Education of a Wandering Man
I have been reading a book called The Education of a Wandering Man I would not call it an earth shattering book, but it I do agree with the philosophy LaMour espouses- that learning is not so much a formal process as it is a way of being. Education is not the act of taking classes and earning degrees, it is the process of becoming more aware of our world, being able to better understand the principles upon which it operates. Education is that thing that causes us to question “why” or “why not” instead of just accepting today as the way things are and ultimately should be.
There is beauty in life all around us- the question is- do we choose to see it? Are we even aware it there? I see education as the process of opening our eyes to things that have been there all along –but looking, we have not seen them. One of the reason reasons I love talking to people of my grandpa’s generation is because they see things that I am only looking at…
A good synopsis of the book is that it is a journal of a mans process of becoming educated in the real sense of the word- no class rooms involved, but a lot of reading, a lot of roaming and a lot of skinned up knees…
Monday, November 27, 2006
Raising The Bar...
I finished the book Raising the Bar last week. It had some great insights that can be applied to our business and personal lives…
They took a long bike ride they called the “epiphany ride”- during this ride, Gary Erickson (the owner of Clif Bar) pushed himself to the limit. He only had Power Bars to eat- six of them. He had to eat something because if how far they had pushed themselves, but he could not bring himself to eat another Power Bar, this is when the idea for Clif Bar was born. Had they not pushed themselves to the limit, Gary probably would not have come up with the idea of Clif Bar. When we push ourselves, we require ourselves to be creative in coming up with solutions we would not have otherwise thought of.
“life should be enjoyed-it is not only about the finish line”
Clif Bar went through a very busy time- they felt like their culture suffered because of it- they started doing more things together as a company and their feeling of unity returned. There is no reason why we cannot work hard, play hard and have fun along the way.
“When someone spends $1.50 on an energy bar, they are buying a piece of their identity, not just a convenient snack food. These people want to associate themselves with companies, products, and brands that they feel good about.”
The Road Less Traveled-
There are many things that Clif Bar did and that we are doing, that are not “mainstream”. Doing things different may require more explanation to our partners, more communication to really understand among ourselves what we are trying to accomplish- but the view from the road less traveled is much better. The journey is much more fun.
“We grow at a rate that we can sustain- we don’t over-invest, and we hire at a rate that preserves our corporate culture.”
“A good leader remains composed, stays in the moment, focuses on one good move, then the next. You must keep your cool at all times.”
“Free yourself from feeling you have to have all of the answers and just start asking the right questions.”
“Try to model the value of knowing nothing, but asking the right questions to help others better know.”
75% of Clif’s advertising is grass roots- they use mass media- but just as an ancillary strategy to back up their focus on connecting directly with their customers.
Clif has some great scorecards that they review at the end of the year on how they are sustaining and developing the following things…
1- their brands
2- their business
3- their people
4- their community
5- our planet
I finished the book Raising the Bar last week. It had some great insights that can be applied to our business and personal lives…
They took a long bike ride they called the “epiphany ride”- during this ride, Gary Erickson (the owner of Clif Bar) pushed himself to the limit. He only had Power Bars to eat- six of them. He had to eat something because if how far they had pushed themselves, but he could not bring himself to eat another Power Bar, this is when the idea for Clif Bar was born. Had they not pushed themselves to the limit, Gary probably would not have come up with the idea of Clif Bar. When we push ourselves, we require ourselves to be creative in coming up with solutions we would not have otherwise thought of.
“life should be enjoyed-it is not only about the finish line”
Clif Bar went through a very busy time- they felt like their culture suffered because of it- they started doing more things together as a company and their feeling of unity returned. There is no reason why we cannot work hard, play hard and have fun along the way.
“When someone spends $1.50 on an energy bar, they are buying a piece of their identity, not just a convenient snack food. These people want to associate themselves with companies, products, and brands that they feel good about.”
The Road Less Traveled-
There are many things that Clif Bar did and that we are doing, that are not “mainstream”. Doing things different may require more explanation to our partners, more communication to really understand among ourselves what we are trying to accomplish- but the view from the road less traveled is much better. The journey is much more fun.
“We grow at a rate that we can sustain- we don’t over-invest, and we hire at a rate that preserves our corporate culture.”
“A good leader remains composed, stays in the moment, focuses on one good move, then the next. You must keep your cool at all times.”
“Free yourself from feeling you have to have all of the answers and just start asking the right questions.”
“Try to model the value of knowing nothing, but asking the right questions to help others better know.”
