There has been a marked decline in the quality of language in both written and spoken form. I saw it begin even before the advent of the Internet but it has truly accelerated since then.
This has always puzzled me. Everyone in this country, no matter where you go to school, is taught the proper way to speak and write, yet many people abandon the rules or never adopt them in the first place. Although it doesn’t have the same life threatening effects as other bad habits, I think the source of the problem is the same; peer pressure. That excuse flies when you are a teenager, but when you enter the adult world it falls flat.
The questions I want to ask the practitioners of this bad habit are also the same; why? Why would you want to compromise yourself in this fashion? Is it so important to you to fit in that you will dampen the perception other people have of you to gain acceptance? Do you realize that those outside of your immediate circle of friends see you as less intelligent and trustworthy when you do not speak properly? Do you realize that the language of business in America is English and that your ability to express yourself in the language of business will have a major impact on your standard of living?
The decline in the proper use of language is symptomatic of the decline in the quality of life in this country. If people do not demand proper expression of themselves, do you really think they are going to demand the best of themselves in other areas? They are compromising for the sake of expediency. Once they give in to the peer pressure, complacency sets in and the bad habit becomes ingrained.
If you try to point out the improper use of language to those practitioners, the responses usually range from mild resentment to arrogant self righteousness. The obvious implication is, how dare you point out my inadequacy? What they are really saying is, I have the right to my own stupidity and no one is going to make me change, no matter how much damage I do to myself or my country.
I have a suggestion. Change your bad habit and practice proper expression and see the difference in the reaction you get from people. If anyone tries to ridicule you for this change, then be aware that they are not your friend and they are only trying to hold you prisoner in the same pit of ignorance where they reside.
A revolution begins in the mind of one person. Remember that the widespread use of improper language is a form of noise pollution. Remove this pollution from the air and you improve the quality of life for all. It doesn’t cost you a dime and the return on your investment may be infinite.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Love
You see and hear it all the time. Women say that men are afraid of commitment, afraid of love itself. You can’t blame either sex for feeling the way they do. Men often make a big show of portraying themselves as super stud playboys and women who have been hurt make a big show of playing the victim.
As a man, I have taken that popular men’s side often in my life. Then my life changed. I met the woman who seemed to make the world stand still the first time I kissed her. She showed me her vulnerability and her soul and she accepted me when I showed her mine.
Still I didn’t learn. Even while knowing that I had found the woman I had been searching for, I still sought outer confirmation of my attraction from the opposite sex. I let my immaturity and insecurity overcome my reason.
It took a personal crisis in our relationship for me to realize how foolish this is. When I settled on the notion of being happy within a committed relationship and reconciling my happiness within myself through only her, a wonderful thing happened. I realized that instead of wearing the proverbial “ball and chain” that I had actually been set free. Once I was able to dispense with the thought of whether I was still attractive to the opposite sex, my mind was freed from a tremendous amount of clutter. My thoughts were clearer, more focused and more goal directed.
I suspect that anyone who is committed to personal growth will come to the same conclusion. To feel secure in a loving committed relationship frees anyone, man or woman, to reach their full potential and make a contribution to the betterment of the world. In this way, a couple’s love is a shining beacon of goodness spreading positive energy throughout the world and serving as an example for others to follow. It’s pretty clear we need more of that these days.
As a man, I have taken that popular men’s side often in my life. Then my life changed. I met the woman who seemed to make the world stand still the first time I kissed her. She showed me her vulnerability and her soul and she accepted me when I showed her mine.
Still I didn’t learn. Even while knowing that I had found the woman I had been searching for, I still sought outer confirmation of my attraction from the opposite sex. I let my immaturity and insecurity overcome my reason.
It took a personal crisis in our relationship for me to realize how foolish this is. When I settled on the notion of being happy within a committed relationship and reconciling my happiness within myself through only her, a wonderful thing happened. I realized that instead of wearing the proverbial “ball and chain” that I had actually been set free. Once I was able to dispense with the thought of whether I was still attractive to the opposite sex, my mind was freed from a tremendous amount of clutter. My thoughts were clearer, more focused and more goal directed.
