In Case You Were Wondering What I Was Thinking….
• A few years ago, the US was a confident place asserting global influence. Now, it’s lost confidence and is questioning itself. We ought to stop electing politicians, and find some statesmen. They must be hiding somewhere.
• The Bob Newhart therapy skit on YouTube about “Stop it!” now seems like deep, insightful, effective advice to most ills.
• The new Global Entry System for rapid transit of immigration and customs works extremely well. A government initiative nicely done.
• People calling in to radio talk shows who have terrible grammar, can’t recall which countries in Europe are in trouble, have voted for patronage-providing hacks, and think that the wealthy ought to be knocked around instead of trying to improve themselves—are the loudest complainers about immigrants threatening what the country stands for. Irony, anyone?
• Here’s the kind of “reality show” I would watch: Every politician who’s made a promise, and every stock “expert” who’s made a prediction, and every “meteorologist” who’s made a forecast, explaining their errors, omissions, and bumbles.
• If anyone can cite me anything remotely interesting about any of the ubiquitous Kardashians, from mother to children, it will be the first time I’ve heard it. Are our lives so empty that banality is considered substance?
• In my recent travels in America, the UK, France, Italy, and Australia, all of which are enduring some kind of hardships at the moment, the distinction for me are the Italians, who retain a zest for life and seem happier. I’m just saying….
• Imagine spending major portions of your life ripping-off published books to post them for free downloads on the web, and accessing such downloads to save $16 on Amazon? What kind of moral compass is spinning so crazily that this kind of pond scum believes it will walk erect some day?
• The truth is usually best, ethically and philosophically, but always best pragmatically: You don’t have to remember the details of the lies.
• I don’t care where you are, or how long you’re there, or why you went, or what your thought for the day is. I’d just like to leave a message on your voice mail before I grow old.
• Tell me something in the first 60 seconds that represents an improvement that’s attractive to me, and I’ll likely listen to what else you have to say.
• Hoarding intellectual property because you’re afraid of theft is like saving money under your mattress. You know it’s there but it’s not doing you any good. If you think everyone else is a thief, you’ll live your life in fear. And if you think all of your ideas are unprecedented and too valuable to risk, you’ll live your life in delusion.
© Alan Weiss 2011. All rights reserved.