75% of Clif’s advertising is grass roots- they use mass media- but just as an ancillary strategy to back up their focus on connecting directly with their customers.
Clif has some great scorecards that they review at the end of the year on how they are sustaining and developing the following things…
1- their brands
2- their business
3- their people
4- their community
5- our planet
Monday, September 25, 2006
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Last night I finished the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Victor Hugo is such a gifted writer, but at times I got mired down in the details of the book. The theme of the book, at least what I took out of it, is that people and situations are often not what they seem. The priest, was a very pious but yet very sinister man. Quasimodo was very ugly on the outside, but loving, sincere and genuine on the inside. Esmaralda, the gypsy was beautiful, but had little substance and could not see past the exterior of others. Phoebus, the strong, good looking captain was worried about what others might think instead of just doing the right thing. After reading the book I sat in bed thinking about how often we (I) judge a situation in a social context, instead of a moral context.
This book emphasized to me again the importance of judging ideas on their merits instead of basing the judgment on who made the statement. I have found this to be more difficult than it seems. When we have a history with an individual, the question at hand is already slanted in one way or the other by our past experiences with the person. If our experiences are positive, we may tend to rubber-stamp the idea, if the experience was negative, we may be over critical and reject a really good idea.
Last night I finished the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Victor Hugo is such a gifted writer, but at times I got mired down in the details of the book. The theme of the book, at least what I took out of it, is that people and situations are often not what they seem. The priest, was a very pious but yet very sinister man. Quasimodo was very ugly on the outside, but loving, sincere and genuine on the inside. Esmaralda, the gypsy was beautiful, but had little substance and could not see past the exterior of others. Phoebus, the strong, good looking captain was worried about what others might think instead of just doing the right thing. After reading the book I sat in bed thinking about how often we (I) judge a situation in a social context, instead of a moral context.
This book emphasized to me again the importance of judging ideas on their merits instead of basing the judgment on who made the statement. I have found this to be more difficult than it seems. When we have a history with an individual, the question at hand is already slanted in one way or the other by our past experiences with the person. If our experiences are positive, we may tend to rubber-stamp the idea, if the experience was negative, we may be over critical and reject a really good idea.
Monday, May 22, 2006
2006 World Issues-Demograpics
World Issues- 2006 Herb Meyer- Former CIA deputy, author. He was the first person to publicly predict the fall of the USSR.
In the 1600’s Judaism and Christianity reconciled with the modern world. They accepted that some truth can be found in science.
Islam was founded in the 600’s AD- and when the radical elements of Islam have power, they historically attack the Western World.
September 11, 1683- Radical Islam fought the West- Islam lost
September 11, 2001- The 3rd attack by radical Islam on the Western World. Islam has not yet reconciled with the modern world.
What we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan is trying to give the moderates of the Islamic world a chance to rule. Whenever the extremists in the Moslem world rule- they attack the west and oppress the rights of women.
Demographics-
To maintain stable numbers in a population, the society has to have an average of 2.1 children per woman.
We are witnessing demographic issues unprecedented in history- we are no longer having children and this could have GRAVE consequences on our societies.
The European culture is dieing. In Europe…
1 out of every 7 couples are married
Many are what they call DINKS = double income, no kids
There is almost a perfect correlation between faith and the number of children a society will produce.
Germany- 1.3 births per woman- the number of deaths in Germany now exceed births.
In many / most European countries they cannot work more than a 35 hour work week or they will get fined.
10 weeks of vacation is mandatory in most European countries- 17 weeks vacation required in the Netherlands.
Europe is bringing in Moslem immigrants to keep their economy going. The Moslems have a saying- you may beat us on the battlefield, but we will beat you in the bedroom. They are doing a great job of this in Europe.
Moslems have a higher birth rate than any other group in the world.
Europe is now 10% Moslem- many are calling it Eurabia. 40% of people under the age of 30 in most major European countries are Moslem. The European culture as we know it is dieing.
Many of the large European cities are becoming very dangerous.
There is more anti-Semitism in Europe today than their was before World War 2- which does not make sense because there are few Jews there
In Europe the wait is 1 year for a plumber to come to your home in many areas. For health care, you can no longer get certain medical procedures after a certain age. Euthanasia is and will continue to become more accepted.
In Japan- birthrate 1.29 births per woman. 2000 elementary/high schools and colleges have been closed. 300 schools close in Japan every year. I could not believe this statistic when I heard it. There will be 50-60 million fewer Japanese in 2020 than there are today.
