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If statists ran Major League Baseball

2012-01-26T05:30:00.002-06:00

Prince Fielder has just signed a nine-year, $214 million with the Detroit Tigers, an average of almost $24 million a year.

Obviously the gap between the richest and poorest baseball players is growing. Fielder's deal amounts to more than 55 times the minimum baseball salary of $414,000.

Why should an elite few get mega-contracts while the average player struggles along on about $3 million a year? Justice demands that these fat cats be required to share a major portion of their wealth with their teammates and league mates.

Some would argue that Fielder earned his high salary through hard work and talent. This is a selfish viewpoint that ignores the victories he gained at the expense of other players. All I'm suggesting is that Fielder pay his fair share.

UPDATE: Edited to fix faulty math.

RESET.

2012-01-25T15:23:00.002-06:00

working . . . . .

Dance of the butterflies

2012-01-22T13:25:00.001-06:00

Riffing and moving on from the brief Pink Floyd reference of the other day:

You say the hill's too steep to climb? Climb it.

You say you're not sure where to start? Get started.

You say you don't know what to do? Do something.

They say the road is blocked? Drive it.

They say the economy's too tough? Go for it.

They say it's been tried before? Try it.

They say it can't be done? Do it.

Of course you're anxious. Of course you're scared. Every new venture, every step outside of your comfort zone, causes a little anxiety. A now-familiar motivational quote sums it up: It's all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation.

We all get butterflies when we attempt something worth doing, something we believe in. The beautiful part is that when it works – and it will! – the butterflies don't actually fly in formation, military-style.

The butterflies dance.

Launch: A new free monthly e-adventure

2012-01-15T19:08:00.000-06:00

Click here to download Myke Phoenix #1

The year was 1990, more or less. The cold war was over, people were still allowed to smoke on the job, 9/11 was still six years off, and local radio stations had local personalities on the air almost 24/7.

And I had this idea about reviving the dime novel. OK, not the dime novel per se. What I had in mind was something about the length of a comic book, but in text.

My hero’s name was Myke Phoenix.

You can read more about it by clicking "Read more" — or just click on the caption under the cover art for your free e-magazine.
Back in the early 1990s I completed the stories for Myke Phoenix Adventures #1, 2, 3 and 5. I partly finished issue #4, “The Decline and Fall of Alan Pinkstaff,” in which it would be made extremely clear how much the crime lord of Astor City was a big nobody compared to the power who controlled him.

But then other life events interfered, and for almost 18 years I set aside the unpublished Myke Phoenix Adventures, packing him into a box and forgetting him. One day I remembered. I hauled the box down from the attic and said to myself, “Self, you should share these stories.”

In 2008 I packaged the finished stories into a book called The Adventures of Myke Phoenix. The book has been moderately successful, but of late I found my imagination drifting back to that original concept. With modern technology I no longer need the printing press, the paper or anything else except the electronics to transfer these stories into your hands.

It's time, I figured, to complete the vision and launch the monthly adventures of Myke Phoenix, this time as a free emagazine. Of course, if you insist on paper there's also a purchase option.
Myke Phoenix #1 is available right this minute by clicking on the caption under the cover art above.

So here ya go.

Something dark and unreasonable is afoot, and all that stands against it is a mild-mannered reporter, a mythical bird and a misshapen vase. I like our odds.

Cross-posted to Uncle Warren's Attic.

Thomas Paine and a new system of government

2012-01-11T09:18:00.002-06:00

I am fascinated by the way the arguments that drove political thought at the beginning of the U.S. of A. continue to resonate today. That was why I self-published a collection of letters that Thomas Paine wrote for publication in three different newspapers between 1802 and 1805.

Having returned from abroad, Paine was troubled by what he saw as a growing central government led by a powerful president – that wasn't what he had signed up for back in 1775. So he wrote these still-relevant warnings to his fellow citizens. For example:

The independence of America would have added but little to her own happiness, and been of no benefit to the world, if her government had been formed on the corrupt models of the old world. It was the opportunity of beginning the world anew, as it were; and of bringing forward a new system of government in which the rights of all men should be preserved that gave value to independence.

Here is a new ebook edition of that book, which contains three essays I wrote for the Montag blog in addition to Paine's exhortations:

Download the ebook by clicking on this link. (UPDATE: Link fixed - sorry about that.)

I also still have the paperback version of Letters to the Citizens of the United States available for purchase, and a word about that: Thomas Paine wrote these words with pen and paper, and they have been preserved for two centuries through the use of reliable printing presses in a form that doesn’t need special software or devices and therefore cannot become obsolete. In a paperback book these words will still be accessible even if you lose electric power:

Purchase the book at this link.

I'm currently tinkering with another historic essay that, even more so, continues to echo through the centuries to the present day – Henry David Thoreau's Resistance to Civil Government, more familiarly known as Civil Disobedience. I am startled by how much Thoreau framed arguments that are still being made about the rights of the individual, the responsibility not to condone or support government wrongheadedness, and the power of nonviolent resistance.

It'll be an edition similar to the Paine book, showcasing the historic essay with an introduction by yours truly. The ebook will be free for the taking, and you'll be able to buy a more permanent copy published using dead trees, a renewable resource.

More about Thoreau in coming days. Meanwhile, enjoy and be enlightened by Thomas Paine, a truly revolutionary thinker. Download it here and purchase the paperback here.

Simple, sound advice

2012-01-09T12:36:00.000-06:00

You say the hill's too steep to climb?

Climb it.

"Fearless"

Waters, Gilmour

Shut up and quit trying to scare me.

2012-01-04T04:30:00.003-06:00

Friends, I gotta tell you, I've just about had it. I'm pretty much sick of politicians, pundits and reporters telling me the world will come to an end ...

- if Ron Paul becomes president;

- if Barack Obama remains president;

- if Newt Gingrich becomes president;

- if Scott Walker remains governor of Wisconsin;

- if unions grab power back from Walker;

- if Democrats take both the House and Senate;

- if Republicans take both the Senate and House;

- if the government doesn't help the economy;

- if the government attempts to help the economy;

- if billionaires spend money on campaign ads;

- if unions spend money on campaign ads;

- if the Occupiers have their way;

- if the tea partiers have their way; or

- if the Mayan calendar ends Dec. 21 for a good reason.

I am bone weary of being told how fearful I need to be. I'm exhausted from listening to people tell me that my peace of mind and safety are threatened by some hobgoblin or another.

I'm even tired of quoting the immortal H.L. Mencken, but he was right when he wrote it and he's righter than ever today: "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."

I refuse to be afraid! And I strongly suggest you do, too. Ask yourself why you're afraid of whichever scenario listed above makes you afraid. Who are you clamoring to lead you and the rest of us to safety? Has it occurred to you that they want you to be afraid for a reason – so you will entrust them with power that rightly belongs in your own hands?

Last election cycle I released a little book about overcoming fear. With all the mongering going on now, you might want to consider an inoculation against this disease called fear. You can buy Refuse to be Afraid by clicking on this sentence.

But more important, just read the title. Refuse to be Afraid. When somebody tells you how awful it would be if [insert scenario here], laugh at that somebody. Refuse to be Afraid. Repeat after me:

"Shut up and quit trying to scare me!"

The mantra of carpe diem

2012-01-03T05:23:00.000-06:00

"I was reminded of this in a conversation with a friend named Joe White. Joe is perhaps best known for his message on the cross where he carries on his back a cross that would typically take six men to move.

"Joe has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and in a recent conversation he reminded me that he was more fortunate than I was. He was clear that today might be the last day he had to live. I could live under the delusion that today is just one day of many still to come.

"The gift of his cancer was the value of today. Perhaps in a way that few of us ever do, he engages each day fully committed to seize the divine moment. The mystery of those moments is that they look so ordinary from the sideline and only become extraordinary when we enter them."

Erwin Raphael McManus

Seizing Your Divine Moment

Seth Godin's essay "The chance of a lifetime"

2011-12-31T06:54:00.001-06:00

Heading into the new year, Seth Godin reaches back for words that still resonate.

Here's a question that you should clip out and tape to your bathroom mirror. It might save you some angst 15 years from now. The question is, What did you do back when interest rates were at their lowest in 50 years, crime was close to zero, great employees were looking for good jobs, computers made product development and marketing easier than ever, and there was almost no competition for good news about great ideas?

Many people will have to answer that question by saying, "I spent my time waiting, whining, worrying, and wishing." Because that's what seems to be going around these days. Fortunately, though, not everyone will have to confess to having made such a bad choice ...

Before you finish this paragraph, you have the power to change everything that's to come. And you can do that by asking yourself (and your colleagues) the one question that every organization and every individual needs to ask today: Why not be great?

In other words, Refuse to be Afraid. And that chance you were going to take someday? Take it. Now!

Make it a great New Year.

Answer these 2 questions and occupy your life

2011-12-28T04:00:00.001-06:00

Two more questions to ponder in addition to the other two.

Why am I here? What am I doing here?

For too many of us, those are two different questions.

Why am I here? What is the purpose of the finite time I'm spending on this plane of existence? Everyone is here for a reason. I'm not convinced it's "a" reason – many people spend too much time trying to ascertain the single solitary best use of their lives. The choices are innumerable, but it's important that you settle on a purpose that suits your self.

What am I doing here? What are you actually doing, in comparison and in contrast to what your mission on this planet is?

When the answers to those two questions are in sync, you find something closer to serenity. The path ahead is more clear; decisions about which path to take are easier.

So: Why are you here? What are you doing here? Are the answers to those questions the same, or do you have some adjustments to make?

A private Armageddon

2011-12-27T07:02:00.000-06:00

I was poking around some old columns and found one I wrote after the death of Johnny Cash, that volatile contradiction of a man and brilliant entertainer who seemed to find a modicum of peace in his later years. My thought was that we all face the "Endtimes," that is, the end of our time on Earth, and although we may very well miss the second coming of Christ in our lifetime, we face the same questions at the end that John heard in his famous dream.

Is your life hot, cold or lukewarm?

Here's what occurred to me back in 2004:

Cash shared an authentic love of God even though – or maybe because – he had a dark side that made much of his life resemble an impending train wreck. Especially after he met and married June Carter, his songs of killers and rebels blended with gospel tunes in a mix that made no obvious sense but sounded perfect anyway.

“I believe what I say, but that don’t necessarily make me right,” was the quote this weekend from a 2000 Rolling Stone interview. “There is a spiritual side to me that goes real deep, but I confess right up front that I’m the biggest sinner of them all.”

That dichotomy in Cash hit home with me, because I think we all struggle that way with darkness and light. No, I never “shot a man in Reno just to watch him die,” but like most people I’ve made enough missteps in life that I am uncomfortable talking about faith because I know for certain I am not holier than thou.

I think that’s what Cash meant in that interview. As time goes on, I think that while it’s interesting to speculate about Armageddon – that final struggle between good and evil that’s described in mysterious terms in the book of Revelation – we each spend our lives in kind of a private Armageddon. Every day we can decide whether we’re going to seek the truth or chase after the beast. Sometimes it’s an easy choice, and sometimes it’s like walking a tightrope over a ring of fire.

No one knows the day and hour of the “real” apocalypse; no one knows the day and hour of his own death, but the choices are the same, just on a different scale. In those last four albums, I believe his impending death was always close to Johnny Cash’s thoughts, and the choice of songs reflected his personal Armageddon. I also have a strong feeling that he won the war and is now at peace.

Tis the season

2011-12-23T05:05:00.000-06:00

It's a most amazing and inspiring story, of overcoming hardship (no room at the inn) and government red tape (everyone return to their hometown to register? Really?) to bring a child into the world who from the first was a beacon of hope.

However you celebrate this time of year, or even if you don't, please accept this in the spirit of peace and joy it's intended:

Merry Christmas.

Cross posted to Uncle Warren's Attic.

Life lesson No. 46 while walking the dog

2011-12-22T05:19:00.000-06:00

Given the option, it seems Willow will keep playing forever. Once she gets it into her head that it's time to chase a ball, she will chase and retrieve, chase and retrieve, over and over again.

And she won't take "enough" for an answer. If the ball is within my reach – and often when it isn't – if it doesn't appear that I'm interested in pitching it, she will lie in wait with her tail pointed in my direction, ready to pounce on anything tossed over her head, whining. And whining. And whining. Until finally, I reach down and toss the ball. So she can chase. And retrieve. And chase ... Inevitably she will convince me to throw the ball at least a few more times than I thought I wanted to.

Yesterday was our first walk in a new place, and Willow did her usual dance once connected to the leash. She will grab the tether with her teeth and make a show of trying to chew through it, while dancing and prancing around me. After a few moments she settles into the rhythm of the walk — except, of course, for when she is stopping to investigate interesting odors on the ground.

