The journey of "completing" is more important than the destination of "completion!"

So, if you are overwhelmed and want a reasonable approach for ridding yourself of the feeling, then underwhelm yourself with your approach. Do a part of the task that is overwhelming you and know that you are completing the task. It’s the journey of “completing” and not the destination of “completion” that we need to feel good about.

Underwhelming yourself will not only give you an approach to ending the negative feeling of being overwhelmed, but it will also give you a positive plan to complete your task.

I look forward to your over or underwhelming comment. :-)

Do I Really Mean What I Write?

Hopefully, oops, I hope you can tell what time it is using this. :-)

In the February, 2010 edition of the Reader’s Digest, there was an article by Melissa Demeo and Paul Silverman entitled, “How to Sound Smarter.”  It was subtitled, “The Reader’s Digest Version of those rules for talking and writing – the ones you missed in high school.”

The article starts out with the following exchange of thoughts.

You almost never mean: Hopefully

You almost always mean: I hope

Why: Hopefully means, in a hopeful manner. ”I hope the boss lets us out early” and “Hopefully, the boss lets us out early” aren’t the same thing.

I did a search of all of the posts on this blog (R2) and found over fifteen of them contain the word “hopefully” and almost all of them should have the word hopefully replaced with the words, I hope. Ouch! I’m not going to replace them, but it does illustrate that what I write is not always what I mean. BUT, what I mean to write is what I mean! :-)

More important, you aren't doing things importantly!

Ok, so  the next exchange of thoughts in the article was:

You almost never mean: More importantly

You almost always mean: More important

Why: More or most important is probably what you want. Only if you’re a pompous blowhard do you say things importantly.

Again, I did a search on my blog (R2), but this time, I found only one post where I used the “bad” phrase, more importantly. I did not want to come across as a pompous blowhard, but here I am using something (more importantly) when it wasn’t what I wanted it to mean. Ouch, again!

Hopefully, you can see… OOPS!

I hope you can see the point of the title of this post, “Do I really mean what I say or write?” I mean what I mean to say or write, but the unfortunate aspect of my writing is that I sometimes don’t know how to correctly say or write what I mean. It reminds me of the line from the 1967 movie, Cool Hand Luke, “What we got here is a failure to communicate.” Until I read this article in the Reader’s Digest, I didn’t realize how I wasn’t, at times, writing what I meant.

Is this a chaise lounge or a chaise longue?

I found a few of the “you (almost) never mean” phrases very interesting and insightful. Here are few examples.

You never mean: Chaise lounge

You always mean: Chaise longue

Why: People have been getting this wrong for at least a century. The proper phrase is French and translates as “long chair.”

—–

You almost never mean: Orientate

You almost always mean: Orient

Why: Orientate is a word, but it means “to face east.” The tour was designed to orient new students.

—–

You never mean: Everyone has their grammar hang-ups

You always mean: Everyone has his or her grammar hang-ups

Why: Everyone, everybody, and close cousin each are singular, so words that refer to them should also be singular. Or, since we all have our grammar hang-ups, you could just rephrase the sentence.

Is this an ATM or an ATM Machine?

There are many other words and phrases discussed in the article, but I am going to mention only one more. It has to do with redundancy and how sometimes, even though I know what I have written isn’t correct, I leave it so. Here is one of the redundancy “phrases” mentioned in the article and that I have (mis)used.

You never mean: ATM machine, PIN number

You always mean: ATM, PIN

Why: Redundancy (“automated teller machine machine,” “personal identification number number”).

So, do I always mean what I write?

Before I answer that question, I need to use my PIN number at my local ATM machine to get some cash and orientate my chaise lounges before everybody brings their food for today’s party. :-)

Do I always mean what I write? I sincerely hope so!

I would love to read what you write as a comment.

Can I Think “Positively” Too Much?

Positive and negative demonstrated with an Electrostatic Generator. One of the mysteries of the atom is that the electron (negative) and the nucleus (positive) attract each other. This attraction is called electrostatic force, the force that holds the electron in orbit.

