How many of you actually understand the Health Care issues in this country? No, I am not talking about those of you who think you understand it or think you know what is going on with it because you have read a few articles in the paper or online, or you have listened to a few politicians give a speech about it, I am talking about actual factual information that is out there and available. How many of you have taken the time to find out that close to one half of the United States population cannot afford the basic health care that is required to survive? How many of you have taken the time to find that everyday there are thousands of families that have to have life saving treatments or operations performed which they cannot afford, so their choices are to go into debt or die. Tell me this how fair is that?
Health care is a necessity in this day and age to survive, I don’t care if the Presidents current plan survives as it is or not, but what I do care about is that there is a plan to cover these people that cannot afford it. I am disgusted by people saying that they don’t want to pay for someone else’s medical coverage with their tax dollars. Well fat cats enjoy your tree limb but don’t expect me or any of the other good hearted people in our society to come to your aid one day, because in time friends your fat cat ways will cause that limb to splinter and in the end it will break, and you will find yourself tumbling down.
This is what is wrong with America today; our greed and self-righteous wants have consumed us. You know what made this country great at one time, we cared about other people, families took care of their families, churches and parishes took care of their people, and communities took care of the people within them. Where did this part of my America go? I have what I need to sustain a feeble existence. I have health care, it may not be the best, but I have something. There are those out there that have come on hard times, were born into hard times, or just can’t get it right—I am no mans judge, but I have the power to help them and if that means Uncle Sam needs to take a few more dollars out of my paycheck at some point. SO BE IT. If it is going to benefit a fellow American and allow them to live maybe a fraction of the life that I have had the opportunity to, I will gladly submit to that.
Though I do not know you, though we may not look a likes, speak exactly alike, dress alike, or believe in the same things—you are my mother, my father, my brother, my sister, my sons, and my daughters- you are my fellow Americans and you are my fellow countrymen. We the people are united through these bonds and we cannot expect a better America unless we take responsibility for our own.
To those of you who argue that the government should not do this…you are correct, but they have to do it, because we no longer take care of our own…we take care of our direct families, yes, until a point. However we do not take care of our communities otherwise the government would not have had to step in and intervene.
When someone in our communities come into rough times, the first thought is either oh poor them or glad it’s not me. There are a few left out there that will take action and try to help…and though I have my issues with organized religions, this is where I find they play a very crucial role, as there is some benevolence left within those communities…but it is still at a minimum. Then there are those of you who get mad at them say they are abusing the system and again start complaining about where your money is going. Well friends be thankful that you have a warm bed to sleep in tonight, be thankful that when you get sick you can go to a doctor and know you will be treated.
I am not a perfect man, nor would I ever pretend to be. I have just as many faults as the guy next to me and the woman next to him. If we are ever…ever…to be the great nation that we once were again, we need to start at square one and in that square is learning to take care of our communities again. That starts with make sure they have at least the minimum of what they need to get by. I am not asking you to give them your sports cars or summer homes or anything lavished. I am asking you to at least give them a chance to live.
Before I close this I am going to ask just one last thing…think back through your life about the people you have met along the way….think about those that struggled and came down on hard times…were they bad people….were they trying to take your money? No, most of them are too modest to take a hand out so they risk life over comfort. If you have enough is it that bad to want to help out others?
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Health Care on the Hill
Well after a good start I seemed to have let my writing fade away again. You think writing a blog would be easy, but it actually takes a lot of work to figure out what you are going to write and how you want to position it. I suppose for those who can narrow it down and focus on one topic area it is much easier, however I am not that simple. I have a very wide range of interests making my brain a mash-up of ideas. But I guess there are a few things that have been eating at me since I last wrote, but worst of all is the discussion on health care reform, or should I say the lack of a true discussion on it.
I have a few ideas on this and yes it is going to not make some of you out there happy—but hey, such is life.
1. Thank you President Obama for pushing this to the center stage! This was long overdue and should have been dealt with a long time ago. However, Mr. President, your time table to complete legislation of this magnitude is inadequate. As much as our nation needs this reform, it needs to be done correctly and that means it is going to take a bit more time. You yourself said you are not closed off to any options, well Sir, I implore you extend the deadline to at least the first of the next year. I like the plan that you have laid out, but there are some areas that are weak (financing) that need another go around and review.
