Impact over Interest Archives - Page 4 of 13

A Thanksgiving Memoir

November 25, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

My most vivid Thanksgiving memories are those at grandma’s. The trumpet call that marked time to fill the chow line was the opening prayer. I remember when I was allowed to actually offer that prayer up myself, which I did with fearful trepidation. There’s nothing one can self-judge more critically than a flat Thanksgiving Day prayer with your entire extended family in captive audience.

The spread was always immaculate. This was country style, which means not much “style” at all…just a whole lot of intensely fat-flavored food for which every stomach present would audibly beckon. “Stuffing” would not only be an item on the menu that day, but also a mild description of what we did to our stomachs with reckless abandon.

That thought leads me to the after dinner thing that I was truly most grateful for…grandma’s insanely comfortable recliner…which had my name on it for the after dinner nap…with at least one eye slightly opened to catch anything interesting that might be going on in the Macy’s Day Parade, or between the Packers and the Lions. If anyone else tried to sneak in there, I would quickly remind him or her, in Sheldon Cooper-like fashion, that “you’re in my spot.”

The after-nap activities usually consisted of gathering in the front yard to chat, looking for arrow heads in the adjacent tobacco field that always lay fallow at this time of the year, or maybe even trying your hand at some target practice with a real live firearm.

Yes, Thanksgiving Days at grandma’s will remain burned in my memory banks for as long as they remain with some degree of functionality.

Thanksgiving…a day we don’t even celebrate down here in Costa Rica. A day of thanks and gratitude. No one can argue with the utility of that exercise. It all started back in 1621 when the first such feast was held, by historical accounts attended by almost twice as many Native Americans as there were Pilgrims present. That sure didn’t last for long.

I read a very provocative Seth Godin piece this Thanksgiving morning entitled “Culture and Selfishness.” The last line seemed correct until I reflected a little more deeply upon it…Seth writes…

One of the greatest things to be thankful for is the fact that we live in a culture that pushes each of us to be thankful and generous. It didn’t have to turn out that way, and I’m glad it did.

Okay, maybe so, but thankful for what?

It’s often said that you should be careful what you wish for…because you just might get it!

Well, perhaps we should be careful what we’re thankful for as well…because we just might get more of it.

Really, what we’re generally thankful for at first blush is stuff. Grateful for the roof, the rags and the riches of living in a country that grants us the blessed freedom to accumulate.

But are those things really what the world needs more of?

I remember back in primary school when we would draw pictures to represent that first Thanksgiving. We would even dress up like Pilgrims and Indians. The childish thought of Thanksgiving was one of a world in harmony…without division and where everyone had exactly what they needed…not more. Maybe that world existed for those three days back in 1621, but it quickly evaporated thereafter.

Godin goes on to say…

In the U.S., today some people will give thanks for what they personally have. Others will focus more on what has gone right for family and friends. And others will dig deeper and think hard about what they can do to take an even longer view, and to create a platform where even more people will be thankful a year or a decade from now.

I believe that last sentence really provides something to be thankful, as well as wishful, for today, November 26, 2015…

the opportunity to have (and leave) a positive impact upon our deeply troubled world.

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The Case for a Moral Universe

June 21, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

My last post was an evil one…er, about evil.

If you happened to have caught it, you might remember my five quintessential evil acts…

Exclusion
Hatred
Greed
Indifference
Cruelty

Wait, I can hear someone thinking, those aren’t evil. They aren’t even illegal.

True.

But all the criminals locked up these days aren’t necessarily evil. True that they did some bad stuff to end up in there…but in my mind evil is just another thing altogether.

And plenty of folks with evil intentions are walking around outside of prison walls…some are even the ones with the decision-making power to send the rest of us to that place.

You might also recall that the common thread running through this evil-ness is self-interest…

it is at the core of evil…in my opinion.

That is, self-interest elevated too far above impact, or the antithesis of impact over interest, as you might read somewhere else in this blog.

I ran across a video of the South African civil rights activist and Anglican bishop, Desmond Tutu. In it he makes the case for a moral universe.