Can I think positively too much? What does that mean?

Does it mean, “Can I think in a positive way too much?” Or, does it mean, “Can I think too much (where “positively,” in the original question, is used for emphasis)?” Well, I want it to mean, “Can I think in a positive way too much?” I hope I’ve positively cleared that up. :-)

Are you "positive" that I'm too "negative?"

It’s very common for someone to say, “Don’t be so negative.” But, I have very seldom heard the statement, “Don’t be so positive.” You see, most of us are encouraged to be positive and to not even consider the negative. At least, that is my experience.

Should we think only positively, without consideration for the negative?

Many think that a person who thinks positively is not being real. They think the positive thinking person won’t pay attention to obvious danger signs since those signs are usually considered negative. A person who is always positive is just out of touch with reality!

Can we focus on being positive and negative at the same time? Some say we can’t. I have heard realists say that we can’t. These realists are of the opinion that we should compartmentalize our approach into either thinking positively or negatively. For example, if you are trying to make an important decision, they think you should consider all of the negative aspects, prepare for dealing with them AND then think positively as you make the decision. I suppose this might work, but I think it is much better to be a thinker who always considers the negative while constantly thinking positively.

Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower, at press conference at which he announced he would run again, he tells the press, "Now, I have reached a decision, I am going directly to the American people, my answer will be POSITIVE, that is , affirmative."

Let’s consider the following specific example. Suppose I have a health problem. The first thing I should do is to think positively that I can get my body to heal itself. Of course, in order to do this, I will most likely need to find the cause of the problem and give my body medicine/therapy/support for its healthy recovery.

As I am finding the cause and working toward a healthy recovery, I need to do some negative thinking. Perhaps, what I think is the cause isn’t correct. Maybe, what I am giving my body for its health recovery isn’t working. If I only think positively, I run the risk of not facing the reality of the situation. In other words, I need to positively make my thinking fit reality instead of trying to make reality fit my thinking! WOW!

Of course, only negative thinking is not what I’m advocating. In my above example, if I only use negative thinking, then all I would do is constantly check for other causes and danger signs. In my constant negative thinking frame of mind, I, for example, would not seek the advice of health care professionals for fear of what I might be told. My negative expectations would allow me to expect only negative outcomes.

What I am advocating is to make thinking fit reality while keeping a focus on a positive future. Click here for  another point of view that might be helpful.

Can I think positively too much? Only if reality is ignored!

How about a positive or negative comment?

How Is The Internet Changing The Way I Think?

Recently, a friend of mine asked me, on Facebook, if I was familiar with the on-line magazine, “Edge.” She thought I might be interested in a question that the magazine asked, “How is the internet changing the way you think?” The minute I read the question, many thoughts ran through my mind. My first thought was that I would find my life much less fulfilled without the internet.

Now, don’t misunderstand what I mean by saying that my life would be much less fulfilled. You see, I think my life would be fulfilled without the internet, but it would also be much more difficult to fulfill it. It would be difficult to make it as rich as it is without the internet. Perhaps the most difficult thing without the internet would be getting information. The internet makes it so easy to obtain and assess information.

I went to the website of Edge and read the question the magazine posed, along with other related questions asked by a diverse group of people not necessarily associated with the online publication.  After thinking about the question for a few minutes, I sent the following response to my friend. It has been edited for this post.

Hello _____, (name omitted for privacy reasons),

No, I am not familiar with the online magazine, Edge. I went to the link you gave me and read, “How is the internet changing the way you think?”

First of all, thanks for thinking of me and thanks for sending it. You, of course, know that I think questions drive thinking. It is for that reason, most of the posts on my blog start with a question in the title. Actually, 99% of the time they start, in my mind, with a question.

Referring back to the article on Edge, I think it is obvious and inevitable that the internet is changing the way I think. Of course, the question was, “HOW is the internet changing the way you think?” That IS an interesting question!

Think locally and communicate globally!