Japanese real-estate values have decreased every year for the past 14 years.
The day in Japan is rapidly coming when the Japanese will not be able to provide for their old. There has been talk of Japan having to ship some of their old to the Philippines to be taken care of by them.
USA
2.0 births for woman-
Caucasian in USA- 1.6 births per woman
Hispanic in USA is 2.75 births per woman
Hispanics are doing something that no other immigrant group in America has done- they are coming to the USA and voting republican and trending more that way all of the time. The republicans do not want to stop immigration, if things continue as they are, the Hispanic vote will prevent a democrat from being elected president any time in the near future.
The USA still has the most vibrant economy on the planet- and the gap between the USA and other economies is actually growing. The economy is actually more vibrant than it appears to be. Many jobs that are claimed to being shipped over-seas are actually being reclassified. For example- General Motors used to run the cafeteria at their plant, this required GM employees that were union workers. GM has since outsourced the cafeteria to Aramark- they specialize in catering etc… GM no longer has to employ people for their cafeteria- the Union then reports that jobs are being lost “over-seas” but they are actually being lost to Aramark and other smaller companies like them…
The USA economy is becoming more efficient through specialization. IMB is no longer making the entire computer- Intel is now making the chips- but Intel is no longer making the entire chip- another company specializes in etching the chips etc… This process makes our economy more efficient and also decreased bureaucracy. This also allows for more ownership because what one large company used to do to make a computer, many smaller companies have replaced in a more efficient manner, with a lower price and a better quality end result.
Specialization is seen in many ways- there are now villages of dentists in Hungary where you can fly to Hungary, get your cosmetic dentistry all done in one week instead of one year, tour Hungary and have it be cheaper than having it done here counting all of the touring, flights, lodging ect… than having it done in the USA or UK. The dentists in Hungary have more years of education than in USA. Here is an example link…
http://www.billferguson.co.uk/europa_dental/dental_tourism.htm
The reason Social change is difficult is because we have an aging population, and older people vote. They do not want change; they just want the Social Security check to keep coming and do not want to upset the apple cart. This is the same in Europe- which is very scary because they HAVE to change or their culture will cease to exist in the form that we know it.
Real Estate- He said we are on the beginning cusp of a 20 TRILLION dollar real estate boom that will be centered in the Western USA. He said that we are at ground zero for this boom. The reason for this boom is the 70 million Latin immigrants that are coming the USA in the next 30 years. He said that they will come here and need houses etc… I question the size of this opportunity because I do not see the Mexican people coming here and building homes- I see 4 families living together in an older home and sending the excess money back to their family in Mexico. I am sure over time Hispanic immigration will have an impact on real estate, but I question the timing and size of his prediction.
Problems in USA-
Education- As a country we will not be defeated by another nation, but we can defeat ourselves. The level of education in our country right now is appalling. The home schooling trends in America are promising-they show that we are not willing to tolerate the current school system in America. Hopefully this will put enough pressure on the system to change- but they are more into self-preservation than they are in to quality.
We are bankrupting future generations with our addiction to debt and spending. We have to stop this trend.
Multi-culturalism is scary- We welcome immigrants to America, but they need to become Americans, learn English, pay taxes etc… We do not want Mexicans living in America, we want Americans with a Mexican heritage and background…
Washington DC- Has become a profession- they are more interested in “keeping the game going” than they are in doing the right thing. The republicans would rather have the democrats win, than to change things considerably (and visa-versa). This way they are able to keep this cushy game going at the very high cost to the American people.
My own addition to his-
"America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." - Alexis de Tocqueville
I think we will continue to be blessed to the degree that we are willing to obey correct principles personally, as a company and as a society .
China
China has a goal to bring 250 million people from farms into the cites within the next 20 years. In order to do this, China needs to create jobs- thus they are addicted to manufacturing. The USA on the other hand, is addicted to low prices for our goods. Because of this, the USA in China have a symbiotic relationship in which China depends on us for demand of their goods and we are dependant of them for low prices. FYI… China uses the wood from 250 million trees annually for chopsticks. China’s consumption of raw materials is lifting Latin America out of poverty. China’s development has increased demand for raw materials supplied by Latin America.
China is creating problems for themselves by having a cultural preference for males. In nature 103 boys will be born for every 100 girls. In China because they prefer boys and abort some of their girls- there are 128-118 boys born for every 100 girls (same in India) In 20 years, China will have 70 million young males who will not have women to marry. This is a problem! What good comes from 70 million young frustrated men?
