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In Defense of Our Elders
Well, I very clearly stated that this blog was about random thoughts, and this certainly is one. This week I worked with a group of younger people who inadvertently disclosed some inner thoughts about older people that not only smacked of narcissism but also ignorance and naivete of a world very different than this one. It’s not personal but it felt very personal to me.
This generation dreams big and I’m so glad they do. The world is their oyster and they live in the greatest time and the greatest place in history to make dreams come true. People of every race, culture, creed, gender, religion, age, and economic class have lived an American dream that kings and queens of the past couldn’t even imagine.
When I told my elderly mother about my big dreams, she was cautious and concerned. After all, she picked cotton (and watermelon and beans) before and after school started,
When I told my elderly mother about my big dreams, she was cautious and concerned. After all, she picked cotton (and watermelon and beans) before and after school started,
when she was ten, which was different from my paper route at the same age. When she got a job, she expected to be there for 50 years, working her way up in responsibility and income.
When I was 31, my worldview changed and so did hers. A 23-year-old became a self-made billionaire. This was not possible in the world she grew up in but instantly made everything possible in mine.
This generation gets frustrated that their elders can’t work a cell phone or surf the internet. It's not because they're incapable.
Every time I entertain a large group in my home, I remember the massive meals prepared by my mother, where every egg was perfect and impeccably timed, and fresh bread was made from scratch every day, putting even this great cook to shame.
As I shoveled sidewalks and driveways of snow for a few bucks in college, I remembered that my dad did too. He went from chopping firewood every morning to heat his parent’s home before high school, to become a smoke jumper in northern California.
These people were tough as nails and never quit anything.
In their day, they made their own clothes, grew their own food and canned some for the winter, butchered their own livestock, rebuilt their own engines and sharpened their own knives, built their own radios, repaired their own plumbing, wired their own lighting, and built their own homes. Most did it with barely a high school diploma, if that, and nothing but their hands, backs, and work ethic. They were so tough. They built more than the buildings and bridges we see. They paved the roads we travel and lives we lead with blood, sweat, and tears I’ll never know.
We’re standing on the foundations laid by others who didn’t have the conveniences or luxuries we enjoy, the sheer choices available to purchase or experience, the gadgets to ease our work and hobbies, the specialty tools to lighten our workload or technology that brings entertainment and information at the speed of light.
I’m not that different from these young folks but I definitely disagree.
To quote Isaac Newton, "If I saw further than others,
it was because I stood on the shoulders of giants. "
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I Voted
Should You?
We’ve just had a mid-term election in the United States where we choose leaders to lead our federal legislature and our states. Every part of our lives is affected by their work. I think it’s an illogical mistake to tell every American adult to vote and will have disastrous results in our lives and country. Did I push a button? I bet I did but please hear me out.
We have countless American adults who don’t know basic information about our country and government, so should they vote about what happens in it?
“Man on the Street” interviews are given by Jimmy Kimmel today and have been since before Jay Leno had the top show on late-night television. The viewing audience is sure to chuckle in disbelief but we should consider that these people are voting for the control of our own lives.
Here are some decisions we ask them to make when voting, compared with questions and answers of random American adults.
President and Vice-President of the United States
How many presidents have we had so far? 11
What is the job of the Commander in Chief? To give orders
What month do we vote for President? January, March, August
Supreme Court
How many judges Supreme Court? 50, 12, 7
Name a judge on the Supreme Court? Judge Judy
Constitution
What is the Bill of Rights? Thou shall not steal, commit perjury
What does it mean to “take 5th?” Take off work 5th day of week
Congress
What are the branches of government? Republican & Democrat
What is bipartisanship? Like bisexual
Foreign policy
How many continents are there? 3
What does NATO stand for? New Automobile Dealer Org
What is the largest country in South America? Africa
Where is Iraq? Afghanistan, South
Where is the Amazon located? Somewhere near Africa
Can you name any country other than ours? Africa, Europe, Asia
Name one country in Asia? Tokyo
Economic & Financial Policy
How many donuts are in a dozen? 8
How many dimes are in a dollar? $1.00, 1000, 1000,
If you were born 10 years ago, how old would you be today? 12
Daylight Savings Time
How many minutes are in a half an hour? 60
How many seasons are there? May, June, July, 8
Space Policy
What is our galaxy called? Mars
Which is bigger, the sun or our moon? Moon
How many moons does the earth have? 6
States Rights
How many U.S. states are there? 100, 13, 56
What state is Utah in? Michigan, never heard of it
What state did Boston Tea Party take place? Boston, England
What language do the people of Idaho speak? Japan
What is the Capitol of Chicago? Illinois, Detroit, Los Angeles
Race Policy
Who fought in the Civil War? Nazis versus Germany
History
When was the War of 1812? WWII, 1980’s
How do you feel about Trump’s kids now killing Triceratops?
