Archives for May 2015

Memorials and Manifestos

May 25, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

My E – “book” is now on sale. Well actually right now it’s FREE…for a few more days.

I realize that there are some pretty radical concepts contained in the few pages of that “book.”

I put book in quotes because it’s not really a book at all…it’s a “manifesto” of about 11,000 words and some 65 pages, or so.

But hopefully words that will have an impact on someone who dares to actually read them.

Now I know that for some those words will be like fingernails scraping across the blackboard of your consciousness.

And that’s OK.

They are what I believe and I don’t pretend to present them as a gospel that you must also subscribe to in order to be greeted fondly by Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates.

So, if you hate it…by all means let me have it…leave a 1 star review.

If you love it…4 stars and up are certainly welcome too!

OK, enough with the self-promotion.

There is a little concept divulged in the, uh, Manifesto that is dubbed The Big US…

Now if that’s confusing, here’s a bit more elaboration.

Today is Memorial Day in the U.S.A.

That’s a time when we remember those who have died fighting in wars that our politicians deemed necessary for some real or imagined (possibly contrived) national interest.

And we certainly should celebrate and remember those lives.

But… there is a flip-side to that.

And it has a lot to do with that Big US that Revolutionary Misfit often alludes to.

You see, as many as have fallen on our side, an even greater amount of loss has occurred on the other.

Can we all agree for a second that ALL human life is sacred…even those of our enemies?

Didn’t Jesus say as much?

About 4500 U.S. soldiers were killed in the Iraq War.

The data is less reliable on casualties of Iraqis, both military and civilian, but the numbers I am seeing are well above 100,000.

Now think about the run of the mill Iraqi military recruit. He’s probably just a guy with a family, who needs a job and decides the military is a great option to both provide for his family and give him a sense of national pride…the honour of sacrificing for his country…

Sound familiar?

I don’t mean to poo poo on Memorial Day.

I read a post yesterday by James Altucher as to why he hates Memorial Day. I certainly won’t go that far.

James said that he received an inordinate amount of hate mail due to that post…

an inordinate amount?

I would think just the headline itself would generate enough hatred to fuel an atomic reactor. (Actually I notice that he changed the headline to Why Memorial Day Makes Me Sad)

No, I won’t say that at all and hopefully this post won’t be taken that way.

But I will say that while we are remembering our slain it would be appropriate to remember those on the other side of the equation.

Do you think their grief is any less…genuine or deserved?

But they are not us, you might say. They are our enemies…we should rejoice that they are no more.

I don’t believe that. And I hope you don’t either.

I hope you can recognize that us as being the small one.

Here’s something I’m pretty sure about…

War is shit.

And while Memorial Day should be a remembrance of the fallen, it should not be a celebration of war. Tweet it Out!

There is hardly a justification for the mass slaughtering of people and the rampant destruction of our planet that is generated by war.

It sucks!

It would be better if it never did nor never would exist and that those valiant soldiers could have been engaged in more productive professions and possibly still be among us.

So, while we remember our fallen heroes, let’s also remember that hopefully their deaths will bring us closer to a situation in which we don’t have to remember any future casualties of war…on either side.

To coin an already too familiar cliche that represents the Big US quite succinctly…

We’re all in this boat together.

image credit: Ken Lund via Compfight cc

On Being a Worry Wart

May 23, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

Of all the debilitating emotions one can experience on a day to day basis, I suggest the most insidious is worry.

Jesus himself even chimed in on the subject once saying, and I paraphrase,

don’t worry…

See those brightly colored birds?…

They don’t worry…

and neither should you!

But, why shouldn’t we worry?

There’s certainly a crap-load of stuff to worry about: like health, relationships, loved ones, hated ones, the competition, global warming, Obama, ISIS, ebola, the coming apocalypse…I could of course go on.

When you step back and think about it, worry is a pretty useless pursuit.

Getting back to Jesus, I believe he also said that no short person ever grew an inch taller by worrying about it…or something to that effect.

And isn’t it so true?

Worry never, repeat, never, accomplishes a thing…except anxiety, depression, or perhaps an early grave.

So why do we do it?

In my case at least, I always seem to worry about me. The focal point of worrying might seem at its surface to be otherwise directed, but it usually all comes back to me.

