Rev your mind. Seriously, do it.

What's with all the vacant people, staring off into their own personal voids?

And I don’t mean those people (myself included) that you catch off guard, enjoying a quiet moment of retreat, staring off into the beautiful recesses of one’s own mind. No, I mean those people with the vacant look, you know the one I mean: The blank stare, the empty gaze, the blinks that taunt you while you wait, patiently, for a response from the customer “service” employee at a low-cost shopping centre.

I just don’t understand, what is with that? Why is it that some people, a great many people, far too many people, just don't seem to be able to get their minds in gear, any gear. Not even when it is requested, or even needed?

I just don’t understand how this is possible. I understand not knowing an answer, I understand not running in high gear, or being the smartest kid on the block, I even understand being completely uninterested in your job and by virtue not engaging in it. But what I don’t understand is how some people can just stare off into space when asked a direct question, or instructed on a job, or while conversing with a customer; just stare, and blink. It is so far from anything I can wrap my head around.

Truly, it is one thing to not be all that motivated, or move a little sluggishly, or something of that sort. But it seems something altogether different to see people who appear to be trapped in a perpetual state of vacancy, like their mind went for a little stroll at some point and got lost on the way back. I wonder, is this type of mental functioning avoidable? How is it that some people seem to live their lives in this way?

In sharing all of this I’m not trying to be rude, not at all. I’m actually sharing all of this because witnessing this mental vacancy (with alarming frequency) has led me to a little fantasy. Imagine what we could accomplish as a society if we could teach people how to engage their minds at will (or I guess I would settle for just engaging their minds at all).

Come, dream with me for a moment: picture a nation of revved minds, engaged, connected, heck, since this is my dream, let’s even say respectful. Imagine it. Think of what life would be like if people could identify when they needed to engage with a situation, leave the comfort of their void and rev themselves into gear. Just think of all that we could accomplish. It would be a beautiful and amazing thing. With so much potential for growth, and development, progress, success, and discovery, I really do believe it would be a stunning sight, a phenomenal sight. And I really do believe that it is possible, if we want it.

So why then don't we teach people how to master their own mind and engage at will (or at all)? or something akin to that? (Aside from the obvious answer that our standards of education have been swirling down the loo for ages, with decreasing expectations for student knowledge and increasing expectations for making everyone feel warm and fuzzy.) How is it that this is not an educational priority? Do we not know how to teach people to engage their minds? Is it that as a culture we don’t value mental engagement (that would be devastatingly sad)? Or does it simply consume significantly more resources to teach this?

So many questions, so few answers. (If anyone reading this happens to have the answers, or studies examining the answers, do share.)

I don’t seem to have any sort of grand poetic conclusion for this thought. I suppose my bottom line is that I believe that we, people, are capable of so much more, individually and collectively, and I strongly suspect that active and engaged minds are critical to leading us down the road of advancement. So until we figure our how to rev people’s minds en masse, here’s to revving your own mind, and nudging your neighbours to do the same.

nudge nudge.

Different, but Same Same

We recently got back from (a fabulous trip to) Vietnam where a common saying in sales pitches is "same same, but different." The line is hilarious, and has become a bit of a motto or slogan within the tourist component of the country (I can’t speak to the local experience). You can buy t-shirts and postcards with the line on it, and you are bound to hear it at least once a day. While the line gets a chuckle at first, the more we heard it, and used it, the more we felt it grow on us: like it really does fit as a descriptor for so many things in life.

Although I love this line, and I feel there is an unacknowledged accuracy to it that many people simply overlook, it is often cited in a mocking or deprecating tone by people who feel they have been swindled into a knock off product or less-than-promised experience (which can often times be the case, but certainly isn’t always the case). For example, once in Vietnam you may be lured into purchasing a little beach getaway trip departing from one of the bigger cities, and although the pictures of your beautiful beach vacation look divine, when you get to the beach it may be filthy with garbage and have a no swimming sign up. See: same same but different. Same same in that you are indeed on a vacation on a beach, but different in that it isn’t the fantasy beach vacation that you thought you were buying.