They get away with so much because they’re his kids.
The people who answered these questions are voting for people and ultimately policies affecting my home, children, health care, legal rights, taxes, vehicles, hobbies, military, food, and so much more. Their votes affect whether we go to war and who will oversee our economy. I would never argue that we should have a test before voting and absolutely want every American to vote, but should everyone vote? I think not.
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Random Thoughts Get Me In Trouble
Am I the only one who loves the sounds of the day? Unfortunately, my day begins with the worst sound I can imagine, an alarm clock’s beep beep beep beep.
beep beep beep.
Thank goodness it's not a rooster.
The sound of a shower is much better. The quick buzz of an electric shaver is regrettable. It sounds like work. Why else would I be shaving?
The best sound in the morning is that gurgling I hear from the coffee maker already working.
The sizzling of cooking bacon definitely makes up for any disappointment.
How I love the sound of leaves crunching under my feet! Second only to fresh snow. I’m on my way to work. The click of my seatbelt is the beginning of the countdown until I arrive. Today, I’d rather go anywhere else. The sound of the surf and even the seagulls at the beach sound much better.
For now, all I hear is the sound of city traffic and honking horns. At the stoplight, you can hear the faint electronic voice saying “don’t walk.” The street musicians on guitars and makeshift drums is a nice distraction.
I’m within sight of the building. I don't want to go but I'm responsible and I have obligations.
I have a random thought. What if I didn't go to work today?
I'm already here.
Forget it. Not today. I pull right up to it and keep on going. If I could, my car’s engine would sound like the Blue Angels flying by that building. I hope they hear me!
With a bit more courage, I’d post pics on my company’s Facebook group of me having a drink, trying to decide what to do with my day. Can they hear the ice in the cocktail shaker?
The heart's cry for Freedom, Braveheart-style, can't be held captive.
There’s no way I’m going home. I’d be voluntold about chores needing to be done. The white noise of a lawnmower?
No way!
Wait a minute! I know exactly where I’m going.
The world should know the sound of joy I feel as I pull up to the baseball stadium. The game’s almost started. For a moment, I looked like Usain Bolt racing to my seat. Ok, it’s an exaggeration but you know what I mean.
He was a terrible example, sorry.
I may have missed the Star-Spangled Banner but I’m still right on time. The crowd erupts in a deafening roar. “Get your beer here” is shouted by a beer hawker in the stands. I did that. Money’s good but writing is much more fun. Random thought.
I hear the leather pop of a 95-mile-per-hour pitch hitting a catcher’s glove.
Ah, the tsssk of opening an ice-cold beer. So good! One more pitch and boom, it’s going, going, gone. The crack of a wooden bat and a fire truck’s home run horn.
I love the sounds of playing hookey.
Random thoughts get me in trouble but no regrets.
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Into The Day We Go
In just another random moment and fleeting thought, I sat transfixed as the people and players around me began the day.
At the same time most bars are closing after a fast and furious night, the city is already waking up again. So many things that we prize in our daily routine began working in these wee hours of the morning.
2 a.m.
The local newspaper publisher just dropped bundles of newspapers on the doorsteps of their neighborhood carriers. The carrier will spend this hour adding advertising inserts to each paper, then rolling it up, finally wrapping it with a rubber band and placing it in one of those plastic sleeves (just in case it rains).
3 a.m.