I suspect that anyone who is committed to personal growth will come to the same conclusion. To feel secure in a loving committed relationship frees anyone, man or woman, to reach their full potential and make a contribution to the betterment of the world. In this way, a couple’s love is a shining beacon of goodness spreading positive energy throughout the world and serving as an example for others to follow. It’s pretty clear we need more of that these days.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Anti-Intellectualism
How often have you asked yourself what the meaning of your life is? If you have asked yourself, what answer did you come up with?
My own answer is this: The purpose of my life is now twofold. First, I want to make the love of my life as happy as possible. Second, I want to accumulate as much knowledge as possible and pass it on to the generations that follow.
Look around you. How many people do you know who actually espouse that second purpose? If your answer to that question is a lot of people, or everyone you know, then you are either highly unusual or simply lying to yourself.
I say that because it should be readily apparent to any intelligent reader that we live in a highly anti-intellectual society. Americans consistently shun the acquisition of new knowledge, and if you point this out to anyone, then you are labeled either arrogant or
un-American. Americans prefer complacency to inquiry. This is probably the second most significant problem confronting American society today, following the basic lack of compassion that I pointed out in a previous entry.
Religious insulation is a major contributor to this problem. Ask yourself another question, what is religious fundamentalism except for the triumph of anti-intellectualism? The existence of those who subscribe to the theory of creationism should provide enough proof to make that question rhetorical.
Now think for a moment of what American life would be like if every citizen made it a point to gain as much knowledge as possible. Present this challenge to the average American and the most common objection will be, I don’t have the time. I’m sorry, but that excuse just doesn’t fly anymore. This is the 21st century. The world’s knowledge is at your fingertips. People spend a lot of time online, and many people complain about Blackberry addiction. If people re-allocated even 10% of the time they spend on their Facebook or Twitter page to the acquisition of new knowledge, there would be an explosion of new, much needed, intelligent discussion in this country.
I see examples all the time in the media of people who have been “economically displaced.” They have been left behind by the economy because of their lack of knowledge. They are hanging on to a bygone version of the American dream like buggy whip manufacturers.
That is mass insanity. The grip of complacency is a huge contributor to the economic decline of this country and needs to be broken yesterday. In addition, if you are going to fool yourself and believe that anti-intellectualism hasn’t also contributed to the rising moral relativity in this country then you are welcome to your illusion, but you are part of the problem and not the solution, and you bear the responsibility for that mistaken belief.
My own answer is this: The purpose of my life is now twofold. First, I want to make the love of my life as happy as possible. Second, I want to accumulate as much knowledge as possible and pass it on to the generations that follow.
Look around you. How many people do you know who actually espouse that second purpose? If your answer to that question is a lot of people, or everyone you know, then you are either highly unusual or simply lying to yourself.
I say that because it should be readily apparent to any intelligent reader that we live in a highly anti-intellectual society. Americans consistently shun the acquisition of new knowledge, and if you point this out to anyone, then you are labeled either arrogant or
un-American. Americans prefer complacency to inquiry. This is probably the second most significant problem confronting American society today, following the basic lack of compassion that I pointed out in a previous entry.
Religious insulation is a major contributor to this problem. Ask yourself another question, what is religious fundamentalism except for the triumph of anti-intellectualism? The existence of those who subscribe to the theory of creationism should provide enough proof to make that question rhetorical.
Now think for a moment of what American life would be like if every citizen made it a point to gain as much knowledge as possible. Present this challenge to the average American and the most common objection will be, I don’t have the time. I’m sorry, but that excuse just doesn’t fly anymore. This is the 21st century. The world’s knowledge is at your fingertips. People spend a lot of time online, and many people complain about Blackberry addiction. If people re-allocated even 10% of the time they spend on their Facebook or Twitter page to the acquisition of new knowledge, there would be an explosion of new, much needed, intelligent discussion in this country.
I see examples all the time in the media of people who have been “economically displaced.” They have been left behind by the economy because of their lack of knowledge. They are hanging on to a bygone version of the American dream like buggy whip manufacturers.
That is mass insanity. The grip of complacency is a huge contributor to the economic decline of this country and needs to be broken yesterday. In addition, if you are going to fool yourself and believe that anti-intellectualism hasn’t also contributed to the rising moral relativity in this country then you are welcome to your illusion, but you are part of the problem and not the solution, and you bear the responsibility for that mistaken belief.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Mass Insanity- Religion
Do you believe in God? Do you pray to God? Do you believe that God is watching over you?