It wasn't long before we both were walking along the path at a brisk pace, and I reflected how good she was at this unnatural task of traveling while attached to a long rope-like device. How good she is at chasing the ball or her beloved orange disk. How well she stays close enough when we are walking our property without the leash, and how well she knows that "Willow, come!" means she needs to run to my side.

"Willow," I said, "I can't think of anything you're not good at — except maybe quitting."

And there, I realized, was the business/life lesson to be learned from the puppy today: Be good at what you do. Be good at everything except maybe quitting. It's the secret to her success.

A place for books

2011-12-20T04:30:00.003-06:00

Call me a Luddite.

The news story I posted from 2001 the other day was actually my second choice for a post. What I really wanted to do was reprint the column I wrote not long after, expanding on the thoughts expressed by the man who tried to circulate a petition supporting something called the Constitutional Rights Clarification Amendment.

The problem was, I couldn't find that old column. It may be on the hard drive of the home computer I was using in 2001, which is in a storage container. But it's apparently not anywhere on the Internet anymore, because the Great and Powerful Google couldn't deliver it to me. No doubt it's preserved on paper somewhere, although I can't find a printout - but there are collections of the defunct Green Bay News-Chronicle here and there that must have the original column.

A lot of stuff stored on computers 10-20-25 years ago is pretty tough to retrieve. It's not common to find a device anymore than will read a 5 1/4" floppy disk of data generated on a Commodore 128. If you didn't make a hard copy, it may be as good as lost forever.

This compatibility issue is at the root of why I'm reluctant to give up paper and books - you know, those information storage devices made out of dead trees. I don't need a certain software or hardware or any electronic device to read things I wrote in 1972 - I just need to find those notebooks and use my eyes. The pen or pencil or typing on paper still works just as well as it did then.

Last week I attempted to take Seth Godin up on his offer of a new, free book: The Flinch by Julien Smith. The catch: The book is only available via Kindle.

I don't have a Kindle, nor do I currently have the money to buy a Kindle. No problem – there are free programs that allow you to read Kindle ebooks on your computer. Except that Kindle for Mac only works on computers equipped with a later Mac OS system than mine, and I don't currently have the money to upgrade. My only options to obtain this "free" ebook, it seems, involves spending money I don't have.

I would be more than willing to spend $5-$10 for a book that can be read 200 years from now, but I'm less inclined to spend $80-$100 to buy software or hardware that will obsolete in less than 10, so that I can have the same book for free. The first thing I usually do when I download an ebook is to print out a hard copy so that I know I will always have it.

We're talking about the storage of ideas and information. One technology (print) has proved to be fairly reliable for centuries. The other (digital) is constantly evolving, and ideas and information published with earlier versions are constantly becoming harder to access. As a result I believe hard copies will be important for a long time to come.

J. Paul Getty is credited with giving the advice, "Watch what the herd does ... and do the opposite." My observation is that the herd is abandoning paper and rushing from electronic toy to electronic toy. That's why I'm more convinced than ever that books are a better long-term investment.

About those other 9 Amendments

2011-12-16T04:30:00.034-06:00

Like the good twit that I am, I decided to get in on the big #FreetoTweet event Thursday for Bill of Rights Day. Using every one of my 140 available characters, I wrote:

#FreetoTweet - Free to tweet, speak, worship, publish, assemble, petition, bear arms, protect person and property, etc. http://t.co/dzMKrajx

I pushed the "Tweet" button and went to see what my fellow hash-markers were saying. After a while I thought maybe I'd misunderstood the purpose. Almost all of the messages were about how great the First Amendment is. Many of them advertised sweepstakes and sales related to Bill of Rights Day. Somebody had a contest going - best First Amendment tweet wins a scholarship.

Well, I am as big a fan as anyone of the First Amendment. Free speech, the freedom to worship as we please, publish what we want, peaceably assemble and give grief to the government (I paraphrase) are all rights that ought to be etched in stone.

It's just that, well, Thursday was Bill of Rights Day, not First Amendment Day.

It's as if everyone decided to ignore the right to own and carry weapons, the right not to have a standing army in the neighborhood, the right not to have your person and property searched or seized without probable cause, the right to remain silent, the right to a speedy trial by a jury of peers, the right to face your accusers, and the right that states and the individual have to any and all powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution.

Oh. Wait. Everyone has decided to ignore those rights. Sorry.

Happy Bill of Rights Day

2011-12-15T04:30:00.002-06:00

To mark Bill of Rights Day and to celebrate the new look and name of this blog, here's a little something I wrote for the dearly departed Green Bay News-Chronicle for July 7, 2001 ...
-------
July 4 festival-goers lukewarm about Bill of Rights

Americans celebrated the nation's 225th birthday on Wednesday without apparently having a firm grasp on what we were celebrating.

In a survey taken during Green Bay's Celebrate Americafest by the Libertarian Party of Northeast Wisconsin, slightly less than 60 percent said they were unwilling to support what the pollsters called the Constitutional Rights Clarification Amendment.

The problem is that the "amendment" has already been passed - more precisely, the 10 amendments of the Bill of Rights, which were printed verbatim on the petition.

Eric Christianson, vice chairman of the local party, said that only 11 of the 232 people who were surveyed realized they were reading the amendments that recognize freedom of religion, speech and the press, the right to bear arms, protection against unreasonable search and seizure, protection against self-incrimination, and the other tenets of the Bill of Rights.

Some people signed or declined without reviewing the document very carefully, but most took the time to read it through and ask questions about some of the issues, he said.

"My favorite response is from the guy who declined to sign saying, 'This would interfere with the judicial system because there's a vagueness inherent to the Constitution and this would make it black and white,'" Christianson said.

The response that Christianson said was either the scariest or the funniest was from a man who identified himself as an off-duty police officer.

"He said he knows all about the Constitution because he works with it every day," he said. "But then he handed it back and said, 'I can't sign this - there are portions of this with which I disagree.'"

Bob Collison, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin, said the results reflect his belief that Americans are not very well-informed about what is happening in politics.

"They'll parade in the name of freedom, but ask them about these issues and they really don't come down on the side of freedom," Collison said. "When you come down to it, even during the Revolutionary War a minority of people were involved in the fighting. It's always a minority that makes the changes."

The Constitutional Rights Clarification Amendment

2011-12-15T04:29:00.003-06:00

1. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

2. A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

3. No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

4. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

5. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

6. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

7. In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

8. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

9. The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

10. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Under construction

2011-12-09T07:18:00.001-06:00

The "A Scream of Consciousness" reboot of this blog appears not to be working ... so your humble host is working on new options. Please enjoy the fun at Uncle Warren's Attic in the meantime.

And I welcome any suggestions you might have to make this a more vibrant corner of the blogoverse. Send me an email or leave comments. Thanks!

Fleeing the screens

2011-12-07T04:30:00.000-06:00

I'm spending today away from electronics - gotta do that sometimes. I hope to scratch out some direction with pen and paper - will let you know what I learn. Check back here over the next few days and beyond.

Our deepest and highest impulse is to peace

2011-12-05T08:20:00.001-06:00

Somewhere near our core is a violent impulse, and so there will always be men and women who choose force to get their way – and we must be vigilant.

But in our very deepest place we mean no harm to others. Our deepest and highest impulse is to peace – to leave others alone and to be left alone to enjoy and explore this world, this universe.

Perhaps here, on this world more than eight light years from Earth, we may build a commonwealth where all have so much plenty that none have the urge to take lives and property from their neighbors by violence.

— Raymond Douglas Kaliber
of Sirius IV

I aim to complete The Imaginary Revolution in 2012. I look forward to sharing it with you.

Smoke and mirrors

2011-12-02T06:47:00.001-06:00

It's troubling news that a significant amount of the Black Friday business boost came because people were putting it all on credit:

On Black Friday, payments made with credit cards rose 7.4% from a year earlier, vs. an increase of 3.4% for payments with signature debit cards, according to First Data, a payments processing firm. An analysis by Javelin Strategy & Research forecasts that credit card payments for online purchases will increase 63% from 2011 to 2016, vs. 2% for debit cards.

I even heard one radio news report that attributed it to "frugal fatigue" - that theory said people were so tired of watching their budgets that they went on a binge spending spree.

Why not? That's how our governments have been paying for their increased spending for years. That's why "debt service" is a growing chunk of the budget - and why there's less money available to pay for more increased spending.

With smoke and mirrors, we create the illusion of consumer health. But somewhere down the road, these people won't be able to buy as many Christmas gifts, because they're still paying off this year's gifts at 27 percent interest.

The solution is to spend less than you make. Easier said than done for many (most?) of us. And given the demonization of politicians who actually attempt to live within their means, don't expect governments to adopt that philosophy anytime soon.

Wow. Just wow.

2011-12-01T04:30:00.002-06:00

It was a hectic and crazy summer, and we missed almost all of the movies we wanted to watch. Now that the DVDs are coming out, we're starting to catch up. Thor? Pretty good, entertaining at least. Captain America? Very good, worth seeing again. X-Men: First Class? Enjoyed it while we were watching it, but I can't remember a thing about it right this moment. Talk about in one eye and out the other ....

Last night we watched Super 8.

Wow. Just wow.

Let me get back to you when I've come down a little bit. They don't make many movies like this one anymore.

Show up and do the work

2011-11-30T04:30:00.009-06:00

Want to be a great guitar player? Get a guitar and play. Want to be a world-class writer? Write. Want to be a legendary filmmaker? Start making films.

No, you won't be great on the first day. But every great artist once knew as little as you do now – and maybe less. What made them great is they showed up and did the work until they got better at it.

Ray Bradbury tells the story of deciding he would write a short story every week, 52 weeks a year. And he did. They were not very good at first, and then they started to get better. He sold a handful of them the first year, maybe six the second year. And during the third year, he wrote "The Lake" and finally knew what it felt like to write a great short story.

Do the math. He wrote more than 100 short stories before he finally wrote a great one.

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell writes about the 10,000-hour effect. He argues with some credibility that the people who are great at their fields have put at least 10,000 hours into doing the work. The Beatles, for example, played in Hamburg for eight hours a night, interacting with the crowds and learning what moves an audience. After about 10,000 hours they became overnight sensations and the greatest rock band ever.

Woody Allen famously said, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." But to paraphrase Mr. Pareto, the other 20 percent is the most important part. Most of us can show up every day. It's the ones who show up and do the work of getting better who eventually turn into the great ones.

How to build something so people will come

2011-11-29T04:30:00.025-06:00

If you've never seen the film Field of Dreams, do yourself a favor: Skip this post until after you've corrected that error. Everyone else, please keep reading. Thanks!
---

The first line of the 1989 movie Field of Dreams is, "My father's name was John Kinsella."

Through an amazing fantasy that weaves baseball, an Iowa corn farmer, an East Coast peace activist, a Minnesota doctor and a disgraced major league ballplayer seamlessly together, filmmaker Phil Alden Robinson's adaptation of the W.P. Kinsella novel Shoeless Joe makes you forget that first line.

Then, in one of the most memorable scenes ever filmed, Robinson surprises the viewer by revealing that the movie has been about John Kinsella all along. Which is why he's mentioned in the first line. When I revisited the film a few days ago, I laughed out loud at those opening words, in delighted admiration of the writing.

I've heard writing, speechifying, storytelling described as a simple process: Tell the audience what you're going to show. Show them. Then tell the audience what they've just seen. Rediscovering the opening lines of Field of Dreams reminded me of that description.

It's a little thing, but it's a detail that makes the movie one of those that rewards the repeat viewer. The first viewing is a festival of delights, and the 10th or 25th or 37th viewing is another ride on a wonderful Ferris wheel (as opposed to a roller coaster; this is an entirely different kind of carnival ride than, say, Raiders of the Lost Ark).

And a good lesson for the writer: Stay on message. Take your audience on a journey and delight it with the side roads and unexpected curves, but never lose sight of what your story is about. And make sure that you've left enough markers so that when it's time for the Big Reveal, the audience's reaction is "Oh, of course! I should have seen it coming," not "What the hell? I didn't see that coming."

The payoff of Field of Dreams is tremendous. It's said to be the one film that can make almost any grown man cry. "My father's name was John Kinsella" is Robinson tossing the ball up in the air and eying it with the bat in his hand. "Hey, Dad? You wanna have a catch?" is Robinson knocking a towering fly ball into the husks.

Uncle Warren's Cyber Monday Blowout

2011-11-27T22:27:00.003-06:00

Here's your chance to have the books, the music and other odds and ends for Cyber Monday.

Today I am offering my latest book, A Scream of Consciousness, along with the book and audiobook of Refuse to be Afraid, for a mere $16.99 plus shipping and handling. Regular price for all three is about $39. Click here for all you need to know.