The carriers are out on the streets making sure the news of the day gets in the hands of the subscribers. Even in bone-chilling cold and on icy sidewalks in some places, they’re out there, making their rounds and ensuring the customer gets the paper exactly where they like it at home. Sometimes it’s just on the lawn and others demand it in a specific spot by the door. Machines are stocked and stands are full. By 6 a.m. up to 150 papers must be delivered.
The later it gets, the more pieces are in play, and the faster it moves.
4 a.m.
While the news gets to the people, the bakeries have just turned on their lights. The ovens are being preheated and the mixers are running. Flour, yeast, and sugar sacks are emptied. Salt, powders, fruits, nuts, and seeds are measured for the breads and pastries being prepped. After mixing, kneading, rolling, cutting, and forming, into the ovens they go. Aromas of bread and sweets fill the room, begging to break down the doors and into the street.
The fryers are sizzling and the grills are smoking hot. The cooks are chopping produce, making sauces, and stocking the line. Fire and ice set the scene. Restaurant guests will arrive with empty stomachs and morning moods, whether thrilled to start the day or just waking up and still a bit grumpy. Food hits the spot and breakfast is the right way to begin.
5 a.m.
Baristas have filled hoppers and started their daily grinds. Like popcorn, the first crack of coffee beans is heard. The brew begins and the smell of java fills up the senses. Syrups, extracts, and sugars are set up for the service. Come with the ristrettos, red eyes, americanos, cappuccinos, mochas, lattes, double shots, and endless custom orders. The morning elixir to the masses is ready to being served.
6 a.m.
The rooster crows. The farmer is already feeding animals and checking crops. Heavy bags are up on the shoulder and the farmer's on the move because much work has to be done. The food that feeds the world is in good hands.
7 a.m.
Nurses start another 12 hours, already tending to the wounded and those in pain. There's no room for error but there's immediate need for care. They're ready for us if the day goes wrong.
Factory workers finished their morning stretch and are now twisting and turning in the trenches, putting out products that run the world.
School buses are still in route, with open doors to meet parents and deliver children safely to school.
8 a.m.
The teachers are welcoming students and the classrooms are staged. Papers are graded and lessons are ready. Welcome to another day of learning the basics and expanding the mind.
9 a.m.
Offices are already humming along. Computers are juggling tasks. Stacks of paper work have begun to be conquered. In meetings they work to grow a brand and the bottom line.
10 a.m.
Waiters are setting up the dining room for the lunch rush. The morning meeting is close, where we’ll learn what they have today and what they don’t. Every day is an opportunity to change the way people feel about food.
The day goes on, hour by hour, with each piece of the assembly slowly coming on line. The world is an orchestra with so many parts being played by so many people for the day’s performance.
Into the day we go.
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Four Walls
More than twenty years ago, I was sitting in a bar with my buddy and a random thought hit me. It struck a chord will never stop sounding. From a conversation in passing, I was reminded of it today.
I don’t want to live my life inside four walls!
I refuse.
I remember that night like it was yesterday. I was sitting there taking in the sights and sounds of the room. Another Steve seemed to know every pretty lady in the room and the place was packed.
A great saxophonist was tearing it up, playing the song “House of the Rising Sun”.
The kitchen was cranking out rib eye steaks and baked potatoes. Liquor shots were being downed faster than they could be put up. Cold beer was the silver bullet that instantly settled all scores from their long days before. The faces in the crowd were laughing, telling jokes and telling lies.
This converted church had become the perfect temple to unwind and get their weekend on.
I got up to walk around the room and see who I could meet. I loved the pictures on the walls that I could see in every direction from the center of the room. I walked over to see photos from Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, and any other holiday they could think to celebrate. What I saw on the wooden walls hit me like a brick wall. The same faces were in every party of the year for years and years and years. It rocked me to my core.
Here was a glimpse of a life spent and for me, it was just beginning.