Access to information at the “speed of google” has had a profound effect on my way of thinking. Not knowing about a particular topic, idea, person, place, concept, etc… is not nearly the problem for me that it used to be. I no longer have to find a current encyclopedia, dictionary, newspaper, reference book, etc… in order to “gather” the information. The internet has changed the way I think by making it easier and  faster to get necessary information, along with adding a high level of confidence in the accuracy of what I receive.

Easy and affordable global communication has helped me communicate my thoughts in a much better and efficient manner. Using the language arts to access my thinking and then the internet to exchange thoughts with others throughout the world, has changed when, how and what I think.

Having the ability to use a computer and the internet to “write for learning” and publish my writing has changed the way I think. When I was teaching in high school and wrote for learning, I would often published what I wrote for the faculty and/or students. When doing so, I would have to write, duplicate and deliver by hand. In order to “write for learning” most of my “thinking time” was spent on non-thinking chores. Now, I can publish on my website or blog and easily reach my audience with almost all of my effort dedicated to thinking and writing.

This surfing is changing my thinking!

When reading a book, article or any other writing in hard copy, I used to be at the mercy of the author for most of my thinking about what was written in the hard-copy item. The internet expands that by multi-fold! With the use of hypertext and google, I’m not as dependent upon the author’s writing to get different points of view. In my opinion, this is powerful and revolutionary.

Another very important change in the way I think, which was brought on by the internet, is an increase of intellectual curiosity. I think I have always had a reasonable amount of intellectual curiosity, but the internet offers a way of almost instant gratification when I am intellectually curious. For me, the internet has enhanced this valuable intellectual trait.

These are some of the ways that the internet is changing the way I think. One other very personal way, is how the internet is changing my thinking as a retired person. Compared to the previous generations of retired people, I have greater access to the world as it is. Before, if a retired person was interested in learning about ______ (you fill in the blank), the person would be restricted to old writings, TV, radio, etc.. I’m not implying that the information was necessarily incorrect, but that it wasn’t as timely as it is through the internet. And, being able to use the internet for information about travel routes, restaurant locations, menus and other points of interests, before going anywhere, has changed how this retired person thinks.

Ok, those are some of my answers to the question posed by Edge.

Other related questions, posed by some of the previously mentioned diverse group of people are like desert for the food for thought question posed by “Edge.” Consider Nicholas Carr’s question, ”Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Or, how about George Dyson’s question, “What if the cost of machines that think is people who don’t?” Good questions that might provide more “fodder” for a future post. :-)

What are some of your “foods for thought” regarding how the internet is changing the way you think?

What’s Good About Being Alone?

"Lonely" Joshua Trees

Is there any goodness in loneliness? Most of us dread the thought of loneliness and generally, loneliness is considered to be a negative feeling. But, should we dread the thought of loneliness? Is there something about loneliness that is a positive for us? I think so!

Oh, the lonely Owl!

Before I go any further with this, let me make clear that I have never experienced severe loneliness. I don’t want anyone to think that I have spent long periods of time without having the company of another. But, I also think that a person can suffer from loneliness while constantly being in the company of many people.

I have worked with people who were in the company of dozens of people everyday and were extremely lonely. I once knew a person who lived in a group home where she saw and interacted with housemates everyday while still constantly suffering from loneliness. The point I’m trying to make is that I think loneliness is a mental feeling that isn’t necessarily dependent upon the lack of company.

You see, there is only one person you will always be with and that person is you. Each person will be with her/himself every minute of everyday in her/his life. Of course, I started this with a focus on loneliness. There is only one person we can count on always being with us, and when that person is the only one with us, we are, by all accounts, alone! (Last March, I did a post entitled, Who Do You Have To Live With?, in which I pursued this line of thought a little “deeper.” Please click on the title to visit that post.)

It is inevitable that we will be alone. What isn’t inevitable is our attitude when we are alone.

Reflecting on who I am!

