Become all you can become by raising yourself higher on the Tree of Life

Can you pinpoint your attitude with 100% certainty?

How do you know, how can you tell what is your attitude?

I have always wondered where good acting comes from… acting that almost no American actor does well… almost, I said.

But where do the attitudes that give the foundation of a scene originate.

But this morning I got really lucky. I saw a few interviews with Larry Thomas who played the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld. Continue reading “Can you pinpoint your attitude with 100% certainty?”

How I learn and other stories you can learn from

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Let’s see if you have a sense of humor? If you don’t… stop here and go darken someone’s day

Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons. ~ Woody Allen

When I first came to the United States in late September of 1985, my trip was paid by a lawyer somewhere on the Palisades of NJ. I asked his secretary to type up my resume. She did it, on a computer.

There was something I wanted to change, so I asked for permission to go to the office and change that thing over the weekend. Continue reading “How I learn and other stories you can learn from”

What will it take to become a human being aka a Mensch?

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Where is the value in a workshop, or a consulting call? What are you really taking home? Where is the value in my paid podcast: the recording of my private conversations with selected individuals?

I am looking for that myself, I am looking for that for you… to identify what is the value.

As an aside: seeing value is surprisingly a gene… a capacity, that is on, meaning active only for about one percent of humanity.

Some genes need other genes active to stay on… I think foresight needs the seeing value capacity to be able to stay on. Continue reading “What will it take to become a human being aka a Mensch?”

How is the human DNA is like a Christmas tree

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The Human DNA is like a Christmas tree

It has lots of light on, the active genes, and even more lights off, the inactive genes.

Some genes are supposed to turn off at a certain level of individual development, others are supposed to turn on, but most genes need to be needed by the person’s activity to turn on or even to stay on.

A light on is a human capacity that is active. It signifies that the organism considers it worthwhile and needed to keep it on… Because it produces a benefit commensurate with the energy expenditure the body needs to put out to keep it on.

A light off is a human capacity that is not active. Continue reading “How is the human DNA is like a Christmas tree”

If you want to make a difference you have to start with…

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One person. Yup. One person. If you can’t make a difference for one person, then you seriously need to overhaul your entire operation, meaning your whole life… and start observing what it is about you and how you do it that leaves people … hm… (note: read the PS about this… please.)

So let’s look at what it means to make a difference, shall we?

I don’t know it exactly either, so we’ll look together. Willing?

OK, it came from Werner Erhard. Continue reading “If you want to make a difference you have to start with…”

The lost art of catching mice with what they want

It got suddenly cold in my area… and the troubles with it came…

I live in an area of Syracuse, the city, where my house is next to a wooded area… lately it has gotten a name…

There is wildlife. I can observe the white tail deer families, I can observe the badger taking its brood to a discovery tour, same with raccoons, skunks, millions of squirrels, birds of all kinds… and, of course, field mice.

I have lived in this two-family house for 18 years. And I have used hundreds of mouse traps during this time.

My favorite is the mice-cube…

It is one thing to put out a lot of traps, and it is quite another thing to observe what the mouse likes, and give it to them… inside the trap.

I know when I have a mouse, because I can smell it. I can smell the animal, I can smell its pee, I can smell its poop.

So when I do detect the smell, I start playing detective, and see what they have eaten…

It is fall, and it is getting cold, last night it was freezing. So the mice want fat… little volume, lots of body heat… Continue reading “The lost art of catching mice with what they want”

This is how can you become sane in an insane world?

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Falling in step, do it my way, destroy everything in the process

There are two ways to live.

One is to force, complain about what you don’t have, suffer
The other is to work with what you have

Roughly 3,000 years ago humanity moved towards the ‘my way or the highway’ direction.

Judaism was a religion that required submission to Life
Christianity was a new religion that fosters the sword
Islam was a tradition that went one step further: if you are not with us you are against us

Christianity and Islam took it upon itself to declare itself and its god superior to Life, to Nature, to all-of-it. Continue reading “This is how can you become sane in an insane world?”

I am Harold to your Maude… said one of my students

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I am Harold to your Maude… said one of my students

I feel gratitude. I love that movie. And I loved Maude in that movie. I loved Cat Stevens’ music.

She says:

When I think of Maude I smile: I see you like that. And we, your students, are like clueless Harolds. But eventually even Harold turned his life around. Such a great movie.

Maude is 79 in that movie from 1971… and Harold is in his very early 20’s. Maude is ready to die, Harold is not ready to live.

Maude knows how to be happy, joyful: she lived full out, whatever the circumstances.
Harold hasn’t lived at all. Unless you call seeking attention from his mother living.

And that is a 90% accurate assessment of our relationship. 90%.

Continue reading “I am Harold to your Maude… said one of my students”

Is it disappointed or frustrated? What is the difference?

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Clarity of language reflects your clarity of thinking…

It is becoming clear that the parts that maybe are the most important ones (to you) in my articles are too new for you to hear.

I didn’t realize that I need to bring special attention to them, explain them, or they will be lost, maybe forever. And give me an unwelcome experience: frustration.

This is a great opportunity to bring some clarity to the use of two words that you, mistakenly, have been taking ans synonyms… meaning the same. They don’t.

The two words are disappointment and frustration.

They feel similar, yes, but the underlying cause is different. Continue reading “Is it disappointed or frustrated? What is the difference?”