I’ve been in every type of bar and club in cities and states from coast to coast. I'd worked in plenty. There are those frequented by Ferraris and Bentley’s (picture I took of valet parking lot where I last waited tables)
and filled with the beautiful and the “see and be seen” crowd
The gangster clubs
(sorry, photos don't get taken at these ones)
and the last true biker bars
make you watch your six, watch your mouth, and cautiously proceed with who you speak to and what you say (most recently in a Russian mob hangout)
The upscale, alternative, and hipster spots have a cool vibe.
The neighborhood dives with cheap beer and bad karaoke (well mostly) are a great way to go.
Sometimes you need to dance the night away. I love going out to almost any place and I'm an extrovert, completely in my element.
If I were tall, dark, and handsome, I'd be in serious trouble. I have no trouble finding plenty.
This place was just another bar in another city, kind of in the middle, full of professionals who weren’t broke but weren’t rich, and liked to party hard as often as possible.
As I got to know so many of them, it was obvious they deserved their party. They all worked hard every day, doing difficult work that really mattered, and here they are to pack away the stress in a lock box, unravel the madness that is the life they lead, if only for this night at this time. This reality is not lost on me. They have my respect and appreciation, and I’ve got their beer.
But still, regardless of the why, I can’t shake the thought. I don’t want to be just another picture on a bar’s wall. Especially the same four walls. I don’t want to live my life in any four walls. It’s no different than those cubicles in the offices I worked, where I had a radio to pass the time away, potted plants to attend, office buddies to chat with, and family pictures on the desk.
That pilgrimage past the endless rows of cubicles and offices
to get to the windows was essential more than once a day, almost a sacred ritual. I just needed a look at the world flying by,
outside this place where time seemed to stand still. Just like this bar, where I hungered for more than a few good laughs, a badly needed beer and meal, and to see where the night takes me.
It doesn't have to be grandiose or one in a million, but it must be yours and yours alone.
I served dinner to two astronauts who’d been in space, one who spent half of year on the International Space Station
and another who’d been off the planet for almost two months.
His twin brother spent a year. Talk about your sibling rivalry.
Trust me, it doesn’t have to be a "giant step for all mankind" to still be something to change your life, a life that is different in every way from everyone else on earth.
Henry David Thoreau said, “The masses of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Is he right? It doesn’t have to be.
If someone wants to sit in that place with the same people telling the same stories, I support and respect that decision. It’s every one of ours to make but it can’t be mine.
I want more.
I want to...
talk for hours with the hottest women in every room (even the mob boss’s girlfriend who was flirting with me; I didn't know).
I told you I have ADD and this blog is about random thoughts.
I want to talk and laugh, at least until we're done talking,
and race fearlessly towards fun and adventure.
I want to sail the Greek Isles,
feel the sun on my face as it rises in Africa,
and see it set on the Roman Colosseum (and every place like it forever).
I can do more than just toss coins in a fountain, casting a hopeful wish.
I want to close my eyes listening to Handel’s Messiah in the Sydney Opera House,
sip wine in Paris at a sidewalk café, letting "La Vie En Rose" cast its "magic spell",
dive the Great Barrier Reef while swimming with sharks and jellyfish in the world’s best aquarium,
race a Formula 1 car
and bobsled an Olympic track faster than the wind,
hang glide over the ocean just like a bird,
jump out of perfectly good airplanes,
explore the tide pools of the Pacific coast with their urchins and crabs (I really miss this),
and the deceptive beautiful but deadly wonderland of the Amazon
(but definitely not alone; that seems dumb)
and lounge blissfully on a glass bottom boat as the bio-luminescent algae shine in New Zealand,
hike to the rim of an active volcano that broke the sky in Hawaii,
and chase penguins at the bottom of the world in Antarctica.
You know as well as I do exactly where I'll be, trying not to feel like a Popsicle, curled up under a foot of blankets inside the little house.
But I'll be there. No books, articles, photos, or movies.
No I won't be in that bar listening to stories about days just like mine.
I'll be partying in the Sky Bar on the top of those towers in Singapore
and eating at the Michelin restaurant stalls on the street,
watching the fireworks on New Year's Eve in New York City, with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop.
I'm making true stories so I won’t have to tell lies.
I don't have to imagine.
My dreams are coming true and I'll be working on the next ones.
