A week after attending the largest march of my life, a few reflections:
* Unlike other events of this type I've attended , one thing that stood out for me about the People's Climate March in NYC last Sunday was the diversity of the crowd. I saw people as young as five and as old as eighty or more; white, black, Latino, Asian; folks in wheelchairs and people from a group home for the developmentally disabled. It was inspiring to be part of something that seems to cross so many boundaries.
* Both my wife and I have since been chastised by a few folks whose only salient takeaway about the march, courtesy of the Fox "news" coverage was, "Why would all those environmentalists leave so much garbage?" Note to Sean Hannity et al: The NYC police department purposefully limited the number of trash receptacles along the entire march route so potential terrorists would have fewer places to conceal a bomb.
* Some special moments: The minute of silence at 12:58 p.m.; a marcher playing a mournful soprano sax rendition of "Amazing Grace"; the creativity of the signs. My favorite: "Insisting the world was flat didn't make it any more true."
If you attended, please tell me about your special moments from this day to remember.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Sunday, September 28, 2014
My Grade (So Far): Audacity
audacity: boldness or daring, especially with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety, conventional beliefs, etc.
Given that definition, how would you grade yourself (so far) on audacity? This one has given me more food for thought than most of the previous 31 attributes from this series.
Specifically: Which adjective (confident or arrogant) deserves more weight when considering how boldly I've disregarded personal safety? Can skydiving, para-sailing, white water rafting and other activities I've tried reasonably be said to disregard personal safety? How about chasing a shoplifter down the street? Confronting (and then chasing) a petty thief lifting a friend's wallet from her purse? Assaulting the individual who hurled an anti-Semitic slur at non-Jewish yours truly? Which of these bold acts were confident, which were arrogant and which gives me more chits for audacity?
And then we arrive at the much more problematic "...disregard for conventional beliefs..." part of the definition of audacity. Just wading through the persona I've constructed around being "unconventional" gives me a migraine.
If only the definition had stopped with "boldness or daring" - would have made it much easier to give myself a nice "B" had those messy nuances not been in the way. I'll take my "C", keep the stories about my disregard for unconventional beliefs to myself and add this attribute to the pile needing attention.
Given that definition, how would you grade yourself (so far) on audacity? This one has given me more food for thought than most of the previous 31 attributes from this series.
Specifically: Which adjective (confident or arrogant) deserves more weight when considering how boldly I've disregarded personal safety? Can skydiving, para-sailing, white water rafting and other activities I've tried reasonably be said to disregard personal safety? How about chasing a shoplifter down the street? Confronting (and then chasing) a petty thief lifting a friend's wallet from her purse? Assaulting the individual who hurled an anti-Semitic slur at non-Jewish yours truly? Which of these bold acts were confident, which were arrogant and which gives me more chits for audacity?
And then we arrive at the much more problematic "...disregard for conventional beliefs..." part of the definition of audacity. Just wading through the persona I've constructed around being "unconventional" gives me a migraine.
If only the definition had stopped with "boldness or daring" - would have made it much easier to give myself a nice "B" had those messy nuances not been in the way. I'll take my "C", keep the stories about my disregard for unconventional beliefs to myself and add this attribute to the pile needing attention.
Friday, September 26, 2014
A Dwindling List (!!) And Then...
http://reflectionsfromthebellcurve.blogspot.com/2011/09/something-had-to-give.html
Despite the best of intentions, I haven't yet returned to read a second book by any of the five "new" authors mentioned in the September 26, 2011 post above. If any of you are looking for an exceptional title to try, any of the five novels mentioned therein is well worth your time.
That aside, the new guideline I established in that same post - using my gut reaction to every book I read to decide if more of an author's work is worth my time - kept my "to read" list manageable for the next year and a half. For a semi-compulsive list maker like me this was liberating. Now if only my local librarian had never turned me onto Goodreads.
Before Goodreads began making their spot-on recommendations to me in early 2013 (favorite so far - Jane Smiley's "Thirteen Ways of Looking At The Novel"), the remote possibility briefly existed that one day I might be able to scratch every title (if not every author) off my list. Perhaps only other semi-compulsive list makers will appreciate the potential rapture an event like this represents.
Meanwhile my posse of five trusted readers shows me little mercy - they too keep making book recommendations. Is there no peace?
Despite the best of intentions, I haven't yet returned to read a second book by any of the five "new" authors mentioned in the September 26, 2011 post above. If any of you are looking for an exceptional title to try, any of the five novels mentioned therein is well worth your time.
That aside, the new guideline I established in that same post - using my gut reaction to every book I read to decide if more of an author's work is worth my time - kept my "to read" list manageable for the next year and a half. For a semi-compulsive list maker like me this was liberating. Now if only my local librarian had never turned me onto Goodreads.