I have also cut the price in half for downloading my album Ten Thousand Days at CD Baby. This 2010 release has become a legend in my own mind, and now you can own it for a mere $4.95 - or download individual favorites for 49 cents. Learn more by clicking here.

You can also now download my 1985 album Watershed for free, and if you're interested in browsing the other products of my self-publishing adventure, here's a link to the whole shebang. If you buy anything at Lulu, you can get another 35% off using the code CYBERMONDAY 325.

Thanks for your support - I hope you enjoy the tunes - and Happy Cyber Monday!

Know the lines

2011-11-27T04:00:00.001-06:00

In the dream I was performing in a stage revival of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and three of us were rehearsing. I'd been doing fine when I had the words in front of me, reading the script, but now we were on the stage and I had no idea what to say.

The other two actors clearly had veered off the script when I missed my cue and were looking at me askance, waiting for me to pick up – improvising until the time that I got back on track.

Finally they realized how lost I was, and they stopped the rehearsal and looked at me in disappointment: "You don't know your lines?"

There are many takeaways here – know your lines, for one thing. But just knowing your lines gives you art akin to a factory product – more important to understand your role well enough to be able to improvise when necessary, as my fellow actors were doing.

If the world's a stage and all of us just players, there is a place for someone who does not follow a script, who can follow the needs of the moment. There is a place for someone who can be relied upon to do the right thing – to know what the right thing is and to get done what needs to be done.

Knowing lines is a first step toward being able to improvise. The soaring guitar solo isn't possible if you don't know the chord structure or the melody.

'An endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary'

2011-11-26T04:00:00.007-06:00

Where is H.L. Mencken when we need him?

It was Mencken who memorably wrote, "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."

It seems as if you can't swing a dead mammal without hitting a hobgoblin nowadays. Every practical politician spends more time menacing us with the specter of hobgoblins than actually forwarding an ideology.

Republicans!

Democrats!

Barack Obama!

Newt Gingrich!

The Koch Brothers!

George Soros!

Climate change!

Illegal aliens!

The Occupiers!

The Tea Partiers!

Fascists!

Socialists!

Wall Street!

Washington!

How can you keep from cowering in alarm with all of these hobgoblins about?

We are awash with fearful folks clamoring to be led to safety, and sure enough the practical politician is more than willing and ready to lead us to safety – if only we'll trust her with the task, if only we'll yield some of our personal sovereignty to him.

Know this: When a politician is warning you about the grave danger posed by a hobgoblin – or when someone is warning you that the hobgoblin is the politicians themselves – you are playing into their hands by becoming fearful and seeking the protection of a politician or some new law.

You have the power to improve your life. Don't turn that power or that responsibility over to someone else.

Remember what Mencken said: The hobgoblins are imaginary. All of them.

Janis, Bobby McGee and freedom

2011-11-25T04:30:00.002-06:00

A golden oldie from my days as B.W. Richardson, and adapted as part of the Refuse to be Afraid book:

What an interesting statement Kris Kristofferson wrote and Janis Joplin sang into immortality: "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose; Nothin' ain't worth nothin', but it's free." I got to thinkin' yesterday whether "Me and Bobby McGee" did any favors for the concept of freedom.

Not that it's not true. There's something liberating, in a desperate way, about being broke, or alone, or out of a job. When you have nothing to lose, no one else you're responsible for, you're free to try anything, go anywhere. It's hard times, but you're free, and that feels strangely good.

But that word just puts a big qualifier on the statement. If freedom is only accessible when you're broke and alone, who wants to be free?

Joplin's life seemed to exemplify the free spirit, and she died young. If it means working and playing so hard you're dead before you're 30, who wants to be free?

Please don't get me wrong: I loved Janis Joplin. Not just her music; Wally Conger's musings about his new Dick Cavett DVD set brought back memories of the first time I heard her sing "Move Over," when she made my adolescent hormones rage, and then as she talked and I thought I felt an unspeakable sadness and loneliness behind her bravado, I wished I could rescue her from the demons that made her sing the blues so well.

But if freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose, maybe being a well-fed and comfortable slave is a better life.

The thing is, freedom's not just another word for nothin' left to lose. On the other hand, it's a good inner image to have: If you treat life as if you have nothing to lose, you likely will find you have everything to gain. Our fears of losing our fat and sassy lifestyles lurk behind our reluctance to set ourselves free - and oh, by the way, it is you who sets the limits on your freedom most of the time, not some government or other external force.

Refuse to be afraid, live like you're dying, live like you have nothing left to lose, and you'll find the path to freedom.

Day of thanks

2011-11-24T04:30:00.004-06:00

I am thankful to be living in a place where, ostensibly at least, my rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are considered inalienable.

And at least I can point to a piece of paper and a common culture that says that's so.

Even more important perhaps is the tradition that we are born with these rights - they are not handed down by some beneficent leader and, in fact, we are said to have authority over our rulers themselves. They are "public servants," servants of "the public," although therein lies the rub for someone who postulates there are no masses.

I am thankful in any case for a roof over my head, to love and be loved by a beautiful partner, for a Creator who only makes good stuff, and for a belly full of nutritious food.

Unplugged and loving it

2011-11-23T04:30:00.003-06:00

[Found in notebook, written April 20, 2011]

In his influential book Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money (I describe it as influential because it has influenced me so deeply), Rabbi Daniel Lapin encourages his readers to make goals and delve into their life’s purposes but not before spending two or three days avoiding all electronic screens. Those brightly colored images have a mesmerizing effect, much like a deer confronted by headlights, Lapin said. Better to clear the mind before focusing on weighty matters.

As I pen these words (literally, pen to paper), I am one-third of my way through my first day of avoiding screens. The impact is uncanny. The urge to flip on the computer or the television is occasionally overwhelming, like the urge to take a drink must be to an alcoholic.

But the difference in productivity is astonishing. Without the ability to switch gears and multitask, I’ve filled six pages of a composition book in little more than an hour, preserving in a flurry thoughts that had been bouncing around unfinished in my mind for days.

As I’ve been writing, no email popping into my mailbox has diverted my attention. The urge to Google the information I need to insert into my essays has gone unfulfilled and, with it, the impulse to wander to other familiar Internet haunts to see if anything has changed since my last visit.

Lapin is an orthodox Jew who takes the Sabbath seriously and literally. His family abstains from work from sunset Friday through Saturday for a time of worship and introspection.

In this plugged-in and hectic era, a regular sabbatical makes a great deal of sense. Even a few hours into this unplugged exercise, I find myself tapping into reservoirs that have been neglected – not just stopping to smell the roses (difficult anyway after a spring snowstorm) but assessing where I am, what I’m doing and why. Too often the quotidian (i.e., the everyday routine) drags us along and we hardly have time to think – and making an appointment with ourselves to take the time to think is essential, lest we collide with life the way a deer collides with an oncoming car.

And so I put pen to paper, I play with the dog, I prepare a meal, I read books, I perform chores that have been neglected – in short, I do everything except fire up the computer or television. I will cheat for a time tonight when Red and I meet our weekly appointment with American Idol. That will be a setback of sorts, but the achievement of spending an unplugged day or two has already begun to bear fruit.

What will I learn from this exercise? We shall see.

But it has given me time to contemplate questions that deserve answers. What will you do with the time that’s left? Why are you here? What is the best use of your gifts? How can you make the world a better place? How can you make your life a better life? What makes you happy? What makes you free? What gives you life?

A ride on the time machine

2011-11-22T04:30:00.003-06:00

We had a substitute teacher that day. She was older than our regular fifth-grade teacher at Elementary School No. 1 in Little Falls, N.J.

A little after 1:30 the principal, Mr. Laux, unexpectedly poked his nose into the room and announced that President Kennedy had been fatally shot in Dallas.

Everything went kind of numb then. The substitute teacher was sad and a little upset, but she told the story of when she was a little girl walking past the train depot and someone shouted down that President McKinley had been shot.

They let us out of school early that day. I remember riding my bike home and how bright the sun was and how the shadows of the trees stood out against the library on Warren Street. There’s something about the death of someone important that makes you appreciate being alive, I learned that day.

That’s pretty much the entirety of my memory of Nov. 22, 1963.

Just on an impulse I Googled Mr. Laux and found his obituary – he died only last year, August 2010, in Portland, Maine, of all places. He retired in 1972 and lived to be 91. He was responsible for kindergarten through fifth grade, I believe, and most grades had at least two sections so he had to make that little speech in the neighborhood of a dozen or more times. That must have been a tough day.

It’s hard to believe that was 48 years ago now – who in fifth grade thinks they’ll ever be able to remember things that happened a half-century ago? That was why it was so impressive for that teacher to tell a story about 63 years earlier.

And now here I am passing along to you the story of a little girl walking past a train depot and hearing that the president had been shot 111 years ago. I wonder if that memory will be preserved again in another 48 years.

W.B.’s Book Report: Letters of a Self-Made Failure

2011-11-21T04:30:00.002-06:00

Here is a timely relic from nearly 100 years ago. Maurice Switzer wrote a series of 10 letters, ostensibly from a man who took a circuitous route to contentment and addressed to his younger brother, who is newly embarked on this adventure we call adulthood.

From a note of congratulation and advice upon the occasion of “Bob” landing his first job in January 1912, “Jim” writes his brother every two or three months through January 1914. He admonishes Bob through the mistakes common to an overconfident young businessman, and eventually the lad starts to learn from his mistakes and apply the lessons.

“Experience is a mighty good thing, but it’s like an automobile. To get it you have to pay the top price, and when you want to sell it you can’t collect twenty-five cents on the dollar.”

“Instead of trying to earn more than I could spend, I should have simply spent less than I was earning.”

“Be as ambitious as you like, but remain within the limits of your talent and capabilities.”

“Obstacles are very often discouraging, but surmounting them is good exercise.”

“In heaven’s name don’t provide yourself with a set of ready reasons against possible failure.”

“No doubt there is a short cut to most places we are trying to reach, but the days we waste and the energy we expend in seeking it are a greater loss of time and effort in the end than if we had struck out boldly through the underbrush.”

And those are just some of the gems I found paging back through the first half of this little book.

Switzer occasionally sound a bit creaky – as when he assures his reader that he’s not advocating the radical idea that women be allowed to vote – and the language is, of course, that of the early 20th century. Still, he offers advice that remains sound 97 years after it was first published.

A theme he repeats several times is especially timely: Save a substantial portion of your earnings; spend less than you make. Coming just a few months after the establishment of the Federal Reserve, which launched the concept of ever-increasing debt as a national policy, Switzer wrote words that, if heeded then, might have made our contemporary economy significantly stronger.

Letters of a Self-Made Failure is available as a free ebook in a variety of places online – such as this one.

W.B. at the Movies: Atlas Shrugged, Part 1

2011-11-20T04:30:00.005-06:00

Tinseltown has wanted to make Ayn Rand’s dystopian epic for a long time. The proposals included and all-star love story in the 1970s, with Faye Dunaway as Dagny Taggart, Robert Redford as John Galt, and Clint Eastwood as Hank Rearden. Most famously in recent years, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie wanted a crack at the story of an overbearing government and its corrupt corporate co-conspirators living parasitically off the creativity and labors of the true innovators and entrepreneurs among us.

It’s fitting that the film – now available on DVD – was finally produced independent of the film industry establishment. The denizens controlling that industry routinely cast ambitious business people as villains; what ghastly concoction would they make from a novel where business leaders are heroes and the villains are the government that would rein them in?

Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, was produced on a wing and a prayer using a cast comprised largely of somewhat familiar character actors and unknowns. Filmed over a matter of weeks to avoid losing the movie rights, the film arrived last April 15 with what could charitably be called low expectations.

To ask “Did they manage to make a good movie?” is the equivalent of asking in the context of the story, “Is Rearden Metal a pretty decent product?”

The philosophical concepts are there. The performances are there. The production values look far more expensive than the meager (by Hollywood standards) $10 million budget. The screenplay seizes all of the essential elements from a complex and busy novel and tosses them up on the screen. The story is compelling and 102 minutes race by like a bullet train.

Taylor Schilling has a short resume, but it’s hard to imagine the more familiar Dunaway or Jolie owning the role of Dagny Taggart more convincingly than Schilling does. She leads an ensemble cast that does justice to Rand’s novel and then some. Sharon Howard-Field and Ronnie Yeskel deserve a standing ovation for their casting prowess. If some scenes seem melodramatic, well, guess what folks, Rand wrote a melodrama, a cracking good melodrama that has been turned into a cracking good movie.

Under the circumstances those of us who admire the novel would have been satisfied if this film was good enough to reflect its story and its themes. But one of those themes is that “good enough” is not good enough. These filmmakers clearly aimed for excellence, and against all odds they hit the mark.