I think the attitude we have, when we feel we are alone, determines whether we suffer from loneliness or enjoy the alone feeling. If we have a negative attitude, then we will feel sorry for ourselves, and most likely act in a negative manner. That negative action might have us running away and into relationships for the sole purpose of not having that alone feeling. Or, the negative action might find us drowning ourselves in self-pity. The point is, we must take control of our own attitude.

I define attitude as a mental feeling. This attitude of loneliness can be a positive attitude if we recognize it as an experience that allows us to discover who we are, find our focus, and know ourselves. We need times of being alone, or loneliness, in order to develop a true sense of self. With a true sense of self, we will be able to change ourselves and decide to grow into the loving and social person we each want to be.

It is difficult to reflect on who you are unless you have a time in which you are without distraction. Being alone and confronting loneliness can help you reflect on your life and develop a sense of self based on reality instead of dreams. Confronting loneliness and discovering our true sense of self, is another example of helping ourselves make our thinking fit reality instead of trying to make reality fit our thinking.

What's good about being alone?

Make loneliness into a positive that helps you know your true self. Knowing your true self will give you the confidence to meet life as a person who is comfortable with being alone with yourself and/or in the company of anyone.

Only you alone can change you. Only you alone can decide to grow. Only you alone can think for you. Being alone can be a lonely experience, but whether it is positive or negative is up to you.

What’s good about being alone?

It can be a positive growth experience that allows you to find your true self and change into the person you would like to be with.

What Is The Meaning Of Life?

What is the meaning of life? Now, that is A QUESTION! Indeed, it’s the ultimate question; it’s the question that is often considered most fundamental to all living beings.

So, do any of us have the answer to, “What is the meaning of life?” How would you answer the question?

The meaning of life is...

Perhaps, you might say, “The meaning of life is to glorify God?” I know many people feel that their sole purpose in life is to glorify God or to fulfill God’s purpose. That often is their meaning of life. Others have stated that their purpose, or meaning of life, is to love their neighbors as they love themselves. And, some claim that their meaning of life is to be the best that they can be. How can we find the answer to this baffling question, “What is the meaning of life?”

First of all, let’s all imagine answering the question, “What is the meaning of life?” How would you answer? C’mon, let’s answer the question – no excuses! :-)

This is a most difficult question for me. I want to answer it, but I also feel a certain amount of apprehension.

You see, I would say that the meaning of life is everything that I experience while alive. Ok, I know that isn’t what most people would consider a reasonable answer. It’s too general? It’s doesn’t give a clear answer for everyone. Yes, but that’s the point.

What???!!!!

Well, we will not all have, nor should we have, the same answer to, “What is the meaning of life?” Probably, considering all aspects of human existence, the only thing that is truly unique is one’s life. What is the meaning of that life? Everything!

I realize that I’m not the first to state this. Deepak Chopra argued in a similar way, when addressing life and its meaning, in his book “The Book Of Secrets.” He challenges us to look at life as beginning as a blank piece of paper that has infinite possibilities. Anything and everything can be presented on that blank piece of paper. Your life is pure potential that must be shaped into something that is what you are. Therefore, the meaning of life is “everything” that you make of it.

The beginning of my meaning of life.

Personally, I think a better metaphor, than the blank piece of paper, is a blank canvas – one that is ready for a person to paint her/his life on. The meaning of life then becomes everything that is painted on the person’s canvas of life.

If a person dies when young, then the canvas for her/him is complete, beautiful, but most likely, not as complex as the person who lives a long life. Both canvases can be filled with meaning, but one may be more complex and with more depth than the other. Each would reflect that person’s meaning of life and potentially, each could be very meaningful for all who encounter the life.

Is it possible for the meaning of life to change? Well, sort of!

You see, the meaning of life changes as the canvas of your life is erased, painted over and/or re-constructed. Sometimes, our life has a crisis that causes us to change our life. In other words, we might have to erase or “paint over” what our life had been up to that point and work toward something as basic as staying alive. That, then, is painted on our canvas and becomes part of our meaning of life.