No regrets.
I want to make today my backdrop and I pave the next road of dreams and of life
I sure as hell don’t want that life to be spent inside four walls.
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Dare Me!
This is a random thought for today and it has been for a lot of other days over the years. I just can't shake it.
It is disappointing to hear people list every reason why they can’t reach their dream. I’m willing to patiently hear everyone and everything that has gotten or will get in their way. In my head, I can mark off my own checklist of obstacles that aligns with theirs. So yes, I understand. I know the paralysis of carrying burdens that many pretend they know. I’m from places people lie about and could write bestsellers of deep dark valleys of danger and pain as well as mountaintops of triumph, joy, and peace.
I empathize and am disappointed but I’m more than that. I’m angry. Why? Not because of what happened to them but because of what’s being done to them.
They’re being cheated out of more than fairy tale lives in their past. We all know those people, who’ve lived a life of safety and comfort, open doors and privilege. There aren’t that many people like that but they’re definitely out there. No, we’re not talking those people.
We're especially not talking about the past. We’re looking at the future that hasn’t been written yet. With vision, work ethic, problem solving, and persistence, it can be almost anything we can dream. Because we don’t have to be focused on the rocks and the waves, or even the storm. We will be focused on the shore. We’re not looking where we’ve been, but where we’re going. When it comes to telling horror stories, we’re not the first and won’t be the last. It’s fairly common, especially where I come from and where I’ve been time after time.
You know what’s not common? Those who take that pain and anger and turn it into something bigger than them and better than them. A dream that is so big they can't sleep at night because they're thinking about it. A dream so hypnotic that it comes up in every conversation and in most moments they're thinking about it. Something that requires more than most people believe or will work to achieve. Let’s talk about them. You already know them all but how much do you know?
Oprah Winfrey was born to a teenage single mom, sexually assaulted by several predators, homeless at 13, and at 14 lost a baby in infancy. She went on to become the one and only Oprah, #1 all time talk show host, media company mogul, best-selling author, winner of Academy/Emmy/Tony Awards and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her philanthropy and humanitarian work. She’s worth $2.5 billion.
Charlize Theron’s mother killed drunk Charlize' father, who threatened to kill them. Charlize has won Academy, Emmy, and Golden Globe awards. She’s worth $170 million.
Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother, and nephew were killed by her mom’s estranged husband. She’s gone on to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards. She’s worth $30 million.
Sarah Jessica Parker grew up in a home where her parents didn’t celebrate birthdays or Christmas because they couldn’t afford presents. They frequently had their electricity and phone shut off for nonpayment. She’s won six Golden Globe Awards and two
Emmy's. She now owns a production company and played one of the most memorable characters in television history on the show Sex and the City. She’s worth $150 million.
Tyler Perry was homeless, after suffering physical and sexual abuse as a child. His books have been #1 and #5 on the New York Times Bestseller List. He’s a billionaire, owning the largest film studio in the nation, used for mega-hits The Walking Dead television series and Black Panther movie.
Eminem was raised in poverty to an alcoholic drug addicted mother who’d been abandoned by his dad, beaten up as a loner in the projects (given severe concussions as a fourth grader), attended 30 schools and repeated the ninth grade three times before dropping out of high school, and soon battling addiction himself. He’s now one of the most successful musicians and rappers of all time. He’s worth $230 million.
Halle Berry’s father was physically abusive to her mother, before her mom left him. Halle lived in a homeless shelter and YMCA before becoming Miss Teen USA (my cousin was the first), Miss Ohio USA, Miss USA first-runner up, and sixth in Miss World competition. She’s won an Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe, and was one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood who earned $10 million per film. She’s been a long-time Revlon spokesperson. She’s worth $90 million.
Jim Carrey lived in a Volkswagen bus with his family and then in a tent. He went on to become of the world’s most recognizable comedians, commanding $20 million per film. He’s worth $180 million.
Steve Harvey lived in his 1976 Ford Tempo for three years while starting his career as a standup comedian. He’d clean up in public bathrooms. Since then he’s won seven Daytime Emmy Awards as a television show host; is a successful producer, actor, and comedian;
and is worth $200 million.
