I was taught to dream big. Not so much taught as modelled I suppose, modelled and encouraged, but all the same, the dream big perspective took root in me. I do believe that in a great many ways this is a good thing, among other things it gave me a lot of hope and insight into a world of possibilities for my own future, and for the world’s future. But in some ways I think it was also a little smidge of a hindrance.
You see, sometimes when you dream big the task/goal/dream itself can seem so big and so far flung that it feels exactly like what it is, a dream. Something rooted in the imaginary. Sure, it may well be possible, but if a big dream is so, well, dreamy, it may feel rooted in something other than the reality of who and what I (or anyone) is. This is not to say that such a dream cannot be achieved, simply that such a dream runs the risk of teetering over the edge of motivating vision, and falling into the abyss of fantastical fantasies to visit in a moment of escapist glee.
So these days I am trying something radical; I am practicing dreaming small. I am trying to let go of the grand notions of what my life could look like, and start looking at what it is, and what my dreams are for my life in the now. What do I want for my life when I let go of all my values about success, my perceptions of expectations, my desire to fulfill most all possibilities, and the big dream future. What does my life look like when I think no one is watching, and no one cares (myself included) about how big I make it?
I hear that some people live like this by default, some people have no trouble at all living their lives, going about their business, likely not thinking big or small, not really thinking at all. And for them, learning to dream big would probably be of the utmost value. But I was never one of those people, I’ve always been the thinker, the planner, the plan B-er, the steps-to-success person. And now, now I’m wondering what happens if I think less, dream within my daily reality, and settle in to my present tense a little more. Might such a shift in perspective lead to a happier or more peaceful life?
So I am giving it a go. I am trying to shake the big dream and try something different for myself. I’m challenging myself to let go of my “big” and see what happens when I embrace the historically-ignored “small.” (I suppose I could argue that in some ways I’m trying to dream even bigger here, by pushing myself to dream smaller, to think in a way that is not natural for me, but I’m afraid if I walk myself down that route I may just wander innocently, and obliviously, into a catch-22, never to be seen again...)
And so, with that, I am learning to dream small, to think small, to start thinking about the little things I want for my life, to wrap my head around the idea of being ordinary, doing nothing extraordinary with my life at all. To live as if there were no expectations or boundaries for me, to toss my constructs overboard, and to see what comes of this risky-feeling action. It is an interesting experience, and I am starting to feel that it may well end up creating more room for the extraordinary. As if, by letting go of my expectations, big dreams, and random goals I am leaving space to act, to try new things, and to create the extraordinary out of my ordinary. By not filling all the voids of myself with big fluffy socially- or personally-appropriate dreams, I am creating the necessary space to play with what my life has to offer.
It may or may not work, but hey, I’m branching out. I am trying to be quietly bold, to explore a different way of life. I figure that life, in its own short way, is long (if things go accordingly), so we might as well explore what it has to offer, what I have to offer, while we carry on along the journey.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Bring Back Home Economics
Bring it back, make it a required course in the public education system. I know, I know, how can I campaign to bring this particular course back when so many other equally important classes are being cut—music, sports, etc. They are indeed all of significant value; they are all critical to human development, and removing them is arguably an atrocity and an affront to our human growth potential. However, this little rant cannot be about the importance of every class deemed “non-essential,” that would result in a tome or two. So to keep things in check, and at a readable length, this little rant is all about the importance of Home Ec.
Looking around at the current state of North American culture, it strikes me as abundantly obvious that as a society we are lacking some basic skills in personal life management. In fact, it seems so abundantly obvious that I almost feel like it is redundant to make the case here. However, clearly it is not as obvious to everyone as it is to me, because if it was then this rant would never have arisen in the first place, and sharing it would be entirely unnecessary.
As I scan the surface of North American culture I see a society that is running up huge amounts of personal debt and walking full speed ahead towards a life determined by obesity and its associated health considerations. Basic skills like budgeting, saving, accounting, personal nutrition, and simple cooking seem clearly lacking from dominant culture. All these skills seem to me to be paramount to success—not necessarily to a successful career, but to success in life, to staying afloat, staying alive, and staying healthy. All of these basic skills that they don’t teach you in elementary math, science, or English class, that are pivotal to a successful community and successful country seem to be MIA.
Hence, bring back home economics classes. We have a problem, and we have a decent solution—a curriculum that teaches these skills to the majority of the population at a time in their lives when they can easily be learned and gradually implemented as age appropriate—so why are we busy cutting this sort of education only to spend more money on obesity related health care and other preventable costs? I just do not understand, and I know that I am not alone in this confusion.
