Perspectives

beware all talking heads

by Paul Joo

“It is now 1984. It appears IBM wants it all. Apple is perceived to be the only hope to offer IBM a run for its money. Dealers, originally welcoming IBM with open arms, now fear an IBM dominated and controlled future. They are increasingly turning back to Apple as the only force that can ensure their future freedom! IBM is aiming its guns to the last obstacle to industry control—Apple. Will Big Blue dominate the entire computer industry? The entire information age? Was George Orwell right?”

– Apple CEO Steve Jobs introducing the Macintosh on Jan. 24, 1984.

 

Perspectives

got power?

by Paul Joo

Are you in Control of how you respond to Others?

I’d call this the BASIC LEVEL of power.

 

Are you in Control of how Others respond to you?

This is an INTERMEDIATE LEVEL of power.

 

Are you in Control of what Others are thinking & feeling?

I’d call this an ADVANCED LEVEL of power.

 

Are you in Control of what you yourself are thinking & feeling?

Clearly this is the MASTER LEVEL of power.

 

Perspectives

individuality is just being your self

by Paul Joo

The idea of individuality is touted as highly valued in Society, but in reality the true Individual is relentlessly subordinated to the group or collective.

So to live in our Society as a true Individual – in thought, belief and action – is at best a difficult proposition fraught with enormous personal risk & responsibility.

Which could explain why the strong manage it, the good want it, and the common avoid it.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – R.W. Emerson

 

Perspectives

there are three types of people

by Paul Joo

“There are 3 types of people in the world – those who can count and those who can’t.”

Sorry – couldn’t resist that one….. 🙂

Actually, there really are three types of people in the world, or perhaps more accurately three basic types of motivational driver that essentially govern the way we all end up conducting our lives.

Fact is, people are driven by focusing the lion’s share of their daily thinking & feeling primarily on Being, Doing or Having.

So ask yourself: “Which have I been focused on?” You may be surprised at what you find.

At the end of the day, I believe the key to living well is for each of us to find our own unique moving average of all three of these drivers. Not easy by any means, but worth the effort.

Why not give it a try?

Perspectives

survival, evasion, resistance & escape

by Paul Joo

SERE is an acronym for a program that provides U.S. military personnel with training in evading capture & survival skills; it stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Escape.

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, I’ve found that this idea of “evasion & survival” often applies to most of us – specifically in response to taking responsibility for unpleasant challenges that crop up in our everyday lives. In our case, however, perhaps a more appropriate acronym is DDD, which stands for Deflect, Divert and Distance.

DDD describes our (unfortunately) common responses when we have both the need & responsibility to face unpleasant thoughs, feelings or associations.

Deflect – We often deflect our attention from an unpleasant thought, feeling or association to “anywhere else!”: “Oh boy, look at that dust buildup, I’d better get on that right now!” Etc.

Divert –  We often divert our focus from an unpleasant thought, feeling or association to “anything else!”, such as daily tasks, routines, busywork, etc…..anything to keep our minds occupied by keeping the rest of us occupied.

Distance – We often distance ourselves from an unpleasant thought, feeling or association by evaluating or judging it: “That’s so dumb! Wow, how stupid of me! This is ridiculous!”; this way we can point to the source as something outside ourselves i.e. not our responsibility.

Not pretty, but these are three very real ways we tend to avoid the responsibility of our challenges – be they real or perceived.

Don’t feel bad if any of these resonate with you – we all rely on them at one time or another. But maybe, having come to understand how we fall prey to these mental habits, we can gradually overcome them, and in doing so stand up and regain more control over our fates as Individuals worthy of the moniker.

For my money – totally worth the effort. 🙂

 

Perspectives

some plain truth from the man

by Paul Joo

The very purpose of religion is to control yourself, not to criticize others.

Rather, we must criticize ourselves. How much am I doing about my anger? About my attachment, about my hatred, about my pride, my jealousy?

These are the things we must check in daily life.

– Dalai Lama

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