What does it mean to be right vs left, what does it mean to be a liberal vs a conservative?

In some opinions to be right means to be a Gun totting jerk, and to be left a pacifist, both of which I think are wrong.

Liberals are for spending money and conservatives are not? I think this is wrong as well!

The right is always pro-business and the left is pro people? It think this is also wrong

The left is pro government and the right is pro freedom? Really?

The right is pro control (pro government?) and the left is pro rights? is this not the same as the previous?

I think we all make many judgments and in many cases we think that the people whose views differ from our views are wrong?

I think that people need to really look to see what is important and what is not, and maybe come to realize that people are both left and right and right and left.

Stik

Here is the question

Should you tell people when you get bad news? Like when someone you care about dies?

If I had phrased it as, should you hide from bad news, the easy answers is NO!

The argument against
I don’t want bother anybody!
I don’t want any pity!
People will think I am weak!
None of their business!
They don’t want to know!

The arguments for
Your sanity!
If you bottle it all up, you will explode!
People need to know, how else can they help you?
People need to understand why life is rough for you right now
People will think you are weak if you hide it? (It’s wrong on both sides? Maybe?)
It is none of their business, until it affects their business. How can they help?
Some people probably don’t want to know! Too bad…..
To help you work your way through.

I think you need to talk, even if the other side only listens it helps…

As a side note:
You have to wonder what pets know after a one sided conversation?
How many burdens have they heard?

Bent Stik

Dark thoughts about the future!

In the beginning there where people!

Then people formed countries, and then even bigger than countries they formed companies. 

Those companies where no longer answerable to the people.

Then the people became assets and the people ceased to be.

Stik

Let’s say the following affects you or a friend….

You have a job that you do not like, you have a place to possibly go, but…

You do not apply or even try! Why?

My resume is not enough! What is?

I only have experience; I have not done any schooling in the last…. years! Think of all the people who cannot find work who have no experience.

The question is! Is it your skills or your knowledge or how prepared you are, or is it fear? Fear of the unknown, fear of getting the job, fear of moving forward?

Only you can answer that, and for that you will have to step, jump or leap forward.

Stik

It is not possible to make a complicated system that does not have a flaw.

The more complicated the system is the bigger the flaw will be when it is found.

The more people say it is unbreakable/ or perfect the more likely it is that it has a flaw.

Stik

Humans where never meant to sit still!

Most adults have trouble doing it, why would we expect kids to be able to?

Notice how adults when they are bored and they cannot move around they try to use their electronics, or maybe just become irritable?

So the next time you ask someone to sit still, ask yourself why? Is it for them or is it for you?

Stik

The random dart method! (With a blind fold if necessary)

It is not truly random because you choose the map. So set up the map and then throw a darts at it (Using a corkboard/ or magnetic backing)

First saw the idea in a car commercial, here are my rules!

Rules for picking a place

1. If the dart lands on water it doesn’t count

2. Must be closer than 40km or 25 miles from a road cart track or otherwise vehicle navigable spot.

3. Cannot be on someone else’s property or property belonging to an organization that would not allow access.

4. Can only be in the city or town if you intend to stop in a city or town.

5. The majority must agree to the final destination

6. Cannot be excessively dangerous to go to.

7. If the place has rules you should follow them if possible, ie be nice.

Stik

Showing a weakness in our society is considered taboo or a definite negative.

You have physical issues, mental issues or even aging and it is considered a weakness!

Your kids have problems (Or you are the kid) and you experience stress or depression and it is considered a weakness.

The problem is you are then afraid or embarrassed to talk about it.

Yet the more you talk about things, the better off you are, so talking about your perceived weaknesses can make you stronger. So talking about your perceived weaknesses can be a strength not a weakness.

It can be hard just to find someone to talk to about this, as they often change the topic the moment you bring up these “uncomfortable weaknesses”

Just be careful that you learn from it, because too much of the same thing over and over again can be overwhelming. Talking about the same “weakness” 20 times to the same person is not going to make your popular or welcome, unless you are working to understand it, then it becomes a maybe…

Stik

I was listening to a person teaching a computer programming course and got some interesting thoughts

They were lamenting about the fact that their students did not understand the topic, and how they were glad that all of these unsuitable (Different words where used) people where dropping out. So I asked the question why not change the way you are teaching to accommodate and deal with some of these issues? No they need to learn all of the logic first; I make them do the programs on paper that is the way it needs to be done. What this really was about after further discussion was making sure it was done in the classical computer science way. The comment that came with this was they should not be here, they will never be programmers! After this was said my first thought was you are right with you they will never be programmers, you made sure of that.

