Well, this isn’t quite true. A herd can make a heck of a lot of noise. But the point is that the individual can’t be heard apart from the herd.
So, if you feel you have a voice that should be heard all by itself then you need to separate from the herd in one way or the other. Some people think what that means is you have to have a superior voice (or some other talent) But it really doesn’t really mean that.
You can have quite an average voice (look at so many rock stars if you have any doubt) but have unique things to say that make you stand out. You can work harder than others to develop that voice or you can be better at finding the audience that wants and needs to hear it. In other words, standing out is, more than anything else, a result of a decision that you want to.
That can come from a number of things, some good, some bad. Perhaps you want adulation and fame and drive yourself to achieve that. You could very well get those things if you drive hard enough. But then what? Was that ultimately satisfying? Most famous people I have read about and most famous people I know (local celebrities of one sort or another, not really FAMOUS people) have given me the impression that being famous isn’t all that great in and of itself.
What word do we so often see alongside fame? Fortune. And for some the drive to stand out is based on wanting not fame but fortune. It’s all about the money. I get that. Money, especially if you have don’t have enough, is a compelling reason to do whatever it takes to stand out so money comes in. It is true that in most areas of sports and entertainment fame is often a precursor to having more money. And obviously money isn’t a bad thing to have in and of itself.
But once again, my experience having been raised in a very wealthy community and then having very little money, there really is not a huge difference in well-being or happiness between the two. Yes the big CEO might be well-known around the world, but that doesn’t mean he or his family isn’t wracked by alcoholism or domestic abuse or some other terrible issue that he or she tries to keep hidden. It’s not the part of their ‘voice’ that they want to be known for.
In my thinking the better and more sustainable sort of desire to stand out is based on feeling you have something of value to give the world, something that the world can benefit from. Fame and/or fortune might come along with that, no doubt. Nothing wrong with either. But neither one is the number one goal, making a positive contribution to the world is.
If you are driven to have your voice, or your art, science, music, engineering, writing, dance, humor, insight, athletics, or any other area of human endeavor stand out because of that, then you can sustain it and enjoy it for your entire life. And who knows, maybe you will get your name in lights and make a few bucks as well!
I heard the quote while watching the TV show, Survivor this season. The person who spoke it was Noura, one of the finalists of season 39. I do not know if she is the originator of the quote.
Mary and Martha had some time to spare before Jesus and the boys came to visit later in the week so they decided to go to the spa and pamper themselves. They did mani-pedis, massage, hot yoga, a salt room and finally a facial.
The facial consisted of an oatmeal and Frankincense Oil mask that was a popular anti-wrinkle compound of the day followed by an olive oil facial massage.
Mary enjoyed the entire day, indulging and relaxing in the serene environment. Martha tried to enjoy it but was only partially successful. She was too worried about the arrival of their guests and all the work that had to be done beforehand.
She also was annoyed by the stupid halo that was always lighting up her sister’s head. Mary was always the one people liked and talked to. She was a flirt and a social butterfly and it drove Martha crazy. She didn’t contribute nearly as much to making meals, cleaning up, getting the place ready. All she did was talk talk talk and get attention.
Martha meanwhile did most of the work and was ignored. “How could that be fair?”, she thought to herself. If that happened when Jesus and the gang came to visit she was going to give them all a piece of her mind.
This is a continuation of my obsession with drawing using spirals that started when I read ‘All the light We Cannot See’. In it there is a young man who is so wounded emotionally and psychology by a terribly abusive beating that all he does all day long is draw spirals, which is seen as just the simplest, most minimal activity a person is capable of. I took it as a challenge to see what I could do just using spirals and it’s become an ongoing series for the past year or so.
I drew it while I was live streaming on Periscope and asked those watching what they thought the drawing was about. My thought as I drew it was that it was about the shapes, curvilinear vs rectilinear, that that was the juxtaposition between her and the world. But a friend in Turkey, Justine, said she saw it as a warm woman in a very cold world and that was a fresh look at it that I liked.
I’ve heard way too many Pastors speak about things they don’t understand. Whether it be science (especially cosmology and biology), sociology, psychology, art, or some other area.
How do I know they don’t understand these areas? Because they are ignoring the long development of these areas of art and science in favor of their interpretation of the Bible. The choose a specific interpretation that backs up their and their powerful congregational member’s uneducated opinion. And what is that opinion? The opinion is that things need to remain as the powerful congregants want it to remain. Why? Because those congregants give money that sustains both the church and the staff.
What it comes down to is intellectual curiosity and integrity over fear and accommodation. When a Pastor is willing to lead with intellectual integrity and is willing to stand up to powerful interests that are not acting in the best interest of the congregation’s true mission then I will be happy.
I did the black and white ink portion of this drawing in January of 2003 at Borders Bookstore in Tulsa, OK. We dated for a number of months in 2002/2003 and remained friends after.
I left it as a black and white ink drawing in my sketchbook for 16 years. This fall (2019) I was going through old sketchbooks and decided I would finally ink it up with some color. And this is the result.
