Normally, when I think about “attitude,” my thoughts go to how a person behaves. For example, a student that “smarts off” to his/her high school algebra teacher has a bad attitude. But when I use “attitude” in that way I generally do not think about how it might be controlled by other factors. I think of attitude as something that is independent and exclusive to that student at that moment.
Continue reading Attitude
Jesus said it. Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. It is perhaps one of his hardest commands to us. We human beings are little judging machines, mostly because we want a way to assess the human being we just met for the first time or have grown annoyed with or that simply makes us have to work hard in the relationship business.
Continue reading Judging
I notice that a fairly high percentage of people don’t seem to know how to nourish a conversation. By “nourish” I mean using skills that encourage and foster deeper, longer, more interesting exchanges between people. This skill is useful and leads to better interviews, smoother working relationships with others, and long-term friendships with people that will surprise one.
I became aware of this when I used to belong to a business networking organization. One of our tasks in the group was to schedule a “dance card” with each of our chapter associates. A dance card was simply a coffee appointment or maybe even lunch, and during that hour we were to find out how we could assist each other in business connections.
Continue reading The Question
Some of the major English dictionaries select a “Word of the Year.” The word is selected basically on its frequency of use in the past year. Selfie was the Oxford Dictionary word of the year in 2013, because Oxford research noticed a 17,000% increase in its use since the previous year.
So popular the word, people began playing with the word and gave birth to welfie which is a workout selfie, drelfie, a drunken selfie, and bookshelfie which is a selfie in front of your bookshelves. All linguistic good fun.
Continue reading The Selfie
In the last blog post, “Enough is enough,” we talked about a charitable organization that annually sends millions of shoeboxes filled with trinkets, socks, and candy to Third World children with the claim that it was doing immeasurable good for the recipients.
In point of fact, it does far less good that it claims to do. The flood of boxes damages local, indigenous economies, and the American-made goods can be puzzling to their child recipients.
Continue reading It’s the American way!
What’s not to love about a smiling child opening a box of Christmas treasures? Especially when the child is poor, Third World, and whose parents are unable to provide such wonders.
Every year millions of these Christmas boxes are sent all over the world. In the year 2016 the sponsor of these boxes was hoping to send 12 million boxes to eager children. But the boxes are most valuable to the rich people who send them out, thus making them feel generous and benevolent in a cheap sort of way. (A typical box only costs about $15-$25.).
Continue reading Enough is enough!
Never showing up where you expect
In a coffee shop or a party
Surprising in the serendipity
And the joie d’vivre..
Easy to love
Differences make no difference
Porous souls welcome you in
And invite a closeness uncommon Continue reading Friends
It was a Farmer’s Market in a large Central Valley city. A full block of fruits and vegetables, hand made baskets, dog treats, nuts, and cheese. An adjacent parking lot was completely full of cars on this Saturday morning. Shorts, tee shirts, jeans, and other casual attire were the dress code.
And there! She stood out. You couldn’t see her face or form. Black burka covering her from head to toe. Continue reading Living As An Exile
Jesus was talking to his disciples and he said this. “You’ve observed how….rulers throw their weight around and how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you.” Matthew 20:25, The Message.
Jesus’ statement came directly after one of his disciples asked for appointment to a seat of power for her sons in what she thought the Kingdom was going to be. Sound familiar? Continue reading Leading versus “lording”
Seen through the lens of Western culture, the response of the nation of Israel to a man named Achan seems excessive and Taliban-like. All Achan did was take a little stash for himself from the victorious battle against the Jericho-ites.
Who would miss a beautiful robe and a little cash?
By the same reasoning, how serious is a measly stolen credit card or iPhone? Or a stolen test answer? Or keeping one’s wallet closed when asked to contribute to some good cause? Or not signing up to help with a project or provide a meal to someone who is hungry? Continue reading No Man Is An Island
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