Here you are. It’s summer and you think you owe yourself more idle time because the young ones are out of school. Wrong. It’s actually time to roll up your sleeves and show them what work is all about. There are those outstanding odd jobs around the house and the pet projects deserving of attention as well as the pursuit of continuous learning. Learning is growing and we should be doing some of it every day in order to keep the creative and inspirational juices flowing. We are inundated with stories of troubled minds through the media and at every turn there are references to chemical imbalances or hereditary predispositions when perhaps the biggest contributor to mental aberration is idleness.

The summer of 2018 will depart us and when you look back, let it be a time of productivity as well as play. Throw yourself into something worthwhile which will bring you pride. Capture memories of family adventure while incorporating engaging activities. Stimulate yourself intellectually because as the old adage goes, “leaders are readers”.

Additionally, I encourage you to reflect on your place within the economic system in the context of who you know you to be.  Nobody really knows you better than you. We fool ourselves into thinking that constructive feedback from those close to us should form a larger barometer of our being but this strategy is really rationalization for delay when in actuality the fear of execution persists.

If you are serious about taking a hard look at yourself and your current participation within the economic system, you may pick up a copy of my ebook, “Your Business Mind”.  

  

 

 

1.       Fraud and corruption

2.       Dishonored contracts

3.       Property rights disrespected

4.       Rural crime frustrates farmers

5.       Civil suits backlog court houses to the benefit of lawyers receipts

6.       Littering and indifference to the infraction

7.       Brashness and deceit in politics as winning formula

8.       Inattentiveness to the elderly

9.       Pronounced tail gaiting at the speed limit

10.   Proliferation of public debt accompanied by perpetual deficits

11.   Rising pedestrian deaths

12.   Propensity to relax rules and regulations

13.   Quickness and inclination to judge others

14.   Isolation of children

2.      Police detachment with better things to do than respond to                        trespassers and bike thieves

16.   Closure of arts / music venues

17.   Graffiti

18.   Loitering and the ambivalence toward it

19.   Decline in volunteerism

20.   Usury and government’s perception and reaction to it

Is it a platform which began as a place to share but has become more of a sponsored ad bulletin board? Is it a place for the voiceless to espouse political doctrine? Is it a place to promote unabashedly? Is it a place to put publicity into ones otherwise closeted past time? Is it a place to “troll” other’s opinions and activities for discovery in place of a phone call and meaningful relationship?

Although the platform continues to appeal to my curiosity and sincere interest in other’s lives as well as a place to share my blog and thoughts, I do marvel at its plasticity. I’m amused at how polite people can be in public but obnoxious and rude when on line. I’m perplexed by the degree of engagement by some in the context of actually making a living. I’m grateful for its convenience in connecting to relatives at physical distance. I’m exasperated by the vanity expressed by some.

There’s no question in my mind that “social media” has had negative consequences for the sociability of mankind. Net negative? Hmm. Reminds me of a story to share.

This past Wednesday, I headed down to McHugh House to take in some live music and witness first hand roots of the local music scene. To my disappointment, the band played excessively loud for the small venue and if one wasn’t equipped with ear filters (I was prepared), the discomfort would be intolerable. The most intriguing aspect of the performance was how transfixed these young people were to embracing the act instead of embracing each other. This was not an auditorium environment. It was actually a restored heritage home. As expected, on arrival prior to the opening number, folks stood silent with heads bowed over their phones.  I made it through one set and recall one relatively decent tune by this band called “Heavydive”.

Harmonics, loops, original licks all layered in front of your eyes by this native Canadian lass demonstrating solo mastery over her violin. She’s taken pedals typical of the electrical guitar and applied them to this exquisite instrument.  She starts quietly by laying down a beat and then amplifies. The groove takes hold and she moves into a bass line all the while calculating the best portrayal of her unique style with the pentatonic follow on.  The mood is thick with anticipation. The venue is fitting for the swings in sonic amplitude. You’re with her as she carries you. I’m somewhere else ‘cause I saw her last year and I have her CD.  Friday night at the Performance Hall.   

Leave it to the teeny boppers from Parkland to contend with the holy-roller Charlton Heston idolaters armed with professional lobbyists over at Capitol Hill. They have been better gun control advocates in a mere month compared to years of muddled politicians sitting in halls of legislative power. Yes, Laura Ingraham of Fox News is eating crow having witnessed advertiser backlash upon referencing what was in her view one eloquent gun control advocate and  Parkland survivor’s “whining” about college rejection letters. To his credit, he mustered the forces of social media via twitter storm which in mere hours exerted material financial pressure on the network. Her apology seemed to lack the contrition necessary to ameliorate the damage not dissimilar to apologies nowadays which oftentimes are infused with conditional premises attached to them. Her apology started out with “in the spirit of holy week”. I guess it’s kind of a way for the over indulged ego to be salvaged when apologizing. Apparently, there is this hope that the craftiness of the apology can serve the purpose while saving face and even perhaps pass on sincerity depending on the intellect of the receiver. I know you’ve seen it before when watching the news. It’s sad because it’s patronizing but it’s also humorous because of their naivety and disdain for the acuity of their fellow man.