Occupy your life

2011-11-19T04:30:00.004-06:00

I am not one of the 99 percent – and neither are you.

I am not one of the 1 percent – and neither are you.

The masses are an invention. There are no “masses.”

We are each created equal – but we are not created the same. Neither are we created as a mass. The act of creation did not produce dozens of you; it created only you (or in very rare cases, it created you and your twin, or your fellow triplets, etc. – but even then, it did not create you exactly and precisely alike).

What does this mean?

It means that no generalization can be made about any single individual. You may make the observation that most people who believe X also believe Y, but you cannot conclude that just because a person believes X that it follows he believes Y. You may collect information that most people with dark skin believe A, but you cannot conclude that the dark-skinned person you have just met believes A.

We are not part of a mass. We are individuals. We are not factory-made components. We are snowflakes.

We are connected, but we are not machines – nor is any one of us merely a cog in a machine.

It is easier to deny this and turn responsibility for our lives and decisions over to a collective unit or a corporate entity, but to do so is to let our lives become less than they can be.

It is easier for me to deny your individuality and to make assumptions about you based on what group I have lumped you into, but that is a way to avoid the work of getting to know you and understand you as the unique being we both know you are.

Each of us is a singular work of art, singular in the sense of being one of a kind. Each of us has within us the potential to make art, a special art that no one else can achieve quite the same way or with quite the same perspective.

This, by the way, is why war is such a waste: Because thousands of artists and artwork are destroyed.

The scrap of dialogue that defines the lead character of my novel in progress

2011-11-18T04:30:00.005-06:00

“But they’ll kill you! You’ll die!”

“I’m going to die anyway, someday,” replied Raymond Douglas Kaliber. “So I may as well do the right thing until then.”

-----

KALIBER’S TENETS OF COMMON WEALTH

1. Love your neighbor as yourself.
2. Interact with love — not force or violence.
3. Give more than you receive.

---

And, as one final teaser, The Imaginary Revolution will open with this quote:

It is because peaceful agitation and passive resistance are, in Liberty’s hands, weapons more deadly to tyranny than any others that I uphold them, and it is because brute force strengthens tyranny that I condemn it.

War and authority are companions; peace and liberty are companions.

The methods and necessities of war involve arbitrary discipline and dictatorship. So-called “war measures” are almost always violations of rights.

Even war for liberty is sure to breed the spirit of authority, with aftereffects unforeseen and incalculable.

Benjamin R. Tucker
Liberty, Vol. IV, No. 7
July 31, 1886

It is my fond hope to have this book, which has been bouncing around my brain for four or five years, in your hands early in 2012.

What it all means

2011-11-17T04:30:00.004-06:00

Of late I’ve been using the blogosphere to write about more apolitical themes than I did in previous iterations - things like confronting the fear in your heart and living in the here and now - things like “we become what we think about” and “whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

So what’s the point? Why am I writing about stuff like this? (Besides the obvious point that I’d love for you to buy the corresponding books and read what I’m saying in more detail.)

The idea is to introduce you to the power you have. Some might say “I’m writing to empower you,” but I can’t give you any more power than you already have. As Glinda the Good Witch says at the end of The Wizard of Oz, “She wouldn't have believed me. She had to learn it for herself.”

I have striven to let you, the reader, see that if you are afraid, often it’s because someone wants you to be afraid and so he can take advantage of your fear – empowering himself to control your life and your thoughts. The answer is to bring your fear under control, refuse to be afraid, and do what you know to be the right thing.

The stresses of everyday life can lull you into a meek sense of unconsciousness and compliance. Your eyes glaze over, literally and figuratively, physically and spiritually. The answer is to wake up, embrace the moment and live in the present tense. Be here now. Be alive. Scream your consciousness to the world.

The point of these writings has always been to let you know that you have the power to conquer fear – you have the power to live your life and on your own terms. The decisions in your life are not up to someone else, and in fact someone else cannot have power over your mind unless you give them permission.

Now, with great power comes great responsibility. You are responsible if your life sucks, and you are responsible for the way you wield the power within you to make your life better. You don’t have to wait for the right mate, the right home, the right boss, the right car, the right governor, the right congress critter or the right president. You can make your life better now. Just refuse to be afraid – and be here now. and now. and now.

First line of a novel - or an entire philosophy

2011-11-16T15:55:00.000-06:00

I will know whether heaven is what they say it is if my dog is there waiting for me.

Take a stand

2011-11-07T07:26:00.001-06:00

In a memorable scene from one of my favorite movies, Serenity, a dying character grabs the hero and says, “I don’t care what you believe in, just believe.” The film in many ways is about the power of belief, the energy that comes when you invest yourself in a decision to take a stand.

I tend to find a lot of life examples in films, books, music and other creative works. That’s not an accident. Each such work represents, in itself, a decision to take a stand. The creator(s) made a conscious decision to tell a story or express an idea — and stayed conscious long enough to complete that creative work.

What is it about the status quo that you’d like to be different? Start working, now, to change it. Decide that you’re not going to take it anymore, because things can be better than this.

Tap into the power of taking a stand. Grab hold of this moment, and then the next, and, as Mohandas Gandhi said so memorably, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

From A Scream of Consciousness

What’s with all the anger?

2011-11-02T17:33:00.002-05:00

Everyone’s so angry in the glowing box and in the talking box and in the boxes on the political pages and websites. Why are they all so angry?

I think it’s because other people disappoint. Every other person is unable to make my life right. Only I can work on fixing my life, and only I am able to accept the responsibility for my life, because only I have ultimate power over my life. With great power comes great responsibility.

If my life is not what I wish it was, only I can change that.

If my life is not what I wish it was, day after day, the only one to blame, really, is me.

This is a hard fact to face when my life is not what I wish it was.

So it’s human nature to blame someone else. This creates a conflict. And a good dramatic conflict makes interesting news.

Conflict makes people uncomfortable, and discomfort can eventually lead to anger.

And angry people make good television, good radio and a good read.

I think maybe that’s why it seems everyone on TV and radio and generally in the news is angry lately.

And it must equate to the politicians that it’s important to get people angry, so that the media will pay attention, because angry people are newsworthy.

So they make inflammatory statements. “My opponent is just not wrong or mistaken, my opponent is morally wrong and unethical.”

This is not Republican versus Democrat versus libertarian versus green versus individualist versus statist. This is good versus evil. When the conflict is stated in those terms, it’s easy to get angry. Because the threat that evil may triumph makes anyone angry.

So the ads are designed to make you angry. If you believe what the ads say, you get angry at the ads’ target. If you don’t believe what the ads say, you get angry at the ads themselves. In either case you get angry.

And when you’re angry, you make the political operatives happy. Because they want you to be angry. They depend on you to be angry. An emotional person is more easily persuaded.

Here’s what I think. I think my happiness is in my hands. I think the responsibility for my life is mine.

I don’t think my life will get better if a Democrat wins the next election. I don’t think my life will get better if a Republican wins the next election. I think my life will get better when I stop believing that the Democrats or the Republicans have the power to make my life better.

I think my life will get better when I stop waiting for the next election and just get down to the business of making my life better. I think my life will get better when I stop waiting for any politician or corporation or anyone at all besides myself to do something to make my life better.

My happiness does not depend on the right president. My welfare does not depend on an external force of any kind. If my life is not what I wish it was, only I can change that.

Your happiness does not depend on the right president. Your welfare does not depend on any external force. Your life will not get better if someone else is running the government. If your life is not what you wish it was, only you can change that.

Don’t believe it? That’s because you let someone else get you angry.

And next, The Imaginary Revolution

2011-10-31T07:42:00.000-05:00

Back in 1988 an image jumped into my mind, and I jumped up from whatever it was that I was doing, and I wrote it down:

It’s hard to believe that the brilliant bands of light that sweep across the night sky haven’t always been there. Great poets have written wonderful romantic songs through the years about the effect those gleaming streaks have on hearts young and old — so many songs in so many years that we must be reminded from time to time that, before the imaginary bomb, there were no rings around the Earth.

I had begun foundering around with an idea for a novel called The Imaginary Bomb, but until I wrote that paragraph I didn't know where to go with it. But now I had an ending — a destination, if you will — and all I had to do was take aim and write the novel that preceded it. Sure enough the story was essentially completed a few weeks later. (Why it then took 20 years to publish is a whole nuther story.)

I tell this anecdote because over the weekend, I wrote the end to The Imaginary Revolution, a story that has been on my mind for about four years or so and which I've started and stopped several times but foundered. I even started podcasting the early chapters of the first version in hopes it would motivate me to plow ahead. But still I foundered; I generally knew the whole story but, I now realize, I had no ending, no destination.

I did have a file in my I-Rev folder called "the last chapter," because based on that earlier experience, I suspected I needed the ending first. But I had a lot of files in my I-Rev folder, including several versions of the opening chapters. I looked through those files over the weekend.

And I realized Sunday morning how the last chapter needs to end. Wow.

It was like, err, a scream of consciousness. Now I can't wait to go back and fill in everything that happens before the end.

There's nothing that energizes any project more than having a goal, a destination. Otherwise it's just a lot of foundering about. Life being a foundering kind of exercise, it's easy to forget that simple fact.

Where do you think you're going?

Steve Jobs' final words

2011-10-31T07:19:00.000-05:00

His sister's eulogy is a magnificent tribute and description of a man who lived every moment of his life. He gave us a lot to think about.

Answer these 2 questions and own the world

2011-10-27T04:30:00.004-05:00

... perhaps not quite the world, but you will definitely own your reader. And if you connect with your reader, you stand a better chance of getting your message across. That's why we communicate, isn't it? To convey a message.

You have only seconds to convince the reader to pay attention. In those few seconds you must answer these two questions, or the reader will go no further.

1. Why is this important?

2. Why should I care?

Answer these two questions and own the world. It makes no difference if you're writing or telling a news story, a headline, ad copy, a press release, the Great American Novel or a grocery list. The person thinking about reading, hearing, watching or otherwise consuming your work needs to know the answers, or you've lost him/her.

And the first person you need to convince is you. If it's not important to you and you don't care, move on. You'll never convince your audience.

Know why this is important, and why you should care, and you have begun to create something good, perhaps great.

Finding peace

2011-10-26T07:36:00.000-05:00

Few things calm the soul and relieve stress like spending a portion of the day with a cat in your lap, preferably a purring one.

A chat about embracing Monday

2011-10-24T06:37:00.000-05:00

Something about Monday gets a person questioning the whole deal. Ostensibly it's the start of another new work week; ideally you've taken a couple of days to rest and recharge so you can dive with enthusiasm back into the tasks you've chosen for your livelihood.

So why does Monday have its reputation? You know what I'm talking about.

Maybe it's time to wake up and embrace this life that you've been sleeping through.

The other day Wally Conger and I spent a fun hour talking about the whys and wherefores of my new book, A Scream of Consciousness: Wake Up and Embrace the Present Moment. You know, the one I've been mentioning here with the cover photo of Willow embracing a sunny winter's morning.

We talked about the book, zombies, creativity, happiness and following through on the promise of being alive moment by moment. He also had some nice words to say about my previous project, Refuse to be Afraid, which seems to be more timely day by day. And Wally – who has a big new project of his own about to break out this week – has made our conversation available for free to his friends, and now mine.

I'll let Wally take it from there. I hope you'll click in the right places, enjoy the conversation, and sample the book(s) over there on the right rail.

The power of short books

2011-10-20T07:52:00.000-05:00

Books are getting shorter. The Domino Project launched by Seth Godin and friends has been publishing a series of manifestos, as they call them, all fewer than 100 pages and 5.25" by 7.5" – and all of them pack quite a punch. They took it to an extreme Wednesday with the release of what they're calling a "one-page book," a poster detailing the federal budget.

My own A Scream of Consciousness and Refuse to be Afraid run about 90 pages, in part because, well, I said all I needed to say in that space.

In his introduction to his translation of Abandonment to Divine Providence, a k a The Sacrament of the Present Moment, John Beevers writes:

Short books often have great power. A few that come to mind are Thomas à Kempis' The Imitation of Christ, the Communist Manifesto, Paine's The Rights of Man, Rousseau's Social Contract, St. Thérèse's The Story of a Soul and, of course, the Gospels. There is a very human reason for this. Most people have neither the time nor the inclination to plough through a five-volume treatise. They want the message, whatever it is, given to them in as few pages as possible. This is no new phenomenon. Pamphlets may not give as much enjoyment as a many-volumed book, but it is arguable that they have had vastly more influence.

And it is not only the reader who is affected by a short book. Its writer is. The effort, whether conscious or not, to concentrate his thought into a hundred or so pages instead of a thousand, gives this thought a sharpness and urgency which would inevitably be diffused over many volumes.