Iraq and Iran
He stated that he feels the war in Iraq could go either way- it depends on if we get the moderates a chance to rule and if they are able to get the support of the people.
Iraq is a scary proposition- we do not want crazy people to have nuclear weapons. In today’s world, a small number of crazy people can kill a large number of people very quickly. Over 70% of the Iranian population is under the age of 30 and they hate their government. In the long run- the war will be decided in families and their philosophies not on the battlefield. The breakpoint is how they treat women. If they continue to oppress women, they cannot enter the 21st century.
India
India has decided that they want to sit at the head table. They have a birthrate of 1.7 children per women. They will be an economic force in years to come. They are making more significant economic change than China- watch their economy.
Business Opportunities
Develop products for aging populations- create goods for an older population that do not need to be managed by people.
We are coming to the end of the age of the traditional employer / employee relationship. We have got to teach our children entrepreneurship. This is an age that will be very productive- but at the same time can be very brutal as the fat is cut out of the economy
Poverty- More people are emerging from poverty today than in any time in the history of the world. This is due to entrepreneurship, access to capital, trade, and more free enterprise. The world in getting richer is ways that it never has before. The biggest issue we have is, how do we bring all of these people out of poverty without wrecking the planet? And we do not have the answer to that question yet… The environment will be a HUGE issues for years to come.
World Issues- 2006 Herb Meyer- Former CIA deputy, author. He was the first person to publicly predict the fall of the USSR.
In the 1600’s Judaism and Christianity reconciled with the modern world. They accepted that some truth can be found in science.
Islam was founded in the 600’s AD- and when the radical elements of Islam have power, they historically attack the Western World.
September 11, 1683- Radical Islam fought the West- Islam lost
September 11, 2001- The 3rd attack by radical Islam on the Western World. Islam has not yet reconciled with the modern world.
What we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan is trying to give the moderates of the Islamic world a chance to rule. Whenever the extremists in the Moslem world rule- they attack the west and oppress the rights of women.
Demographics-
To maintain stable numbers in a population, the society has to have an average of 2.1 children per woman.
We are witnessing demographic issues unprecedented in history- we are no longer having children and this could have GRAVE consequences on our societies.
The European culture is dieing. In Europe…
1 out of every 7 couples are married
Many are what they call DINKS = double income, no kids
There is almost a perfect correlation between faith and the number of children a society will produce.
Germany- 1.3 births per woman- the number of deaths in Germany now exceed births.
In many / most European countries they cannot work more than a 35 hour work week or they will get fined.
10 weeks of vacation is mandatory in most European countries- 17 weeks vacation required in the Netherlands.
Europe is bringing in Moslem immigrants to keep their economy going. The Moslems have a saying- you may beat us on the battlefield, but we will beat you in the bedroom. They are doing a great job of this in Europe.
Moslems have a higher birth rate than any other group in the world.
Europe is now 10% Moslem- many are calling it Eurabia. 40% of people under the age of 30 in most major European countries are Moslem. The European culture as we know it is dieing.
Many of the large European cities are becoming very dangerous.
There is more anti-Semitism in Europe today than their was before World War 2- which does not make sense because there are few Jews there
In Europe the wait is 1 year for a plumber to come to your home in many areas. For health care, you can no longer get certain medical procedures after a certain age. Euthanasia is and will continue to become more accepted.
In Japan- birthrate 1.29 births per woman. 2000 elementary/high schools and colleges have been closed. 300 schools close in Japan every year. I could not believe this statistic when I heard it. There will be 50-60 million fewer Japanese in 2020 than there are today.
Japanese real-estate values have decreased every year for the past 14 years.
The day in Japan is rapidly coming when the Japanese will not be able to provide for their old. There has been talk of Japan having to ship some of their old to the Philippines to be taken care of by them.
USA
2.0 births for woman-
Caucasian in USA- 1.6 births per woman
Hispanic in USA is 2.75 births per woman
Hispanics are doing something that no other immigrant group in America has done- they are coming to the USA and voting republican and trending more that way all of the time. The republicans do not want to stop immigration, if things continue as they are, the Hispanic vote will prevent a democrat from being elected president any time in the near future.
