scalpals and catgut

“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.” (Mark Twain)

Curiosity is an interesting phenomenon. At first glance you might think that a person could do without it. It’s a pesky twitch in the back of your head that persists in propelling you to find out why yawns are contagious and taxicabs tend to look like refurbished police cars. When you think about it though, curiosity is the tool that shapes you into the unique person that you are. The most intelligent people are not necessarily born with an innate ability to soak up information. Rather they are possessed with this need to know, to explore, learn, and absorb everything that they can. And it is this need that makes the world go round. After all, what was it that drove Benjamin Franklin to invent the light bulb and perfect the glass armonica? Are you convinced that it was solely the longing for wealth and prestige that motivated Marco Polo to explore Asia and China? How is it that at this very moment there are archeologists sifting through dirt and applying aloe to soothe their sunburned arms trying to unearth a disintegrating chamber pot? Why are biologists wrinkling their foreheads in concentration as they peer through microscopes attempting to discover the 357th kind of salamander?
But as humans have a tendency to; curiosity is taken to morbid extremes. People experiment to see how much pain can be tolerated. How high they can climb, how deep they can drill. How much violence and destruction must be committed before I attract the public’s attention.
Curiosity didn’t kill the cat. Man did in order to dissect its innards.
Invest in your curiosity and nourish it daily. But beware of your weaknesses, show courage and stick to your morals.
I’m curious as to what you think. Comment below.

hello- is anybody home?

“You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him to find it within himself.” (Galileo)

It is our nature to be self-absorbed. With our financial state, physical condition, and emotions. In order to get access to a person you don't need life experience, you don't need brains or good looks. The key to transition from bystander to friend to trusted is learning how to listen.

If it sounds simple- try going just one day without interrupting anyone when they're talking to you. Wait a bit to make sure that they've finished before you even start contemplating a reply. I bet you were formulating a response only a few seconds into the conversation without even realizing it. When a colleague comes over complaining about how money's real tight and his marriage is in the toilet, he does not want you to tell him to trade in his Maserati for a Honda and to stop flirting with the women in HR. He wants to complain. He wants you to get involved in his misery. He is inviting you to his Ego party and wants you to contribute with Pity cake and Esteem Booster presents. Didn't your parents ever teach you how rude it is to turn down an invitation to a black tie affair?

Silence will lead you to the answer. If we'd just shut up, pieces of the puzzle would just fall into place. We'd learn so much more about a person's needs and desires. They will tell you exactly what kind of reaction they want from you. A person might ask for an opinion but when you give your suggestion- and it could be the most sensible of ideas- he may or may not acknowledge what you said- but he'll go on talking right where he left off. It's really quite a phenomenon. You gotta remember that this is not about you playing the hero and swooping in with your grand solutions- it's all about what the other person needs. A listening ear, validation, a shoulder to cry on. If you can figure out what it is and give it to them, you have basically just committed all your free time to humanity. “Cuz they'll be back.

If you have any comments- I'm listening.

shrinky dinks

“Though familiarity may not breed contempt, it takes off the edge of admiration.” (William Hazlitt, essayist 1778-1830)

Farmers breed mules, horticulturists breed gardenias, and brains breed emotions. Feelings are a funny noun if you think about it. You’re experiencing something, and no one can really understand what you’re going through. You are completely isolated in your circumstances, and even if someone is extremely articulate, there is no way to know that whoever they’re talking to really comprehends what’s going on in their head.
This is what mental health providers are trained for. They are taught how to dissect and analyze people’s descriptions in a way that will come across as a delicate blend of empathy and validation. We tend to create our own demons by diagnosing our emotions. We classify our symptoms, go into a panic and convince ourselves that we’re a danger to society. By that time, we are so utterly lost in the labyrinth we so cleverly created that the professional help we seek becomes essential. Instead of letting an emotion breed and multiply, we should ask ourselves why. People should take the time and effort to delve beneath the layers and explore the direction it came from. We have to overlook our pride encrusted egos and ask for advice before it develops into a necessity.
Scrutinization is welcome below.

bloody ping-pong balls

“People are getting smarter nowadays; they are letting lawyers, instead of their conscience, be their guide.” (Will Rogers)