His words made me ponder once again the nature of good versus evil.

Isn’t it true that our initial word view, if you can call it that, fresh from the womb, is one of complete and utter self-interest?

In fact, at that infantile stage of thinking, we can’t even distinguish a world apart from ourselves. It’s all connected to us…we are at the center.

Later on we graduate from that level of thinking…

well, sort of.

We gradually begin to recognize that a world indeed exists separate and apart from ourselves. And it’s a dog-eat-dog world indeed…a real jungle out there.

So much so that we fight to separate from it even further and create our own private universes…complete with the two-story house, two-car garage and white picket fence…that once again revolve around us.

You see, we can’t quite shed that need to be at the center, can we?

But the truth that Bishop Tutu is getting at, I believe, is that we are NOT at the center…

it is.

The universe is.

And we are all connected to it…not the other way around.

And by virtue of that connection, we are all connected to each other.

The universe is the glue that binds us…like it or not.

And that very idea means that there is no place in the universe for this obsession with self-interest. It is open rebellion against the universe.

That’s what makes it…and the five evil acts that so often accompany it…evil.

They are contra-connection.

But the universe is larger, stronger and truer than it (self-interest) or they (the five evil acts) are…

and as Bishop Tutu proclaims…the universe will ALWAYS prevail.

The universe is full of light and light is stronger than darkness.

Those whom we look up to as champions of light, or beacons of universal hope, were entirely un-self-interested.

The ones Tutu mentions…

Ghandi

Dalai Lama

Mother Teresa

and others I have mentioned in the past…

Mandela

ML King

They lived their lives in a way that recognized our universal connection.

They were stalwarts against the evils of self-interest run amok, which leads to oppression and unnecessary suffering.

They were good. They were moral.

And their very existence proves the case for the moral universe…as Tutu proclaims.

Their light shone in the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it.

You know how our lights shine in the darkness?

How we can win against it…against the evils of self-interest?

By our impact.

Just like they did.

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Who are You?

June 16, 2015 by costaricaguy 1 Comment

Here’s a very old post from CRG that I always liked.

Should a human being be defined by one particular trait that tends to “stand out” in the mind of another, or in his or her own mind?

If other people see you as being fat, then do you tell yourself…

I am fat.

Is that who you are, fat?

Or, a father, a husband, a butcher, a baker or a candlestick maker?

Or, an idiot…an idea of which I frequently remind myself.

But the question “who are you” really goes much deeper than surface-level characterizations, doesn’t it?

In fact, when you really think about it, it is a difficult question to answer. I mean sitting here pondering it, I really don’t have a quick answer.

I am Scott Bowers (or is it Costa Rica Guy?).

But that doesn’t answer the question.

Scott Bowers is a name that I inherited. I didn’t choose it. I don’t even like it that much. I would prefer to be Guillermo, or something similarly mysterious and Latin. But my parents saw fit to give me the name Scott, or David Scott to be 100% accurate. I guess I’ve just learned to live with it.

When I was young folks had the habit of calling me Scotty, as in “beam me up Mr. Scotty.” I really didn’t appreciate that so much.

Living in Costa Rica, the name Scott Bowers often poses difficulties. First of all, for most ticos, the name “Scott” is readily associated with papel higienico, or toilet paper. Not a very flattering association, huh? I am reminded of it often here.

And my Germanic last name, Bowers, is virtually impossible to pronounce for most Latinos.

But is that who I am…Scott Bowers?

No, the name in and of itself is meaningless and I hope that I am not, at least not entirely, meaningless. There are a few people in this world that find meaning in my existence.

But the real answer to the riddle of “who are you” cannot be found by looking to names, or character traits, and certainly not to the perspectives of other people. It has to be found in yourself and your unique position in the universe.

When you break it down to the lowest common denominator, who, or better, what, you are, is an “energy force.” An energy force with an ability to direct that energy to your choosing.