The USA still has the most vibrant economy on the planet- and the gap between the USA and other economies is actually growing. The economy is actually more vibrant than it appears to be. Many jobs that are claimed to being shipped over-seas are actually being reclassified. For example- General Motors used to run the cafeteria at their plant, this required GM employees that were union workers. GM has since outsourced the cafeteria to Aramark- they specialize in catering etc… GM no longer has to employ people for their cafeteria- the Union then reports that jobs are being lost “over-seas” but they are actually being lost to Aramark and other smaller companies like them…
The USA economy is becoming more efficient through specialization. IMB is no longer making the entire computer- Intel is now making the chips- but Intel is no longer making the entire chip- another company specializes in etching the chips etc… This process makes our economy more efficient and also decreased bureaucracy. This also allows for more ownership because what one large company used to do to make a computer, many smaller companies have replaced in a more efficient manner, with a lower price and a better quality end result.
Specialization is seen in many ways- there are now villages of dentists in Hungary where you can fly to Hungary, get your cosmetic dentistry all done in one week instead of one year, tour Hungary and have it be cheaper than having it done here counting all of the touring, flights, lodging ect… than having it done in the USA or UK. The dentists in Hungary have more years of education than in USA. Here is an example link…
http://www.billferguson.co.uk/europa_dental/dental_tourism.htm
The reason Social change is difficult is because we have an aging population, and older people vote. They do not want change; they just want the Social Security check to keep coming and do not want to upset the apple cart. This is the same in Europe- which is very scary because they HAVE to change or their culture will cease to exist in the form that we know it.
Real Estate- He said we are on the beginning cusp of a 20 TRILLION dollar real estate boom that will be centered in the Western USA. He said that we are at ground zero for this boom. The reason for this boom is the 70 million Latin immigrants that are coming the USA in the next 30 years. He said that they will come here and need houses etc… I question the size of this opportunity because I do not see the Mexican people coming here and building homes- I see 4 families living together in an older home and sending the excess money back to their family in Mexico. I am sure over time Hispanic immigration will have an impact on real estate, but I question the timing and size of his prediction.
Problems in USA-
Education- As a country we will not be defeated by another nation, but we can defeat ourselves. The level of education in our country right now is appalling. The home schooling trends in America are promising-they show that we are not willing to tolerate the current school system in America. Hopefully this will put enough pressure on the system to change- but they are more into self-preservation than they are in to quality.
We are bankrupting future generations with our addiction to debt and spending. We have to stop this trend.
Multi-culturalism is scary- We welcome immigrants to America, but they need to become Americans, learn English, pay taxes etc… We do not want Mexicans living in America, we want Americans with a Mexican heritage and background…
Washington DC- Has become a profession- they are more interested in “keeping the game going” than they are in doing the right thing. The republicans would rather have the democrats win, than to change things considerably (and visa-versa). This way they are able to keep this cushy game going at the very high cost to the American people.
My own addition to his-
"America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." - Alexis de Tocqueville
I think we will continue to be blessed to the degree that we are willing to obey correct principles personally, as a company and as a society .
China
China has a goal to bring 250 million people from farms into the cites within the next 20 years. In order to do this, China needs to create jobs- thus they are addicted to manufacturing. The USA on the other hand, is addicted to low prices for our goods. Because of this, the USA in China have a symbiotic relationship in which China depends on us for demand of their goods and we are dependant of them for low prices. FYI… China uses the wood from 250 million trees annually for chopsticks. China’s consumption of raw materials is lifting Latin America out of poverty. China’s development has increased demand for raw materials supplied by Latin America.
China is creating problems for themselves by having a cultural preference for males. In nature 103 boys will be born for every 100 girls. In China because they prefer boys and abort some of their girls- there are 128-118 boys born for every 100 girls (same in India) In 20 years, China will have 70 million young males who will not have women to marry. This is a problem! What good comes from 70 million young frustrated men?
Iraq and Iran
He stated that he feels the war in Iraq could go either way- it depends on if we get the moderates a chance to rule and if they are able to get the support of the people.
Iraq is a scary proposition- we do not want crazy people to have nuclear weapons. In today’s world, a small number of crazy people can kill a large number of people very quickly. Over 70% of the Iranian population is under the age of 30 and they hate their government. In the long run- the war will be decided in families and their philosophies not on the battlefield. The breakpoint is how they treat women. If they continue to oppress women, they cannot enter the 21st century.
India
India has decided that they want to sit at the head table. They have a birthrate of 1.7 children per women. They will be an economic force in years to come. They are making more significant economic change than China- watch their economy.
Business Opportunities
Develop products for aging populations- create goods for an older population that do not need to be managed by people.
