The Golden Rule

Is it true? Are successful people rich jerks?

If you went to grade school during the years between 1900 and 1980 you were taught about the "Golden Rule".  If you were unfortunate enough to go to school later than that, it is likely you missed the boat on how to act in a society. 

The simple truth is that we rarely follow the golden rule anymore. Its message is simple "do unto others, as you would have them do unto you"  Essentially, if you don't want to be treated like a piece of lint then don't treat other people like pieces of lint!  It really isn't hard to understand, but it is ever so hard to actually practice.

Most Psychologists, religious officials, world leaders all agree that if everyone followed this rule, we would be the most happy and cohesive species in the whole galaxy. What gets in the way of this happening? selfishness! Our world is set up so that bad people are the most successful. If you are willing to step all over people in order to get your way, then you are rewarded by having lots of money and a comfortable lifestyle. If you are always nice to people and rarely force your will.... you're likely to not go very far.   So it's true, nice people finish last in Western society. Lets say, for example, that you want to have a house on the ocean in Nova Scotia; and lets say the property you want will cost you more than you can afford, so you put your dream of home ownership on the shelf with the other dreams you can't accomplish and move on. Then suddenly a new position opens up in your office, and you have the qualifications, but Bill across the hall has more years at the company and will likely get the job. BUT, you know for a fact that Bill is homosexual, and that the boss is very homophobic.... Maybe if you mentioned this to him casually, he will reconsider your application over Bills... (Realizing there are laws against discrimination, it still happens, and in this situation they would be bogged down in court for years deliberating the outcome) What would you do?  most people would SAY that they wouldn't do anything, but studies have been done that say otherwise. People will say things that are socially more acceptable, then DO what is better for themselves.

Now, don't expect a big change in the world anytime soon. Big changes happen very slowly; and I think that we are headed in the wrong direction when it comes to morality and treating each other with respect. So here's what you can do, and it's my little word of advise for the day. Follow the Golden Rule as closely as you can, without being taken advantage of yourself. In other words, be successful, assertive, but also be wise and kind. When you find the right balance, the world will be at your fingertips.

Parrot Phrases

Hello everyone.

Are our words superficial social norms?

Last night, as I lay down to sleep, I said "goodnight" to my partner. This morning at work I said "Thank You" when a co-worker held the door for me. Also this morning, I said "good morning" to countless people. Where is all this going?..... it's about common phrases that we use everyday, but lose the meaning of.

Let me elaborate a little bit on that point. When you say good morning to someone, are you actually hoping that they have a pleasant morning? or do you say it out of social obligation? As humans we have a set of these "parrot phrases" that make our interactions with people easier. In psychology, they are called heuristics ... (a.k.a. shortcuts) and they essentially make it easier for our brains to function. It's like a keyboard shortcut on your computer, whereby you simply hit the right combo for the situation and you don't even really have to think about it. Psychologists use it to explain shortcuts in our judgments and behavior. For example, "I had an experience were a cat bit me, therefore, I hate all cats". The same works for "Thank you" and the other parrot phrases (e.g. "A woman walked into my workplace, I smiled and said 'good morning'") The character in the last example did not say "good morning" because he wished the woman had a nice day.... he said it because it is the social norm for that situation.

Because of these shortcuts in our interactions, I believe we are losing meaning behind our conversations.  So from now on, I charge all of you to think about what you say to someone, change it up. That way, they know and YOU know you mean what you are saying. "Get a good rest" "

How to Reorganize Your Sleep Life

Nobody sleeps like a cat...

Think of the last time you went to bed when you STARTED feeling tired... hard to find a time correct?  We've all been there. It's 7pm and you want to go to bed... but NO, you must stay up! there's a 4 hour marathon of Dr. Who that you must watch. Well... people in the know about sleep say otherwise. It is important to let your body tell you when it's time to sleep and wake up. Normally, your body will put you to sleep and wake you up naturally and without an alarm clock. But the days of living in caves are over, now we have bosses that expect we will be at work by 7am regardless of what our body needs for rest and recovery.

So, we must take the time to understand when our bodies' want to sleep. I challenge you to take a couple of days (most likely weekends) where you don't have to be awake at a specific time and you don't have to go to sleep at a specific time  and track your sleep pattern. All you have to do is get into your bed and go to sleep when you feel tired, take note of the time, then let your body wake up naturally in the morning, and take note of the time. You should notice that the amount of time you sleep each night is almost the same! Roughly 7 to 10 hours per night, depending on your age and activity level. Once you know what your body needs, start scheduling your life accordingly. If Dr. Who is on, tape it; with the advent of DVR and PVR, and computers, we don't need to be slaves to the idiot-box's timetable. This could mean that you go to bed at 10 and wake up at 7. To some people a 10pm bedtime is way too early... but are you tired when you wake up the next day? The answer is mostly yes, because your body didn't get enough sleep! Once you know the amount of time you need to sleep, force yourself to go to bed at the correct time and see how you feel at work the next few days (after you get accustomed to going to bed earlier)

Now I know there are some of you out there who have trouble sleeping at night. For you I have a few solutions to cure the bedtime blues...

Things to do:

• Read before bed (puts me right to sleep)
• Listen to come calming music as you sleep (Maybe put it on a timer so it switches off)
• Regular exercise (Is extraordinarily important to getting restful sleep)
• Vitamin D & Melatonin (Get out into the sun!)
• Keep your room clean and neat (so you aren't bothered about being in there!)
• Proper nutrition (Have your 5 fruits and veggies every day!)
• Have a ritual that puts you in the bedtime mood (Brush teeth, read book, go to sleep etc...)