2. To any of the more intellectual folks out there, I suggest reading a bit deeper in to how this plan is set up instead of believing everything you hear Fox News or members of the Republican party say. A couple of key points that they keep messing up:
a. This plan is to cover those who cannot afford to cover themselves and their families, if you are already insured by your company and like it that will not change.
b. Quit using the deficit as an excuse, the deficit was already up and out there before this came into play and it will only change it by a few percentage points. Maybe instead of trying to scare the public with those numbers you might want to stop and investigate what happens if we refuse to take action here, I bet you in the long run the numbers are much bleaker if you don’t act now.
c. Where have your federal taxes gone up? Yeah fax me that memo over when you find it! Taxes have not gone up nor are taxes going to go up because of this reform. NEXT Point please!
3. Liberal, Democrats, Progressives, whatever you will be called, same as my message to the President, good job, but slow down and make sure this is a solid reform. Do this once and do it right!
a. My paycheck is not a piggy bank, so please remember not to treat it as such. Look for the best cost effective method. Now this doesn’t mean cheap out to keep numbers down, but don’t go adding in things that are not of a meaningful use or necessity- that goes for you too Skeletor Pelosi.
I have a few other things that I may post about in the next few days or weeks, I am seeing things much clearer now and am growing quite intolerant to the abundance of ignorance that I am witness to on a regular basis. I do not expect you all to see things my way, but please at least take a moment and take what I say into consideration.
I have a few ideas on this and yes it is going to not make some of you out there happy—but hey, such is life.
1. Thank you President Obama for pushing this to the center stage! This was long overdue and should have been dealt with a long time ago. However, Mr. President, your time table to complete legislation of this magnitude is inadequate. As much as our nation needs this reform, it needs to be done correctly and that means it is going to take a bit more time. You yourself said you are not closed off to any options, well Sir, I implore you extend the deadline to at least the first of the next year. I like the plan that you have laid out, but there are some areas that are weak (financing) that need another go around and review.
2. To any of the more intellectual folks out there, I suggest reading a bit deeper in to how this plan is set up instead of believing everything you hear Fox News or members of the Republican party say. A couple of key points that they keep messing up:
a. This plan is to cover those who cannot afford to cover themselves and their families, if you are already insured by your company and like it that will not change.
b. Quit using the deficit as an excuse, the deficit was already up and out there before this came into play and it will only change it by a few percentage points. Maybe instead of trying to scare the public with those numbers you might want to stop and investigate what happens if we refuse to take action here, I bet you in the long run the numbers are much bleaker if you don’t act now.
c. Where have your federal taxes gone up? Yeah fax me that memo over when you find it! Taxes have not gone up nor are taxes going to go up because of this reform. NEXT Point please!
3. Liberal, Democrats, Progressives, whatever you will be called, same as my message to the President, good job, but slow down and make sure this is a solid reform. Do this once and do it right!
a. My paycheck is not a piggy bank, so please remember not to treat it as such. Look for the best cost effective method. Now this doesn’t mean cheap out to keep numbers down, but don’t go adding in things that are not of a meaningful use or necessity- that goes for you too Skeletor Pelosi.
I have a few other things that I may post about in the next few days or weeks, I am seeing things much clearer now and am growing quite intolerant to the abundance of ignorance that I am witness to on a regular basis. I do not expect you all to see things my way, but please at least take a moment and take what I say into consideration.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
To Plan, Not To Plan, or Just Right!
Somewhere along the line we were all told we need to have a plan for our lives, but how much should you actually plan for? Well, my response to that would be, it depends on the person. If you are reading this chances are you have been alive long enough to realize making plans is one thing, sticking to them is another, and having things always go as planned is a rare occurrence.
I am not a fan of disappointment but I have come to respect the fact that from time to time it happens! Such is life! When plans fall through or don’t work out exactly the way I wanted them to it’s not such a rough thing for me. I have with time and patience learned how to just bounce back to my feet and accept what I could not control and look how to adjust and avoid it in the future. However, this is not the case for everyone.
There are those of you out there that cannot and do not like it when things do not follow the precise map that you have draw out for yourselves. You are the folks that I worry about because a slight deviance from your plan and to you the world is crashing down. As well those of you who make no plans at all…you tend to have fears of failure so you fail to make plans, thereby in your mind making it impossible to fail, either that or maybe some of you are just that lazy. Regardless of which group you are coming from these guidelines are for you. I am not a doctor or a psychologist, but I can offer you some sound advice from my own personal life experiences…because at one point I have stood in both of your shoes.