So, what is the meaning of life? EVERYTHING!

At least, everything that is on each of our canvases of life. :-)

How about a meaningful comment? :-)

What’s Up With Up?

1993 Inaugural events, where President Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, kept 'UP' the ringing long after her father let go of the rope.

Boy bundled 'UP'

Last month, I received an e-mail about the many uses of the word ‘UP’. I have added a few thoughts of my own and printed it in italics below. It’s amazing to me how such a simple word has so many different uses and meanings in the English language. Enjoy exploring a most interesting aspect of our English language!

———————

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is ‘UP.’

It’s easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

A goat round-'UP'

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We ask what’s UP, but really don’t want to know what is UP.

Dressing-'UP' as a soldier

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP !

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don’t give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP…

John & Bobby Kennedy Close-UP

When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.

When it doesn’t rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so……..it is time to shut UP!

Oh . . . one more thing:

What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last thing you do at night? U-P  :-)

—————————————

So, what do you think about the use of ‘UP?’ Until now, I never realized how many different ways we use the word, “up.”

What other two-letter english word has as many different uses? I can’t think of any. Can you?

Should Egocentric Become A “Broken Eggocentric?”

TIME cover 07-08-1987 ill. depicting "We The People" re 200th anniversary of the Constitution and the ethnic diversity of the United States. Isn't Ethnocentricity inappropriate for the United States?

Special note to my readers: This post is the result of discussions with various people about ego and the problems that arise from “having too much ego.” I have argued that the problems with “ego” is often the same as the problems of trying to be rational and egocentric at the same time. I wrote a post entitled “Should We Be Rational,” last November, where I stated that you can’t be rational and egocentric at the same time. I realize these posts on thinking can be a bit “heavy,” but hopefully, you will find them to be thoughtful. :-)

———————————

What is egocentricity? According to the Critical Thinking Community, egocentricity is “a tendency to view everything in relationship to oneself; to confuse immediate perception (how things seem) with reality. One’s desires, values, and beliefs (seeming to be self-evidently correct or superior to those of others) are often uncritically used as the norm of all judgment and experience. Egocentricity is one of the fundamental impediments to critical thinking. As one learns to think critically in a strong sense, one learns to become more rational, and less egocentric.”

My ego is holding the world!

Is egocentricity a tendency that all humans experience? I think the answer is yes! As little children, we all are naturally egocentric. Children will often use their desires and what they believe, as a basis for all judgement and experience. They often confuse “how things seem to them” with reality. Consider how children will readily believe in Santa Claus, monsters and ghosts. The point is that all of us, because we were once children, have been egocentric. I think it is a natural part of our maturation process.

Unfortunately, many humans don’t loose their tendency toward egocentricity as they grow older and “wiser.” Why is this? I think is has a lot to do with confusing beliefs with knowledge. Knowledge is based on understanding, which is based on thought and must be justified. Beliefs do not have such conditions.

Egocentricity has at least two other forms when the concept is extended to groups – ethnocentricity and sociocetricity.

Ethnocentricity is “a tendency to view one’s own race or culture as central, based on the deep-seated belief that one’s own group is superior to all others.” An example of ethnocentricity was how the whites have justified, in the past, their treatment of blacks in America and South Africa.

Socially, on this earth, it's all about me!

Sociocentricity is “the assumption that one’s own social group is inherently and self-evidently superior to all others. When a group or society sees itself as superior, and so considers its views as correct or as the only reasonable or justifiable views, and all its actions as justified, there is a tendency to presuppose this superiority in all of its thinking and thus, to think closedmindedly. All dissent and doubt are considered disloyal and rejected without consideration. Few people recognize the sociocentric nature of much of their thought.“

Examples of sociocentricity can often be found when observing interaction between different countries, city neighborhoods, political parties, religious groups, etc. Specifically, it’s not unusual for someone who is a Democrat to consider ideas from a Republican to be inferior and vice versa. It’s not unusual for a christian to proclaim that unless a person is baptized, s/he will not be saved and/or go to heaven. What does this last proclamation do for reasonableness when said to a jew or muslim? Doesn’t that christian consider her/his views as correct and therefore, superior to the beliefs of the jew or muslim? This also acts as an example of confusing what is believed with what is known.

