This is NOT a country...
Yesterday I was watching the 2-hour "Extreme Makeover- Home Edition", and it was for a marine who saved some people on September 11th. He loved being a Marine, and it showed all over; he was a nice, honorable, family guy. He happened to mention that he would "die for this country", and it got me thinking:
We don't live in a country.
We live in an IDEA.
This isn't a country like England, France, or China- The U.S. is an IDEA that has boundaries.
The IDEA is that the INDIVIDUAL has worth; In China, the philosophy is that the individual is there to serve the government, and whatever is good for the government is good for the individual.
Our IDEA is the opposite; Our idea is that the government is here to serve the individual. Our IDEA is that the individual can do what he or she wants, whenever they want, and with whom. We protect personal property, we spend millions to save one life, and we assume innocence before guilt.
Our IDEA supports that humanity is GOOD.
The IDEA supports that ALL of humanity is good.
I think there are many of us who are forgetting the IDEA, and who are moving more and more towards a "commonwealth" philosophy, and it made me think of this quote:
"People who say 'you should do for others' are mostly planning on being an 'other'"
And our IDEA is OPPOSITE of that.
We don't always live up to the IDEA of the U.S., but we're trying, and YES-
I think that's an IDEA worth dying for.
Monday, February 19, 2007
This is NOT a country...
Yesterday I was watching the 2-hour "Extreme Makeover- Home Edition", and it was for a marine who saved some people on September 11th. He loved being a Marine, and it showed all over; he was a nice, honorable, family guy. He happened to mention that he would "die for this country", and it got me thinking:
We don't live in a country.
We live in an IDEA.
This isn't a country like England, France, or China- The U.S. is an IDEA that has boundaries.
The IDEA is that the INDIVIDUAL has worth; In China, the philosophy is that the individual is there to serve the government, and whatever is good for the government is good for the individual.
Our IDEA is the opposite; Our idea is that the government is here to serve the individual. Our IDEA is that the individual can do what he or she wants, whenever they want, and with whom. We protect personal property, we spend millions to save one life, and we assume innocence before guilt.
Our IDEA supports that humanity is GOOD.
The IDEA supports that ALL of humanity is good.
I think there are many of us who are forgetting the IDEA, and who are moving more and more towards a "commonwealth" philosophy, and it made me think of this quote:
"People who say 'you should do for others' are mostly planning on being an 'other'"
And our IDEA is OPPOSITE of that.
We don't always live up to the IDEA of the U.S., but we're trying, and YES-
I think that's an IDEA worth dying for.
Yesterday I was watching the 2-hour "Extreme Makeover- Home Edition", and it was for a marine who saved some people on September 11th. He loved being a Marine, and it showed all over; he was a nice, honorable, family guy. He happened to mention that he would "die for this country", and it got me thinking:
We don't live in a country.
We live in an IDEA.
This isn't a country like England, France, or China- The U.S. is an IDEA that has boundaries.
The IDEA is that the INDIVIDUAL has worth; In China, the philosophy is that the individual is there to serve the government, and whatever is good for the government is good for the individual.
Our IDEA is the opposite; Our idea is that the government is here to serve the individual. Our IDEA is that the individual can do what he or she wants, whenever they want, and with whom. We protect personal property, we spend millions to save one life, and we assume innocence before guilt.
Our IDEA supports that humanity is GOOD.
The IDEA supports that ALL of humanity is good.
I think there are many of us who are forgetting the IDEA, and who are moving more and more towards a "commonwealth" philosophy, and it made me think of this quote:
"People who say 'you should do for others' are mostly planning on being an 'other'"
And our IDEA is OPPOSITE of that.
We don't always live up to the IDEA of the U.S., but we're trying, and YES-
I think that's an IDEA worth dying for.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
ALSO- in regards to the world, it seems like the worse things get as far as wars, and famine and all of that, there seems to be a real push in the opposite direction; There seems to be so many people trying to do GOOD- I wonder if it's a balancing act.
Of course, that means that when things are good, they need to be balanced there as well.
Interesting...
Of course, that means that when things are good, they need to be balanced there as well.
Interesting...
ALSO- in regards to the world, it seems like the worse things get as far as wars, and famine and all of that, there seems to be a real push in the opposite direction; There seems to be so many people trying to do GOOD- I wonder if it's a balancing act.
Of course, that means that when things are good, they need to be balanced there as well.
Interesting...
Of course, that means that when things are good, they need to be balanced there as well.
Interesting...
SO today I gave away some flowers, kinda kick-starting www.ContagiousGiving.com .