If I am worried about, say, my marriage…it is about how a potential split-up might affect me.

If I am worried about the health of some person near and dear to me, at the heart of that worry is not them, but how losing them might make me feel.

If I were genuinely concerned, then I would stop worrying and take some type of action that might benefit them. But I don’t because my incessant worrying isn’t about them at all, it’s about me.

You’ll never make an impact by worrying about it.

Worry is self-indulgence.

It’s a state in which we become literally paralyzed with nail-biting self-concern.

Yet it feels a little self-comforting because we rationalize that it’s not about us…it’s about being concerned over something or some person. But again, what makes you think that spending time worrying about them is really about them?

Is it doing them any good?

Will it solve their problem? Will it cure the cancer, help them out of a financial disaster, or help their kid get off of drugs?

No…it won’t do any of those things. All it will do is slightly appease your sense of dutiful concern.

If you’ve acknowledged that there’s a problem and you’re sincerely concerned, spend time thinking about what you could actually do, then the rest of the time doing it and not one second of time worrying about it.

You might not be able to solve the problem, but you can do a lot more to make some positive impact by selfless action than you can by selfish worrying.

You can do a lot more to make some positive impact by selfless action than you can by selfish worrying.

To stop being a worry wart and start doing is to prioritize impact over self-interest.

Don’t believe me?…just ask Jesus.

Oh, he also said that worrying implies an absence of faith.

That’s another big problem with being a worry wart.

The Universe won’t conspire with you unless you have faith. And worry is an utterly faithless pursuit.

So, don’t worry about it!

The Spine of Atticus Finch

May 20, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

An old post I wrote back when I was trying to figure out why…

…

In a past life I was a business lawyer, as opposed to a trial lawyer. However, I did go to a respected trial lawyer-oriented school, where we got to “play lawyer” frequently. And I did a bit of courtroom work in my earliest years of practice.

So, I have an appreciation for courtroom theatrics.

The most dramatic part of any trial, generally, is the closing argument. It’s where the lawyer supplies the why for the jury. The arguments that work best are the ones that are more than just a rehashing of the facts. They inspire the jury to come to the conclusion that the lawyer is paid to produce. The guilty or not guilty verdict, in the case of a criminal trial, or the nice fat damage award, in case of a civil one.

Even though fictitious, my favorite jury argument of all time is the one made by Atticus Finch in the classic film, To Kill a Mockingbird. Not only is it great courtroom drama, but it is one of the most inspirational Hollywood moments of all time…in my opinion.

I recently read Twyla Tharp’s book, The Creative Habit. One thing that really stood out to me is her insistence that every creative work have a “spine.” What’s that? Well, although it’s hard for me to describe succinctly, I believe it’s sort of like a therapeutic metaphor, or an object, activity, or idea that is used as a symbol for deeper meaning.

I’m not altogether cetain what Harper Lee’s spine was for her Pulitzer Prize winning book, but I would venture to say, perhaps, youthful innocence, contrasted with the evil of prejudicial hate.

Perhaps her spine was a call to innocence.

Tharp clearly states that the creator’s “spine” is not always revealed to the consumer. But it’s always at the forefront of the creator’s mind throughout the creation process.

I was thinking yesterday about what could or should serve as the spine for this creative undertaking upon which I have embarked, the blog Revolutionary Misfit.

First off, I want the content to inspire…to supply the why…much like a trial lawyer in a jury trial closing argument.

Since that’s what Atticus was attempting to do and since his attempt was deeply inspirational to me, perhaps that should be my spine for Revolutionary Misfit.

I want the content delivered within this blog to inspire…to supply the why…much like a trial lawyer in a jury trial closing argument.

It has all the elements I need. His argument pitted the impact of doing the right thing (what Atticus did by taking on the case to begin with) against the prejudicial inclinations of the accusers and of the jury.

It certainly dramatized the mindset of the small us with the attempt by Atticus to inspire Big US thinking…an attempt that failed to achieve its intended result, but was inspirational nonetheless.

Finally, Atticus tried hard to remove the impact blinders the jury was wearing that would prevent them from seeing the path to a positive impact (for Tom Robinson, cetainly, but also for the general idea of racial equality).