Whether you answered yes or no to these questions, you are still affected by religion every day. As the song “Freewill” from Rush says, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”
I can easily understand someone being frightened of aligning themselves with any particular religion. A large percentage of the world’s problems are the result of needless divisiveness caused by religion. If you want to read an excellent analysis of just how deeply the world has been affected by religion, try Sam Harris’ book, The End of Faith. It truly opened my eyes when I read it, about five years ago.
I am currently a member of the Catholic Church, and I also choose to sing in the choir, which has at most seven members and some Sundays features just two or three singers and an organist. But I certainly do not agree with some of the Church’s viewpoints and I think there handling of the abuse crisis which has plagued the Church for more than a decade now is shameful and hypocritical. In my opinion it is well past the time to dismantle the old boy and all boy network and choose a female Pope. No woman would ever countenance what has been allowed to happen inside the churches of the world.
I continue to attend Roman Catholic Church because the solemn, communal feeling I get at Mass always makes me feel better and being in the choir further enhances that feeling. My relationship with God is personal, so no one has the right to tell me how to worship, just as I have no right to tell anyone else how to do so.
But the central question that everyone dances around is, why? Why does all of this interfaith hatred and resentment have to exist? Examine it in a vacuum for a second.
For any religion to have any measure of validity it has to preach acceptance and tolerance of all people, whether they are religious or atheist. While many religions preach this in theory, in practice this is far from what we have. Far too many of the world’s prejudices are drawn along religious lines and far too many people die as a result.
One of the more stunning and hideous examples happened just the other day, when two young people were stoned to death by the Taliban because they tried to elope. That isn’t religion, that isn’t culture, that is barbarism, pure and simple, and anyone who practices it cannot say they represent any sort of religious principle at all. That type of behavior is driven by hatred and mass insanity and its presence is a blight upon the entire world, for which we are all responsible.
That does not mean we should carry guilt in our consciousness because of the acts of madmen. What is does require is self vigilance. If we are not examples of tolerance and acceptance in our daily lives, then we feed the fires of hatred that allow heinous acts like stoning to happen. All each person can do is be the best person that they can, and that requires the aforementioned vigilance on a daily basis. If enough people embrace daily growth and become beacons of tolerance and acceptance, then the effects of hatred would be greatly reduced and the world would be a far more nurturing place.
Whether you answered yes or no to these questions, you are still affected by religion every day. As the song “Freewill” from Rush says, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”
I can easily understand someone being frightened of aligning themselves with any particular religion. A large percentage of the world’s problems are the result of needless divisiveness caused by religion. If you want to read an excellent analysis of just how deeply the world has been affected by religion, try Sam Harris’ book, The End of Faith. It truly opened my eyes when I read it, about five years ago.
I am currently a member of the Catholic Church, and I also choose to sing in the choir, which has at most seven members and some Sundays features just two or three singers and an organist. But I certainly do not agree with some of the Church’s viewpoints and I think there handling of the abuse crisis which has plagued the Church for more than a decade now is shameful and hypocritical. In my opinion it is well past the time to dismantle the old boy and all boy network and choose a female Pope. No woman would ever countenance what has been allowed to happen inside the churches of the world.
I continue to attend Roman Catholic Church because the solemn, communal feeling I get at Mass always makes me feel better and being in the choir further enhances that feeling. My relationship with God is personal, so no one has the right to tell me how to worship, just as I have no right to tell anyone else how to do so.
But the central question that everyone dances around is, why? Why does all of this interfaith hatred and resentment have to exist? Examine it in a vacuum for a second.
For any religion to have any measure of validity it has to preach acceptance and tolerance of all people, whether they are religious or atheist. While many religions preach this in theory, in practice this is far from what we have. Far too many of the world’s prejudices are drawn along religious lines and far too many people die as a result.
One of the more stunning and hideous examples happened just the other day, when two young people were stoned to death by the Taliban because they tried to elope. That isn’t religion, that isn’t culture, that is barbarism, pure and simple, and anyone who practices it cannot say they represent any sort of religious principle at all. That type of behavior is driven by hatred and mass insanity and its presence is a blight upon the entire world, for which we are all responsible.
