What the World Might Be Like

I'm a bit of a dreamer. OK, thats an understatement. I'm a huge dreamer. I daydream constantly and I love imagining what the future could be like. I'm rarely in the moment. Instead I'm usually about 10 steps ahead, wondering what the results of the results of an action might be... I don't recommend it but it seems to be the way I'm wired!

Anyways, I'm always daydreaming of what the future might hold and what our society could be like. It seems like everyday you hear stories of war, uprising, crimes of humanity, and downright crazy, unbelievable things that make you question the good in humanity. All this unrest can lead to a feeling hopeless and a feeling that the future only holds more troubling conflicts, generation after generation.

But it doesn't have to be this way. I think that technology and information are rapidly evolving our world into new ways of thinking. Think about it, what differentiates "civilized" from "uncivilized?" You can focus on just one part of the problem but I think if we can see the world in a more holistic way then we can actually start to fix the problem.

We as a society and as a government tend to focus on only one thing at a time while at the same time another tidal wave is headed our way. In my economics classes we learned that many things are results of the market or economy trying to reach a level of balance or equilibrium. When one thing gets too much "out of wack" it can create endless other externalities or or negative results. Also, sociology taught me that things without an even playing field will never be balanced, in the economy or in life. Without everyone having the same information and advantages it will never be a fair fight.

For example, there are numerous players that result in, for example, someone becoming a drug lord in Mexico or Africa.

1. Negative peer pressures. My mother once said, "You become like your friends, choose them wisely." And I did my best to do so. I sought out good character and virtues in others. But what if I did not? My friends helped me define what was good or not, helped me pass classes, gave me hope, and gave joy ot my life. Some people can bring you down, bring you to ruin, encourage you to make bad decision to make themselves feel better, the list goes on and on. When you have no "good" friends to choose from you might lead each other deeper into darkness. A true case of the "blind leading the blind."

2. Poor family upbringing. You cannot undervalue the importance of family or people who believe in you. Oftentimes people without proper family support don't know the true harmful results of their actions and they also do not have wise guidance to help them get past the struggles of growing up.

3. Lack of education. Education provides tools for problem solving. It opens your mind to new ideas and possibilities. Without an educated mind you might see the world as only black and white, us versus them, or a straight path to death.

4. A feeling of hopelessness. When you have nothing else to live for, you can live for nothing or anything. No moral compass, no compassion, no desire to do "good" in this world are all results of hopelessness

5. History. Perhaps someone in his family was "wronged" in some way by the government or authority figure so he's lost complete respect for anyone or any rule that tries to govern them

6. Lack of opportunities. When you have nothing else to occupy your time or to aspire to, you are bound to find ANYTHING to fill your time. And if you don't know any better it might be a negative action

7. Poverty. Poverty is closely tied to hopelessness. Money can be used for good or bad but without any of it at all you might feel like the world was never yours to begin with. I'm not talking middle class poor, I'm talking you never felt safe because the money wasn't there for bills, necessities, and food. Many people who see others do things that seem foolish might not realize that in that person's case the risk was worth it because it was, at least in their mind, the only way out of a financial mess

8. Chaos. You might have noticed that one of the themes here is fear. Fear can bring out the ultimate worst in people because face it, you're fighting for your life. If you can't feel safe and calm then you will do anything you can to gain some sort of control. That is why government does have a purpose, to provide a land that is safe from attack. We take it for granted but not too many years ago you were not safe on your own land.

There are more, but the point is that you cannot target only one without taking a look at many other factors that play into someone's psyche and why they behave how they do. And you cannot rule them by your rules because their paradigm is so different.

Until we begin to treat the "disease" instead of the "symptoms" we won't see things improve. It might be too late for many people alive today, but it might be time to start thinking about our future and the world they will be born into. Don't we owe it to them to help them and to make the world better? It won't start with fear tactics and manipulative government. The change has to come from each person. We cannot keep expecting someone else to come along and fix everything.

Get over judging "Millennials"

I'm pretty tired of hearing and reading endless articles and comments about how the Millennial generation is "selfish," "self-absorbed," and dare I say "without a good work ethic." Of course I can't help but read them since technically I am part of that generation, its like overhearing gossip. You can't help but want to know what's being said about you! However, I think what it boils down to is that times are changing. All of the old "rules for success" have been thrown out of the window and we're just holding on for dear life.

A previous boss once told me that when he graduated from college he was $500 in debt. Tuition used to cost hundreds, not thousands of dollars. Where is all of this money supposed to come from? What do they say, "You can't squeeze water from a rock?" And I think the government is making the impossible happen by giving this "financial aid" to millions of student. What exactly is "aid" anyways? I don't believe it should be a crutch, or a false promise of assistance that you pay for dearly in the future. It should be true aid. And the student loans keep us from buying new cars, homes, or making large investments. So you're still surprised the economy is in the dumps?