Before Goodreads began making their spot-on recommendations to me in early 2013 (favorite so far - Jane Smiley's "Thirteen Ways of Looking At The Novel"), the remote possibility briefly existed that one day I might be able to scratch every title (if not every author) off my list. Perhaps only other semi-compulsive list makers will appreciate the potential rapture an event like this represents.
Meanwhile my posse of five trusted readers shows me little mercy - they too keep making book recommendations. Is there no peace?
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Time For A Tune Up
Among the feedback tools I've been exposed to, I've yet to discover anything that can top a 360 degree assessment, provided it is skillfully and sensitively debriefed. Since the first one I had completed on me, I've many times reflected how much better we might navigate our lives if each of us were required to periodically ask 10-15 people whose judgment and fairness we trust to anonymously score us on our communication and other critical interpersonal skills. How do you think your self-score (an integral part of any 360 assessment) would compare with how others perceive you on these three sample items?
* Is sensitive to the feelings of others
* Is tolerant of views different from his/her own
* Listens well
What other items would you put on your 360? Who would you pick to give you the feedback? In my last full time job, the high potential employees who were my main customers were all required to submit to a 360 upon entry to the program. Their universe of responders included employees, supervisors, peers and customers. And though many of the debriefing conversations I conducted were difficult, the growth I subsequently observed in these folks was often startling. Many would ask to repeat the experience a few years later.
We get our automobiles tuned up regularly, don't we? My last 360 was about eleven years ago - time for a tune up.
* Is sensitive to the feelings of others
* Is tolerant of views different from his/her own
* Listens well
What other items would you put on your 360? Who would you pick to give you the feedback? In my last full time job, the high potential employees who were my main customers were all required to submit to a 360 upon entry to the program. Their universe of responders included employees, supervisors, peers and customers. And though many of the debriefing conversations I conducted were difficult, the growth I subsequently observed in these folks was often startling. Many would ask to repeat the experience a few years later.
We get our automobiles tuned up regularly, don't we? My last 360 was about eleven years ago - time for a tune up.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Three Years On
http://reflectionsfromthebellcurve.blogspot.com/2011/09/better-late-than-never.html
Three years ago, I asked which of your talents you considered innate and when you first realized this was so. Then I primed the pumps by citing two innate talents of mine. Given the significant number of views the post above has received over the ensuing time, I've reflected frequently on the muted response to it. Are you more modest than I? Do you consider your talents more learned than innate? Are the questions posed not provocative enough, is the post unclear, or did a lot of Internet robots (vs. actual readers) stumble onto it rendering the number of views and my wondering meaningless?
And why am I asking? Well, a reader recently chastised me for giving myself too few "A's" in the series called "My Grade (So Far)''. So I used talent, skill, and aptitude and did a search to see if that feedback held up. Among the posts that turned up those keywords, the one above most convinced me I've been reasonably fair to myself. It also reminded me of a pledge I made in March to re-visit some of my 2011 posts to see what has shifted for me (and you) since then.
On that note, three years on I'm happy to report my sense of my innate musicality has deepened. I still have days of frustration and performances that disappoint me. But the more new guitar students I'm exposed to, the more grateful I am for what was there in me to start. And, I'm still waiting to hear from you about your innate talents.
Three years ago, I asked which of your talents you considered innate and when you first realized this was so. Then I primed the pumps by citing two innate talents of mine. Given the significant number of views the post above has received over the ensuing time, I've reflected frequently on the muted response to it. Are you more modest than I? Do you consider your talents more learned than innate? Are the questions posed not provocative enough, is the post unclear, or did a lot of Internet robots (vs. actual readers) stumble onto it rendering the number of views and my wondering meaningless?
And why am I asking? Well, a reader recently chastised me for giving myself too few "A's" in the series called "My Grade (So Far)''. So I used talent, skill, and aptitude and did a search to see if that feedback held up. Among the posts that turned up those keywords, the one above most convinced me I've been reasonably fair to myself. It also reminded me of a pledge I made in March to re-visit some of my 2011 posts to see what has shifted for me (and you) since then.
On that note, three years on I'm happy to report my sense of my innate musicality has deepened. I still have days of frustration and performances that disappoint me. But the more new guitar students I'm exposed to, the more grateful I am for what was there in me to start. And, I'm still waiting to hear from you about your innate talents.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Let He Who Is Without
If you haven't done so, be sure to read "Original Sin", the cover article by Matt Bai from yesterday's NY Times magazine.
I've never had much sympathy for men caught being unfaithful to their wives or partners. When politicians get snagged in sexual shenanigans, my lack of sympathy has sometimes curdled into self-righteousness. Bai's article helped persuade me how foolish that sanctimonious posture is.