Daniel Craig slept on park benches in London while working as a waiter. He went on to play Bond, James Bond. He’s worth $160 million.
Jennifer Lopez was homeless, often sleeping on a cot in her dance studio. She went on to become a pop culture icon, grossing $3.1 billion in films, selling 80 million albums, owning beauty and clothing and fragrance lines, as well as a production company, and being worth $400 million.
The father of basketball GOAT Michael Jordan was killed in a carjacking. Michael went on to earn an NCAA basketball championship, six NBA Championships, six NBA Finals MVP awards, five NBA MVP awards, 14 All-Star appearances, and today owns the NBA Charlotte Hornets team and co-owns a NASCAR team. He’s worth $1.7 billion.
Hilary Swank competed in the Junior Olympics, state swimming championships and placed fifth in the state in All-Around Gymnastics, despite having grown up in a trailer park. After her parents divorced, she and her mom lived in a car in Los Angeles while trying to make Hilary’s dream of acting come true. She went on to win two Academy and two Golden Globe Awards. She’s now worth $60 million.
Carmen Electra toured with Prince and then her boyfriend stole her money, leaving her homeless for several years in Los Angeles, before being getting hired on the show Baywatch. She’s worth $8 million.
Kelly Clarkson moved to Los Angeles and then her apartment burned down. She lived in shelters and her car. She went on to win American Idol’s first season, as well as recording three albums that reached #1 on the Billboard 200 charts and winning three Grammy's. She’s worth $45 million.
Phil McGraw lived with his dad in their car, even in YMCA’s, but grew up to become a household name, “Dr. Phil", now worth $460 million.
Suze Orman lived in her van in Berkeley before becoming a world-famous financial guru and motivational speaker, now worth $75 million.
Sam Worthington lived in his car before becoming the star of Avatar. He’s now worth $35 million.
Steve Jobs was living on his friends’ floors in college, returning glass Coke bottles for money, and walking seven miles to get a Sunday night meal at a Hare Krishna temple. He became the co-founder of Apple and led it to become the world’s leading telecom company, introducing the iPod and iPhone. He was worth $10 billion at death.
David Letterman was living in his 1973 Chevy pickup truck in Los Angeles before he got a job writing jokes for Jimmy Walker. He passed his mentor Johnny Carson to become the longest running late night talk show host in American history. His shows received 67 Emmy nominations and won 12 of its first 20 years. He personally was nominated for 52 Emmy's and won 2 Daytime Emmy's and 10 prime time Emmy's. His production company Worldwide Pants produced the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond. His car collection includes 10 Ferraris. He’s also co-owner of an Indy Car team that has won the Indianapolis 500 twice. He’s worth $400 million.
Shania Twain lived in a homeless shelter with her mom and siblings when little. At eight years old, she sang in bars to help family bills. Her mom and stepdad died in a car crash. When she was 16, she squatted in a vacant house and slept on buses. She’s sold over 100 million albums and is the best-selling female artist in country music history, the sixth best-selling female artist in the United States, and one of the best-selling musicians of all time. She’s the only female musician in history to have three consecutive albums certified diamond. Twain was the first country musician to crossover into pop music. Taylor Swift and Rihanna both credit Shania as being a music influence in their career. She’s worth $400 million.
Ed Sheeran slept in London subway stations or on heating vents. He’s won Three Grammy Awards. He was Billboard’s 2022 Top Global Artist. He’s worth $200 million.
James Cameron was living in his car when he wrote the movie The Terminator. A producer bought the rights to the film for $1 in exchange for him being allowed to direct the film, which made $77 million globally. He went on to direct Titanic and Avatar, the #3 and #1 top grossing movies of all time. He’s worth $700 million.
There are plenty more examples but these should suffice.
I've worked in prisons from California to New York and worked the streets between them with their families, as well as parolees, addicts, hookers, gangs, sex trafficking victims, the homeless, alone, hurting, broken, and searching. I'm heard more hard luck stories than people can imagine. I've watched lives destroyed with my own eyes.
We could do the list and agree that it's too much to overcome.