Egocentricity, though a normal way of thinking, only serves us well when we are young. Like training wheels on a bicycle, it is something we should try to get rid of as soon as we consciously begin maturing.

You might ask, how does egocentricity serve us well when we are young? Consider a very young child who finds her/himself in a dangerous situation. That child will have a natural and egocentric tendency to save her/himself, often without any concern about others that may be in the same situation. Of course, that is appropriate since the child, most likely, wouldn’t have the strength, nor sense of self, to do otherwise. When we are young, we must “look out for ourselves” as much as possible. This is why the responsibility of raising children falls upon the adults and not the children.

From the egg to the bird - from egocentrism to broken eggocentrism!

Here is a metaphorical attempt to clarify what I mean. Think of a child as a growing chick inside of an egg. Think of the shell of the egg as the egocentric nature of a child. The shell of the egg protects the young bird until it is able to peck itself out of the egg. This is what should and must happen to all reasonable and rational humans. They should strive to “peck themselves out of the shell of egocentricity.” Only when they do, will they become rational.

Egocentricity mentally confines us like the shell physically confines the bird. It serves a good purpose while we are developing, but it must be “broken through” and discarded in order for each of us to become a rational and complete person.

We should and must mature to the point that we break the egg shell of egocentricity. Only then do we become mature rational humans. Therefore, our egocentricity will become a broken “eggocentricity!” :-)

I would appreciate a comment from you?

When Should You Consider What You Aren’t?

Be careful what you visualize!

When should we consider what we aren’t?

This could be your reality!

Shouldn’t we always strive to know who we are? YES!

Shouldn’t we know our past and learn from it? YES!

Should we be truthful about ourselves? YES!

Should we live in the present? YES!

Ok, so what’s this all about? Well, I would like to present a time in which it would be valuable for all of us to consider what we aren’t. So when is that time and what should we do?

The time is anytime we are considering our past, our present and what we want our future to be. What we should do, is see ourselves as what we can become – as people with expanding self-images. We should each strive to develop into a person whose main focus is on what s/he can be tomorrow and not what s/he is today, or was yesterday.

Socrates: "Know Thyself" (and use that knowledge for change in the future!)

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I do not mean to imply that we shouldn’t always strive to know ourselves. Yes, I really believe the old Socrates statement of, “Know Thyself.” (Note: This quote is actually given to us by Plato, since Socrates did not write anything down. Also, it may not be an original by Socrates, since some say the statement predates him.)

If we truly adhere to the statement of “Know Thyself,” then let it be known that we are people who focus on the incredible growth and great changes we see in our future.

Of course, we should be grounded in the reality of the present along with the realization of our past. Both, the past and present, are knowable from experience. The future is where we can take that experience and mold it into what we want to become. As we think of our future with its growth and change, we are able to motivate ourselves toward positive growth and positive change.

I'm visualizing me!

I often hear statements like, “seeing is believing,” or “I’m a visual learner.” I think these statements are indications of how we learn and therefore, change. Visualization is a powerful technique to help us change. Athletes have been using visualization to help them with their sport performances. Visualization can help with “realization” in the present and future!

I have written about using visualization in some of my past posts. If you would like to read more about the use of visualization, please click on any of the following titles, “Is Affirmation A Tool You Use?,” “Can You Imagine Not Having An Imagination?,” “What Is ‘Addictionial?’,” and “To Change Everything, Simply Change …“

In order for us to focus on what tomorrow can be, we need to visualize that future. Of course, there is always a chance that we will experience a great and good change without having visualized it before. But, isn’t this the same as going for a random walk and hoping we end up at a our friend’s house?

