Links tagged "foodforthought"
What a simple, and powerful message Liz Danzico has, from which I can/will benefit. It's okay (and frequently beneficial) to quit something. While doing that, stop thinking of your time as being lost/wasted, but as a beneficial investment into your own improvement for whatever it is. It's also okay not to know exactly how to get somewhere, which may cause for some course corrections. There's a good quote from E.L. Doctorow:
It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
Maybe I'm overly introspective, and purpose-seeking right now, but her message rang true with me right now (Also, fittingly, I've tried to watch this video several times since its release, but just now finally knocked it out.) #
I thoroughly enjoyed Beth Dean's thoughts, insights, and suggestions in this fantastic article. If you have anything to do with design, or interacting with other people via a computer, I highly recommend you read it. Here's just a tease of one of my favorite parts (though it was filled with so many awesome elements, I've saved a copy for myself).
People completing seemingly straightforward tasks do so in a variety of contexts and life circumstances. Humanity can be sad, complicated and messy. We don’t stop being human when we go online. Sometimes even when you’re trying to make something with the best intentions, something can go terribly wrong. Sometimes the very tools you create to protect people cause harm. What can we do?
Really. It's so good. #
I've had this tab open since the events in Ferguson. I feel like I need to repost them here, just to make sure they're seen and kept. Originally created as the basic rules or principles upon which the Metropolitan Police should act and behave:
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To prevent crime and disorder, as an alternative to their repression by military force and severity of legal punishment.
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To recognise always that the power of the police to fulfil their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect.
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To recognise always that to secure and maintain the respect and approval of the public means also the securing of the willing co-operation of the public in the task of securing observance of laws.
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To recognise always that the extent to which the co-operation of the public can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving police objectives.
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To seek and preserve public favour, not by pandering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws, by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of the public without regard to their wealth or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humour, and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.
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To use physical force only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to obtain public co-operation to an extent necessary to secure observance of law or to restore order, and to use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a police objective.
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To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.
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To recognise always the need for strict adherence to police-executive functions, and to refrain from even seeming to usurp the powers of the judiciary of avenging individuals or the State, and of authoritatively judging guilt and punishing the guilty.
- To recognise always that the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, and not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them. #
It's hard to fathom the number of records being bought by Zero Freitas, a wealthy Brazilian business man. He's doing it all in the name of preservation. I own more music than the average person, but what I own would be a drop in the bucket for him. I think it's an admirable effort, and one I'll be curious to follow over time. #
You're probably reading this at the wrong time. You're distracted, or more likely, you're too focused on consumption. Focus on something for a bit longer. Unplug at other times. All of this multi-tasking (quickly switching between tasks and events) is destroying your brain - you just weren't built for this. #
I'd prefer to title this "How to be Considerate", but even with its title as-is, it's worth reading.
People silently struggle from all kinds of terrible things. They suffer from depression, ambition, substance abuse, and pretension. They suffer from family tragedy, Ivy-League educations, and self-loathing. They suffer from failing marriages, physical pain, and publishing. The good thing about politeness is that you can treat these people exactly the same.
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This is not a world where you can simply express love for other people, where you can praise them. Perhaps it should be. But it’s not. I’ve found that people will fear your enthusiasm and warmth, and wait to hear the price. Which is fair. We’ve all been drawn into someone’s love only to find out that we couldn’t afford it. A little distance buys everyone time.
He goes on to list empathy as an effect of this "politeness". I'm not sure if it's a result of it, or a cause for it. We can all be a bit nicer. A bit more patient. A bit more understanding. A little slower to pass judgement. A bit more thoughtful. A bit more considerate. #
What a fascinating story. I have displayed anti-social tendencies at times, but obviously nothing to this extent. Additionally, I doubt I could keep away from people that long, nor survive one winter in Maine in a tent - let alone 27.
Get enough sleep.
Sound advice for any of us. #
Wow:
In 11 experiments involving more than 700 people, the majority of participants reported that they found it unpleasant to be alone in a room with their thoughts for just 6 to 15 minutes.
Moreover, in one experiment, 64 percent of men and 15 percent of women began self-administering electric shocks when left alone to think. These same people, by the way, had previously said they would pay money to avoid receiving the painful jolt
What a fascinating set of results. As a personal fan of journaling, and the forced introspection that provides, I find it baffling that people don't value (and take) the time to look inward. A couple more tidbits:
But you can’t solve or let go of problems if you don’t allow yourself time to think about them. It’s an imperative ignored by our culture, which values doing more than thinking and believes answers are in the palm of your hand rather than in your own head.
... Hard as they sometimes are, negative feelings are a part of everyone’s life, arguably more so if you are crazy busy. But it’s those same deep and troubling feelings, and how you deal with them, that make you the person you are. While busyness may stanch welling sadness, it may also limit your ability to be overcome with joy.
Have I mentioned how much I love Day One (iOS/OS X)? Because you should know I love it. #
Great, simple advice:
How many times do I stop making something because I fear it will never be perfect? How easy is it to forget the joy of the process of making? For me, these two things happen far too frequently, but I want to reclaim some of the childlike innocence in just making something and showing it off, for no other reason than I’m proud of it. #
I read this article a while ago, and was initially thrown off by the title, and even the opening line. I proceeded to be completely drawn in by his message. Despite having read it months ago, I thought of it again recently, and figured I should share it.
In marriage, losing is letting go of the need to fix everything for your partner, listening to their darkest parts with a heart ache rather than a solution. It's being even more present in the painful moments than in the good times. It's finding ways to be humble and open, even when everything in you says that you're right and they are wrong. It's doing what is right and good for your spouse, even when big things need to be sacrificed, like a job, or a relationship, or an ego. It is forgiveness, quickly and voluntarily. It is eliminating anything from your life, even the things you love, if they are keeping you from attending, caring, and serving. It is seeking peace by accepting the healthy but crazy-making things about your partner because, you remember, those were the things you fell in love with in the first place. It is knowing that your spouse will never fully understand you, will never truly love you unconditionally—because they are a broken creature, too-and loving them to the end anyway.
It's a great article, and certainly has some pointers for how I could improve as a spouse. #