I had done it before, but today I got a lot more than I did before, and took a bag, and went on a Saturday, when it was MUCH more busy. Here's the point:
I want to make GIVING contagious... the idea is that someone feels good for getting a gift, so they want to pass that on and have someone else feel it. So, while I was giving out the flowers, I felt great; and many of the people were grateful- after the initial skepticism. In fact, I can say that I honestly noticed the AURA of the train change, and people smiling and all of that-
a great return on some flowers.
I could see that people were watching me, and just kinda hoping that they were going to get one, and I could see the relief when they did. However-
Some people didn't want one.
and that would have been fine, but I realised this:
"No" is contagious too.
If one person said "No thank you", I had a harder time with other people accepting. If I didn't push a little, there would have been far more "No thank you"s than were genuine.
By that I mean that many people WANTED a flower, but were so distrusting of me, or the situation, or whatever that they said no. As an example, there was a girl who, when I asked if she'd like one, said this:
"Oh, I'm afraid I would crush it"
-Which if you know anything about sales, is a YES- she wants one, but needs to be assured that her objection isn't a problem. So I said "That's OK, I've crushed several of them", and then she took one- VERY HAPPILY.
(I realized a second later that a better reply would have been "But you'll crush ME if you don't take it")
So, both "yes" and "No" are contagious, and frankly, people are more predisposed to say "no" than yes in any situation, so I guess that means we get to work a little bit harder.
I learned a bunch today- I hope YOU get to learn some cool things like that too!
I had done it before, but today I got a lot more than I did before, and took a bag, and went on a Saturday, when it was MUCH more busy. Here's the point:
I want to make GIVING contagious... the idea is that someone feels good for getting a gift, so they want to pass that on and have someone else feel it. So, while I was giving out the flowers, I felt great; and many of the people were grateful- after the initial skepticism. In fact, I can say that I honestly noticed the AURA of the train change, and people smiling and all of that-
a great return on some flowers.
I could see that people were watching me, and just kinda hoping that they were going to get one, and I could see the relief when they did. However-
Some people didn't want one.
and that would have been fine, but I realised this:
"No" is contagious too.
If one person said "No thank you", I had a harder time with other people accepting. If I didn't push a little, there would have been far more "No thank you"s than were genuine.
By that I mean that many people WANTED a flower, but were so distrusting of me, or the situation, or whatever that they said no. As an example, there was a girl who, when I asked if she'd like one, said this:
"Oh, I'm afraid I would crush it"
-Which if you know anything about sales, is a YES- she wants one, but needs to be assured that her objection isn't a problem. So I said "That's OK, I've crushed several of them", and then she took one- VERY HAPPILY.
(I realized a second later that a better reply would have been "But you'll crush ME if you don't take it")
So, both "yes" and "No" are contagious, and frankly, people are more predisposed to say "no" than yes in any situation, so I guess that means we get to work a little bit harder.
I learned a bunch today- I hope YOU get to learn some cool things like that too!
SO today I gave away some flowers, kinda kick-starting www.ContagiousGiving.com .
I had done it before, but today I got a lot more than I did before, and took a bag, and went on a Saturday, when it was MUCH more busy. Here's the point:
I want to make GIVING contagious... the idea is that someone feels good for getting a gift, so they want to pass that on and have someone else feel it. So, while I was giving out the flowers, I felt great; and many of the people were grateful- after the initial skepticism. In fact, I can say that I honestly noticed the AURA of the train change, and people smiling and all of that-
a great return on some flowers.
I could see that people were watching me, and just kinda hoping that they were going to get one, and I could see the relief when they did. However-
Some people didn't want one.
and that would have been fine, but I realised this:
"No" is contagious too.
If one person said "No thank you", I had a harder time with other people accepting. If I didn't push a little, there would have been far more "No thank you"s than were genuine.
By that I mean that many people WANTED a flower, but were so distrusting of me, or the situation, or whatever that they said no. As an example, there was a girl who, when I asked if she'd like one, said this:
"Oh, I'm afraid I would crush it"
-Which if you know anything about sales, is a YES- she wants one, but needs to be assured that her objection isn't a problem. So I said "That's OK, I've crushed several of them", and then she took one- VERY HAPPILY.
(I realized a second later that a better reply would have been "But you'll crush ME if you don't take it")
So, both "yes" and "No" are contagious, and frankly, people are more predisposed to say "no" than yes in any situation, so I guess that means we get to work a little bit harder.
I learned a bunch today- I hope YOU get to learn some cool things like that too!
