Listening to our Own Echoes

If we only talk with those who sound like us how will we hear?
If we only look at those who look like us how will we see?
If we only touch those who touch like us how will we feel?

Self-sorting niches, groups, societies, churches, teams, politics, schools, religions, ideologies are a mixed blessing. However unpleasant it might be, a good dose of pluralism is indispensable for maturity.

The Good Samaritan not only helped someone else... he helped himself.

The Media Must Have Content

It feels like the media talks about the swine flu so much that the people get worked up about it and the media talks about people getting worked up so much and so the Vice President says he's hesitant to fly and the media talks about what the Vice President said so much that flights to Mexico are reduced and the media talks about Mexican flights being reduced so much that the airline industry begins losing money and making cutbacks and the media talks so much about cutbacks and less flights and less money that the people get worked up about it and fly less and the media talks about how people are flying less and how airlines people are losing their jobs, which affects the economy and the media talks about how bad the economy is...

Graphite vs Ink

If you were Graphite would you ever get upset? People are always taking you for granted, using you then erasing you, using you again. When you finally produce something worthwhile, then what happens? Ink comes along and traces over you to make it “stand out” more. Or worse yet, you’re thrown away and Ink takes all the credit by making a whole new document based on your original idea. Most people don’t realize that Ink takes all the glory but you do all the work or as Henry Petroski says, “Ink is the cosmetic ideas wear in public. Graphite is truth.”

Sure the pen (filled with Ink) is mightier than the sword but where would it be without you? I’ll tell you where… flagrantly filling in textured nooks and crannies, one arrogant false start blotted out by another. Remember when they tried to make Ink erasable? Who had that stupid idea? Erasing ink was like trying to get a 40-year-old-man to move out of his parent’s house … awkward and more than a little embarrassing. I’ve seen evictions by the Sheriff go cleaner than trying to erase Ink. Don’t call on Ink to Graphite’s job.

Ink parades itself as a medium of communication. But there’s no give and take, no flexibility, there’s no reasoning with Ink. It’s not communication. It’s a monologue. The truth is Graphite’s dialogue takes more character. Anyone can have the last word. All you have to do is yell loud enough and then slam the door.

So, if you were graphite you might get upset at times. Many people want to extol the virtues of Ink while quickly forgetting your own. Just remember that Ink has its place but Graphite has its places…

And there are very few things in life that need to be stained indelibly in black.

Why do they Assume that I want to Hear so many Guys Talking about Football?

So, I've got a problem with all the 'commentators' on the football shows... NBC's Football Night in America has 7 talking heads. Who needs 7 guys talking about football? It's too many. FOX has historically had too many with Terry, Howie, Jimmy and James... and now they've added Michael! There's no depth to the comments because everyone is fighting for their 8 second sound byte.

Hmm.... some of the better shows (or at least more popular) on TV and radio are hosted by one person. I haven't done the research on the ratings, I'm just assuming that it's Oprah and Rush. They're both one-person shows. Shouldn't someone learn from this?

I like everyone on Football Night in America... Costas, King, Olberman, Patrick, Bettis, Barber and Collinsworth. They're all good. But just give me two or three of them! Good grief! What's up with this? It's irritating.

How Not to Talk to Your Kids

I linked this in a previous post but didn't emphasize it. I think this is an interesting article. It's kinda long but there's some fascinating stuff in "How Not to Talk to Your Kids".

Talking

Some of you talk to convince me of something

Some of you talk to convince yourself of something

Some of you talk to control conversation
Some of you talk to keep me distracted
Some of you talk because you don’t know how to live with the silence


Some of you talk in order to get attention
Some of you talk in order to deflect attention

Some of you talk so that I wont

Some of you talk to defend yourself
Some of you talk to advance your agenda

Some of you talk because it’s easier than listening


I hear all of you

I’m not as think as you dumb I am