That does not mean we should carry guilt in our consciousness because of the acts of madmen. What is does require is self vigilance. If we are not examples of tolerance and acceptance in our daily lives, then we feed the fires of hatred that allow heinous acts like stoning to happen. All each person can do is be the best person that they can, and that requires the aforementioned vigilance on a daily basis. If enough people embrace daily growth and become beacons of tolerance and acceptance, then the effects of hatred would be greatly reduced and the world would be a far more nurturing place.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
A Moment of Sanity
In keeping with the spirit of this blog, I would like to relate my own contribution to the fight against mass insanity. This is a true telling of an encounter that took place on Monday. It is not meant to be self serving, as I hope you will discover. But this is the kind of event that I hope my readers will take as an example of what I would like to post from them in future entries on this blog.
I had some personal business to attend to on Monday morning, so my usual carpool routine was disrupted. As a result I had to take the train to work, which is not an unpleasant experience but cannot be classified as convenient. A train commute for me means I have to change trains once. It also means a twenty five minute layover at the transfer station.
The previous evening my girlfriend and I had had a long and serious discussion about what it means to be faithful to each other and true and good to yourself. This discussion had spurred many additional thoughts during the morning. I was twenty minutes into the layover when I texted the following message to her: “I have never believed in being vigilant about my own goodness. I thought knowing you were good was good enough. Now I know better.”
Not more than two minutes after I sent that text, a woman sat down next to me and began talking to me. If you have spent a lot of time waiting for trains, you know this is pretty unusual. My first thought was that maybe she was high or drunk. She was not dressed very well and she looked kind of beaten up.
It became apparent very quickly this was not the case. She simply needed someone to talk to, and, my God, what a story she had to tell. In the space of a year or two, her fifty seven year old husband had gone from a highly successful lawyer making mid-six figures to a heroin addict spending all of his time and money with a twenty two year old piece of white trash.
She was at the train station because she had been traveling for more than three hours to get to a hospital to pick up medication for a thyroid condition. Her husband was supposed to have picked her up early that morning to bring her to the hospital, but he was high out of his mind and his drug taking accomplice had taken off with the car. My first thought was, thank God, this isn’t life threatening.
Beyond that my thoughts were many and jumbled, but it would not be right to say I was confused. Although I was doing my best to process everything she was telling me, I could tell that all she needed was someone to listen to, and I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time for her.
So that is exactly what I did. I listened. My only responses were encouraging and conciliatory. I could have done exactly the opposite. I could have been predatory. I could have tried to take advantage of her vulnerability. But considering the text I had just sent my girlfriend, I would have rendered myself a complete hypocrite, and I have done that often enough in my life to know the price that you pay.
So I let her unload, and I grew. Her stop was before mine and before she left she hugged me and we exchanged phone numbers. I simply wanted to make sure she was okay. I told her my girlfriend would be proud of me and she said my girlfriend should realize how lucky she is. I just smiled.
She got off the train and I sat back, feeling more elated and purposeful than I had in a long time. This is the next text I sent to my girlfriend: “You will not believe the conversation I just had. God is amazing.”
He truly is.
If you consider all of the circumstances that had to occur to put me in that frame of mind and to put the two of us in that spot at that moment to have that conversation and give me the opportunity to help her so that she felt better and I was able to grow, then no reasonable person can deny the existence of a higher power watching over all of us. No matter what form of God you worship, you have to conclude that he was present on that platform.
A good day to everyone and may we all have the opportunity to help each other and grow in such fashion.
I had some personal business to attend to on Monday morning, so my usual carpool routine was disrupted. As a result I had to take the train to work, which is not an unpleasant experience but cannot be classified as convenient. A train commute for me means I have to change trains once. It also means a twenty five minute layover at the transfer station.
The previous evening my girlfriend and I had had a long and serious discussion about what it means to be faithful to each other and true and good to yourself. This discussion had spurred many additional thoughts during the morning. I was twenty minutes into the layover when I texted the following message to her: “I have never believed in being vigilant about my own goodness. I thought knowing you were good was good enough. Now I know better.”