I had done it before, but today I got a lot more than I did before, and took a bag, and went on a Saturday, when it was MUCH more busy. Here's the point:
I want to make GIVING contagious... the idea is that someone feels good for getting a gift, so they want to pass that on and have someone else feel it. So, while I was giving out the flowers, I felt great; and many of the people were grateful- after the initial skepticism. In fact, I can say that I honestly noticed the AURA of the train change, and people smiling and all of that-
a great return on some flowers.
I could see that people were watching me, and just kinda hoping that they were going to get one, and I could see the relief when they did. However-
Some people didn't want one.
and that would have been fine, but I realised this:
"No" is contagious too.
If one person said "No thank you", I had a harder time with other people accepting. If I didn't push a little, there would have been far more "No thank you"s than were genuine.
By that I mean that many people WANTED a flower, but were so distrusting of me, or the situation, or whatever that they said no. As an example, there was a girl who, when I asked if she'd like one, said this:
"Oh, I'm afraid I would crush it"
-Which if you know anything about sales, is a YES- she wants one, but needs to be assured that her objection isn't a problem. So I said "That's OK, I've crushed several of them", and then she took one- VERY HAPPILY.
(I realized a second later that a better reply would have been "But you'll crush ME if you don't take it")
So, both "yes" and "No" are contagious, and frankly, people are more predisposed to say "no" than yes in any situation, so I guess that means we get to work a little bit harder.
I learned a bunch today- I hope YOU get to learn some cool things like that too!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
A little Valentine's Day Sketch from me to you:
VALENTIME'S DAY - NIGHT
Boy coming home....
GIRL
Hey Honey! How was your day?
BOY
Teaching English to disinterested youth can be difficult….
GIRL
Well, I want to make it all better- Happy Valentime's Day!!
BOY
Oh yes…. Happy Valentine's Day to you!
GIRL
I love you SO much; Every day I Thanks God for you!
BOY
I feel the same way. I THANK God for you, and all of the time we have together, and all of the time we have left.
GIRL
You say such nice things. You always have nice things to say on Valentime's day.
BOY
Well, it's easy with you; Hey sweetie…. I'm excited about the dinner you said you made for ValentiNe's…
GIRL
Yeah, I just had to use my special recipe after I unthawed the meat.
BOY
You Unthawed the meat?
GIRL
Yeah. And I squoze out the juices.
BOY
You Squoze them? Sounds delicious.
GIRL
We'll have a meal, and then we can conversate all night.
BOY
Did we EVER conversate? The word is CONVERSE
GIRL
Oh, like “Converse Sneakers”?
BOY
Ok, that's it.
GIRL
What?
BOY
I can't take it anymore- SPEAK ENGLISH!
GIRL
What do you mean?
BOY
We've been together for 3 months, and I can hardly understand you.
GIRL
What if I was to talk good?
BOY
I'm an ENGLISH TEACHER. This won't work.
GIRL
But we loves each other!
BOY
Maybe it was the sex, but I can't stand it anymore- my family raised me to speak ENGLISH!
GIRL
So what? That's a mute point.
BOY
MOOT point
GIRL
I'm sure I'll learn adventurally-
BOY
Did you just say ADVENTURALLY? That's not even in the realm of-
GIRL
I could care less!
BOY
COULDN'T care less- if you COULD care less, then…what's the problem?
GIRL
Your whole family are snobby- the way yous act.
BOY
IS Snobby- The way YOU act!
GIRL
YOUS act!
BOY
YOU act! I HATE this!
GIRL
(crying)
How can you be so mean?
BOY
Oh.... wait, I’m sorry, you’re right. I am being mean. Maybe we can figure something out.
GIRL
Oh thank you, I KNEW we could come to some sort of agreance.
BOY
Fuck this- I’m out!
GIRL
You’re breaking up with me today?- On Valentime's day??
BOY
It’s VALENTINE'S!!!!! With an N!!!!
GIRL
Nalentime's Day?
BOY
Ugh- I'm leaving now.
GIRL
You're leaving irregardless of my feelings?
BOY
I’m leaving- REGARDLESS of your feelings.
GIRL
Wait what does Irregardless mean?
BOY
REGARDLESS.
GIRL
Well then- Touche'
BOY
Good bye (leaves)
GIRL
(crying again)
This was the worst Nalentime's Day ever!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
HONEST "Instant Pay Machine" Review
This system is EXACTLY what you want in an Online Money-generating system: Ease of use, and MULTIPLE STREAMS!! You can get it here now:
