I need to find a better theme for asides. I like to post them here and get them on Facebook and Twitter from here.
Category: General
Testing Out the New iOS App
Well, this I’d definitely an improvement! I always why people would want to write these using HTML coding when all I want to do is write.
This is a mistake. What I’m saying is who wants to waste time when you might have something good to say?
Quoted in the inter webs.
- Point
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Testing
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The Martial Way
Went to Budo class the other night for the first time in over a decade. Kicked my ass. Out of shape. Nauseous and dizzy. Sore and bruised. Couldn’t continue to do all the exercises without puking. Had to opt out to rest twice in front of another student: a woman and white belt.
All of which is awesome. There is only one enemy in the Dojang: you. Rudeness (Impatience). Arrogance. Lack of integrity. Giving up. Wildness. Weakness in spirit. The enemy complains only when he is being vanquished. Can’t wait for my next class. I’m glad I’m, as Grand Master Chang used to say, “getting young” again. 😉
The Reason
Facts Are Stubborn Things
Each of us tends to think we see things as they are, that we are objective. But this is not the case. We see the world, not as it is, but as we are— or, as we are conditioned to see it. When we open our mouths to describe what we see, we in effect describe ourselves, our perceptions, our paradigms. When other people disagree with us, we immediately think something is wrong with them. But, as the demonstration shows, sincere, clearheaded people see things differently, each looking through the unique lens of experience.
This does not mean that there are no facts. In the demonstration, two individuals who initially have been influenced by different conditioning pictures look at the third picture together. They are now both looking at the same identical facts— black lines and white spaces— and they would both acknowledge these as facts. But each person’s interpretation of these facts represents prior experiences, and the facts have no meaning whatsoever apart from the interpretation.
The more aware we are of our basic paradigms, maps, or assumptions, and the extent to which we have been influenced by our experience, the more we can take responsibility for those paradigms, examine them, test them against reality, listen to others and be open to their perceptions, thereby getting a larger picture and a far more objective view. [emphasis mine]
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Indeed. That is who I decide to be: a person of integrity who takes responsibility for himself with a firm grasp of reality. It is not easy and Lord knows I fail probably more often than I’d care to admit. (Anger is a powerful drug.) If you have ever had a passionate discussion on politics or religion with someone, this difficulty should be apparent. As responsible adults we can overcome this. (You must if you wish to be an effective person by Covey’s lights.)
But in my debates and passionate discussions over the years, I’ve witnessed many people who make no attempt to develop a more objective worldview. People project their fears and hatreds onto one another. I can’t tell how many times I’ve been told what I believe or don’t, what shows I watch, what blogs I read, that I’m an atheistic Jesus freak with a capitalistic communist political outlook. None of which have even a hint of reality. It’s very true that people that become shrill and say these things to me are indeed showing who they are rather than the world as it is.
Visiting Family But No Family Visiting
Don’t know why children aren’t allowed to visit sick adults. It bothers me that a dear aunt couldn’t see and touch her greatnephew. What’s the health risk to a 11 month old or to her?
Mobile Blogging from here.
Testing Blog IT
You should see this on Facebook and Twitter and my blog.
Shredding the Past
I shred papers going back 14 years. Wow.
Mobile Blogging from here.
After a Night of Drunken Partying…
Mom flashes the lights!
Builder, Strong
A new edition to the family:
7 lbs. 4 oz. 20″