High school was brutal. We were so concerned with our college tuition, hoping for scholarships or grants, that school was less of a safe environment to grow up in, but more of a cutthroat competition between each other to make it to the top of your class. High school is brutal enough but add to it today's cyber bullying and incriminating photos of EVERY bad mistake you've made... (I am thankful I barely missed that technology update.)

We're adapting to technology faster. We don't need an entire day to write a paper or do complex math problems, create reports, or design a presentation. With today's technology we can accomplish more in one day than others were able to do in a week. So why are you surprised we don't think 8 - 5 makes sense or we're not morning people? The TV and computers don't turn off and we're busy absorbing as much as we can.

We realize you can do more with less. Our phones have a day planner, camera, wallet, mailbox, library, dictionary, the weather, and so much more on them. We don't need a bunch of fancy equipment to do amazing things. Our priorities have changed because we can do so much more with just a few gadgets that used to take entire teams. So why are we still staffed and organized where we have to go through multiple levels or hierarchy to make any decision?

We don't see the world in black and white. It is full of grey and colors. We've been inundated with a million movies, movie clips, songs, artists, books, and anything else we can imagine. If we didn't come out of all of that entertainment without a somewhat warped sense of idealism then I might worry. We're only a reflection of our environments and the environments we grew up in.

Money struggles are real. We are stressed more than you will ever believe. With student debt and struggling to find good paying jobs it's no wonder more of us aren't homeless or just given up on it all. It can feel next to impossible to "get ahead" these days and its downright frustrating. Add on mixed messages regarding relationships, marriage, and sex and you've got an entire generation of confused individuals doing their best.

I could go on and on but I suppose it all just sounds like excuses. But that is not my intention. What I really wish I could do is to challenge the baby boomers and traditional managers to try to see the world through our eyes. Sure, it's not so rosey, but we're making the best of it. We know there's a better way of working out there that doesn't involve boring 8 - 5 jobs (doing things we can use the computer to accomplish in .25% of the time), but we know we have to do this work to make a living and pay our bills.

Things are changing, I guarantee it. I don't think its necessarily bad, but it is going to be different. The true question is whether we will try to hold on to our outdated ways of thinking about work, and "expectations," and judgements and try to figure out a new way to co-exist. I don't imagine we "millennials" are going anywhere any time soon so I think we should instead learn from each other and define new rules for "work" and "play."

The Inner Workings of an Introvert

I started a new job no more than two months ago and its been a very enlightening experience. One of my motivations for the move was to learn a little more about myself before the years flew by and the next thing I know I woke up and hadn't done anything adventurous or meaningful with my life. So I took a job that is significantly more focused on computer work and even a bit of programming.

I've always been a closet nerd and its something I've always wanted to explore. When I was much younger I would spend hours and hours into the wee hours of the night learning how to design webpages using HTML or editing photos using Photoshop. At the end of the day I just always craved expressing myself in a creative way and expressing myself in this virtual world we know as the World Wide Web.

When I started the new job I didn't realize all of the relationships I had built over years of work at my previous job would be replaced by a group of albeit wonderful people who do not know me and my weird quirkiness and unfortunate awkwardness.

I learned I was an introvert a few years ago and it opened up my eyes to some explanations behind quite a bit of my oddness. As an introvert, as much as I do love people, I don't necessarily seek it out. I live in a world of thoughts and questions and insights that live quietly inside of my head. And when other people are added into the mix the thoughts get a little louder and my stress levels increase as I try to over think my interaction with me and try to make myself likable.

Its a constant struggle but one that is well worth having. Wanting to work all alone and in my little world while also wishing I could be a more natural and easy going person. I do crave friendliness and acceptance and interaction but on a limited basis. And I love intricate detailed work but interspersed with creativity.

As an introvert it takes a little more time to build relationships but I believe that the ones I make become meaningful and lasting. They are an accumulation of, hopefully, hundreds of positive interactions, as brief as they might be.

Thanksgiving Reflections

I had a pretty wonderful Thanksgiving break. J+ laughs because every time we've hit a special day or milestone since the engagement (i.e. birthdays, Easter, Cinco de Mayo, Halloween...) I'll say "Hey babe! Next time it's X day we'll be married!" and he kissed me and says, "Yes, we will!" Oh, I love him.

But this Thanksgiving was just peaceful, and happy, and quiet, and amazing. J+ and I spent most days sleeping in then spending an hour or so talking about what we might do that day and drinking coffee, then maybe we would do something.

One of my favorite days we just went for a really long walk with the pups along a local river. The trees are changing colors and families were out exploring... and it was just perfect. 

Too much technology

I love this video probably more than I should. I believe it does a wonderful job of showing how crazy our world is becoming and how obsessed we are with our smartphones and devices. And I am one of the guilty party! I find myself just sucked in to checking Facebook AGAIN, Tumbler, AGAIN, and checking my e-mail AGAIN when I have the world's most lovable doggies and wonderful fiance sitting within arms length of me. I have to remind myself to just PUT DOWN the phone, iPad, laptop... just PUT IT DOWN! :)