So I am begging the general population, the parents, the administrators, and the activists to recall the days when home economics were taught to all students, and envision a day when all children in Canada, and heck, lets say all of North America, have the basic skills to manage their lives on a day to day basis. A nation where students don’t graduate from high school unable to manage a bank account, and young adults don’t graduate from undergrad still oblivious to the perils of compound interest as it relates to debt. A nation that understands that nutrition involves more than Kraft Dinner and processed grains.
This vision is within our realm of possibilities, I know it is. We have the knowledge, we have the teachers, we have the students, all we need now is the drive to make it a reality.
In my fantasies I am born in a time when common sense is common, and basic education doesn’t have to be fought for. So hop on the rosy glasses bandwagon with me and lets bring back home economics as a core elementary school class, let’s teach those wee little things how to manage their homes and manage their lives, so that when they grow up, they will know how to meet their basic needs. They can feel a little more secure in their daily lives, and their energies can be directed to other more challenging endeavours.
Looking around at the current state of North American culture, it strikes me as abundantly obvious that as a society we are lacking some basic skills in personal life management. In fact, it seems so abundantly obvious that I almost feel like it is redundant to make the case here. However, clearly it is not as obvious to everyone as it is to me, because if it was then this rant would never have arisen in the first place, and sharing it would be entirely unnecessary.
As I scan the surface of North American culture I see a society that is running up huge amounts of personal debt and walking full speed ahead towards a life determined by obesity and its associated health considerations. Basic skills like budgeting, saving, accounting, personal nutrition, and simple cooking seem clearly lacking from dominant culture. All these skills seem to me to be paramount to success—not necessarily to a successful career, but to success in life, to staying afloat, staying alive, and staying healthy. All of these basic skills that they don’t teach you in elementary math, science, or English class, that are pivotal to a successful community and successful country seem to be MIA.
Hence, bring back home economics classes. We have a problem, and we have a decent solution—a curriculum that teaches these skills to the majority of the population at a time in their lives when they can easily be learned and gradually implemented as age appropriate—so why are we busy cutting this sort of education only to spend more money on obesity related health care and other preventable costs? I just do not understand, and I know that I am not alone in this confusion.
So I am begging the general population, the parents, the administrators, and the activists to recall the days when home economics were taught to all students, and envision a day when all children in Canada, and heck, lets say all of North America, have the basic skills to manage their lives on a day to day basis. A nation where students don’t graduate from high school unable to manage a bank account, and young adults don’t graduate from undergrad still oblivious to the perils of compound interest as it relates to debt. A nation that understands that nutrition involves more than Kraft Dinner and processed grains.
This vision is within our realm of possibilities, I know it is. We have the knowledge, we have the teachers, we have the students, all we need now is the drive to make it a reality.
In my fantasies I am born in a time when common sense is common, and basic education doesn’t have to be fought for. So hop on the rosy glasses bandwagon with me and lets bring back home economics as a core elementary school class, let’s teach those wee little things how to manage their homes and manage their lives, so that when they grow up, they will know how to meet their basic needs. They can feel a little more secure in their daily lives, and their energies can be directed to other more challenging endeavours.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Optimizing Life
I fear this entry may sound a little trite and perhaps even painfully obvious to many, but I figure that’s okay, that shouldn’t really deter me, as you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to. So here I go:
Due to various injuries, travel, and plenty of crappy weather, this year my partner and I haven’t hiked as much as we like to. Recently we decided to ease back into things with a spontaneous sunny-weather post-work hike. Having completed a 45min ascent, not yet at the summit but acutely aware of the sun dipping on the horizon, we figured it was time to turn around and head back down. We were a bit miffed that we didn’t make it all the way to the summit, but were enjoying ourselves all the same. So as we were winding our way back down I mentioned that our climb wasn’t so bad, although we didn’t make it to the summit, it was far nicer than being in a gym, and at the very least we got a nice cardio workout going up, and we’re getting a decent strength session on the way down. My partner agreed, paused, and then said “yeah, but if we were in the gym we would have done the strength component first, followed by the cardio, so as to optimize our workout.”
I paused (mentally anyway), and thought on this. Frankly, I was a bit taken aback by the comment, for whatever reason it was one of the last things I imagined as a response. And yet there it was. And there, in the pause it caused, was my epiphany: You can’t optimize nature. You just can’t. You can’t optimize life; it comes the way it comes and that’s all there is to it. I was so enthused a big grin spread across my face. You just can’t optimize life. Why hadn’t I gotten that before?
Now, I don’t mean this in a fatalistic way, not in the slightest. My realization had more to do with understanding, really understanding, that life doesn’t happen in the gym (figuratively speaking), or in any sort of controlled environment. You may know a better or more idealized method for living, or handling a particular situation, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to use it. It may not be applicable to the reality of the setting. And at the end of the day, you just can’t optimize that.