1. Know that you have a CHOICE – There are two things that we cannot control in, in this life, when we are born and when we die (Yes, you can kill yourself- but most people choose not to do that). Everything else in life is determined by what you decided to do with it. We choose what we will be in this live and I am sure some of you are disagreeing with me right now, because you are in a bad job, bad relationship, or something that you are not happy with…but I will tell you this, you are there by your own choice and choices or decisions that you have made in the past. Your power of choice is what will allow you to rebound quickly when your life train begins to derail.
2. Don’t over plan it – There are some people who feel it necessary to map out every moment of every day...and if you look at them they always seem frantic. Plan for what you must, but once you get to the point where you have to take time and plan to make a plan you know you are in trouble. Life does not know your plans and has no need to respect your plans--- you must learn to respect life and dance with her gracefully even when she steps on your toes. When I say plan for what you must I mean if you have certain obligations that are a necessity in your life schedule them in, but don’t be scared to deviate from them every now and again if a good opportunity comes along.
3. Don’t fail to have a plan – Not having a plan at all for your life is just as bad as over planning. Without a plan you have no direction of where you want to go in life. I use to avoid making plans because I hated to be disappointed when things didn’t work out, but that got me know where. Have a basic plan in place. Take a look at your life and think about what it is that you want to do with it. From there start looking at the choices or decisions that you make and figure out how they are or are not useful in getting you to where you want to be. For example if you want to be a man on the moon is spending every free moment playing video games beneficial? Most likely not. So, bad choice, adjust and move on.
So that’s it. Three simple rules that could really keep you moving in a direction you want to go. But of course this is much easier said than done. Writing these rules out is one thing, but teaching yourself to live by them and believe in them is a whole different story. I myself still have a difficult time balancing my choices and decisions, but I have not given up. Every day may bring a new obstacle but I look forward to them now and plan my plans around them.
Happy Planning -- or not?
I am not a fan of disappointment but I have come to respect the fact that from time to time it happens! Such is life! When plans fall through or don’t work out exactly the way I wanted them to it’s not such a rough thing for me. I have with time and patience learned how to just bounce back to my feet and accept what I could not control and look how to adjust and avoid it in the future. However, this is not the case for everyone.
There are those of you out there that cannot and do not like it when things do not follow the precise map that you have draw out for yourselves. You are the folks that I worry about because a slight deviance from your plan and to you the world is crashing down. As well those of you who make no plans at all…you tend to have fears of failure so you fail to make plans, thereby in your mind making it impossible to fail, either that or maybe some of you are just that lazy. Regardless of which group you are coming from these guidelines are for you. I am not a doctor or a psychologist, but I can offer you some sound advice from my own personal life experiences…because at one point I have stood in both of your shoes.
1. Know that you have a CHOICE – There are two things that we cannot control in, in this life, when we are born and when we die (Yes, you can kill yourself- but most people choose not to do that). Everything else in life is determined by what you decided to do with it. We choose what we will be in this live and I am sure some of you are disagreeing with me right now, because you are in a bad job, bad relationship, or something that you are not happy with…but I will tell you this, you are there by your own choice and choices or decisions that you have made in the past. Your power of choice is what will allow you to rebound quickly when your life train begins to derail.
2. Don’t over plan it – There are some people who feel it necessary to map out every moment of every day...and if you look at them they always seem frantic. Plan for what you must, but once you get to the point where you have to take time and plan to make a plan you know you are in trouble. Life does not know your plans and has no need to respect your plans--- you must learn to respect life and dance with her gracefully even when she steps on your toes. When I say plan for what you must I mean if you have certain obligations that are a necessity in your life schedule them in, but don’t be scared to deviate from them every now and again if a good opportunity comes along.
3. Don’t fail to have a plan – Not having a plan at all for your life is just as bad as over planning. Without a plan you have no direction of where you want to go in life. I use to avoid making plans because I hated to be disappointed when things didn’t work out, but that got me know where. Have a basic plan in place. Take a look at your life and think about what it is that you want to do with it. From there start looking at the choices or decisions that you make and figure out how they are or are not useful in getting you to where you want to be. For example if you want to be a man on the moon is spending every free moment playing video games beneficial? Most likely not. So, bad choice, adjust and move on.
So that’s it. Three simple rules that could really keep you moving in a direction you want to go. But of course this is much easier said than done. Writing these rules out is one thing, but teaching yourself to live by them and believe in them is a whole different story. I myself still have a difficult time balancing my choices and decisions, but I have not given up. Every day may bring a new obstacle but I look forward to them now and plan my plans around them.