Not more than two minutes after I sent that text, a woman sat down next to me and began talking to me. If you have spent a lot of time waiting for trains, you know this is pretty unusual. My first thought was that maybe she was high or drunk. She was not dressed very well and she looked kind of beaten up.
It became apparent very quickly this was not the case. She simply needed someone to talk to, and, my God, what a story she had to tell. In the space of a year or two, her fifty seven year old husband had gone from a highly successful lawyer making mid-six figures to a heroin addict spending all of his time and money with a twenty two year old piece of white trash.
She was at the train station because she had been traveling for more than three hours to get to a hospital to pick up medication for a thyroid condition. Her husband was supposed to have picked her up early that morning to bring her to the hospital, but he was high out of his mind and his drug taking accomplice had taken off with the car. My first thought was, thank God, this isn’t life threatening.
Beyond that my thoughts were many and jumbled, but it would not be right to say I was confused. Although I was doing my best to process everything she was telling me, I could tell that all she needed was someone to listen to, and I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time for her.
So that is exactly what I did. I listened. My only responses were encouraging and conciliatory. I could have done exactly the opposite. I could have been predatory. I could have tried to take advantage of her vulnerability. But considering the text I had just sent my girlfriend, I would have rendered myself a complete hypocrite, and I have done that often enough in my life to know the price that you pay.
So I let her unload, and I grew. Her stop was before mine and before she left she hugged me and we exchanged phone numbers. I simply wanted to make sure she was okay. I told her my girlfriend would be proud of me and she said my girlfriend should realize how lucky she is. I just smiled.
She got off the train and I sat back, feeling more elated and purposeful than I had in a long time. This is the next text I sent to my girlfriend: “You will not believe the conversation I just had. God is amazing.”
He truly is.
If you consider all of the circumstances that had to occur to put me in that frame of mind and to put the two of us in that spot at that moment to have that conversation and give me the opportunity to help her so that she felt better and I was able to grow, then no reasonable person can deny the existence of a higher power watching over all of us. No matter what form of God you worship, you have to conclude that he was present on that platform.
A good day to everyone and may we all have the opportunity to help each other and grow in such fashion.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Global Warming
In this world of relativism, there are still some things that are certain, besides death and taxes. The talent of Bob Dylan is a perfect example. Mass insanity is unfortunately another. If you need proof, look no further than the ongoing controversy surrounding global warming.
It is unfathomable to me that there are still some people who want to dispute the fact that global warming is occurring. Some of our elected representatives are guilty of this, Jim Inhofe, Republican Senator from Oklahoma being one prominent example. The fact that a man who holds this point of view gets elected is even greater evidence of mass insanity.
It is a fact that global warming causes the air to be more humid. This makes the hot summer days more uncomfortable and winter storms more intense. I live in New Jersey, and if last winter's storms and the fact that we have had nearly 30 days of 90 degree weather this summer, when the norm is 15, then you are willfully blind.
How can anyone be expected to be taken seriously when they dispute something that is obviously true? You can't believe anything that comes out of their mouth. I once heard Pat Buchanan say on the McLaughlin Group that he doesn't believe in evolution. This man was a presidential candidate. That's if for me. I will never take anything he says seriously again.
Do we want to let that kind of thinking become part of the higher level discussion? As we gain greater insight into the forces that drive the earth, will we let those who fear knowledge and espouse darkness become more powerful and vocal? The Roman Empire collapsed under the weight of its bureaucracy and complacency. The people that comprise the forward thinkers in our society should be very watchful that the same fate does not befall us.
It is unfathomable to me that there are still some people who want to dispute the fact that global warming is occurring. Some of our elected representatives are guilty of this, Jim Inhofe, Republican Senator from Oklahoma being one prominent example. The fact that a man who holds this point of view gets elected is even greater evidence of mass insanity.
It is a fact that global warming causes the air to be more humid. This makes the hot summer days more uncomfortable and winter storms more intense. I live in New Jersey, and if last winter's storms and the fact that we have had nearly 30 days of 90 degree weather this summer, when the norm is 15, then you are willfully blind.
How can anyone be expected to be taken seriously when they dispute something that is obviously true? You can't believe anything that comes out of their mouth. I once heard Pat Buchanan say on the McLaughlin Group that he doesn't believe in evolution. This man was a presidential candidate. That's if for me. I will never take anything he says seriously again.