I’m not suggesting that we all sit back as passive agents as life just trods along past us. To the contrary. The epiphany wasn’t about that, it was about understanding that you just can’t optimize everything. Life comes the way it comes, and if you accept what it is, you can see more clearly what can be done with it. Optimize your climb, optimize your descent, optimize your company, or optimize your mentality, just don’t waste your time trying to optimize the direction of the mountain, that’s the way nature made it. I’m not saying don’t hope for more, or different, and I’m not saying don’t pack your bags and go find a canyon if that’s what you are actually looking for. I’m saying don’t start digging up the mountain to make it fit your life. Consider what is in the realm of optimization, and what is not. And then act from there.
I know that I’ve had this sort of thought millions of times before, and heard it spoken in myriad different ways, but for some reason the spontaneous way in which it came to me on this day just felt so profound, and so suddenly clear: You can’t optimize life, so just stop trying. Maybe I’m finally understanding the concept of “letting go” (a substantial challenge for a personality like myself). Or perhaps this is what is meant when people say that you should approach life with a “lighter touch.” I’m not entirely sure. But I do feel invigorated by this new perspective. And that my friends, seemed worthy of sharing.
Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. But hey, I’ve put it out there, and now you can optimize it as you see fitting.
Due to various injuries, travel, and plenty of crappy weather, this year my partner and I haven’t hiked as much as we like to. Recently we decided to ease back into things with a spontaneous sunny-weather post-work hike. Having completed a 45min ascent, not yet at the summit but acutely aware of the sun dipping on the horizon, we figured it was time to turn around and head back down. We were a bit miffed that we didn’t make it all the way to the summit, but were enjoying ourselves all the same. So as we were winding our way back down I mentioned that our climb wasn’t so bad, although we didn’t make it to the summit, it was far nicer than being in a gym, and at the very least we got a nice cardio workout going up, and we’re getting a decent strength session on the way down. My partner agreed, paused, and then said “yeah, but if we were in the gym we would have done the strength component first, followed by the cardio, so as to optimize our workout.”
I paused (mentally anyway), and thought on this. Frankly, I was a bit taken aback by the comment, for whatever reason it was one of the last things I imagined as a response. And yet there it was. And there, in the pause it caused, was my epiphany: You can’t optimize nature. You just can’t. You can’t optimize life; it comes the way it comes and that’s all there is to it. I was so enthused a big grin spread across my face. You just can’t optimize life. Why hadn’t I gotten that before?
Now, I don’t mean this in a fatalistic way, not in the slightest. My realization had more to do with understanding, really understanding, that life doesn’t happen in the gym (figuratively speaking), or in any sort of controlled environment. You may know a better or more idealized method for living, or handling a particular situation, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to use it. It may not be applicable to the reality of the setting. And at the end of the day, you just can’t optimize that.
I’m not suggesting that we all sit back as passive agents as life just trods along past us. To the contrary. The epiphany wasn’t about that, it was about understanding that you just can’t optimize everything. Life comes the way it comes, and if you accept what it is, you can see more clearly what can be done with it. Optimize your climb, optimize your descent, optimize your company, or optimize your mentality, just don’t waste your time trying to optimize the direction of the mountain, that’s the way nature made it. I’m not saying don’t hope for more, or different, and I’m not saying don’t pack your bags and go find a canyon if that’s what you are actually looking for. I’m saying don’t start digging up the mountain to make it fit your life. Consider what is in the realm of optimization, and what is not. And then act from there.
I know that I’ve had this sort of thought millions of times before, and heard it spoken in myriad different ways, but for some reason the spontaneous way in which it came to me on this day just felt so profound, and so suddenly clear: You can’t optimize life, so just stop trying. Maybe I’m finally understanding the concept of “letting go” (a substantial challenge for a personality like myself). Or perhaps this is what is meant when people say that you should approach life with a “lighter touch.” I’m not entirely sure. But I do feel invigorated by this new perspective. And that my friends, seemed worthy of sharing.
Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. But hey, I’ve put it out there, and now you can optimize it as you see fitting.
Welcome back
Right, well, the blog took an accidental hiatus for April as I got swept up in the technicalities of a different project. But I missed the blog, and we’ll just go on ahead and anthropomorphize the blog and say that it missed me too (aww, isn’t that sweet? I feel so loved and attended to).
So, with that out in the open, let’s start with a little “welcome back” (Welcome back!) and then ease ourselves back into the perilous terrain of my mind... careful not to trip now, there’s a big ol’ thought lying in the middle of the path there.
So, with that out in the open, let’s start with a little “welcome back” (Welcome back!) and then ease ourselves back into the perilous terrain of my mind... careful not to trip now, there’s a big ol’ thought lying in the middle of the path there.
Monday, April 6, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, April 3, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
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.
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.
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