The climatic moment was when he delivered the emotionally gripping line, “in the name of God, do your duty…in the name of God, believe Tom Robinson.”

That pretty much sums it up for me. That line supplies the why. The why for impact.

And what is that why?

Our god-given duty to bring good into this world. We do that via our impacts, as varied as they might be.

The why for impact in my opinion is the why for our very existence. We were created for that reason…to bring about the unique good that motivated God to breathe life into us in the first place.

The why for impact in my opinion is the why for our very existence. We were created for that reason…to bring about the unique good that motivated God to breathe life into us in the first place.

So, what does that mean, practically, for Revolutionary Misfit going forward?

It means that the great Atticus Argument meets all requirements for supplying the why of this blog, especially that climactic moment…

in which his powerful words moved me towards the god-given duty for positive impact.

On Being a Superhero

May 16, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

The only superpower you really need is the one to constantly cultivate the attitude that forces you to ask, from the minute you wake up, to the minute you fall asleep, “What life can I save today?” It’s a practice. Often we forget it. We resist it. Instead of saving lives, we worry about saving ourselves too much. “How will I pay the bills?” “What do I do about my boss saying bad things about me?” And so on.

James Altucher
from Choose Yourself

Altucher’s book, and especially the quote above from his chapter on being a superhero, resonated with me. It seems to get at the heart of impact mindfulness and of prioritizing impact over self-interest.

And the concept of the Big US would serve to dissuade discrimination in the deployment of superpowers.

However, towards the end of the book Altucher writes in a way that seemed to swing back towards interest first thinking. That what matters is not so much impact, but potential maximization.

I disagree.

However, for most of my life I did think just that. I thought first potential maximization and then impact realization.

But as I grow older I’m beginning to realize (slowly) that it doesn’t work that way. That the Universe has indeed endowed us with “superpowers” and that it’s calling us to use them…NOW…not upon reaching some level of our potential.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that we realize our potential through the habitual employment of our superpowers.

The Universe has indeed endowed us with “superpowers” and that it is calling us to use them…NOW…not upon reaching some level of our potential.

And what are those superpowers, you ask?

Well, it’s just as Altucher says in the above quote. Saving lives.

And what could be more impactful than that?

Okay, I’ll admit that’s a bit confusing. I am sure you are thinking, how in the world am I going to find the time to do that…Costa Rica Guy? And even if I could find a few seconds of each day to allocate to the effort, what ability do I have to save a life?

Well, you see, that line of thinking greatly under-estimates your capacity to make a difference.

You don’t have to rescue the distressed damsel from the burning high rise to make an impact.

You “save lives” by small acts of kindness, by planting a tree, by encouraging a down and out friend, by taking a stand against oppression and exploitation, by taking care of yourself physically, emotional, mentally and spiritually so that you are found in a condition of health when the Universe calls on you. You do it by shipping your art and you do it by employing impact mindfulness.

The moment we turn our focus inward, on ourselves, on maximizing our potential, we are in immediate danger of missing opportunities for the Universe to realize great impacts through us.

Hyper-Critical

May 14, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

I believe Facebook, other social media as well, but predominantly Facebook, has the potential for great societal benefit…

Why?

Because it’s a convenient location for important discussions to take place…

Discussions that can lead to action and change.

But…and this is a really big BUT…for that to happen we need to be less combative, and hyper-critical, in the way we participate, IMHO.

Instead, most discussions rapidly devolve into cyber-shouting matches in a vain attempt to try to prove the rightness of one’s position over another’s.

That can be fun, in as much as it’s fun to degrade other human beings, but it rarely leads to any solutions, or even good ideas.

I believe that our world-views can handicap us in this effort.

That is, if your world-view is predominantly an exclusive one.

One that doesn’t leave room in the world for any other.

World-views that are religiously based tend to be that way.

Highly polarized political ones tend to be as well.

Maybe it’s a good idea to shun religious and political party affiliation altogether for the good of humanity?

Because no one is always right and to affiliate yourself with a particular religion or political party seems all too often tantamount to closed-mindedness.

When the fact is that the more you’re convinced that your position is the only possible correct one, the more likely it is that you’re dead wrong.