My list is much longer than almost all of these and shares most of it.
I will take mine and theirs, wad them up, then throw it away.
Those things already happened and can't be changed.
What lies ahead has yet to be written.
All it takes is vision, work ethic and will power.
Take every bad thing, every obstacle, every negative memory and very pessimistic voice, every hater, ever dismissal, and throw it away or push it out of the way. It they intend to stand in my way, they'll have to bring an army. Make each one in the army bring their own army. If they create obstacles and roadblocks, I want them to put up more, because it's just more fuel for my fire. They're not the first and they won't the last but this is chess not checkers and I promise to be the last one standing. I want to be bring as many with me as I can and I work every day in every opportunity to make it happen. The more people living their dreams, the better. But if I must go alone, I will.
We can think about every reason why we can't do what we want.
I'd prefer to easily turn on the TV and prove there's at least 23 reasons why we can.
The more obstacles in my way, the more negative thoughts that cross my mind, the more I want it and the harder I will work to get it.
If for a second I hear anyone that would try to limit me out of malice or even out of love tell why it won't work out, it won't take me a second to stand up, look them face to face and directly in the eyes, without a second thought and with no hesitation or fear, tell them defiantly
DARE ME!
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The Common Sense
May 10, 2022
I can hear it now. Masses of people across the planet respond with absolute certainty that of course there is a "common sense." It's that obvious conclusion anyone should easily reach with what, when, and how to do something in the moment, without thinking about it. After all, it's just common sense.
Sometimes I think it lacks common sense to assume that there is a common sense. Wow! Now I'm doing it also, thinking I've got the common sense.
It's almost comical and feels a bit arrogant to assume that the way I think it should be done is THE common sense. Of all of the people in the world who don't have it, I obviously received it. I'm happy to explain it to everyone. The only thing that seems to be common is that everyone is sure they have common sense.
The guys where I grew up would talk about this common sense of theirs. Everyone I knew in this little California town worked on their own cars. They didn't need to take their car to a mechanic ever.
You know who had no common sense, in their opinion? Those folks in New York City who couldn't work on their own cars.
Maybe they don't realize that the places they can work on their car
are so much different for people in some other places.
Many people around the world have never owned a vehicle, but use bikes to travel.
I would say this as an adult to those guys in that little town. I don't even enjoy working on cars but this year I've replaced a radiator, air conditioner blower motor, lower front control arm, serpentine belt, an alternator, as well as brake rotors and pads. I'd rather let someone who has all of the tools, the time, actually likes it, and I can just pay to do it for me. Maybe the New Yorkers feel the same way.
I could tell them about the taxi culture in downtown areas of big cities but explaining this
would be so much more fun, when they're only accustomed to seeing something else.
I lived in Louisiana a few years ago and had never had a King Cake. Someone there asked me where in the world I'm from that I'd not heard of one. I told him, "I've been in 47 states, spending more than a few weeks in many of them. I've had friends, roommates, girlfriends, and worked with people from all over the world. Where are you from that I don't know what a King Cake is?"
To keep these special knowledge folks from sounding like a handful, here are some more people who have the common sense.
Many others have it also, like
people who work on computers and people who don't,
people who play sports and people who don't,
people who cook and people who don't,
introverts and extroverts,
people who vote one way and people who the other.
people that believe one thing and people that believe another.
They all seem to have this common sense
But the others don't. The others who don't work with their hands ever and their parents didn't, or who don't have iPhones and modern grocery checkout scanners, television and computers at home, air conditioning (California, the home of Silicon Valley and Hollywood, also uses swamp coolers in semi-arid areas), or running water and private bathrooms (Europe has many communal bathrooms in apartment buildings).
We have 40 types of apples at HEB and there are countries where the grocery stores carry two or none. I read of a fishing village in Africa (for my website) where there is a town baker who cooks the catch for everyone. Why don't they have this common sense?
When I hear someone talk about it, I wonder if they're ever outside their comfort zone, in different places, doing different things, hearing different things, getting to know different people and appreciate the differences.
Many times what is different isn't wrong. It's just different.