Things not to do:

• Don't have the television on (it distracts and stimulates your brain, hindering proper sleep)
• Don't eat big meals after 6pm (Stick to cereal and easily digested foods as snacks)
• Don't do schoolwork in bed (keep your bed a work-free zone)
• Don't drink caffeine after 12pm (Hard to do, but caffeine has long-lasting effects than can hinder sleep up to 10 hours after your last cup!)
• Don't think that a 3 hour afternoon nap will make up for lost sleep the night before. This nap isn't nearly as affective as a full night, and it will take your body hours to wake back up from your nap, ruining your next night's sleep.

Lets all take the time to have a good night's rest. You'll find that you will be healthier, and sharper (in the head) than ever before!

Space, The Final Frontier

Conceptual Space Habitat - Stanford Torus, by Don Davis (1976)

I've been doing a lot of mulling about space travel lately. This sort of thing happens when I go on a sci-fi kick on the telly. If humans can go to the moon and return, then it would only stand to reason that we, as a united human race, can accomplish anything we can imagine. Because, if you think about it, everything we have ever created, started as a thought and developed into a physical object or process through experimentation and reasoning. So what is standing in our way with regard to complete human-space integration? Lack of what I mentioned earlier: a "united human race".  As of right now, most of the world is at odds with itself. People have their own selfish agendas, countries have their own selfish policies, and all-in-all we lack a unified designation as fellow earth-dwellers. If every country in the world stopped thinking entirely for itself and worked together with other countries... there would be no hunger, very little disease, and we would be focusing our efforts into the space beyond our world.

That is easier said than done. It would take a second coming of some religious prophet to reunite the world in this way. The only other way I could imagine this happening would be if extra-terrestrial beings were to make contact with earth. This would give everyone on earth a sense of belonging to a group .... Earthlings. And if you remember from your into psychology courses, if your group (earth) is threatened or at least made to realize that it isn't the only civilization out there, then there will be a much stronger self-interest amongst the group and an extremely heightened sense of resolve.

Sounds a little far-fetched, no? Well, maybe, but in the next 60 years, I predict that many of the world's internal issues will be at least under control (if not eradicated)  and we will be able to enjoy a margarita on mars.

So while our scientists work on a means to escape the speed of light and travel around the solar system at will, lets focus on getting the ground work ready for our jump into space. Get our diseases in check, be healthy, and no one going hungry. Not a small task, but I think we are up to it. Get out there and make a difference! keep aiming for those stars...

Cigars, Beaches, & Cancer Vaccines

Bone-marrow cancer vaccine molecule

As I sat at my computer, sipping coffee, and reading the day's headlines this morning, I stumbled across a nifty little tidbit that says Cuban scientists have found a type of vaccine to treat lung cancer. My first reaction was astonished excitement! so I delved further into the myriad of information about cancer research and how far we've come. It turns out that this vaccine is essentially used to stop the spread of cancer. It does not stop it from occurring, and will not get rid of cancerous growths that are already present. What this vaccine does is stop the proliferation of a particular protein that allows cancer cells to multiply.  Similar vaccines are being tested in the United States. "Provenge" was the first cancer vaccine to be approved by the FDA. However, this treatment is extraordinarily expensive and only prolongs survival by a few months. This is where the difference lies; the Cuban vaccine turns the cancer into a more manageable chronic illness that can be treated with more conventional and less invasive means. Basically it's not just a promise of a few more months of life, it's a promise of years!

I will say that there still needs to be testing, and it's unlikely that the drug will become available in the United States and Canada for a while as there will be very stringent investigations on the validity and safety of the drug. It's no secret that people from the US are likely to distrust the country of origin because of the indoctrination of anti-communist thought since the 1950s.

This could, however, bring the two nations closer together and open up better dialogue for ... well... not being so damn uptight to one another!  One can only hope

Tempo

Hey there, I just want to direct your attention to my other blog (if you are so interested) it's about music, both mine and other's.

TEMPO - Music & Life

Enjoy!

New Paths

Well hello again!  long time no see...

I would like to share with you the new path that I am taking with regard to online presence. As most of you know, I have a great number of interests, all of which tend to pull me in different directions all the time. Because of this, I feel that this blog (and all my other online profiles) lack a certain cohesiveness... the kind of cohesiveness that is found in most successful blogs, YouTube pages ... etc...

Therefore, I am going to create a couple new blogs, revamp my YouTube presence, open a music profile (site yet to be determined) and create a website.

This blog will remain intact and will actually focus on Wellness, commentary on world events, and how world events pertain to your well-being. Since I am critical of music that I listen to, I will be starting a blog devoted to my opinions of new and old music. Lastly I will be starting a blog to detail my musical progress on a professional level, Including my thoughts and feelings on gigs, info on where to see me perform etc...

I will keep my personal YouTube page (for family reasons) but I will be starting a new page that will have very tight control of content and a focus on professionalism ... because hey, in many ways it is my musical portfolio.

The website will be focused on my music as well, and will have lots of cool things for people to look at, listen to, and perhaps buy.

I think that creating these different venues will attach the right people to the right social outlet.  I would love to have your thoughts on this!  if anyone has some cool ideas, let me know!

Take care!