Drawing is one of my favorite ways to keep memories from the past.
Her walk home that morning allowed for thoughts on what had just happened. She wanted to believe she was free but her behavior told her she was not. However, she also believed she could change and be free in the future.
I always thought there was a certain ethical and moral line that most politicians (of any party) would not cross in their pursuit of political power, money or fame. I really did assume that…until Trump came along.
But now I know better. Nothing in my 50+ years of following politics has astounded me quite as much as the Republican party’s acquiescence to the cult of Trump. And what can explain it? Competing bodies of evidence? No. The evidence is clear for all to see. It’s in broad daylight, spoken by the President himself and by his Chief of Staff. It’s in every single witness in both the Mueller Report and the Impeachment inquiry. It’s in the entire public history of Trump’s untruthful proclamations for the last 4 years, since he announced his run for office. Those who doubt this are living in denial.
I have come to the conclusion that there is only one explanation. The Republicans in power are fearful cowards. They fear losing elections, power, money, status. They fear tweets from an angry orange man. They know that if they stand up and say the truth, that Trump is a criminal and has taken impeachable actions, they will have people mad at them. That they will be ostracized from the club. They will lose speaking fees and appointments in the future. It will be like leaving the church they grew up in, excommunicated and shunned forever more.
And that is all true. It will take courage and it will have consequences. But that doesn’t matter. Their first and foremost obligation is to the country, period. If they lose an election, it’s still worth it. If they don’t get that plum lobbying job after congress, it’s still worth it. If they don’t get huge speaking fees or a gig on Fox News, it’s still worth it. And at every step along the way it will, more than anything else, be THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
Our country matters much more than a lucrative gig at Fox or a plaque on a wall at the state house.
There is a question that recurs again and again among us. Do people ever change? We state it that simply because it’s easily understood what it is about. It isn’t about if we change physically since we all know we do. It’s about whether our character and personality change. Will a high-energy, type A personality become a mellow, laid back slacker? Will an amoral criminal ever straighten up and become a fine, upstanding citizen? Will a cheater always remain a cheater?
As a person in the middle of his 7th decade I can tell you with absolute confidence from my personal experience that the answer is without reservation a resounding ‘YES…sorta, kinda, probably, possibly, maybe’.
I know, overwhelming in its decisiveness, right? Well, that’s the rub. I have changed dramatically in my understanding and my responses to all sorts of things. All I have to do is compare my relationship to my two wives. I was married to my first wife when I was 24. We divorced when I was 45. I married my second (and current) wife when I was 51. I am now 64.
I believe I am a much better husband to Linda than I was to Kathy. The reason is I changed. The experience of seeing Kathy so unhappy in our marriage and realizing how much of that was my fault changed me. As did the actual divorce and single life that followed.
When I married Linda I took my vows much more seriously. And by vows I don’t just mean sexual purity, I mean the whole idea of vowing to put her as #1 in my life. Part of this change was self-preservation. I didn’t ever want to behave so as to go through what I had gone through with Kathy again. But more of the change was my paying attention to what is right and wrong regardless of whether Linda or anyone else found out about it. I grew up a bit. I changed. I didn’t transform from a caterpillar to a butterfly, but I did become a better caterpillar. Not a perfect one, just better.
So, if you are wondering about this; whether you, or someone you know, can ever change. I say yes. That doesn’t mean it will happen, just that it can and does happen.
I run with a lot of people every week in my job as a training coordinator for Half and Full Marathon groups here in Tulsa. They are young, old, experienced, newbies, tall, short, fast, slow, and every type in between. I often see pictures of these men and women on their social media in situations much different than when they are running. It could be at work, a charity event, a football game, or maybe a night out. In these pictures they are dressed up and believe they are looking their best. They look beautiful (or handsome if you prefer that term for the men).
But they also look beautiful when they are running even though they are not dressed up and probably don’t think they look their best. Why is that? Because in truth the beauty in those photos and the beauty I see in person isn’t primarily about their looks. It’s about their exuberance. In both the photos and in person they are happy, energized, enthusiastic, and excited about what they are doing.
A woman went a building for a job interview. She didn’t know what floor she was supposed to go to so she started at the top.
There she saw a man expose himself so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a woman sleeping so she left and went down a flight. There she saw two people throwing up so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a man eating so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a woman and a man having sex so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a person with a bomb so she left and went down a flight. There she saw one man choking another man so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a person laying on the floor unconscious so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a person shooting another person so she left and went down a flight. There she saw two women arguing so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a man watching TV so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a woman sitting on the floor crying so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a dog barking for food so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a woman dancing at the barre so she left and went down a flight. There she saw a dead person in a pool of blood so she left and went down to the ground floor and left the building.
She called the interviewer outside the building and told them she couldn’t find the office for the interview. The interviewer told her she had indeed found the right office but she had failed the interview and would not be getting the job.
The woman left uncomprehending.
What job was she applying for? Give your reasons. Best answer is correct.