What did sharks do to deserve to be held synonymous with lawyers? For those of you who blame them for snacking on people’s limbs, maybe you should think again. We take the liberty of entertaining ourselves in a carnivore’s habitat and then freak out when they react in a way that is totally natural to them. Would you ever consider skateboarding in a lion’s den? Or playing tennis amongst venomous snakes? Animals were in existence before we came along and it is our obligation to protect ourselves with the huge amount of resources we have. This is not to say that you have to support PETA or go vegan. This is about accountability. You can’t sue a watch company for distributing an item with a faulty battery that caused you to lose out on a promotion cuz you were late for your annual review. (Although in America you probably could) In most cases you are responsible for your blunders. Are you gonna go crying to Mommy for help? In which she’d better take responsibility for her mistake-which would be raising you as a coward. You’ll never get anywhere if you can’t even face reality. Try as you might you can’t run away from yourself. So the Beach Board Safety Person made a mistake. But if a professional is hired quickly enough, he’ll get a leak free statement that should relieve him of all guilt. In the end it’s shark eat shark world. May the best creature win.

redundant questions and word games

“When you want to fool the world, tell the truth.” (Otto von Bismarck)

If there would be a fifth element to describe the composition of the world we inhabit, might I nominate Truth as such. Messing around with Truth is comparable to playing Mad Libs. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Wikipedia describes Mad Libs as a ‘phrasal template word game where one player prompts another for a list of words to substitute for blanks in a story; these word substitutions have a humorous effect when the resulting story is then read aloud.’ A very complex definition for something so simple.

This is how you would see it in context; the (adjective) Truth.

Any description will do. Awesome, fearsome, gruesome, loathsome, and then some. As ironic as it is, the perception of Truth is quite malleable. The details, punctuation, circumstances, and intonation are constantly reconfiguring themselves. But when examined closely, you will find the bare Truth at the core. With the constant exposure of Ponzi schemes, appalling scandals, and political corruption, Truth is becoming increasingly valuable. Primary sources are easily forged with the rise of technology, and secondary sources barely hold any water. The equivalent to alchemists in the 1700’s would be an honest person in the 21^st century. Research shows that the average person tells four lies a day. (Teenagers, criminals, and politicians do not fall into the average category.) We don’t do it intentionally. Sometimes we fudge the Truth to avoid an argument we’re bound to lose. We ask ‘How’re you doing?’ when we don’t really care. We make up excuses to relieve ourselves of social obligations.

We promote lies and ban those who express how they really feel. We use labels such as ‘socially awkward’ and ‘verbal diarrhea’ to describe people who make us feel uncomfortable with Truth overloads. It’s as if our emotional system can’t handle the overload. Too much of a good thing…

Truth or false comments are welcome below.

mad dogs

“Seek solitude for growth.” (8789 Words of Wisdom)

Homo-sapiens crave companionship. How many people do you know who don't spend at least a fourth of his time with family members, friends, co-workers, or pets? The future does not bode well for the rare person who decides to pave the way with only his thoughts and living necessities for company. Christoper McCandless thought that was what he wanted. He hitchhiked to Alaska and stayed there for over one hundred days. Alone in an abandoned school bus. He spent his days in thought and pursuit of survival. After a while he decided that living within society was the right decision. He wanted to go back. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for him and he died of starvation in the wild.

Maybe you've read about other hermits. They are usually the ones who attempt to come back to live with their species. They are labeled as crazies, missing screws, and off their rocker. Then again, sanity is over-rated. Aren't we jumping the gun when we diagnose a person as insane just because they can't function according to our rules and high expectations? Maybe we're intolerant. Anyways, who really wants to be sane in a world that's gone completely mad? Go with the flow. Survival of the fittest and all.

read me a book please

“There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.” (Mark Hellinger)

Amongst avid readers exists a group of people who have made it their business to defy the natural way of the world. To the naked eye, they seem to blend in with the psychedelic swirls of people who parade the sidewalks and debate which toothbrush to purchase. But they navigate on a completely different plane. They are the bane of every novelist and mystery writer. Their name speaks for itself.
The Flip Ahead to Read the End Right After Scanning the Front Flappers.
People’s lives divide themselves into chapters. Each life is a complex puzzle to be rearranged every time a shrink attempts to connect the end pieces.
Chapter 1: I wish everyone would shut up. I must be a different species or a mutant born with a complete disadvantage. I’m smaller, weaker, and they treat me like I’m stupid.
Chapter 7: Ms. Wilson thinks we’re all brats. She thinks she has us all fooled, but it’s so obvious that she gets totally grossed out by runny noses and muddy socks. I like the mud. It feels good when I squeeze it through my fingers.
Chapter 100: Currently unavailable due to a huge glitch in the program.
Is it a glitch though?
Life on fast forward would cause all sorts of complicated issues- both personal and political. It’s one of those things you think you wish you had. With this in mind I forward my request: ‘Flappers. Repent.’