I would heartily recommend the Domino Project books – Godin's We Are All Weird or Poke the Box, Read This Before Our Next Meeting by Al Pittampalli, Anything You Want by Derek Sivers, or Do the Work by Steven Pressfield, for example – or of course my own humble efforts (see the right sidebar for previews).

I'm not going to suggest that these are as good as those books Beevers rattled off, but they do pack a punch, if I say so myself.

The Sacrament of the Present Moment, of course, plays an integral role in the ideas in A Scream of Consciousness. From the pages in the Amazon preview I think Beevers' translation might be a little more accessible than the one I read by Kitty Muggeridge, but it's the ideas of Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade that resonate in any case.

Happy reading!

Occupy your creativity

2011-10-15T09:48:00.001-05:00

Each of us is given the power to create our lives. With your mind and your hands, you can create objects of beauty, useful tools, the great American novel, the next Big Thing, and, yes, wealth.

The only limits on this power are the limits you invent: I don't have the time. I don't have the money. I don't have the talent. Some greedy SOB won't let me. The government won't let me. Corporate goons won't let me. Illegal aliens are stealing my opportunity. Union thugs are preventing my progress.

You invented all of those limits, or you bought into the lie that "I can't." But you can.

What would you like to create with your mind and your hands? What have you already created? Let the rest of us see.

Create it. Share it. It's easier than ever to do both.

Today

2011-10-14T08:05:00.000-05:00

Here's your blank page. What are you going to do with it?

No matter how hard you try to surrender control, and how much you want someone else to make the decisions for you, what you do today is entirely your choice and your responsibility.

Being fearless

2011-10-13T06:21:00.000-05:00

From Seth Godin in Linchpin:

Fearless doesn't really mean "without fear." What it means in practice is, "unafraid of things that one shouldn't be afraid of." Being fearless means giving a presentation to an important customer without losing a night's sleep. It means being willing to take intellectual risks and to forge a new path. The fear is about an imagined threat, so avoiding the fear allows you to actually accomplish something ...

The linchpin feels the fear, acknowledges it, then proceeds. I can't tell you how to do this; I think the answer is different for everyone. What I can tell you is that in today's economy, doing it is a prerequisite for success.

"Refuse to be Afraid" doesn't mean never feel anxious or scared. It means acknowledging the fear and bringing it under control to the point where you can move forward in freedom. Today, Refuse to be afraid.

A different take on the shirtless dancing guy: Convince a woman

2011-10-12T14:17:00.001-05:00

This video from Derek Sivers is very interesting, informative and entertaining, but I see something slightly different than he does.

I love how Derek uses the imagery from a 2009 festival to explain how a "lone nut" becomes the leader of a movement and how important the "first follower" becomes, and I'm not alone. This is an acclaimed analysis with 1.1 million-plus YouTube views as of this writing.

But I disagree about the "tipping point," where he says, "Now here come 2 more, then 3 more. Now we've got momentum. This is the tipping point! Now we've got a movement! As more people jump in, it's no longer risky. If they were on the fence before, there's no reason not to join now. They won't be ridiculed, they won't stand out, and they will be part of the in-crowd, if they hurry."

If you've never seen the video, go ahead, check it out. It's fun. I'll wait.

There's one crucial detail I think Derek missed about the "3 more" who give the dancers the necessary momentum to turn the little party into a crowd. Did you spot it? Because the camera is shaky it's a little hard to see.

At least one of the newcomers is a woman.

It takes 22 seconds for the first follower to arrive, and almost a full minute before a third dancer joins in. But not until the 80-second mark, when the women join in, does the movement really take off.

Until the moment that the first lady starts dancing, it's just 3-5 guys acting goofy. When she gets there, it's a social event. The first female follower makes it more comfortable for other women to join, and you know how men feel about women.

Derek Sivers knows a lot more about marketing and running a business than I do, but I daresay his theory here needs a small amendment. Never underestimate the power of the opposite sex. The first female follower of a movement - or the first male to join a female-initiated movement - can convert a few folks dancing alone into a campaign.

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end

2011-10-10T08:22:00.000-05:00

The book is ready. Although the "official" launch is about a week away, you can have it now. If you were one of the folks who volunteered to ready the semifinal draft last month, you will get your hard copy shortly after the launch-launch. Call this a "soft opening." After a year or so of tinkering and a month or so of hard labor, it's good to be here and be able to say, "I made this!"

This collection of 15 essays began to form itself into a book when Wally Conger quoted Rhinoceros Success author Scott Robert Alexander’s blog: “No one knows what is going to get your pistons pumping except you. Write your own motivational book! You don’t have to worry about proper sentences, spelling or punctuation. No one is going to read it except you.”

And Wally followed it up with: “Got a motivational book inside of YOU? I bet you do. And maybe someday you’ll be willing to share it with the rest of us.” That was the push that I needed.

I wrote the book I needed to read. After hearing from my test readers, I think it has something to say. I hope you'll agree!

Now that we're on the subject, do you have a motivational book inside of YOU? I believe you do. You might want to get started, and there's no time like now — in fact, there is ONLY now.

Waste no time on hate or judgment

2011-10-06T13:03:00.001-05:00

When you throw a ball as hard as you can into the sky, it will arc and fall to the ground some distance away. When you throw a ball as hard as you can into the ground, it will plant itself at your feet. Either act expends a great deal of energy.

Every moment you spend on hate is a moment you could have been loving. Every moment you spend passing judgment on someone else’s words or actions is a moment you could have been working to improve your own words or actions.

It takes energy to tear down, and it takes energy to build up.

There is no more destructive scream of consciousness than: I hate you! or I hate this! There is no more exhilarating scream of consciousness than I love you!

Jesus said a lot of wise things, but he boiled it all down to two essential purposes:
Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. And in case you didn’t quite grasp who “your neighbor” is, at a different time and place he suggested that you love your enemy.

Although it might be hard to live by those principles in a world where it seems most people don’t, consider for a moment the positive personal effect of loving even those who hate you. Consider what anger and hatred feel like: Your chest tightens, your stomach churns and you begin to lose control of your emotions.

From the beginning of time, though, this so often has been our default position. There always has to be an “us” and a “them,” and being “not us” has consequences: We seek to punish the other, either through something as benign as disdain and dismissal or as malignant as death and war.

That’s why people like Jesus are so revolutionary. Love your enemy? Absurd!

But what if we tried?

What if, when the urge to become enraged or hateful begins to well up, you make a conscious effort to forgive the object of your anger – to love that person?

Consider what real love feels like: The sense of peace, the joy, the release of tension. Letting go of anger and hatred, choosing instead to forgive, doesn’t just benefit the one who offended you – it benefits you, physically and emotionally.

Make a conscious effort to love your enemy, and after a while you may find you have no enemies left – except perhaps those who insist on enmity as a way of life. Hate takes a lot of energy, and if you return hate with love long enough and hard enough, it’s almost inevitable that the one who was once your enemy will begin to think you’re not such a bad person after all.

Waste no time on hate or judgment. Practice loving your neighbor – even that “neighbor” who cut you off in traffic, and even that neighbor who holds a different political philosophy than yours.

Aim your passions for the sky. Like the ball thrown up and away instead of straight down, you will reach much farther.

Rejecting the tyranny of being picked

2011-10-04T12:52:00.001-05:00

On impulse last month, I made two of the best decisions I've made in a long time with regard to this book I'm about to release, A Scream of Consciousness.

First, I popped onto Facebook and asked for 10 people willing to read the manuscript and make suggestions. By day's end I had more than 10, which was a boost of confidence in itself.

Then the suggestions came in, and the book is quickly becoming even better than I'd hoped. From a subtle change to the subtitle to the addition of a closing chapter, all of the ideas from my "editors" have been useful, engaging and constructive – even the tough criticisms, or perhaps especially those.

I hope to keep writing until the good Lord decides I'm done on this Earth. After this very fun experience, I don't think I'll publish another book without getting a parcel of readers to read the draft before I declare it done.

Second, I visited the Domino Project website at the suggestion of Wally Conger, who saw the similarity between my book and the great stuff that Seth Godin and the Domino folks are putting out (that was deliberate). Wally, a longtime buddy and booster, thought the new book is worthy of being selected as one of the Domino Project offerings. Wow!

So I (almost) decided to give that a try. But under their FAQs they say the small staff probably doesn't have time to review submissions but if an author or agent want to try anyway, they can fill out this form. Whoa!

Titled "Reject the tyranny of getting picked," the form begins: "Inherent in the mission of The Domino Project is that you don't need a publisher. If you have an idea, go spread it. If you want to write, go write. The thought that you need permission to share your ideas makes no sense to me."

So that's what I'm doing. Using the incredibly convenient services of self-publish-on-demand giant Lulu.com, I'm going out and spreading A Scream of Consciousness on my own – target launch date Oct. 19, if not sooner.

What's the idea? It's about waking up, embracing the moment, being here now, because the past is unchangeable and the future doesn't exist. By paying close attention to the needs of now, you can build a better life, right now. Some of what's in the book is already in this blog, so you can give it a test run just by reading further.

If the idea piques your interest, watch this blog. And make plans to buy the book!

Writing like ...

2011-09-20T15:25:00.000-05:00

At various points in my life, I wanted to write like Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Ray Bradbury, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Seth Godin, Bruce Springsteen, John Sebastian ...

Somewhere along the way while I was trying to write like them, I started to write like Warren Bluhm.

Made for these times

2011-07-19T06:35:00.001-05:00

"I keep looking for a place to fit where I can speak my mind..."

The mark of a great artist is that she puts words or images to a thought or feeling that is inside many people but hasn't been expressed in a way that most of us will understand. Brian Wilson is a great artist.

In the song "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," Wilson puts words and music to the awkward feeling that each and every one of us feels when we recognize there is no one else in the world quite like "me."

"I've been trying hard to find the people That I won't leave behind ..."

The search for friendship, the search for meaning, the search for "fitting in." Ultimately we won't find complete fulfillment from other people. John Maxwell writes about being in the audience when someone asked his wife if "John makes you happy" and getting surprised when she responded, "No."
Then she explained that true happiness is something you find inside yourself and not the responsibility of other people - and he realized she was right.

"They say I got brains, but they ain't doing me no good; I wish they would ..."

As a result of that realization, Wilson sings, "Sometimes I feel very sad," and he gets frustrated when his hopes and expectations don't quite come true ...

"Each time things start to happen again, I think I got something good goin' for myself, but what goes wrong ..."

The sadness makes Wilson wonder if "I guess I just wasn't made for these times," but in giving voice to the sadness, he touches something in every heart, the sense of uniqueness that is both the joy and curse of our existence. He sings about the loneliness of being unlike any other living soul on Earth.

"Every time I get the inspiration to go change things around, no one wants to help me look for places where new things might be found - Where can I turn when my fair weather friends cop out? What's it all about?"

But there is also the joy in realization - If Brian Wilson can give voice to my loneliness, I'm not alone.

And if each of us is a unique being, how precious that is: How important it is that we treat each other with the respect and care that something precious and unique deserves.

None of us will ever quite fit in precisely, because we were designed to be different. That can make us sad and lonely, but it can also give us strength and inspiration, voiced in such motivational clichés as "If it's going to be, it's up to me."

Looking for a place to fit where you can speak your mind? So is everyone else - so gain power from that fact and speak your mind anyway.

Do the thing you fear, and you will find, like Brian Wilson did, that you have something to say that people need to hear.

The debt conundrum

2011-07-18T09:19:00.001-05:00

The car is starting to squeak a lot more than it used to, the suspension may be shot soon, and it's overdue for a transmission flush - but I have to make the monthly payments first. I should be saving up to buy the car that will replace this one - and the computer that will replace this one - and the lawn tractor that will replace the one I bought five years ago - but instead I am spending hundreds of dollars a month to pay the balances on the car loan and the credit cards that I haven't used in more than a year.

And that's the problem with debt. A debt is a trade - you exchange your future income for the money to buy what you want NOW.

The cost of having it now is a little thing called interest. So the $10,000 used car costs you $12,500. Is it worth it to have it NOW? That depends on whether you could have used the other $2,500.

Essentially you are gambling that nothing goes wrong for the life of the obligation.
Actually, for it to work perfectly, you are gambling that your income will increase and you will get $12,500 worth of value from the vehicle, so that you don't miss the extra $2,500.

It all works more or less acceptably until something goes wrong with your income. Suddenly you lose your job and you can't make good on the exchange - you don't have money coming in, so it can't go out. They take the car and alert other businesses that you're a bad credit risk. Now you have no car and no ability to buy another one - at least if you want to buy on credit.

People are starting to see through the scam. That's one reason why home sales are down and the economic recovery is anemic - people are starting to save for what they need instead of going further into debt than is wise. They're also tired of paying hundreds of dollars a month to pay credit cards that they haven't been able to use for years because they're maxed out, and the monthly payment is only slightly more than the obscene interest charge.

