Intentionally Vicarious: Having more fun than anyone else you know! - Self-Actualization - Lifelong Learning - Think About I

DO NOT get swept up into the money-chasing, "Simplify & Polarize" strategy of the politicians and political media. The fact is, 85% of America is in general agreement about what abortion policy should be. That's right, 85% agreement. 

Political polarization in America is a MYTH!!! Follow the money and it's easy to see how the media manipulates into believing this baloney.

Living and/or working in an echo chamber is safe and comfortable, but unconscionably lazy and dumb. It is SO, so easy to intentionally - or accidentally - place oneself in an environment that constantly reinforces pre-existing beliefs and opinions, and at the same time prevents consideration of alternative ideas and perspectives. Listen up to understand just how scary an echo chamber can get...

It's the BEST of times. Not even close. It's HUGELY better to be alive today than ever.

I just got an invitation to connect on LinkedIn from a guy whose profile headline is, “A preeminent expert in leadership development through inclusion.” Not just any expert, a preeminent expert! Are you as impressed by that as me?  

Simple, profound and extremely helpful for career planning. Dive deeper and Ikigai becomes a set of guidelines for your whole life. 

As we all slowly begin to emerge from our shelter in place lockdown we need to continue to examine and think about what happened, what we did in response to this pandemic and what we should do next.

Am I a crazy daredevil, or am I hopelessly risk averse? No offense, but I don’t give a damn what your answer to that question may be.

Trump’s ability to be an effective President of the United States of America and Commander-In-Chief is incidental to the primary goal of the Dems & Republicans, which is to ensure the ongoing growth and financial health of the Political Industry.

This COVID crisis is serious, but... it's also merely the lastest catastrophe in a centuries-long chain of catastrophes. Everything will be fine.

The short answer to "What's a capitalist's path to community service?" Implement a Willful Impact Business Unit that makes a profit and climbs the Hierarchy of Community Service.

So the COVID crisis got you down? Consider this thought from M. Thomas Blalock, III... “Hate the pandemic. Love the opportunity.”

Like it or not you, me and everyone else we know is part and parcel of placing a dollars and cents value on a human life. Get your head around that!

All of it! It all needs to become null and void. The CARES Act got passed in a gigantic hurry. I’m OK with that. BUT... When the crisis is over, the CARES Act needs to end with it. If parts of it make sense, Congress can enact new legislation to reinstate those and only those parts. 

The Constitution is an amazingly extraordinary document that captures amazingly extraordinary ideas and ideals.

Seems like I touched a few nerves with my “Whither the Post Office” episode a couple of weeks ago. Enough so that I feel compelled to respond to a few things that emerged as objections to my perspective.

With politicians and bureaucrats using crises to suck up more power for themselves, we Americans must insist upon and/or take it upon ourselves to accomplish 3 things: ALL “corona-legislation,” that is, bills passed to address this black-swan COVID-19 event, must have a 12 month sunset provision. Relax regulatory restrictions - temporarily - to facilitate development and deployment of products and services to address the pandemic and aid economic recovery. Unleash the entrepreneurs! Each of us needs to get and keep our own health and economic house in order NOW! We must do so to avoid becoming a burden on others.

It was obsolete and dopey. And I never did wear it. But I still knew where it was after the 4+ decades and 11 homes I’ve had since my collegiate days. 

A Zero-Sum game = Higher Costs = Lower Quality = Nothing Left to Invest in Innovation = No Progress. Seriously now, is that a good idea?

Let's keep things in perspective. We survived bubonic plague, SARS, HIV and all manner of other biological crises. Not that it isn't serious, but don't get crazy!

I'm appalled that we allow our federal government to employ more than 600,000 people to expend 95% of their work effort to deliver trash to our homes; while annually burning 146 Million gallons of gas and cutting down 100 Million trees.

I might just draw the line, however with the Skyrider 2.0 standing airplane seat made by the Italian company Aviointeriors. A stand-up seat?