We are coming to the end of the age of the traditional employer / employee relationship. We have got to teach our children entrepreneurship. This is an age that will be very productive- but at the same time can be very brutal as the fat is cut out of the economy
Poverty- More people are emerging from poverty today than in any time in the history of the world. This is due to entrepreneurship, access to capital, trade, and more free enterprise. The world in getting richer is ways that it never has before. The biggest issue we have is, how do we bring all of these people out of poverty without wrecking the planet? And we do not have the answer to that question yet… The environment will be a HUGE issues for years to come.
Small Is Beautiful Continued-
I completed and enjoyed the book Small is Beautiful. I agreed with the idea of returning to the simple, that more is not always better. I also enjoyed the chapter that talks about the unemployment problem in India. In this he talks about the fact that getting an education is a privilege that those who have an opportunity to receive should be grateful for.
“Is education a ‘passport to privilege’ or is it something which people take upon themselves almost like a monastic vow, a sacred obligation to serve other people?
The first road takes the educated young person to the need for fashion, and popularity among his peers where a lot of other highly educated people have already gone and where he can join a mutual admiration society, a “trade union of the privileged,” to see that his privileges are not eroded by the great masses of his contemporaries who have not been educated. This is one way. The other way would be embarked upon in a different sprit and would lead to a different destination. It would take him back to the people who after all, directly or indirectly, had paid for his education by the fruits of their work, he would feel honor bound to return something to them. Education should be something that makes us more able to serve others instead of a group of people who are quite prepared to receive but not prepared to give. “
I completed and enjoyed the book Small is Beautiful. I agreed with the idea of returning to the simple, that more is not always better. I also enjoyed the chapter that talks about the unemployment problem in India. In this he talks about the fact that getting an education is a privilege that those who have an opportunity to receive should be grateful for.
“Is education a ‘passport to privilege’ or is it something which people take upon themselves almost like a monastic vow, a sacred obligation to serve other people?
The first road takes the educated young person to the need for fashion, and popularity among his peers where a lot of other highly educated people have already gone and where he can join a mutual admiration society, a “trade union of the privileged,” to see that his privileges are not eroded by the great masses of his contemporaries who have not been educated. This is one way. The other way would be embarked upon in a different sprit and would lead to a different destination. It would take him back to the people who after all, directly or indirectly, had paid for his education by the fruits of their work, he would feel honor bound to return something to them. Education should be something that makes us more able to serve others instead of a group of people who are quite prepared to receive but not prepared to give. “
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Small is Beautiful
I have really enjoyed the book Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumaker. It has been a book that has significantly changed my views on ‘the invisible hand” that Adam Smith speaks of. I agree that if left to it’s own devices, that the invisible hand will come to the optimum economic outcome. This is where my thinking has been changed by this book. I have thought that the best economic outcome = the best human outcome, which is obviously not true. If we look at industrialized agriculture, big business in many cases (including wal-mart), mass produced almost anything… It seems we lose the human component in our quest for efficiencies and economies of scale.
In the argument about Wal-Mart coming into a new community, I have always been on the side of- “let’s not tinker with the invisible hand- it will always come to the best conclusion, and beside, I appreciate the low prices that Wal-Mart provides me as a consumer.” I think I have officially moved to the other side of this argument. Even though Wal-Mart can provide me cheap, Chinese made stuff, and Tyson can sell me cheap chicken, I no longer feel the high human cost of cheap stuff is worth the real price we pay as a society. For a couple years I have been interested in locally grown foods and smaller scale agriculture. What I am learning now, is that this model fits “life” not just agriculture. I hope we will again see the day when the “little man” can compete well against the Wal-Mart’s of the world because we are interested in more than just low prices.
I have really enjoyed the book Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumaker. It has been a book that has significantly changed my views on ‘the invisible hand” that Adam Smith speaks of. I agree that if left to it’s own devices, that the invisible hand will come to the optimum economic outcome. This is where my thinking has been changed by this book. I have thought that the best economic outcome = the best human outcome, which is obviously not true. If we look at industrialized agriculture, big business in many cases (including wal-mart), mass produced almost anything… It seems we lose the human component in our quest for efficiencies and economies of scale.