You are also an intrinsic component of this universe and when you direct your energy toward a determined end, the universe must follow suit as it is connected to you.

So maybe the answer to the question of who are you depends on where, or how, your energy is being directed at any given point along the space-time continuum.

Wow, I am beginning to sound a bit like Mr. Scotty from Star Trek.

I believe we too easily allow people and perspectives to define our place in this universe. When in reality, we have been gifted with the power to define that for ourselves and to re-define it as often as we see fit.

Of course, you can direct your energy in ways that are destructive, or to ways that are constructive. Or we can just do nothing at all and then our energy will slowly stagnate and dissipate and sooner or later our flame will begin to flicker until it is finally extinguished.

Haven’t you noticed that the more proactive you are, the more energy you seem to have? And the less proactive you are, the more depressed and non-energetic you feel?

So for me the answer to the question is that I am energy. Not a “hey that is an energetic fellow” kind of an answer, but really, when you get right down to it, that is what I am…

energy.

The “who I am” is part and parcel of how I direct my energy…positively, or negatively. I can direct it negatively and be an SOB, or positively and be a saint.

The crazy thing to think about is that this universe to which we are connected is comprised of an infinite number of “energy forces.” However, they have no will…their energy is directed according to physical laws. I mean Saturn can’t up one day and decide to change the rotational direction of its rings, now can it?

The only force that can be self-directed in a manner of the energy force’s own choosing is your energy, my energy, human energy. Hitler’s energy was self-directed, as was Gandhi’s and Mother Teresa’s, just towards different ends.

Does that mean that the “universe” is indifferent as to how I direct my energy?

Hmm, that is an even more difficult question best reserved for another post, another day.

The moral of this story?

Don’t let faulty answers to the question of who are you influence and thereby misdirect the focus of your energy.

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Wisdom in the Weeds

June 5, 2015 by costaricaguy Leave a Comment

Why did I start this blog?

Believe me that’s a question I ask myself all too frequently. But I sort of realize that’s just the resistance messing with me.

Because the answer is simple…

I had to!

A while back I heard a soul-stirring BlogcastFM interview with a 50+ year-old lady by the name of Jennifer Boykin. She has a blog called Life After Tampons.

Imagine that!

And how on earth did she have the audacity to start such a blog?

Because she had to!

Check out this quote from this superb Srinivas Rao interview:

A person who insists on making his or her lessons matter…that’s what grows wisdom.

Now get this…here’s a tweetable for you that just might get at the core of my intention…my why…

Fame and fortune are fleeting and fickle, but legacy leaving lingers. Tweet it Out!

or, as I often suggest…prioritize impact over interest.

I hear lots of people saying this (certainly heard it from Jennifer Boykin)…just not exactly like I say it.

The impetus for impact making is not (or should not be) fame and fortune.

It’s like Jennifer said during the interview…not everyone can be a Chris Guillebeau. And truth be told, the world does not need more Chris Guillebeaus.

It needs YOU and the impact that only YOU can make.

Why you?

Well I can only say that in my case, even though the field of my life is strewn with some pretty wicked weeds…wisdom is nevertheless lurking therein.

Even though the field of my life is strewn with some pretty wicked weeds…wisdom is nevertheless lurking therein.

The impact that I alone can make is in large part a product of the weeds.

Oh for sure the weeds can choke the life out of you…if you let them.

Or, you can stoop to the back-breaking task of pulling them up and clearing the pathway for a beautiful garden to grow.

I can’t say my garden is all that stellar, but I’ve certainly done my share of weed pulling…

And making those life lessons in weed pulling matter is what will allow that wisdom gleaned to impact the world in a positive way.

Only I can do that.

You see, there’s good deal of wisdom in the weeds!

As Jennifer alluded, making my life lessons matter should be something that I insist upon…that should be my impetus for impact…not Guillebeau-ish popularity (sorry to pick on Chris so much…he is one of my favorite superstar bloggers).

Shouldn’t you insist on the same?

There has never been a better time in the history of mankind to insist on making your life lessons matter.

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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.

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