Political Correctness is the modern-day incarnation of the Inquisition.

Pampered, self-absorbed, lazy, narcissistic, entitled, reality-TV-watching, participation trophy bearing, smartphone addicted, self-esteem obsessed ne'er do wells, still living in their parent’s basement and craving ever more respect from others that they never even came close to earning? Or those running the show?

Not to sound too harsh, but... a good 80-90% of those wallowing in unpayable student debt are suffering due self-inflicted wounds. For sure, there is no need for one more individual to get self-saddled with student debt. Alternatives abound.

In the 50 years since 1970, the total number of people living in abject poverty decreased! The total number of the abjectly poor today is less than half what it was only 50 years ago! WOW!!!

Can you think of a politician who does things out of guilt, obligation, duty, or for a reward? Ummm... Wouldn't that be ALL of them?

The Wizard of New Zealand is a real guy who has been in office and guiding that country’s political process since 1990...

The easiest, fastest and best strategy to reduce the insanely high cost of healthcare in the U.S. is to seek out, attack and eliminate crony capitalism. It's all really quite horrifying....

They say we’re entitled to health care. They say we’re entitled to a “living wage.” They say we’re entitled to a school or workplace that is free from words or actions we might find to be offensive or upsetting. etc., etc... I don't necessarily agree with the entire list...

We humans are getting more and more and more health, nutrition and life-improving stuff using less and less and less energy and earth’s natural resources. Seriously! We are!

Politicians promise the moon. ...as long as you send more money...

I decided to figure out the single best piece of advice I’d ever gotten that:  Applies to both business AND personal life Seems off-kilter at first, and... Is spot-on accurate

Thanks for nothing, NCAA. Thanks for nothing, NCAA Conferences. Thanks for nothing, college presidents, administrators and coaches. Thanks for nothing, all you capitalists who tout capitalism up to the point where your own income might get negatively affected. You sleazy, shameless hypocrites!

Pink Floyd had it almost right... Leave the clocks alone!

Imagine the founder of a charitable organization firing an employee for helping a poor family. Sound crazy? Yes, but... Learn more about the fascinating story of the Family Independence Initiative.

Yeah me!

The citizens of the UK are saying, “Enough is enough!” with regard to centralization of political power. The European Union, created for an extremely good reason - preventing war among European countries - took on a life of its own and slowly but surely expanded its role, influence and power, and continues along the path to more and more detailed micro-management of everyone under its purview.

Always be alert for new things to learn, and always recognize that the education may come from an unexpected source.

Congress served its own self-interest by passing at least 19 bills they proudly touted as “making higher education more affordable.” In fact what they did was subsidize the banking industry.

Seems like there is no end to the stupid things I see in the world around me...

"Science vs. Religion" is a dumb debate. Science and religion are two different and complementary ways to advance our understanding of the universe.

“The graveyards are filled with indispensable men.”  Charles de Gaulle

For the sake of our children, grandchildren and all future Americans, we must all stand up to the political industry and loudly and repeatedly declare that I will NOT be made to look ridiculous! 

Mom never said it would be easy.

Washington, DC is not broken. Washington, DC is delivering exactly what it is currently designed to deliver. it's all due to domination of the Political Industry by an unregulated, self-serving duopoly.

So this guy, literally the best in the world at his craft, knew in his heart that without continuing, daily, hard work, he could not maintain his level of performance.

The federal government is now VASTLY bigger and more powerful than any of the Founding Fathers intended or could have possibly imagined. And it’s still growing! This bothers me...

I just finished up the first cruise of my lifetime, an 11-day extravaganza from Anchorage to Vancouver on the Crystal Symphony. Customer service like I've never experienced before.

Going 10 miles per hour under the speed limit when in the passing lane? YOU are that guy!

I tried really, really hard to not get cynical about this debate over including a question about U.S. citizenship on the upcoming U.S. Census. I failed.