In the argument about Wal-Mart coming into a new community, I have always been on the side of- “let’s not tinker with the invisible hand- it will always come to the best conclusion, and beside, I appreciate the low prices that Wal-Mart provides me as a consumer.” I think I have officially moved to the other side of this argument. Even though Wal-Mart can provide me cheap, Chinese made stuff, and Tyson can sell me cheap chicken, I no longer feel the high human cost of cheap stuff is worth the real price we pay as a society. For a couple years I have been interested in locally grown foods and smaller scale agriculture. What I am learning now, is that this model fits “life” not just agriculture. I hope we will again see the day when the “little man” can compete well against the Wal-Mart’s of the world because we are interested in more than just low prices.
Our Bargain with life
Becky recommended a book that I read this past week called Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks. It is a journal of a 3 week trip he took around the world with his brother along with a memoir of his life. It is a good reminder of the importance of family and of the fragility of life. By the time he was 30 his mother and father had both passed away in separate accidents and his sister had a malignant brain tumor.
Nick was always a high achiever and set specific goals for himself through his life. He grew up in a poor home and said that he would be a millionaire, his brother also said he would be a millionaire, but by age 35. Neither one was really focused on money, but they did want to be poor like they were growing up. Nick worked in various jobs and was not set on being a writer. Even though he had not yet defined his hedgehog concept, he was scrappy and was moving forward searching for what his real niche in life is. 2 months before his 30th birthday, a publisher sent him a check for $1,000,000 for the advance rights to his book The Notebook. His brother, right before his 35th birthday had earned $1,000,000 through a small business he was owner of. These two cases reminded me of the following poem…
"I bargained with Life for a penny, And Life would pay no more, However I begged at evening When I counted my scanty store. For Life is a just employer, He gives you what you ask, But once you have set the wages, Why, you must bear the task. I worked for a menial’s hire, Only to learn, dismayed, That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have willingly paid."
Do we bargain with life for much less than life is willing to pay? If we expected more, how much is life willing to pay? I plan on spending some time thinking about these questions in many areas of my life.
When we draw a line in the sand, I am confident that providence gets behind us and we, through serendipitous events are able to accomplish things that will happen in sometimes unexpected ways.
Becky recommended a book that I read this past week called Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks. It is a journal of a 3 week trip he took around the world with his brother along with a memoir of his life. It is a good reminder of the importance of family and of the fragility of life. By the time he was 30 his mother and father had both passed away in separate accidents and his sister had a malignant brain tumor.
Nick was always a high achiever and set specific goals for himself through his life. He grew up in a poor home and said that he would be a millionaire, his brother also said he would be a millionaire, but by age 35. Neither one was really focused on money, but they did want to be poor like they were growing up. Nick worked in various jobs and was not set on being a writer. Even though he had not yet defined his hedgehog concept, he was scrappy and was moving forward searching for what his real niche in life is. 2 months before his 30th birthday, a publisher sent him a check for $1,000,000 for the advance rights to his book The Notebook. His brother, right before his 35th birthday had earned $1,000,000 through a small business he was owner of. These two cases reminded me of the following poem…
"I bargained with Life for a penny, And Life would pay no more, However I begged at evening When I counted my scanty store. For Life is a just employer, He gives you what you ask, But once you have set the wages, Why, you must bear the task. I worked for a menial’s hire, Only to learn, dismayed, That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have willingly paid."
Do we bargain with life for much less than life is willing to pay? If we expected more, how much is life willing to pay? I plan on spending some time thinking about these questions in many areas of my life.
When we draw a line in the sand, I am confident that providence gets behind us and we, through serendipitous events are able to accomplish things that will happen in sometimes unexpected ways.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Authentic Happiness
I have been preparing a talk for ward conference on the topic of "living after the manner of happiness". Happiness is the object and design of our existence and will be happy if we will follow the natural laws that happiness is predicated on. It is more in our control and less random than we may think. One of the main hindrances to our happiness is doing so many "good" things that we do not have time for the essential ones. I have been reading a book called Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman as well. This is a book that was suggested by Steven Snyder. A few interesting quotes out of his book...
"For every hundred journal articles on sadness- there is one on happiness"
" We have invented a myriad of shortcuts to feeling good- drugs, chocolate, loveless sex, shopping and television are all examples. The belief that we can rely on shortcuts to happiness, joy rapture, comfort and ecstasy, rather than be entitled to those feelings by the exercise of personal strengths and virtues, leads to a legion of people who in the middle of great wealth are starving spiritually. Positive emotion alienated from the exercise of character leads to emptiness, to inauthenticity, to depression and as we age, to the gnawing realization that we are fidgeting until we die.
The positive feelings that arise from the exercise of strengths and virtues rather than from shortcuts is authentic."