I suppose that in some ways the sentence serves as a reminder that looks can be deceiving, and when making any sort of transaction you need to be clear and forthright about what you are looking for and what you can expect. Or, perhaps the line is just a simple truth about many products and services (the world over), the effects of globalization and all.

Hmmm, evidently there is a lot that can be discussed regarding this catchy little line. But lest I get lost in all its possible nuances, I will carry on to the second part of my story.

So upon our return I received via post my freshly “repaired” computer. This pesky little computer has been falling ill since early in its young life, and at this point I am far too familiar (and frustrated) with the customer service staff to expect any sort of sign that they understand the symptoms I am describing. Or to expect that they offer any hint at clear insight or information as to what exactly is going on with my computer, or who specifically will be tending to it. So, having shipped off the little bugger before we went on vacation, I received it back shortly after our return. Nicely timed if I do say so myself.

When I opened up the shipping box I found a concise notice that assured me in no particular detail (or any detail whatsoever) that the computer has been fully repaired. Skeptical at the lack of description I turned to my "newly repaired" laptop, popped the screen up, and uncovered a shockingly dusty keyboard. A little surprised that the computer has come back to me this much dustier than it was on departure, I refocus my attention on booting up my little rockstar. Hmm. The obnoxious bootup error screen is unfortunately the first thing I see when I try and start my newly repaired computer. Oddly enough, it is exactly the same screen that I saw just before I sent it away. And so I paused. Same error screen; more dust; generic letter reassuring me that all is well.

take pause here people

Is all really well? Has anyone actually looked at my computer? Is it actually fixed? How can I tell? I can’t call the person who worked on it, their number would be unlisted if their name was even provided. Should I call the helpline in India and see if they know any more than I do? It seems unlikely that they would given how little they know every other time I call. Crap. I feel like I’ve just been snowed, big time.

And in that moment, in that realization, it struck me: different, but same same. For all our “advances,” for all our fabulous systems, and stunning implementations, for all our supposed growth, and all our cited difference, in a great many ways countries the world over are all still “same same.”

In this case, the only difference is that in Canada, I can’t actually speak to the person who supposedly worked on my computer. In that moment I pined for Vietnam. I wished I was in Vietnam or in any country where I could ask a person directly whether they were scamming me or not, see their face, check out their posture, ask many many probing questions to try and figure out whether anyone had actually worked on the laptop. But I was nowhere like that. I was in Canada, where all I have to cling to is a few words on a generic piece of white paper “your computer has been fully repaired”

sure it has.

I know that there are endless differences between nations, big, bold, glaring differences: socialism, capitalism, health care standards, living wages, education standards, accessibility, human rights, oppression, and on and on it goes. But I think that within all those differences, tucked neatly between all the people that make up these nations, there are also a fair number of similarities, little, inconspicuous, fundamental similarities. Different in many ways perhaps, but also same same.

What's with the name?

So what's with the "unclassified thoughts and written words" title? Let me explain.

Unclassified thoughts: Blogging never interested me because I a) didn't want to over share my personal life with random internet readers, and b) never had an obvious theme that I passionately wanted to write about day in and day out. And given my limited understanding of blogging, I was under the clearly misguided impression that you had to fall into one of those two parameters to truly blog (whatever that means). Recently, however, through discussion with a friend, it finally occurred to my overly structured little mind that I can go ahead and write out my random thoughts on a blog—without clearly defining a blog theme and a predetermined set of topic parameters. What a novel idea, one that embarrassingly enough would likely never have occurred to me on my own. Regardless, that notion set me free to give this old blogging thing a proper go.

Now I suppose that technically speaking we could say that “thoughts” is the theme of this here blog. While the “unclassified” descriptor catches my intention of each posting being allowed to be a standalone thought, without having to fit into a larger theme or, ehem, classification.

That explains the first half of the title, now on to the second.

Written words: Well, that's pretty self explanatory. The thoughts are written out with words, not spoken or conveyed through diagram (at least not often anyway). Although I suspect that the topics or ideas, the thoughts if you will, often emerge from things I have, or would like to, converse about, here they are written about with the beautiful and always functional word.

And thus, unclassified thoughts and written words, that is what you will find on this blog.

So there you have it. I’m kind of enjoying this forum for running through current thoughts bouncing around my head, and I sincerely hope that you are too.