Generally, we have a better chance of arriving at our friend’s house if we have previously planned or visualized the best route to the house. Random walks can be good for our health, but not good for arriving at a specific destination. If we would like for our future to consist of positive growth and change, then visualizing the best route to that future gives us a much better chance of getting there.

I'm visualizing my present in my future:-)

Besides helping ourselves, I think we can also help those people who are touched by our lives. We can help them visualize a new and better future. We can help give them a mental picture that illustrates all they can do and become. We can let them know we believe in their abilities. We can help them become better today than they were yesterday and visualize how they will be greater tomorrow.

When should you consider what you aren’t? When you are thinking about the who and what you want to be in the future.

I visualize a future with a “present” comment from you. :-)

Are Americans Political Victims?

Actress Jane Fonda trapped in the Excessive Machine which kills its victim by pleasure during a torture chamber scene from Roger Vadim's motion picture "Barbarella." Date taken: 1967 Photographer: Carlo Bavagnoli

Who's the victim?

I’ve been reading a new on-line newspaper called the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Actually, it’s a very old newspaper that went out of print and has come back as an on-line only newspaper. In my opinion, it is now a very “right-leaning” paper that is giving a voice to those in our community that want to read what the politically conservative thinking people are writing.

In all fairness, I must admit that our only major newspaper (in St. Louis, MO), the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, is considered by many to be a “left-leaning” paper. I am pleased to see the St. Louis Globe-Democrat come back. In my opinion, we, as readers, are much better informed when we have access to opinions from both sides of the political divide.

These buildings are leaning both "left & right" :-)

As a blogger and someone who likes a forum where I can easily give my opinion on a particular topic, I have been making comments periodically about one or more of the current issues presented in our papers. When I have commented on the Globe’s website, my approach has generally been an attempt to write as a “voice of reason.”

Many people who make comments on the Globe’s website seem to do little more than criticize one side or the other, without saying anything positive and/or constructive. More than anything else, there seems to be an outcry of “feeling like victims.” This victim feeling is often in reference to national politics, the democratic majority, the right-leaning minority and how our government is being abused by the “liberals.”

Perhaps, what is really happening is that those who feel like victims are suffering from “victim thinking.” They have accepted, at least subconsciously, the label of victim. They feel that because their particular party is no longer in the majority, that something bad has happened to them and they are in no way responsible for it. Of course, for most of the D1-2K (decade one of the second millennium), the Republicans had most of the political power and control.

During the D1-2K decade, I readily admit that I was a left-leaning citizen. But, I was NOT a victim of the Republican party, Democratic party or our government. I was, as much as any other citizen, responsible for our government. Because I was responsible doesn’t mean I am or was a victim.

Are we George Washington's political victims?

Many people who give their political opinions, both professionals and amateurs, state how bad our government is because of the other political party, and they are in no way responsible for it. I think that when a citizen gives up responsibility and accountability for our government then that citizen gives up control. They are basically saying, “There’s no hope for the present government and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

The mind of a victim is one of powerlessness. When a person thinks s/he is a victim then the behavior of that person becomes like a victim. This can become a downward spiral that ends in negative expressions and actions. Examples of such negative expressions are last Summer’s town hall meetings, a senator yelling at the president, “you lied,” and destructive rants that many of us have read and heard in our media.

It seems that many people are defining themselves as victims of a political party. I think we should define ourselves by our shared government.  We are all sharing in this government.

When we celebrate an American’s win in the Olympics we share in that win. When a disaster strikes us like 9/11, we all share in that disaster. When we elect a legislature, along with a new President, we all share in that election. We are not victims, but simply citizens in a democracy.

So, are we all victims? No! But, too many of us our not taking responsibility and accountability for our actions. Yes, I think that an election in which we are the electorate is something we should be responsible and accountable for. We, the people, elected fellow citizens to represent us and now we should be responsible and accountable for that election.

Let’s stop blaming the “other side.” Let’s stop feeling like victims. Let’s celebrate and participate in our democracy. As citizens, we should give constructive criticism instead of destructive victimizing.

Are you a political victim?