As they pay off these loans and save enough money, they'll start to spend again, with bigger down payments or buying with cash - but in the meantime sellers of goods, especially big-ticket items, are hurting.

About half of the country seems to understand this when it comes to spending by government. A national debt of $14,500 billion is not seen as wise. But the other half seems to believe that constant borrowing combined with steady or increased government spending is sustainable.

Paying off the national debt will hurt, but it won't hurt as much as carrying ongoing obligation to the owners of the government's debt.

You can balance the budget and cause a lot of temporary hurt, or you can maintain the status quo until it all collapses - in which case the hurt will be deeper and, if not permanent, at least lengthy. Either choice hurts. No wonder so many politicians are paralyzed.

2011-07-15T05:22:00.000-05:00

Refuse to be Afraid!

Hey - wha hoppen?

2011-07-11T18:47:00.001-05:00

I think The Mighty Wind is a charming movie that works as satire only to a point because the makers really do seem to love the 1960s folk music that they're trying to mock. Let's face it, songs like "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" and "Potato's in the Paddy Wagon" are just too good to be as funny as they could be.

My conscience emailed me the other day and said he has begun to refer to me as "the blogger with nothing to say." I could think of no response, which was ironic. Or fitting. Or something.

We're in a season of blowback, a season of seeing what happens when people elected to balance budgets and limit the power and size of government actually attempt to balance budgets and limit the power and size of government. The tantrums have been instructive. Every dollar spent in the name of Big Government has a patron. There is so much to say, and yet it all seems so self-evident.

The heat index outside my office window was something like 93 degrees today. Last time I posted something here, the wind chill was in the 20s. It's time I said something.

Springus interruptus

2011-04-22T10:13:00.000-05:00

As we closed out the first month of spring, another 5 to 10 inches of snow fell on Northeast Wisconsin - the kind of thick, heavy snow that bends branches and strains backs. The only consolation was that street and road surfaces were warm enough that the accumulation was not as thick on concrete and asphalt as it was on the bare ground.

In fact our driveway didn't need clearing even though 3-4 inches of white covered the yard that just two days earlier had been showing its first signs of healthy green.

Last year at this time, the weather was so mild by April 20 that I optimistically planted a row of radishes, peas and beans in a corner of the garden. My foolishness became clear with the cold snap and flurries of the first weekend in May. But those flurries were mid-July weather compared to the scene in our yard Wednesday.

On this Friday morning, the only sign of the storm is the bent arbor vitaes that will probably never recover. All of the gunk that snapped branches, dropped power lines and sent vehicles spinning has now melted. The forecasters say sunny and 55 on Sunday, 66-70 by Tuesday. Like all cold storms that interrupt a promise of hope, this one has faded into memory, a diversion more fit for laughter than despair.

The freedom of a puppy's soul

2011-04-19T09:12:00.002-05:00

One of the things that Willow likes to do is romp on our bed. It's sort of a wrestling match and sort of a doggie massage session. During these sessions she will either wrap her jaws around my forearm or bite down on my sleeve without actually connecting with my arm.

That's a remarkable decision on her part. It means we can play with a little more rough-housing because we trust each other not to cause harm. We both know that as the one with sharper teeth, Willow could shred my arm to pieces. We both know that as the larger beast, I could probably inflict some significant damage on her. But we choose to play in a way that avoids those things.

There is a philosophical theory that the difference between a human and an animal is that a human has a soul and the ability to know and choose right from wrong. But if Willow does not possess these qualities, how does she know not to chew my hand off? How does a beast with no soul develop the ability to play, and play safe?

No, this is a special creature with a sense of whimsy and a spirit of joy. Perhaps it's a stretch to conclude that my companion is a gentle soul based on the observation that my hand remains attached to my wrist. But I reject the notion that there is no soul behind those devoted eyes.

The joy of joy

2011-04-04T04:30:00.014-05:00

I enjoy joy. Embracing the thrill of living in all of its colors feels delightful. When joy is the default condition of the day, it’s a banner day.

Willow, our home’s golden retriever companion, is a remarkable example of how to live a joyful life. At 2 years old, she seeks out joy with the curiosity of a child and the wisdom of the joyous.

When I follow her lead, I achieve an unmatchably warm and peaceful contentment. Therefore, any time I am in her sphere of influence, I make sure I throw her ball or her orange disk, rub her belly, hug her with all my strength, or whatever else the moment requires.

This late winter and early spring in Wisconsin have been short on moments of joy. An 18-inch snowfall on the third day of spring will put a damper on almost any mood, and the ghastly political puppet theater now in progress is so tiring that I will mention it here only to make my point.

But Willow has no such shortage. She pranced across the snowdrifts like a miniature whitetail deer, she plays hide-and-seek with the blue ball and whines impatiently when I haven’t found it yet, she is oblivious to the puppet theater, and she comes to me frequently with a look that seems to say, “Relax. Life is joyful. Just live it.”

And so I choose to raise my head and lift my spirits. They say when you have no control over externals, you still have a choice over your internal reaction. The choices are to laugh or to cry; I choose to laugh. The choices are grumbling through my work or pausing frequently to play with Willow; I choose the puppy. The choices are to sink into the mud or embrace the joy of the soaring eagle; I choose the sky.

I enjoy joy. And for my own mental health, as often as I remember, I choose joy.

'There is no try'

2011-03-27T08:19:00.000-05:00

"Do or do not. There is no 'try.'" — Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

This little essay from Seth Godin is for everyone who has ever allowed themselves to say, “Oh, I could never do that ...”

I will never be able to dunk a basketball.

This is beyond discussion.

Imagine, though, a co-worker who says, "I'll never be able to use a knife and fork. No, I have to use my hands."

Or a colleague who says, "I can't possibly learn Chinese. I'm not smart enough."

The plain and simple truth is that pretty much anyone — including you! — can accomplish pretty much anything he/she sets her mind to, assuming you are willing to put in the time needed to do it right.

Says Godin: “I have no intention of apologizing for believing in people, for insisting that we all use this moment and these assets to create some art and improve the world around us.”

This is a message that needs to be shouted, far and wide.

What can you do today to improve the world? Don’t even think about saying, “I can never ...”

Spare me The Cloud

2011-03-24T04:30:00.004-05:00

I’m not conceiving the advantage of life without a hard drive.

The Cloud seems to be the next stage in the evolution of digital life. Instead of keeping your data in your computer, the cloud hangs onto your software and everything that now is stored on your drive.

I guess the beauty is that if your computer crashes, all your “stuff” survives out there on the cloud. But if I crash and I lose my stuff, shame on me for not backing it all up. What if the cloud crashes? Can’t happen, they say. Yeah, but what if the cloud crashes? Remember a little unsinkable boat called the Titanic?

Yes, I’m a Luddite. I like the feel of a book in my hands, a specific and unique book, not a download onto an electronic pad. I like storing music on vinyl records where it can be mechanically reproduced, not as digital bits that can be scrambled. I like handling cash, and I feel a little cheated when my money all transferred via computer and plastic before I can actually see and feel it. And if I’m going to save my stuff as digital bits, I’d like to have physical possession of those bits, thank you.

Boo, Cloud. I don’t care if you allow me to watch the premiere of "Celebrity Probation" while I’m stuck at the airport. It’s just not the same as holding your stuff in your hands.

Charge ahead and write your own self-help book

2011-03-23T04:30:00.007-05:00

Not long ago my old friend Wally Conger made a suggestion to his readers ... or rather he passed along a suggestion from one of his heroes, Scott Alexander: Write a motivational book for yourself based on what life has taught you so far.

“Write down these stories and the lessons you have learned from them. Record your past feelings of desperation and how you picked yourself up. Put together a chapter on where you are heading. Think about all that you have done, the people you have touched, how your faith in God has been tried and tested, the times you cried, the times you laughed and all the love that you have won and lost. You are the sum total of all the experiences that you have had - good, bad and disgusting. It’s all you. It's all good. ...

“I officially declare you a motivational author - WRITE!!! Keep charging and you will keep adding material for future books. Never let an adventure go to waste.”

Wally asked: “Got a motivational book inside of YOU? I bet you do. And maybe someday you’ll be willing to share it with the rest of us.”

That was the day I started writing Scream of Consciousness. Like Refuse to be Afraid, it’s a short collection of essays, so short the audiobook will fit on a single CD. It’s about being alive moment by moment and letting your every expression be a joyful scream of consciousness.

I still have a handful of chapters to complete and some polishing to do, but I’m close enough that I wanted to give a shout-out to Scott and Wally for the inspiration.

And hey - if you haven’t found the inspirational book that really speaks to YOU yet, maybe it’s because you need to write it yourself! What are you waiting for?

(And for more from Wally and Scott, check this out.)

Three tenets to a true revolution

2011-03-22T04:30:00.001-05:00

The three tenets of a peaceful life:

1. Love your neighbor as yourself.

2. Interact with love, not force, not violence.

3. Give more than you receive.

For three years, on and off, I have been writing a story about freedom and revolution, built around a character who has developed the name Raymond Douglas Kaliber. The three tenets are the essentials of his philosophy.

Based on Sirius IV – and therefore a very loose sequel to my first novel, The Imaginary Bomb – the tale follows a revolt against the tyrants who have attempted to rule from Earth, some 8.6 light years away. But as a wise and ancient songwriter said, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” A government established through violent overthrow of a repressive regime can only be repressive itself, as violence begets violence.

It was an Imaginary Revolution. My story tells how Kaliber created a new kind of commonwealth, based in his tenets of a peaceful life.

I can’t wait to share it. I see so much of Sirius IV every day in the headlines, and I wish I could see Ray Kaliber out there working already.

Who benefits from your fear?

2011-03-21T04:30:00.002-05:00

The fear is ratcheting up again. Again I’m reminded of the scene in the movie V for Vendetta when the mad tyrant Adam Sutler demands that the citizenry be reminded “why - they - need - us!!!”

I turn on the news this morning and the U.S. is leading a coalition to make war against Libya. The fallout continues from the Japan earthquake - literally, as crews continue to work to avert catastrophe at a crippled nuclear power plant. In my home state of Wisconsin and elsewhere, a battle is brewing between the private sector and public employees, with either side claiming the other is motivated by greed. Like the bar patron in V for Vendetta, one is tempted to wonder aloud, “Do you believe that shit?”

The other option is to be afraid. Fear kills reason. Fear leads to irrational decisions. When fear wells up in your throat, the only rational thing to do is to force it back down. Refuse to be afraid.

Then consider: Who benefits when you are afraid? In the story, the tyrant Sutler clearly felt he had the upper hand when ordinary citizens were cowed. A fearful citizenry is more easily led. The forces of tyranny can advance their attack on freedom more easily against people who don’t want to be afraid anymore. They have a tougher row to hoe against people who simply refuse to be afraid, people who see through the ruse and preserve their freedom.

As H.L. Mencken famously said, “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Don’t let them alarm you. If you are afraid to speak out, speak anyway. Refuse to be afraid.

The aim side of ready-fire-aim

2011-02-03T06:58:00.001-06:00

A lot of good business folks have recommended the idea of approaching a project with the philosophy "Ready-Fire-Aim!" That is, get it ready, but don't necessarily waste too much time "aiming" the project, tinkering until all your ducks are in a row. With the flexibility of Internet technology these days, that tweaking can be done on the fly.

So what you've seen this week is a tweak on the fly. (My, that sounds a little risque, doesn't it?) After further due diligence I've reversed my earlier thoughts and decided Refuse to be Afraid is indeed the title that my first non-fiction book will wear for posterity.

What happened? Well, a couple of things that a good entrepreneur or author wannabe should consider before pulling the proverbial trigger.
First, I Googled the new name and discovered at least three other books called Free to Dream. Good name, that. But Google "Refuse to be Afraid book" and there's my little effort, with the competitive field pretty much all to itself. Second, I asked some trusted friends. They didn't exactly say I was nuts in so many words, but the message was: You're nuts to change the book's name, especially with its subtitle: Refuse to be Afraid. Free yourself. Dream.

About that pink squirrel? Well, heck, my writing style tends toward encouragement and I think about Reagan's preference for positive word choices anyway. The book is designed to make you aware of your fears, and the way that messages from politicians, advertisers, media and others are crafted to keep you afraid. And that is good to keep in mind. It's a common (and sometimes insidious) ploy: Scratch your fears and sell you their "solution," often at your expense. When the expense is cash, maybe you've got a product you didn't need anyway. When the expense is a piece of your liberty, it's a tad more serious.

But once aware of your fears, you can free yourself, and once free you can dream. That's been my message for most of the five years or so I've been blogging, and on reflection that seems like a positive message after all. Refuse to be Afraid. Free yourself. Dream is more than the title of the book, it's what folks call a "brand" – and it's not time to abandon my "brand." So the title stays put.

