Is this picture:
A. A Powerful Indictment of Public Breastfeeding Opponents?
B. A Cheap Apples-to-Oranges (pun NOT intended), Unfair Comparison?
C. A Transparent Attempt by the RP Staff to generate traffic to this Web site?
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Facebook has allowed us to have an unprecedented opportunity to find people from our past and find ways to work through past differences. Last night I looked up a guy who bullied me mercilessly in 6th grade. I hadn’t seen him since middle school. I looked at his pictures on Facebook and at his life and saw him as he really was (and still is): A scared and lonely and lost boy with a seemingly empty life. I looked into his eyes and felt sorry for him and let go of the anger I had felt toward him for all these years. I forgave him. And then, in my imagination, I walked over from my Facebook page to his and beat the crap out of him. As I was walking back, I turned and saw him getting up and about to come toward me. “No, no. You don’t want to do that.” I said. He had that resigned look on his face as if to say, “I know. You are right,” “Be glad you caught me in a forgiving mood. If I ever see you on my Facebook page, I’ll knock you into last year’s Facebook Timeline. We clear? We good?” “Yes, sir.” And just like that, thanks to Facebook, I was able to make peace with a part of my past. And then some. It was beautiful. Thanks Facebook!
Imagine for a moment what it would be like to have lived our lives up to this point truly believing in our hearts every day the words below spoken by a great Kentuckian:
Now imagine what it would be like to live the rest of our lives truly believing in our hearts every day these same words….
The owner of these words, of course, is Louisville native Muhammad Ali. Whose life is proof that these words can be true. With three states nearing initiatives to legalize marijuana this fall, Julian Brookes thinks that we are near reaching the tipping point: [The Daily Beast]
“Character” is the way we really are when nobody is watching. “Irrelevant” is the way people view us when nobody is watching. OK. I think I probably took this too far and should have stopped at “Character.”
I’m sure optimism played a big part in the leaders of London as they began to rebuild. Optimism has played a significant role in my transition from 20 plus years in corporate America to now an independent business owner, realizing that while I would experience months without making any money whatsoever, I would eventually be successful. In fact my co-author, Skip Wirth, lists seven characteristics of those who come out of “fires,” with number seven being “optimism.” And while I still believe more than ever the power of being optimistic, I also realize the challenge of never confusing faith that we will prevail in the end—which we cannot afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of our current reality (our “fires”), whatever they might be.  Admiral Stockdale This lesson is best explained in an interview with Admiral Jim Stockdale, who was the highest ranking United States military officer in the “Hanoi Hilton” prisoner-of-war camp during the height of the Vietnam War. Tortured over 20 times during his eight-year imprisonment from 1965 to 1973, Stockdale lived out the war with without any prisoner’s rights, no set release date and no certainty as to whether he would ever see his family again. He shouldered the burden of command; doing everything he could to create conditions that would increase the number of prisoners who would survive unbroken, while fighting an internal war against his captors. During an interview, Admiral Stockdale was asked what helped him and the other survivors endure the torture and isolation. He described elaborate communications systems, strategies to reduce the sense of isolation and even coping mechanisms while being tortured. Reluctantly, the interviewer finally asked the question, “Who didn’t make it out?” Read the rest of…
As I watch Facebook succumb to ad creep I am reminded of a ridiculous joke I suggested a couple of months ago to a friend as we discussed the need for, ahem!, colonoscopies and how to pay for them. My idea was a simple, All-American pro-Capitalism approach. I thought of the most obvious solution that everyone else seemed to be missing. Look, some people rent out their cars for ad space. We have ads in the most intimate public spaces, including restroom stalls. And don’t forget the human sandwich boards. The solution was so simple, a child could have thought of it. Why not allow us to contract through our insurance providers to rent out our colons as advertising space? Duh!! When doctors are doing a scope they will see advertising campaigns specifically targeted to them. Ads for new medical equipment, new pharmaceutical medication, trips abroad, Mercedes Benzes and subscriptions to Cigar Aficionado. With the new advertising revenue derived from colon ads, we will be able for every American to be able to financially cover all the needed medical procedures involving their colon. Health improves. Our health care system is more financially solvent. And doctors get interesting and relevant information about new marketplace opportunities while snaking through our colons looking for the presence of unusual new growths. It’s a classic win, win, win. And reminded me of the new spate of ads we are all subjected to now on Facebook. We are all being treated like doctors now, in an odd sort of way. I guess. There is always a silver lining if you look hard enough. And also, if you look hard enough, there is another advertisement that just appeared. ; )
Did your boss seem dismissive of you? Are you not getting the kind of respect at home you feel you deserve? Next time you feel a personal slight, actual or anticipated, stop yourself. Straighten your back. Look the person in the eyes and repeat this quote–soberly and with conviction.
Pause. And then add,
Shuts ’em up every time. And they will not take you for being shallow or inconsequential again.
Try each evening to review the day and ask yourself, “What is one thing I learned today based on first hand experience?” Write down the answer–don’t just think about it. In fact, write down the answer in the form of a declaration or “lesson learned.” This helps you not only remember but also has a greater impact on positively changing future behavior. Here’s my most recent entry:
Check out how Toure expertly breaks down the relationship between the War on Drugs and the nihilism and anger of hip-hop. [Washington Post] |
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