The other day I found myself in a very unique position. This happens a lot to me, so I guess it barely seems unique anymore, but it doesn't change the fact that it still is to most people. I was at work trying to mind my own business when the person across from me began talking. Sounds pretty normal at first, doesn't it? After all, this happens to anybody and everybody every day, right?
This person began to talk about politics, a subject that I and most others try to avoid. Unfortunately, I was stuck at my job station and lack the ability to walk away. I suppose I could tell this particular individual that I was not interested in hearing what he had to say, especially since he seemed a fairly stout conservative and me teetering the fence of being a liberal, but I thought there could be no harm in listening for awhile. As a human being, the only way I or anybody can learn is to listen. This is something that most people have forgotten nowadays, unless we are only listening to someone who already shares our opinion, which nothing new can be accomplished.
I listened to this man go on for hours about historical facts, how he came to arrive at his opinion, and just in general how this individual came to be in his current state. I have to say that this guy could easily be my friend now. He made very valid points on diplomacy, the state of the economy, foreign trade, health care, and just about anything I could throw at him. I tried not to offend him, and he went out of his way not to offend me or insult my intelligence. While we debated for hours, we both continued to make valid points and justify our positions in what we believed. It was almost beautiful, except for the fact that we couldn't agree on anything. Well, except that we agreed to disagree.
When I turn o my television set or read my newspaper nowadays, I see a lot of talk of bipartisanship. I see the talk, but I do not see the action being carried out. Both sides of our political empire in Washington are at complete opposition, with neither side making any sense whatsoever. It makes a bad marriage look like a dream cruise. For most politicians, this is something they are used to. It's been going on for ages without letting up. The only problem is that no solutions come out of two sides that never listen to one another, and millions of peoples lives are at stake.
I don't expect any miracles out of writing this, and I know it's painful to spend time listening to someone you simply cannot agree with, but there is one thing that both political parties do agree on. They both want to live and be a part of the greatest country in the world, and they both agree that this country is failing fast and needs help desperately. If I could learn a few things from listening to somebody for a few hours, and he could learn a few things from me, I do believe there is some hope. We all just have to shut up and listen long enough to find it.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Beautiful Ugliness of Disrupt
Last night was the first time in years that I began to work the graveyard shift. It isn't pretty to have to report to work on a Sunday night to start a six day work week, but that's what life has handed me currently. I shouldn't hate it too much after all, since I was the one to make the decision.
Many of my friends, family and coworkers have asked me why I decided to make such a horrendous change in my process of conducting my very own nine to five, and I shrugged them off many different reasons for it. It was time for a change. I could use the extra shift premium. I would get to see my daughter after school during the week now. I wanted my Friday nights back. At the same time, I also brought up the reasons why I shouldn't change my schedule. I would be doing something completely different. I've been on the same job on the same shift for three straight years now, and I was extremely good at what I did. I have a good friend right across from me that I could always talk to about everything. A new job on a new shift would not only upset my internal clock, but it would also make all the muscles in my body extremely sore. Lastly, I was comfortable where I was.
Of all the reasons for and against this shift in my schedule (no pun intended), the first reason for it and the last reason against it are the two that stick out more than anything. To be comfortable in today's society should practically be outlawed. If you are happy with your station in life, something is wrong, because all of us should continue to stride further forward in life, trying each day to be a stronger and better person than the previous one. I'm not saying you shouldn't be happy, but I am saying that a movement toward continuous improvement will always help to make you even more successful and better feeling than you already were.
My time had come to get myself good and uncomfortable. Otherwise, I would just continue to sit on that same job on the afternoon shift and watch the rest of my life rot away. Looking at it from that perspective, I might as well have put a pistol in my mouth and gotten the rest of my life over with. I always tell people that I know that the more you stop experiencing things in life, the more you stop living at that point and just start dying slowly. That's what all this is about. I don't want to spend the rest of my days rotting away on a factory floor. I was meant for more than that. I perceive myself to be better than that. The more uncomfortable I make myself with my day to day operations, the harder I try to be a better person. That's the beauty of discomfort.
Many of my friends, family and coworkers have asked me why I decided to make such a horrendous change in my process of conducting my very own nine to five, and I shrugged them off many different reasons for it. It was time for a change. I could use the extra shift premium. I would get to see my daughter after school during the week now. I wanted my Friday nights back. At the same time, I also brought up the reasons why I shouldn't change my schedule. I would be doing something completely different. I've been on the same job on the same shift for three straight years now, and I was extremely good at what I did. I have a good friend right across from me that I could always talk to about everything. A new job on a new shift would not only upset my internal clock, but it would also make all the muscles in my body extremely sore. Lastly, I was comfortable where I was.
Of all the reasons for and against this shift in my schedule (no pun intended), the first reason for it and the last reason against it are the two that stick out more than anything. To be comfortable in today's society should practically be outlawed. If you are happy with your station in life, something is wrong, because all of us should continue to stride further forward in life, trying each day to be a stronger and better person than the previous one. I'm not saying you shouldn't be happy, but I am saying that a movement toward continuous improvement will always help to make you even more successful and better feeling than you already were.