Happy Planning -- or not?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Retro Surfing: Top Ten Pop Hits of 1998
So feeling a little nostalgic tonight I decided to look and see what the top 10 pop music hits were in 1998. Now of course these songs will change if you look site by site so I tried getting them from as many as possible to get a good cross section- but still a very sad year for music.
10. Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from “Titanic”): I could have lived without this song and any of Celine’s music for that matter.
9. Barenaked Ladies – One Week: There was just something over done with that song that it drove me nuts, but then again how can you not want to sing “Chickity China the Chinese chicken, you have a drumstick and your brain stops ticking.” This song was responsible for producing a bunch of short and fun over used phrases.
8. Alanis Morissette – Uninvited: Umm- does anyone remember this song? Was this the one where she was standing naked in the street for the video or something like that? How the hell did this get number 8? Oh yes you guessed it, it’s the power of a soundtrack from a hit motion picture (City of Angels). Yet another Canadian that I could largely have done without; I liked the angry Alanis much better.
7. Will Smith – Getting’ Jiggy Wit It: All I have to say is “Na Na Na Na Nana Getting Jiggy wit it.” It’s the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air how can you go wrong with that!
6. Ben Folds Five – Brick: I was never a real fan of this song; I think I blame bands/artists like this for the whine music that gets put out today. Hey Ben Folds Five, You’re a brick and drowning me slowly….please stop it.
5. Sarah McLachlan – Adia: Okay so is it just me or are we noticing a trend of sucky music for 1998? Did I miss something that year or was it just filled with overly emotional people, excluding Mr. Smith who just wanted to Git Jiggy Wit It.
4. Deborah Cox – Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here: Yeah not that familiar with this one – but at least I know what Michelle Obama was doing in 1998, serious look at the video they kind of look alike. It’s all about those ARMS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGWDdRTCl9Q
3. Backstreet Boys – Everybody (Backstreet’s Back): I still cringe at the sound of these boy bands. That is one thing the 1990’s produced to much of…annoying boy bands. Though I must give props to Justin Timberlake who was able to overcome the boy band persona and continue his success.
2. Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life: Not a huge rap person myself, but how can you not want to sing along to an Annie tune can. Love it or hate it, great marketing plan on Jay-Z’s part.
1. Madonna – Ray of Light: Are you kidding me? Madonna is a very talented artist but that song sucked. I guess when you are as big as Madonna and you fail to produce an album for four years people will by whatever is put out there.
I guess I know why I wasn’t a huge pop music fan in 1998, most of it sucked! I am going to have to look and see if I can find the actually Billboard listing for that year, I refuse to believe that any real quality music was produced that year.
And just because it is fun to say I am going to put it one more time - Chickity China the Chinese chicken, you have a drumstick and your brain stops ticking ---- Na Na Na Na Nana Getting Jiggy wit it.
10. Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from “Titanic”): I could have lived without this song and any of Celine’s music for that matter.
9. Barenaked Ladies – One Week: There was just something over done with that song that it drove me nuts, but then again how can you not want to sing “Chickity China the Chinese chicken, you have a drumstick and your brain stops ticking.” This song was responsible for producing a bunch of short and fun over used phrases.
8. Alanis Morissette – Uninvited: Umm- does anyone remember this song? Was this the one where she was standing naked in the street for the video or something like that? How the hell did this get number 8? Oh yes you guessed it, it’s the power of a soundtrack from a hit motion picture (City of Angels). Yet another Canadian that I could largely have done without; I liked the angry Alanis much better.
7. Will Smith – Getting’ Jiggy Wit It: All I have to say is “Na Na Na Na Nana Getting Jiggy wit it.” It’s the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air how can you go wrong with that!
6. Ben Folds Five – Brick: I was never a real fan of this song; I think I blame bands/artists like this for the whine music that gets put out today. Hey Ben Folds Five, You’re a brick and drowning me slowly….please stop it.
5. Sarah McLachlan – Adia: Okay so is it just me or are we noticing a trend of sucky music for 1998? Did I miss something that year or was it just filled with overly emotional people, excluding Mr. Smith who just wanted to Git Jiggy Wit It.
4. Deborah Cox – Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here: Yeah not that familiar with this one – but at least I know what Michelle Obama was doing in 1998, serious look at the video they kind of look alike. It’s all about those ARMS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGWDdRTCl9Q
3. Backstreet Boys – Everybody (Backstreet’s Back): I still cringe at the sound of these boy bands. That is one thing the 1990’s produced to much of…annoying boy bands. Though I must give props to Justin Timberlake who was able to overcome the boy band persona and continue his success.
2. Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life: Not a huge rap person myself, but how can you not want to sing along to an Annie tune can. Love it or hate it, great marketing plan on Jay-Z’s part.
1. Madonna – Ray of Light: Are you kidding me? Madonna is a very talented artist but that song sucked. I guess when you are as big as Madonna and you fail to produce an album for four years people will by whatever is put out there.
I guess I know why I wasn’t a huge pop music fan in 1998, most of it sucked! I am going to have to look and see if I can find the actually Billboard listing for that year, I refuse to believe that any real quality music was produced that year.
And just because it is fun to say I am going to put it one more time - Chickity China the Chinese chicken, you have a drumstick and your brain stops ticking ---- Na Na Na Na Nana Getting Jiggy wit it.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
It’s Okay to Hate Your Job…
I have come to a realization today and though I am sure I am not the first to come this realization it brings some comfort to me with a problem that has been troubling me for some time now…I HATE MY JOB, but I don’t consider it a bad thing.
Let’s be realistic there are very few people who actually LOVE their job(s) and in most cases we are all doing what we need to do to get by at the time. For a long time I have tried to figure out why it is that initially I don’t mind the job but with in a time I learn to hate it. Well, while lost in my own thoughts this morning I had an awakening…hating my jobs has been what has driven me my whole life. Yes the need to succeed obviously is built into this, but initially it is the hate of my jobs that has motivated me to want to do more and become more successful. So yes, I think it is okay to hate your job…so long as you use it as a motivator.
I forget sometimes how young I still am in my professional career but thinking over the jobs that I have had I am finally able to pick out good from every single job I have ever had. Each time I being to truly despise my current job I get motivated again and make a leap forward professionally and personally.
As an example here is my progress over the last 11 years:
1998 – I graduated high school and unlike a good part of my friends and current co-workers I did not go to college right away. I worked for the department store that I had all the way through high school. At this point most of my high school friends were gone and didn’t work there anymore so I began to hate the job. So we jump to a year later in 1999 and I enrolled in college.
1999-2001- I graduate with two Associate Degrees, but decide that is not enough and enroll in my Bachelor Degree program . Because I am financially strapped and would not have been able to afford the rest of my education otherwise I take a job as Resident Director and get my classes paid for by the school.
2001-2005 – I continue taking classes to complete the requirements for my degree and in 2003 I leave the Resident Director position, after it nearly killed me and drove me insane, and took a job in the school’s Financial Aid Department. Not a huge advancement, but it was a set-up. By the fall of 2005 I have learned to hate that job so much I leave the school when I am offered a job as a Financial Consultant, major step-up in the game.
2006- While working as a private Financial Aid Consultant I complete the requirements and graduate with my Bachelor Degree. A few months later work decreases and I am left unemployed for six months. Let me tell you how much I hated that job! It was at this time that I began looking at Master Degrees. Luckily by the fall I am employed again by my current employer.
2006-2008 – Spend time working at my current position and at first love the job, but towards the year and a half mark – I was really starting to hate it. Go figure- so what did I do? I went back to school of course! I am now three quarters of the way through my Masters Degree.
I guess the bigger point that I am trying to express here is that had I not hated my jobs, I quite possibly would have become complacent where I was and not amounted to much more than my store clerk days of high school. So my advice to all of you out there who hate your jobs to – keep hating your job…but don’t just hate it, let it motivate you to do something better for yourself and make your own successful path in this world. The moment you choose to become complacent in your situation….well, you will know if you're there and what comes next.
“We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present.” Thomas Edison on Complacency
Let’s be realistic there are very few people who actually LOVE their job(s) and in most cases we are all doing what we need to do to get by at the time. For a long time I have tried to figure out why it is that initially I don’t mind the job but with in a time I learn to hate it. Well, while lost in my own thoughts this morning I had an awakening…hating my jobs has been what has driven me my whole life. Yes the need to succeed obviously is built into this, but initially it is the hate of my jobs that has motivated me to want to do more and become more successful. So yes, I think it is okay to hate your job…so long as you use it as a motivator.
I forget sometimes how young I still am in my professional career but thinking over the jobs that I have had I am finally able to pick out good from every single job I have ever had. Each time I being to truly despise my current job I get motivated again and make a leap forward professionally and personally.
As an example here is my progress over the last 11 years:
1998 – I graduated high school and unlike a good part of my friends and current co-workers I did not go to college right away. I worked for the department store that I had all the way through high school. At this point most of my high school friends were gone and didn’t work there anymore so I began to hate the job. So we jump to a year later in 1999 and I enrolled in college.