This is a book designed to help the reader — that's you, I hope — recognize and face down those nagging doubts and outright fears that are keeping you from living your best life. Maybe you know what you'd like to do but you think you're not ready to take the leap into that new job, that new business, or that date with the attractive person down the hall. What's keeping you back? Maybe you're convinced that sacrificing a little freedom is the price for security. Where'd you get that idea? Time to navigate past the anxiety, refuse to be afraid and free yourself to move on to your dreams.

Yep, it's about being free to dream. But the first step is refusing to be afraid. You'll always have a tinge of fear, that's natural when you step out of your comfort zone, but you need to wrestle that anxious energy into positive action. That's what the book is about, that's its title and I'm stickin' by it.

Now, you have invested your $12.95 plus shipping, or your $3.99 for the download, right? If not, here's a handy dandy link to correct that oversight. (This is what those "brand" folks call asking for the sale.) Did I mention that handsome photograph of the author with his (then) seven-week-old puppy on the back cover? It's downright irresistible; your fears will start melting before you crack the cover.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the subject. Thanks to all who have already dived into the book, and have I mentioned my next project? Oh, that's a subject for another day anyway.

Pink squirrels, fear and the freedom to dream

2011-02-01T06:53:00.001-06:00

This is important now: Don’t think about pink squirrels for the next 30 seconds. Ready? Go!

You have a pretty clear image of a pink squirrel in your mind now, don’t you?

And that, simply put, is why I'm going to put out a revised edition of my book Refuse to be Afraid with a new name: Free to Dream.

The content will be nearly the same and the purpose is identical: To help readers identify the fears that stand in the way of reaching their dreams. But part of the key to that is to practice positive, not negative, reinforcement.

I’ve heard that President Ronald Reagan would go through his speeches and change words and phrases to communicate them in a positive manner: “I will never forget” became “I will always remember,” for example. The idea was related to Earl Nightingale’s “Strangest Secret”: We become what we think about.

If I press upon you that the most important thing is to refuse to be afraid, then I have put the fear into the front of your mind. But the goal is to bring your fears under control, to free yourself, to help you take the leap necessary to fulfill your dream. So I’ve given the book a title that reflects that goal.

Try this: As you face a new day, repeat to yourself “I refuse to be afraid. I refuse to be afraid!” See if that doen’t make you feel just a tad anxious. The phrase calls attention to the fears you are trying to wrangle. Now try this: “I am free to dream. I am free to dream!” The fears start melting out of your consciousness, right?

We need to recognize when fear is holding us back and, yes, refuse to be afraid. But our internal conversation needs to be focused on the results that will occur when we overcome that fear — when we are free to dream.

Respect your instincts

2011-01-27T07:12:00.000-06:00

One day when I was 16 years old, I got curious about the cigarettes that a friend had begun smoking out of habit. I asked if I could try one. “Sure,” he said, handing one over, helping me light it and giving a quick demonstration of how to inhale.

My lungs rebelled immediately, and by the time I was halfway through my head ached and my stomach was turning. I extinguished the cigarette and never considered tobacco again.

When I first got out of college, I vowed never to buy anything on debt except a house and perhaps a car. It struck me that if I bought something on credit, a $100 purchase would end up costing me $120 or $180 or more depending on the interest rate and how long I took to pay it off. But I found myself unable (or unwilling?) to establish a substantial savings account. After a year or so, I bought a new stereo system on an 18-month plan.

That felt so painless that I took out a credit card, for “big” items only, of course.
I forget what the first “little” purchase was, but it wasn’t long before the revolving credit account was on its way to becoming maxed out. A second credit card followed, with a vow that I’d use that one properly and wouldn’t use the whole line of credit again. It was the beginning of my first trip to bankruptcy court, because that savings account would have been my first line of defense against the rainy days that inevitably arrived. I was right the first time, you see: Debt is dumb.

“Common sense” is a term we sometimes address only when we’re in a hole, as in, “Why didn’t I have more common sense?” Our instincts tell us when we’re crossing over into dangerous territory: The lungs rebel, the mathematics tells us we’re better off postponing a purchase until you have enough money to pay it off immediately. But the smoke gives pleasure or at least a release of anxiety (not for me, but those who enjoy smoking tell me), and the Stuff that borrowed money can buy beckons enticingly from the shelf. And so we overrule our instincts.

Every so often you may have a scream of consciousness: What am I doing to myself?!? At some point — either after five minutes in the case of my cigarette experiment or years later in the case of my spending habits — you will wake up sufficiently to produce the sensible next step: I’m not going to do this anymore! But depending on how deep is the hole you dug, that may be an early step in the process.

Some smokers find themselves with permanent health consequences, and I am still digging myself out of the debt hole as of this writing.

Better to trust your instincts in the first place. And the key to following your instincts is to keep yourself aware and therefore alert to danger. Yes, the same process that gives you the joy of being alive moment by moment also has the benefit of keeping you alive and safe, moment by moment.

If an alarm bell is going off in your soul, if something seems too good to be true, respect your instincts. Common sense will keep you in the present moment and, perhaps, out of trouble.

The Sacred and the Lore of Attraction

2011-01-18T06:44:00.001-06:00

My commute material last week included the audiobook of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I had a few concerns about the book, which were partially addressed in the book There is More to the Secret by Ed Gungor, which I read over the weekend.

This "secret" is very similar to other short books I have read in the past 18 months, most notably As A Man Thinketh by James Allen and especially The Science of Getting Rich by William Wattles, which she specifically mentions. Earl Nightingale summed these works up in six words: We become what we think about. (I must shamelessly add that you'll find Allen's and Wattles' works in one convenient package by clicking here.) Many modern thinkers have adopted this theory – the whole process of visualizing your goal, believing it has already been met, is an outgrowth of what Byrne calls The Secret.

As Gungor points out, there is something to this law of attraction that Byrne describes – as far as it goes. She goes astray (and, I would argue, so does Wattles) when she attributes the law to a perfect but amoral Universe rather than God. I had a little trouble matching her arguments to my reality until I noticed a trick of the ear.

She kept talking about "getting in touch with the sacred," and that puzzled me. Her book really is not about that kind of supernatural power. The only direct reference I heard to Jesus, for example, was in a list of philosophers known to have tapped into the law of attraction. My first epiphany came when I realized my aging ears were mis-hearing her Australian accent. She wasn't saying "sacred," she was saying "secret."

But when I started listening with an ear tuned to how The Secret complements what I know of The Sacred, the concept seemed to click in my mind. I was further aided by her accent when it came to what sounded like "the lore of attraction," which of course is how she pronounced "law." Those pronunciations became my aural cues to think in terms I could see in real life – When she said "lore," I thought "Lord." She was so close to the real Secret – just one letter off!

Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. (Matthew 21:22)

I said "my first epiphany." More to come on this subject.

Freedom is not for the faint of heart

2011-01-13T07:18:00.000-06:00

You are free to shout "fire" in a crowded theater. All you have to do is be prepared to accept the consequences — for example, time in jail or prison, and/or civil suits by people injured in the ensuing panic, or their survivors.

You are free to blame a madman's actions on your political adversaries. All you have to do is be prepared to accept the consequences — for example, looking like a damn fool when the madman's friends confirm he was apolitical and paid no attention to your adversaries.

Freedom comes with responsibility, accountability for your words and actions. It's not always easy to speak your mind publicly, because just as you have every right to express your views, those who hear have every right to offer their opinions in response. Sometimes other people's opinions of yours won't be pleasant.

Never mind what Big Brother said, freedom is the opposite of slavery. The solution to foolish or angry words is a reasoned response. The solution is not silencing the foolish or angry speaker by the force of new law – and the solution is certainly not violence. Not ever.

Freedom is not for the faint of heart. Freedom of speech means sometimes we will hear things we'd rather not hear. Stupid and/or evil folks will abuse freedom, and you can count on that. But the actions of a few do not justify stealing freedom from the many.

Freedom is not a gift of government. You were born with certain, inherent rights. Governments are formed to secure these rights, not create them. The most tyrannical government cannot remove these rights, although (as governments are designed to do) it may impede the exercise of freedom, and often does.

Freedom is the default mode of a human being. We relinquish our freedoms at our own peril. Think hard before you advocate for restricting any of them.

They hate our freedoms

2011-01-12T07:17:00.002-06:00

In the aftermath of the unspeakable incidents Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City and elsewhere, many people said the terrorists did what they did because they hate America’s freedoms.

In the aftermath of the horrific incident Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., it’s a bit disheartening to see the extent to which Americans hate America’s freedoms.

Rather than place the blame for the deaths of six people and the wounding of 12 others where it belongs — in the hands of a deranged individual — politicians and pundits have blamed instead the increasingly nasty tone of political discourse in this country, or the availability of guns.

In response to a madman’s actions, laws have been proposed that would further restrict free speech or gun sales. One bill would criminalize comments that could be conceived as threats against congressmen — one wonders what to do with the president’s remark “If they bring a knife to a fight, bring a gun.” Another lawmaker would re-establish the so-called “Fairness Doctrine” that neutered political speech on the radio and television airwaves for decades.

The problem, it seems, was not that Jared Loughner was left alone to grow sicker until he became homicidal. The problem was that people were saying too many bad things about left-wing politicians.

Once upon a time, a famous statement attributed to the French philosopher Voltaire summed up what I believe was the great American creed: I do not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

This was the nation where the Supreme Court ruled that anti-Semites have a right to march through a Jewish community, and we applauded the Constitution that protected even the nastiest and most offensive political speech.

Now, we have a college professor who changes the words of the American literary classic Huckleberry Finn, because a word then commonly used to describe African Americans is spread liberally through its text. Never mind that Mark Twain’s novel is a landmark triumph in the battle against racism. The professor disapproves of what Twain said and will raise not a finger to defend his right to say it.

Now, there are those who, faced with statements they disapprove, advocate that the speaker be silenced.

And of course, now, the opponents of the Second Amendment have polished off their favorite bills designed to confiscate weapons not just from the deranged, but from all citizens.

Two centuries, a score and 15 years ago, a new nation was formed, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the notion that we are created equal with certain, inherent rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

In the Bill of Rights, these rights were spelled out in more specific detail, with the government of our “more perfect union” prohibited from regulating freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, the right to bear arms, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, and many more rights and freedoms — inherent rights we hold from the moment of our birth, not because a benevolent monarch or other political entity bestowed them upon us.

Some of the statements heard in the public arena today are hateful and offensive — “Save Mother Earth, kill Bush,” for example, or derogatory remarks based on President Obama’s skin color.

But even more hateful and offensive is the notion that the right to speak freely should be taken away.

Even more hateful and offensive is the notion that because a lunatic abused the right to bear arms, everyone’s right to bear arms must be infringed.

Even more hateful and offensive is that because people have committed crimes against humanity, then all of humanity must be subject to unreasonable searches and seizures, at risk of being held without charge or speedy trial, and otherwise treated in violation of the founding laws of this once proud nation.

Those who would tread on those founding laws aim to silence those who believe those laws still have relevance 235 years later, and they will use any means necessary to achieve that aim — even if it requires using the actions of a lone madman as an excuse to intimidate and even enslave millions. But we who still believe in freedom will not be silent, not while those who hate our freedoms are shouting so loudly.

The essential difference is this: I could not disagree more thoroughly with those who shout such hateful and offensive ideas, but I will defend to the death their right to shout them. Sadly, 235 years after America declared its independence, many would deny their political adversaries even the right to whisper.

UPDATE AT 3:14 P.M. 1-12-2011: OK, that's enough of being disheartened. I now switch away from worrying about how some people hate our freedom and back to loving our freedom. I now switch away from being afraid our freedoms are in jeopardy and back to refusing to be afraid. I apologize for my lapse.

Thoughts on the opening of the 112th Congress

2011-01-05T07:33:00.003-06:00

The new governor of Wisconsin raised some eyebrows the other day with something noncontroversial that he said during his inauguration speech.

Gov. Scott Walker said, among other things, “Our rights as free people are given by our creator, not the government. Among these rights is the right to nurture our freedom and vitality through limited government.”

Some made a small fuss about the insertion of a supernatural creator into a secular event. They had little recourse, seeing as Walker was quoting from the Wisconsin Constitution when he talked about being “grateful to almighty God for our freedom.”

For centuries and even millennia, humanity has operated on the presumption that some people are better than others, that common people are born to serve superior people, and that the kindest superior people bestow freedoms on commoners who find favor with them.

In 1776 the Founders of the United States of America turned this notion on its head, declaring that we are born free.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” declared the Founders, “That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

They instituted regular elections, a peaceful way of securing the next clause in their declaration: “That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

Now, you can quarrel if you wish regarding whether this creator exists, but it would not change the basic fact on which American government was founded: Public servants live to serve the people — the people do not live to serve the government.