"Optimistic people tend to interpret their troubles as transient, controllable and specific to one situation. Pessimistic people, in contrast, believe that their troubles last forever, undermine everything they do and are uncontrollable.
In studies sited in this book- Optimists have been found to live 19-30% longer than optimists- and I am sure they have much more fun in the process...
"Why were the adults who faced world war II the 'greatest generation'? Not because they were made of different stuff than we are, but because they faced a time of trouble that evoked the ancient strengths within."
"I do not believe that you should devote overly much effort to correcting your weaknesses. Rather, I believe that the highest success in living and the deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths."
" Securely attached children grow up to outperform their peers in almost every way that has been tested."
"To the extent that you believe that the past determines the future, you will tend to allow yourself to be a passive vessel that does not actively change its course."
"I think that the events of childhood are overrated; in fact, I think past history in general is overrated. It has turned out to be difficult to find even small effects of childhood events on adult personality, and there is no evidence at all of large-to say nothing of determining effects."
"Bad childhood events, in short, do not mandate adult troubles. There is no justification in these studies for blaming your adult depression, anxiety, bad marriage, drug use, unemployment, aggression against your children, or anger on what happened to you as a child."
"One of the major symptoms of depression is self-absorption. The depressed person thinks about how she feels a great deal, excessively so. Her low mood is not a fact of life, but is very salient to her. When she detects sadness, she ruminates about it, projecting it into the future and across all of her activities, this in return increases her sadness."
There are many other quotes I could share, but I think a summary of it would be that authentic happiness comes from the simple pleasures of the every day events. Of pushing forward and getting joy out of the mundane activities of life. We become happy by finding ways to genuinely serve those around us- happiness is a byproduct, not an end in its self.
I have been preparing a talk for ward conference on the topic of "living after the manner of happiness". Happiness is the object and design of our existence and will be happy if we will follow the natural laws that happiness is predicated on. It is more in our control and less random than we may think. One of the main hindrances to our happiness is doing so many "good" things that we do not have time for the essential ones. I have been reading a book called Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman as well. This is a book that was suggested by Steven Snyder. A few interesting quotes out of his book...
"For every hundred journal articles on sadness- there is one on happiness"
" We have invented a myriad of shortcuts to feeling good- drugs, chocolate, loveless sex, shopping and television are all examples. The belief that we can rely on shortcuts to happiness, joy rapture, comfort and ecstasy, rather than be entitled to those feelings by the exercise of personal strengths and virtues, leads to a legion of people who in the middle of great wealth are starving spiritually. Positive emotion alienated from the exercise of character leads to emptiness, to inauthenticity, to depression and as we age, to the gnawing realization that we are fidgeting until we die.
The positive feelings that arise from the exercise of strengths and virtues rather than from shortcuts is authentic."
"Optimistic people tend to interpret their troubles as transient, controllable and specific to one situation. Pessimistic people, in contrast, believe that their troubles last forever, undermine everything they do and are uncontrollable.
In studies sited in this book- Optimists have been found to live 19-30% longer than optimists- and I am sure they have much more fun in the process...
"Why were the adults who faced world war II the 'greatest generation'? Not because they were made of different stuff than we are, but because they faced a time of trouble that evoked the ancient strengths within."
"I do not believe that you should devote overly much effort to correcting your weaknesses. Rather, I believe that the highest success in living and the deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths."
" Securely attached children grow up to outperform their peers in almost every way that has been tested."
"To the extent that you believe that the past determines the future, you will tend to allow yourself to be a passive vessel that does not actively change its course."
"I think that the events of childhood are overrated; in fact, I think past history in general is overrated. It has turned out to be difficult to find even small effects of childhood events on adult personality, and there is no evidence at all of large-to say nothing of determining effects."
"Bad childhood events, in short, do not mandate adult troubles. There is no justification in these studies for blaming your adult depression, anxiety, bad marriage, drug use, unemployment, aggression against your children, or anger on what happened to you as a child."
"One of the major symptoms of depression is self-absorption. The depressed person thinks about how she feels a great deal, excessively so. Her low mood is not a fact of life, but is very salient to her. When she detects sadness, she ruminates about it, projecting it into the future and across all of her activities, this in return increases her sadness."
There are many other quotes I could share, but I think a summary of it would be that authentic happiness comes from the simple pleasures of the every day events. Of pushing forward and getting joy out of the mundane activities of life. We become happy by finding ways to genuinely serve those around us- happiness is a byproduct, not an end in its self.
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