1999-2001- I graduate with two Associate Degrees, but decide that is not enough and enroll in my Bachelor Degree program . Because I am financially strapped and would not have been able to afford the rest of my education otherwise I take a job as Resident Director and get my classes paid for by the school.
2001-2005 – I continue taking classes to complete the requirements for my degree and in 2003 I leave the Resident Director position, after it nearly killed me and drove me insane, and took a job in the school’s Financial Aid Department. Not a huge advancement, but it was a set-up. By the fall of 2005 I have learned to hate that job so much I leave the school when I am offered a job as a Financial Consultant, major step-up in the game.
2006- While working as a private Financial Aid Consultant I complete the requirements and graduate with my Bachelor Degree. A few months later work decreases and I am left unemployed for six months. Let me tell you how much I hated that job! It was at this time that I began looking at Master Degrees. Luckily by the fall I am employed again by my current employer.
2006-2008 – Spend time working at my current position and at first love the job, but towards the year and a half mark – I was really starting to hate it. Go figure- so what did I do? I went back to school of course! I am now three quarters of the way through my Masters Degree.
I guess the bigger point that I am trying to express here is that had I not hated my jobs, I quite possibly would have become complacent where I was and not amounted to much more than my store clerk days of high school. So my advice to all of you out there who hate your jobs to – keep hating your job…but don’t just hate it, let it motivate you to do something better for yourself and make your own successful path in this world. The moment you choose to become complacent in your situation….well, you will know if you're there and what comes next.
“We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present.” Thomas Edison on Complacency
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Pen, The Key, and The Touch-Screen
It never seems to amaze me how fast technology advances. In the 26 years or so of my life that I can fully remember I have seen such a rapid advance of technology, but specifically in the world of human communications. You can’t walk around today without being connected to communications technology. I mean really next time you are in a public place, stop, look around, and tell me what you see…the lady walking by on her cell phone, the businessman or woman typing away madly on a BlackBerry, or the more tech savvy folks playing with their 1,000th downloaded app on their iPhone. (Yeah they have and app for that too.) And today this is normal.
Let me stop now and go back about 24 years to 1985. Look around again and it’s not there. Yeah cellular phones were around, but how many people really wanted to carry the suitcase that they came in around with them. Communication was much more primitive compared to the toys of today and I can only imagine what this must be like for my parents or grandparents generations, but again back to 1985. If you wanted to get in touch with a family member you could not sit down and write them an email, shoot them an instant message or text. You had two options, one, you call them on your local or long distance carrier (AT&T, SPRINT, NYNEX) and paid a ton to do so in many cases, or two, you sat down and wrote them a letter.
How many of you can actually say that in the last 5 to 10 years have actually sat down and hand written a letter to someone? I know for myself it has been years, up until I had started working on my Master’s degree last year it had been a few years since I had hand written anything at all. When I started taking hand written notes again I had found that my penmanship resembled something along the lines of what you would expect to see in 2nd or 3rd grade classroom, not from a 28 year old man.
Needless to say I have spent the last six months trying to restore my penmanship to something a bit more respectable, but I am left wondering, what happens to the next generation? As we move further into the computer age will they even continue to educate children on the art of writing or will it become and an antiquity much like the stone carvings of the ancient times? It seems as if we are finally marching towards Adolus Huxley’s Brave New World.
By the year 2029 will even still need to have phones or even leave our homes? A great example of what is coming is the SecondLife world; people are staying at home and conducting their business in a virtual world –from Concerts to business conferences. It may come to the point where people are never familiar with the real you, but will have extensive knowledge of the virtual you that has been created.
I am sure that for now old fashion handwriting will hang around for at least another hundred years or so, but its popularity and legibility has and will continue to decline.
And so I end today with a quote, since I mentioned Huxley I only feel it appropriate to give him the last word:
“And that,” put in the Director sententiously, "that is the secret of happiness and virtue-liking what you've got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their inescapable social destiny."- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
The Next Episode
So here is my new attempt at getting a blog going and seeing what I can do with it. I figure I am an opinionated person with plenty of obscurities going through my mind all of the time so why not share them with other people. Bear with me on the first few of these until I get comfortable with writing these again. I have been working on my degree for the last year so the only writing I have done has been academic. I will try to get something new posted at least a few times a week. Feel free to make all the comments that you like and I will respond when I can.
Well here goes nothing, let's see where we end up.
Well here goes nothing, let's see where we end up.
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