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Thoughts 2000 #2:
Poor Creative
If you want to find the most creative people in the world, take
a look at poor folks who are getting along. Not the bums and the
pushers and the petty crooks but the struggling poor who keep
their yard clean and get their kids to school. They are creative
because they have to be for survival and to feed their kids.
Professional
Webster notwithstanding, the only proper definition of a professional
is "A person who gets the job done with or without the proper
tools." Education does not even apply. It's about behavior
not background.
Incarnation
In another incarnation, I was a Greek. My name was Villie Popatopolis.
I could usually be found at the local tavern popping tops. I died
young. Strangely enough it was not from liver problems. Actually
I OD'd on Feta Cheese. An awful way to die.
CPA
I started a business and I've been trying to find a CPA to do
my tax and give me advice. After trying to find one, here is my
conclusion. Each independent CPA should have a sign in their office
like this: "Your business is kind of important to me but
I'd really rather be golfing."
Strange
I build furniture and cabinets and flower boxes and stuff like
that. People say that my designs are strange and unusual. That's
because my Mother, in her third trimester, was frightened by a
10,000 piece, non interlocking jigsaw puzzle.
Are you a problem solver?
Of course. Every human living is a problem solver. The dead humans
are the ones who encountered problems which they were unable to
solve. If you are alive you have solved every problem you ever
encountered in one way or another. Your solutions may be poor,
but they worked.
Nick Sabin went to LSU
They are paying him 1.2 million per year for five years to be
a coach. One is left to wonder how much an institution with this
much money to squander would pay someone as important as the chairman
of the math department. Surely it must be close to 5 million per
year. November 30, 1999, Nick abandons his beloved Spartans for
money.
Thank you Tom Izzo.
Have you ever been poor?
I was born poor and I climbed out of it. I do not have a great
deal of sympathy for the people who wallow in it. Hamburger gravy
and mashed potatoes. Heavy on the potatoes. 1 pound of hamburger
to make enough chili for 8 people. Heavy on the beans. That's
how we survived.
What's the difference?
Incompetence and maliciousness produce the same results. From
the victims standpoint, they are the same. Intent is irrelevant.
I have never seen incompetence which was not the result of laziness
or dishonesty, usually both!
Let's try
We could have an end to war. There is hope. Many things will change
in the new millennium. The opportunity will exist. It is really
up to us. It is up to individuals. The government cannot carry
the day. The government has never initiated change. It is always
individuals with a vision who cause change. At best the government
can only cooperate. At worst it will obstruct. To reap the possibilities
of this new age, individuals must act.
About inflation
When I was a kid, to be a millionaire was a most outstanding accomplishment.
Now, ordinary working people are millionaires. How things do change.
I personally know several millionaires and they are all working
people.
About the presidency
I'm a fiction writer, but in my wildest imagination, I cannot
conceive of why a man or woman would apply for a job where they
are held absolutely and totally responsible for everything that
happens and have absolutely no power whatsoever to control what
happens.
Kids and Cats
For a cat to understand a lesson, it must occur immediately after
the event requiring the lesson. It can not be even a few minutes
later. Cats have a very poor sense of time and will not understand
why they are being punished if it comes too late. It must also
be firm enough to make the cat understand his offense is serious
and not just an annoyance.
Watch what mama cat does with her kittens. She can swat to stop an annoying action or she can nip and snap if she means never do it again. The kittens understand this and it does not affect the ongoing relationship which is firmly established. There will be no grudge or residual resentment. Lesson learned. Lesson over. All is well. A cat's relationship with a person will proceed in the same way if the person understands these simple principles, but, there must first be an ongoing, caring relationship.
I may sit eating a dish of ice cream with the cat sitting beside me. If he puts his nose in my dish, I can simply use the spoon to whack the end of his nose. He will understand and take his nose out of my dish. He will still want the ice cream and he will sit there looking pitiful, but he will not put his nose back in the dish. Nor will he resent the lesson. Lesson learned. Lesson over. All is well.
Now take the above words. Rearrange them slightly and substitute
children for cat. A firm consistent response to undesirable behavior.
Not angry or vicious. Just firm. Enough said.
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