Do we want to let that kind of thinking become part of the higher level discussion? As we gain greater insight into the forces that drive the earth, will we let those who fear knowledge and espouse darkness become more powerful and vocal? The Roman Empire collapsed under the weight of its bureaucracy and complacency. The people that comprise the forward thinkers in our society should be very watchful that the same fate does not befall us.
My Motivation for this Blog
Recently, I applied for a position with Examiner.com for an online column under the heading "free thinker." The column below is what I submitted. I heard nothing from them. I realized that I had a lot of ideas in my head for columns along the same general theme and length. My girlfriend suggested that I preserve them somehow. This blog is that line of thinking brought to fruition. The one problem that I had with Examiner.com's requirements was the need to write in the second or third person. My observations are personal and will include more first person composition.
My previous blog, The Age of Accountability, was more wide ranging. I think that is one reason why I stopped writing it. There were so many topics to cover that I couldn't handle them all and I felt a bit of creative paralysis. That will not happen here. I also tended to be very verbose on my other blog. These pieces will be shorter and more focused, easier to digest and designed to provoke thought.
My girlfriend has also brought a much needed element of stability to my life. She has made me realize that no matter how much insanity I see in daily life, there are just as many examples of people who are fighting back against it. That is why I invite any reader to send me an example of the fight against mass insanity to my main e-mail address: dak0521@yahoo.com. I will be glad to post it.
My previous blog, The Age of Accountability, was more wide ranging. I think that is one reason why I stopped writing it. There were so many topics to cover that I couldn't handle them all and I felt a bit of creative paralysis. That will not happen here. I also tended to be very verbose on my other blog. These pieces will be shorter and more focused, easier to digest and designed to provoke thought.
My girlfriend has also brought a much needed element of stability to my life. She has made me realize that no matter how much insanity I see in daily life, there are just as many examples of people who are fighting back against it. That is why I invite any reader to send me an example of the fight against mass insanity to my main e-mail address: dak0521@yahoo.com. I will be glad to post it.
Compassion, Ego and Consciousness
If you were asked, what is the biggest problem facing our society today, what would be your answer? Many people would cite the economy or some particular problem associated with it, such as unemployment. Others might mention the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. Another more thoughtful answer might be the societal divisions caused by the conflicts between the world’s major religions.
All of these are credible answers, but beneath all of them lies the central problem: Basic human compassion has become a scarce commodity. Take a step back and a deep breath and you can see that this is true. Watch the evening news, drive on a highway, or attempt to talk to a stranger and what happens? You get a feeling of alienation that reminds you of how alone you are and how cold this world has become.
If human beings really cared about each other, then all of these problems would cease to exist. If the first concern of every person was the world they live in and the people who occupy it, instead of their own minute piece of it, the wave of compassion that would sweep through the world would be unprecedented and would herald the next step in mankind’s evolution that has been discussed and predicted since higher level thought was first recorded.
It is a fair question to ask, what can I as one insignificant, powerless person do to bring about this change in consciousness? The answer lies in tearing down the wall you have built around your possessions. This wall is the ego. The ego is responsible for making this world the cold, impersonal place that it has become. Raise your consciousness, discard the personal prison your ego has created for you and the benefits you will bring to this world are immeasurable.
All of these are credible answers, but beneath all of them lies the central problem: Basic human compassion has become a scarce commodity. Take a step back and a deep breath and you can see that this is true. Watch the evening news, drive on a highway, or attempt to talk to a stranger and what happens? You get a feeling of alienation that reminds you of how alone you are and how cold this world has become.
If human beings really cared about each other, then all of these problems would cease to exist. If the first concern of every person was the world they live in and the people who occupy it, instead of their own minute piece of it, the wave of compassion that would sweep through the world would be unprecedented and would herald the next step in mankind’s evolution that has been discussed and predicted since higher level thought was first recorded.
It is a fair question to ask, what can I as one insignificant, powerless person do to bring about this change in consciousness? The answer lies in tearing down the wall you have built around your possessions. This wall is the ego. The ego is responsible for making this world the cold, impersonal place that it has become. Raise your consciousness, discard the personal prison your ego has created for you and the benefits you will bring to this world are immeasurable.
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