More important, this article makes a compelling case about how the press hounding of philandering elected officials has effectively turned modern-day politics into a sideshow. According to Bai, one result has been a steady decline in the quality of people who choose to run for office ever since the monkey business that ended Gary Hart's career. As I carefully considered how acting holier-than-thou about straying politicians can have the perverse effect of creating a market for some of the garbage that passes for news, I was seriously chastened. And if, in turn, the barrage of sordidness contributes at all to what currently passes for our legislative branch, perhaps it's time to re-visit that familiar biblical phrase.
I'm curious to hear your thoughts when you read the article. It was a genuine eye-opener for me.
I've never had much sympathy for men caught being unfaithful to their wives or partners. When politicians get snagged in sexual shenanigans, my lack of sympathy has sometimes curdled into self-righteousness. Bai's article helped persuade me how foolish that sanctimonious posture is.
More important, this article makes a compelling case about how the press hounding of philandering elected officials has effectively turned modern-day politics into a sideshow. According to Bai, one result has been a steady decline in the quality of people who choose to run for office ever since the monkey business that ended Gary Hart's career. As I carefully considered how acting holier-than-thou about straying politicians can have the perverse effect of creating a market for some of the garbage that passes for news, I was seriously chastened. And if, in turn, the barrage of sordidness contributes at all to what currently passes for our legislative branch, perhaps it's time to re-visit that familiar biblical phrase.
I'm curious to hear your thoughts when you read the article. It was a genuine eye-opener for me.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Proposal To Retire A Word
normal: conforming to the standard or common type; usual; regular; natural.
What percentage of people do you think could agree about what is "normal" with respect to most human endeavors? Let's start with some verboten stuff many of us were taught to avoid in polite conversation. What is normal with respect to sex? How about money? Politics? Religion? See what I mean? What a slippery word.
Recently, when asked if I thought some behaviors a grieving person was exhibiting were normal, I dodged the question. What is "usual" or "regular" or "natural" when facing grief? I'm an emotional wreck at wakes or funerals; I've been with people who can't shut up during a wake, and they're not talking about the deceased. And I've seen numerous other reactions, as I'm sure you have. Which of them is normal aka usual, regular, natural?
And what about timing? Who gets to decide where the markers lie and declare when a new normal is in order? In my almost 65 year old body, the normal I experience is quite different than the normal I felt at 25. More information about that puts me in over-share land so allow me to close with a proposal: How about we retire normal?
What percentage of people do you think could agree about what is "normal" with respect to most human endeavors? Let's start with some verboten stuff many of us were taught to avoid in polite conversation. What is normal with respect to sex? How about money? Politics? Religion? See what I mean? What a slippery word.
Recently, when asked if I thought some behaviors a grieving person was exhibiting were normal, I dodged the question. What is "usual" or "regular" or "natural" when facing grief? I'm an emotional wreck at wakes or funerals; I've been with people who can't shut up during a wake, and they're not talking about the deceased. And I've seen numerous other reactions, as I'm sure you have. Which of them is normal aka usual, regular, natural?
And what about timing? Who gets to decide where the markers lie and declare when a new normal is in order? In my almost 65 year old body, the normal I experience is quite different than the normal I felt at 25. More information about that puts me in over-share land so allow me to close with a proposal: How about we retire normal?
Friday, September 19, 2014
Ron, Serena, Junot & Oscar To My Rescue
I seem to be in the midst of a good novel slump. Of the last five contemporary novels I've read for the first time, only Ron Rash's "Serena" (2008) really grabbed me. The other four (published between 1994 and 2014) all had reasonably compelling narrative lines, little groan-inducing prose and characters that mostly held my interest. Good enough to finish but not good enough to recommend to a discerning reader.
As someone who likes finishing things, page turners like those four novels have their place. But getting through an entire book and not wanting to jot down a single sentence leaves me a little chilly, like listening to a technically dazzling guitar solo without hearing one phrase that makes me smile. And those magical sentences often don't even draw attention to themselves: "Nothing more exhilarating than saving yourself by the simple act of waking". That gem is from "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" and is fresh on my mind because I luckily got to re-read Junot Diaz' 2007 stunner in the middle of the anemic .200 batting streak I'm in at present.
Had a novel slump of your own recently? Which books put you back on track?
As someone who likes finishing things, page turners like those four novels have their place. But getting through an entire book and not wanting to jot down a single sentence leaves me a little chilly, like listening to a technically dazzling guitar solo without hearing one phrase that makes me smile. And those magical sentences often don't even draw attention to themselves: "Nothing more exhilarating than saving yourself by the simple act of waking". That gem is from "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" and is fresh on my mind because I luckily got to re-read Junot Diaz' 2007 stunner in the middle of the anemic .200 batting streak I'm in at present.
Had a novel slump of your own recently? Which books put you back on track?
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