As soon as words like Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Conservative, Progressive, Socialist, Christian, Muslim, and others of that ilk are unleashed…

the prospect for a meaningful discussion usually goes dramatically down…

It’s an inverse relationship.

Could it be possible to have a conversation without bringing any of that shit up?

I believe it can.

I can talk about a particular viewpoint as being either good or bad, in my opinion, without giving it any label…can’t I?

I was struck by insight one day, from who knows where, and it led me to this world-view that’s been my consistent guide for some time now, and it helps me to be, well, consistent…and open-minded.

Actually, I believe it was a gradual process, but I can pinpoint a particular moment when it all sort of jelled.

I call it Impact Mindfulness.

I’m particular fond of it because it’s fairly agnostic and apolitical.

It allows me to saunter into discussions without the temptation to immediately begin throwing grenades that polarize upon detonation.

I’m guided by the idea that people and planet will be better off if we believe and act on three simple ideas…

that it’s best to prioritize impact (that is, the positive impact we can have for people and planet via our actions and inactions) over our self-interest…and in particular, our economic self-interest…
that it’s best to embrace the idea of the Big US, or the one where every argument presupposes that we’re all on this planetary ship together, since that is, indeed, a fact…
and that it’s best to take off impact blinders, such as political and religious affiliation, in order to see a bigger and more objective picture.

Am I patting myself on the back for breaking new philosophical ground with this?

No, of course not. I’m not by any means smart enough to accomplish such a feat.

All these ideas have been around…

Many label them as progressive…

But, you know, I don’t recoil at that label…as I truly believe progress is a good thing.

And I’d like to see more Facebook discussions that are progressive leaning and less that are partisan posturing and hyper-critical…

That is, discussions driven towards the end of progress for all, rather than towards elevation of ego via proving one’s rightness, or righteousness.

Proving yourself the smartest guy or gal on the Facebook wall doesn’t make the wall any smarter…or better off. Tweet it Out!

image credit: A Sheep in Man’s Clothing via Compfight cc

Revolutionary Love

May 8, 2015 by costaricaguy 2 Comments

When Che Guevara was asked by a reporter in New York what was the motivation for the revolutionary, he gave a surprising answer.

Probably not the one this reporter expected.

She was fishing for some radical reply that would spice up her story and generate hatred for this Marxist madman. But Guevara simply said…

…the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love.

I was listening this morning to a very old video clip of a BBC interview with Bertrand Russell.

Russell is asked if this interview were placed in a time capsule and then viewed 1,000 years in the future, what would be the message he would most want to convey.

Russell said this…

Russell was also quite the revolutionary in his own day, albiet, unlike Guevara, a pacifist one.

Nevertheless, it seems that there is something to this idea of love as the motivational force for the revolutionary.

If we ask ourselves why bother to practice impact mindfulness, I believe the best answer, the one that penetrates to the heart of the matter, is indeed…love.

Love for people.

Love for planet.

And love of the fact that we are all created and connected by a universal force that some call god, or divine intelligence, or whatever, but it is there and it is calling us to love.

I can see no other possible explanation for love’s very existence.

In that sense love is the ultimate good. And the ultimate good is the best representation that we can mortally muster of that universal force.

So much is done in our world for motivations that are diametrically opposed to love. They are done for selfish gain or interest, greed, lustful cruelty, or for religious, or nationalistic reasons.

We talk of love for country as if it were the highest form of sacrificial love. I disagree, highly. I believe this form of intense patriotic love is what separate us. It’s what threatens us.

And when I use that word, us, I am talking the big US…not the small one.

You see, love of country presupposes that the small us is the only us worth loving. The revolutionary misfit has a love much grander than that. It is love for all people, everywhere. We care just as much about them in Uganda and Uruguay as we do for those in the urban areas over which we daily tread.

Do you really love people? You should since you belong to that species yourself.

Do you love planet? Well, you ought to, since it is the only celestial home we have at the moment.

Do you love the universal connection that we all share? I hope so because it is the lowest common denominator of our being.

If you do truly love those three things and if that rare form of revolutionary love is your primary motivational force for impact…

then you certainly qualify as a revolutionary…

and as a misfit.

This post is an excerpt from The Revolutionary Misfit Manifesto.

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