I do think that there are correct things and incorrect things.
Having no absolutes doesn't make sense either.
Some things do come easy and others don't.
Some things seem obvious and other things don't.
Maybe it's a case of having common sense or a lack of it.
Most of the time I just assume that we only know what we're exposed to in our lives, the same as everyone else, and repetition makes us better and faster at it until it's second nature. Even Michael Jordan couldn't play ball the first time, but he became the best.
Living and working and making friends in every place amongst every people I could encounter, learning new things and new ways made me realize how little I do know and realize just how much more there is out there for me to experience, or something like that.
It's just a random thought for today.
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DON'T LIKE HISTORY
People keep telling me they're not into history. If they're thinking about high school, textbooks, or documentaries on the history channel, then I understand completely. Forced learning stinks for sure. Especially when it's about something long ago or in a faraway land.
I see it differently. I would argue that most love history. Their formal K-12 school education setting and style aren't the first thing I see. Like the title character in the August Rush movie, history "is all around us."
We think of famous architecture and landmarks.
It almost doesn't matter what you do enjoy. Most likely, you do enjoy history. Let me prove it to you.
Sports is the number one pastime in America. Can a football fan tell you the famous players and games by their team? If I say, Walter Payton or Joe Montana, do they know who I'm talking about? Of course, they do. Just like Wayne Gretzky or Bobby Orr in hockey,
Mickey Mantle and Ozzie Smith in baseball,
or Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain in basketball. They know about the Ice Bowl, the Miracle on Ice, the 1989 Bay Area World Series, and recognize the Triple Crown Award (more than one sport).
How about Heisman Winners in the past? How many great college players can you name that were terrible in the pros? I can name several and I am no expert. Who were the best college players ever?
Has anyone ever moved through a defensive line like Barry Sanders or will anyone ever again? I miss watching that guy play!
Car buffs love their cars. Some love the Shelby Cobra and others go back to the Duesenberg and Vauxhall's.
Cars have become a part of Hollywood lore as well, with Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team, the Batmobile, the Ghostbusters ambulance, and Jurassic Park jeeps.
I love movies and thought about going to USC for film school. If I spoke about Steven Spielberg affecting people with his movies, would it make sense? Jaws made people afraid to go into the water. Indiana Jones made people want to explore. His movies moved the public's perception from fear of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds
to his own tale of wonder in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and then to an awkward loveable buddy E.T.
Schindler's List broke the world's heart with portrayals of the holocaust. Jurassic Park brought dinosaurs back to life.
Do you realize that Jurassic Park was released in June of 1993? I graduated high school months before. Now I feel old.
Even in television shows, what was your favorite? Was it Mash? It was a rare combination of heart-clutching realities, tender moments, and needed comic relief. I watched the final episode.
Maybe it was Seinfeld or Friends.
Or Alex Trebek who's no longer with us, just like Robin Williams. Such great entertainment history.
I love music and its history.
Most who love cooking have heard the name Julia Child. I know people that were friends. She was a legend.
Collect shoes? Here's a picture of Chuck Taylor sneakers from their first go-round.
I love business history and remember this well.
Fashion is an obsession in America. Even I know about Oscar de la Renta, Tom Ford, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, and Versace.
I love the scene in the movie The Devil Wears Prada, with Meryl Streep explaining to Anne Hathaway where her careless fashion choices were decided by the people in the room.
"This… “stuff”? Oh, okay. I see you think this has nothing to do with you.
You… go to your closet, and you select… I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back, but what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean.
You’re also blithely unaware of the fact that, in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns, and then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn’t it?… who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here.
And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin.
However, that blue represents millions of dollars of countless jobs, and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry, when in fact, you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room… from a pile of “stuff.”
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Undoubtedly, Hatheway's character was unaware and probably didn't care, but everyone in the room did. It is the world they love and they know the history very well.
One more for the crowd. Who remembers playing these?
I wish we'd talk about the history of our loves that way. History still evokes emotion and memories, even just seeing pictures.
Don't you love sports history, cinema history, art history, fashion history, business history, and automobile history?
Maybe it's just me and my random thought for today.
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