My time had come to get myself good and uncomfortable. Otherwise, I would just continue to sit on that same job on the afternoon shift and watch the rest of my life rot away. Looking at it from that perspective, I might as well have put a pistol in my mouth and gotten the rest of my life over with. I always tell people that I know that the more you stop experiencing things in life, the more you stop living at that point and just start dying slowly. That's what all this is about. I don't want to spend the rest of my days rotting away on a factory floor. I was meant for more than that. I perceive myself to be better than that. The more uncomfortable I make myself with my day to day operations, the harder I try to be a better person. That's the beauty of discomfort.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Where's my flying car?
Ok, so I woke up at five in the morning and one simple question came to mind. Where the hell is my flying car? Most normal people who are anxiously awaken in the middle of the night may think about unpaid bills, where our country is headed, where they may be heading themselves, but not me. I desperately want to know where my promised aerobatic automobile is right now.
This world has become a maddening place today. People are constantly moving in different directions at what appears to be the speed of light, technology reigns on high, and things seem to have led us into an on-demand society. You would think on our long list of demands we have gathered would be the one thing scientists and our own imaginations have promised us for nearly half a century. A freakin' flying car. It's been on the minds of important people since the creation of The Jetsons!
I can remember several speeches in my life different important characters have given me over the years, from my father all the way up to any of our US presidents. Study hard, do good in school, be a good person, and you can have anything you want or could possibly dream of. I feel like I've been cheated. Here with all this unlimited information at the fingertips of all societies, not to mention the technological advances in the modern world today, you would think somebody would put together a flying car. But no, every morning when I open my newspaper, not a single goddamn one. Just more religion and politics and bickering and stupid repetative bullshit.
It's obvious that there's only one thing I can do. Continue to sit on my couch and wait for someone to come through with my flying car. I'm far too busy watching Dancing With the Stars to design one myself, let alone build one. It really sucks too because I bet when the first one comes out it'll be a piece of shit. Well, unless the Chinese build it. After all, they make the best stuff, right? That's why there the only flag I see on any of the products in all of our stores.
This small essay I wrote clearly doesn't have to be just about cars that fly. It's about what this world has come to. There was once a time when if somebody wanted something in this society, he got up and did something about it. When I read the news nowadays, all I hear is everybody in the world complaining about anything and everything without one sane solution to any of the problems. I decided to start writing so that maybe my small voice could be heard, because I'm sick of not doing anything. I want my children to be proud of the world they live in, and if I'm not happy with it, how could they ever be?
By the way, this isn't one of those posts telling people to just go out and solve their problems with name calling and violence, even though that seems to be the status quo currently. I'm just saying that if you're not happy with how your life is going, get off your couch and start changing it. Go build your flying car and if it doesn't fly, don't stop trying until it does. Ask Lexus for help or something. I hear they're good at building cars.
This world has become a maddening place today. People are constantly moving in different directions at what appears to be the speed of light, technology reigns on high, and things seem to have led us into an on-demand society. You would think on our long list of demands we have gathered would be the one thing scientists and our own imaginations have promised us for nearly half a century. A freakin' flying car. It's been on the minds of important people since the creation of The Jetsons!
I can remember several speeches in my life different important characters have given me over the years, from my father all the way up to any of our US presidents. Study hard, do good in school, be a good person, and you can have anything you want or could possibly dream of. I feel like I've been cheated. Here with all this unlimited information at the fingertips of all societies, not to mention the technological advances in the modern world today, you would think somebody would put together a flying car. But no, every morning when I open my newspaper, not a single goddamn one. Just more religion and politics and bickering and stupid repetative bullshit.
It's obvious that there's only one thing I can do. Continue to sit on my couch and wait for someone to come through with my flying car. I'm far too busy watching Dancing With the Stars to design one myself, let alone build one. It really sucks too because I bet when the first one comes out it'll be a piece of shit. Well, unless the Chinese build it. After all, they make the best stuff, right? That's why there the only flag I see on any of the products in all of our stores.
This small essay I wrote clearly doesn't have to be just about cars that fly. It's about what this world has come to. There was once a time when if somebody wanted something in this society, he got up and did something about it. When I read the news nowadays, all I hear is everybody in the world complaining about anything and everything without one sane solution to any of the problems. I decided to start writing so that maybe my small voice could be heard, because I'm sick of not doing anything. I want my children to be proud of the world they live in, and if I'm not happy with it, how could they ever be?
By the way, this isn't one of those posts telling people to just go out and solve their problems with name calling and violence, even though that seems to be the status quo currently. I'm just saying that if you're not happy with how your life is going, get off your couch and start changing it. Go build your flying car and if it doesn't fly, don't stop trying until it does. Ask Lexus for help or something. I hear they're good at building cars.
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