My questions for this are

1. Is the old way best?

2. What happens if half the students fail? Did the teacher fail?

3. At what point is it decided how many is too many?

4. Should the attitude be? if it was hard for me it should be hard for you.

5. Is there only one right way to do something?

My thought is that rather than helping people, in many cases we are hindering them. I think that a teacher has failed when most of their students fail. We need to relook at how things are done. We should not allow students to progress without achieving the objective, but… The objective is arbitrary and our purpose should not be to fail people or make people suffer, but rather to teach. so we need to revisit not only the content but also the methods. I think many people make it through an education in spite of the teacher or system rather than because of them.

When there is only one way, the way is probably wrong!

Stik

I often hear people talking about Zen meditation and how you have to empty your mind.

Then they talk about listening to your breath, and staying focused on your breathing and letting go of other thoughts.

It seems to me that listening/ focusing on your breath is not emptying your mind, but rather focusing on a specific item, which is fine. In my opinionated view you are then focusing on an item, you could focus on your toes too, but you breath is probably easier. Of course assume that I know nothing and this is just a different and possibly wrong view from the side.

Stik

So here is the scenario, as I head forward with hiding….

So your thought what are you hiding from, in some ways everyone and in some ways no one.

We/I are hiding from my artificial society induced bread basket filling work. (At work or at home)

Why…. good question?

No reason really other than I/ we are burned out/ tired/ bored/ directionless. It cannot be all of these reasons can it?

I cannot really put my finger on it; maybe you’re in the same boat. In a lot of ways it is self-sabotage.

Kind of goes like this, if I don’t do my work, my work will break, then maybe it will go away, but I don’t want it to go away. Quick let me put a bandage on it, let me water the plants a little more, maybe a bit too much….

And so on it goes until? Well we don’t know what “the until” is so, the cycle keeps repeating. (Sound familiar, the good old rat trap)

Should the next effort be mindfulness, hopefully not the bandage version?

The thought is that if I can figure out why you are doing something maybe you can change it. The only way to do that is the learn more about yourself. Learn how to breathe again, learn how to live in the moment again, rather than fear the future.

Stik

So what is the best job for you?

I have an answer (And no I am not always correct? in fact….)

But first the discussion!

This started when talking to some people about the best career, and the people around the table started with it must be practical. Then the discussion centered on various careers/ choices that were unlikely to make you money.

The only thing that I know about this is that all of the previous answers are wrong, in my opinion. They are not wrong from a principle point of view as you need to live. But you must be careful here, we do not live to work, we work to live.

Here is my not so humble a thought!

(Rules 1 to 4 are the real thoughts, the rest just add to them.)

1. You must do what you like, ie what you have a passion for that must always be number one.
2. You are allowed to change your mind
3. Practical is nice but it cannot violate rule number one
4. You should try out what you think you like before you commit. But wait that is really rule number two.
5. Family and Friends are good as a sounding board, but the choice needs to be yours
6. Anything you are passionate about you should be able to make a living at.
7. This is not about being rich or poor, more about enjoying life
8. There is no test, or person who can predict or tell you what you should do or be.
9. It is not about making other people happy
10. Don’t become a bitter old person…. or die just after retirement from the shock of leaving a job you disliked.
11. You never have to retire from a job you love, you just take it easier. Besides if you love the job then is it really work?
12. Don’t listen to the people who just say no without having any other thoughts….

There is no one right job, but there is a job for everybody.

Stik.

Rules for an Inventors Club

1. The rules may change, like inventions rules should not be set in stone
2. You do not require a degree, in fact it may be a detriment
   1. More schooling does not mean more ability
   2. We are not against school or learning of any kind but it does not take precedence
   3. Your level of spelling does not determine your ability.
   4. Everybody is an equal and any vote is done as an equal so education, knowledge or experience does not give you extra rights
3. You are not allowed to tell someone it is impossible
4. You can indicate why something maybe difficult, but only if you provide idea’s on how to overcome the problem
5. You are not there to prove something cannot be done, but rather why it can. If some one has not made it work then they have not proved it or invalidated it.
6. The absence of something does not make it right.
7. You will only share someone else’s project with there permission.
8. If your only job is to take without giving you do not belong.
9. You must be able to present an idea and what you have done about it in order to join.
10. Something simple is just as important as something complex (Wheels are simple or are they?)
11. The purpose of gatherings is to have fun, discuss idea’s but not surrender secrets.
12. The purpose of the club is not to monetize your inventions, but to provide you access to a group of semi like mined individuals.
13. There are not allowed to be more than 300 total rules or laws combined for the club.

The best tool for the Job is you!

This does not mean that we know everything, rather it points to the fact that you know what you want/ need at a specific moment in time. You cannot find a tool to do this for you, rather you can find tools to assist you.

I find that when I procrastinate that I will spend an in ordinate amount of time looking for the best tool, or just a better tool for the job. In the end I often don’t finish the job on time and usually don’t settle on a tool either. When I do settle on a tool, I will then do the research to find an even better tool. Don’t get me wrong I don’t want to use a stone when I need a pen, rather the tools can gets in way.

Tools can help you and prevent you from getting the job done, its your choice, but without you a tool is just a tool.

Bentstik