Each individual is created with certain, inherent rights, beginning with the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, comprise what has been dubbed a secular 10 commandments, but rather than God prescribing individual behavior — you shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery — these commandments are directed at the government: You shall not restrain what people say, you shall not search their persons or property in an unreasonable fashion, etc.

From the beginning the struggle has continued between those who believe in these principles and those who believe having a king was a better idea. Indeed, it was many years before a majority acknowledged that the words “all men are created equal” really do apply to all men — of all skin colors and faiths — and to women, as well.

As a recent president put it so well, “as government expands, liberty contracts.”

For at least the past four years — and I would argue it has been much longer — the majority in power has held to the belief that the people exist for the government, which is comprised of superior people who know better how the common people should live their lives.

For all of my lifetime, the president of the United States has been accorded the kinds of perks and honors previously reserved for monarchs, and those who work for the government have increasingly applied the notion that they exist to dictate terms to the people.

In the last election the notion that all men are created equal, and that government serves the people, seems to have prevailed. We shall see whether those who were elected really believe the principles that got them elected.

They will have to struggle against those who still believe that government exists to govern, with or without the consent of the governed. It is a struggle that began in July 1776. The revolution, it seems, never ended.

Opening the book on a new year

2011-01-01T16:21:00.001-06:00

Lyrics to a little ditty I wrote back in the day ...

Live Till You Die

Nobody said that it would be easy,
Everyone said it could not be done,
But nobody said it would not be worth it,
So go for it now — you've only just begun.

There's no shame in failing before the end comes.
While there's life, there is hope, there's a seed.
It's better to try, give it all that you have,
Than attempt to do nothing and succeed.

There's just too many people out there
Not caring if they live or die
There's just so much to find out there —
You can't laugh if you're afraid to cry.

So this is my plea: Live till you die.
There's no reason you should give up now.
Tomorrow's a blank page to write what you wish —
The rising sun will show you how.

Cross posted to Uncle Warren's Attic

Find Your Passion

2010-12-28T06:28:00.002-06:00

Nearly halfway through my fifth decade on this world, I met a little red-haired girl. Well, “girl” is a bit of a misnomer, since she had also spent almost four and a half decades on this planet. When I began writing newspaper columns, she became Red — well, actually, her dad had been Red, and she was known as Little Red when she was a little red-haired girl. But for all practical intents and purposes, she is Red now. And more than a decade later, she is still my best friend and dearest companion, a relationship I suspect will continue until my last breath.

Red is a joy to behold in a garden. She will spend hours digging in the soil, trimming wild growth into some semblance of order, planting seeds and nursing them into bloom. Sometimes I will step into our yard, where wildflowers and roses and morning glories and cedar trees compete for the eye’s attention, and am overcome with the beauty of the fruits of Red’s labors. I can only imagine what she feels when she steps back to see what her dirt-smudged hands have wrought.

Well, I can do a little bit more than imagine, because she has converted me to the cause to a certain extent. I need a little more a reward at the end of my journey, so my focus has been in the realm of growing food. I know the thrill of biting into a radish or a tomato that I planted, and I know the frustration of tending a plant that never yields what it promised, so I guess I have an idea how Red feels about her gardens.

But as wise souls know, in many many ways the journey is the reward. Although there is some satisfaction in the finished product, the point of digging in the soil is the joy of digging in the soil. Red just has a passion for working with the natural processes of nurturing and growing. Often the results are spectacular, sometimes not so much — but as she follows her passion, she retains a focus that simultaneously settles, recharges and energizes her soul.

I have a similar feeling when I sit at a typewriter keyboard typing words like this, or holding my guitar trying to coax a new song out of it. I suspect the process of creation is inherent to human nature.

The X-Files was a popular TV series of the 1990s, and at the end of each program creator Chris Carter inserted the sound of a child’s voice saying with pride, “I made this!” It was a charming moment. An indescribable exhilaration accompanies the completion of a project, as you step back and admire the task and then realize, “I made this!” Studies have shown that people feel more motivated when they have a sense of ownership in what they create during the course of a workday, whether it’s a physical product or a more existential or intellectual handiwork.

We were built this way. It is said that God made human beings in His image, and “In the beginning God created ...” The act of creation puts us in touch with something essential to our very being.

And especially gratifying is when we can step back, examine our finished creation and conclude, “It is good.”

How do we maximize the number of moments when we can cry “I made this!” or sigh with satisfaction, “It is good”?

Find your passion.

What is it that you enjoy doing so much that it feels more like play than work even when you’re working on it? What makes your heart beat faster when you do it or even just start thinking about it? What gets your attention to the point that when you’re learning about it or finding out how to do it or readin about it, hours can go by and it’s like time stood still? That’s very likely your passion.

Happy is the soul who is making a living doing what he or she loves best. Those are the people who have found their passion, for whom “work” is more like play. Well, maybe not quite — people who love their work still work hard; it’s just that the drudge work doesn’t seem so bad. For Red digging in the soil is a release and a source of satisfaction; for someone who is not passionate about gardening, it’s just digging in the dirt. When I’m not writing tomes like this or composing songs, I’m a small-town newspaper editor. Editing can be a time-consuming and repetitive task, but often the end of the workday takes me by surprise, because I enjoy the work.

“Hang on a second,” you might be asking at this stage. “Is Red a gardener by trade? Does she ‘make a living’ digging in the dirt?” Good question. No, she isn’t and no, she doesn’t, at least not as of this writing. But she is more fully alive because of the time she spends following her passion, and that helps her focus on her chosen field.

When you are following your passion, it’s easier to remain conscious. Your attention zeroes in, your senses are fully engaged, and your thoughts are focused. It’s possible to look up and discover that hours have gone by. You have stayed “in the moment” for many, many moments. You were here now, and many many “nows” have gone by.

It is a scream of consciousness: I love doing this!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T10:59:00.002-06:00

Staying in the moment

2010-12-23T10:05:00.000-06:00

Inspiration can strike in the most exciting ways when you keep your eyes and ears open to the moment at hand.

All you have to do is stay conscious and be aware of the moment. Every moment. Tend to this moment; it’s all we have.

Easier said than done. Every day is full of traps to rob you of your consciousness, lull you with a dull routine, and pretty much turn your brain off. Ever arrive at work taking the same route as any other day, and suddenly realize you didn’t remember the trip? What a day for a daydream!

How do you stay awake moment to moment, so that when the idea of a lifetime presents itself, you can seize it?

A scream of consciousness!

Sinking into the moment, one is suddenly struck by the realization that the moment is all there is.

There is no time. Yesterday is a collection of moments like this. They cannot be retrieved; what's done is done. Tomorrow will be another such collection; it cannot be accessed, not yet, not ever.

A joke I heard from Barry McGuire, the folk singer who gave the world “Eve of Destruction” and has contributed so much more since that 1965 hit song:

Guy walks into a bar (as so many guys do in jokes) and sees a sign: “Free beer, noon tomorrow.” All right, sez he, I’m coming back to this little gin joint tomorrow for the free beer.

The next day, right before noon, the guy walks in, plants his hands on the counter and says, “Line ’em up. I’m ready for the free beer.” Bartender looks at him as if he’s nuts. “What are you talkin’ about? There’s no free beer today.” The two men quarrel for a few moments, and to emphasis their arguments, they both point at the sign: “Free beer, noon tomorrow.”

That’s when the first guy gets the joke.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow doesn’t exist. Only this moment is real.

What does this moment require? That’s the most important question. The conscious person considers the needs of the moment, and acts.

When Barry talked about this, it reminded me of the cover of a book that had a bit of a cult following years ago when I lived in the 1960s (I was very surprised to discover it was published in 1971): Be Here Now. It has always sounded like as good a good philosophy of life as can be summarized in three words.

Mr. McGuire said he encountered the idea in The Sacrament of the Present Moment, written 350 years ago by a priest named Jean-Pierre de Caussade. I ran out and found the priest’s book; it is slow going but it is amazing if a person is so inclined.

Here’s the gist of it: Only this moment is real. You have control only over your actions of this moment.

What do you need to do? Do it. Now.

Do you have a task that appears too much for you? Do you think you can’t possibly handle all that the task requires? Well, do you think you can handle it just for this moment?

Barry spoke in the context of a friend who was trying to stay sober. He asked the man, Do you think you can keep from drinking just for this moment?

“Sure, that’s not so hard.”

OK, How about this moment, now?

“Yeah, I can do that.”

And now this moment, can you keep from drinking for this moment? Great. Now you’re getting the hang of it.

Each day is a collection of moments. Stay in the moment at hand, and do what the moment requires.
Don’t fret over past moments; you cannot change what happened then. Don’t fret over tomorrow; tomorrow doesn't exist — and if you tend to the moment, the needs of future moments will become self-evident. Stay in the present moment.

I believe a scream of consciousness occurs when you drift away for a while, only to occasionally wake up and say to yourself or to the world, “I am here! I can do this!” Staying in the present moment is the key to staying conscious once you’re back.

A scream of consciousness

2010-12-22T10:09:00.001-06:00

I have no doubt God has a sense of humor. Here is a case in point.

This fall I made a homemade album of songs I wrote last year, and I gave it the title Ten Thousand Days. One of the tunes was deliberately written as a nonsense song.

I had been sitting at a park bench and, more as a kind of exercise than any real intention to write a song, started stringing phrases together at random, as fast as I could.

Orange dogs and old black cats are crying at the door;
A painted lady called my name, but I don’t go there no more.
Pained ecstacy haunts aging dreams, and it’s time to go to bed ...

The song became “All That’s Left You” when my wandering brain stumbled across a fragment from the Simon and Garfunkel song “Bookends” — “A time of innocence, a time of confidences ... Preserve your memories, they’re all that’s left you.”

So the first verse of my new song became “A stream of consciousness, a stream of confidences, Protect your innocence; it’s all that’s left you.”

And when I came to that line while recording, I goofed. I sang, “A scream of consciousness.” I laughed, and because it was a nonsense song, for a time I thought about leaving the song that way. I’m still not sure I made the right decision by going back and re-recording the line with the original lyric.

But I got to thinking about that phrase. What would a “scream of consciousness” be, anyway? When it hit me, I had the idea behind the book.

Have you ever, figuratively or literally, awakened from a stupor and become accutely aware of who you are and what you’re doing?

You were lulled to sleep by a stifling everyday routine, and suddenly you woke up and said, “Wait a minute. There’s got to be more to life than this!”

Someone was abusing you, psychologically or physically, and suddenly you stood up and said, “I don’t deserve this!”

You were enslaved by a bad habit and suddenly you became aware that you were headed in the wrong direction. You stopped in your tracks and said, “I’m not going to do this anymore!”

Or maybe you just were Sitting by a window on a cool summer morning and became aware of the call of a bird, or several birds, and all you could concentrate on was that beautiful sound, and that caused you to feel suddenly very much alive.

That, I would argue, is a scream of consciousness.

You rose out of your psychic fog and realized you didn’t want to keep going in the direction your life was going. You may not have known where you want to go and what you wanted to do, but you knew you didn’t want this.

You gained consciousness and screamed, perhaps literally. It was a scream of consciousness. It may have been borne from the frustration of realizing you had been unconscious, or it may have been borne from the joy of discovering beauty. But the moment you gain consciousness — when you realize or remember that you are what the science-fiction writers call a sentient being — is exhilarating.

There’s more to life!

God, with his big sense of humor, expanded my view of life when I stumbled over the words while singing a nonsense song.

How cool is that?

If not the government's job, whose?

2010-12-14T07:43:00.000-06:00

"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."

Thoughts from King Solomon, son of David, king of ancient Israel ... Proverbs 14: 30-31 (NIV)

What springs to mind as I read those words is that for many years I have argued that charity is not the work of government. Public-sector schemes to redistribute wealth are based on envy - punishing achievement based on an envious and false belief that great wealth is inevitably ill-gotten. But

it is not enough to say it's an improper use of government power. Yes, seizing citizens' personal assets in the name of helping the needy is wrong - government is a tool for tasks that require force, but it is an unwieldy and inefficient institution for feeding the hungry. Private charities and individual help have always managed to feed, clothe and shelter people faster and better than government can.

But again, it is not enough to make that philosophical point. Saying "it's not the government's job" does not relieve us of responsibility to the hungry, homeless and truly needy. To the contrary, relieving the government of its so-called charitable functions puts added responsibilities on individuals and private charities - as is right and proper. Each of us needs to decide for ourselves what those responsibilities are. "The Lord loves a cheerful giver," and only we know the limits of our giving.

It is not the job of Washington, the state capitol or city hall to love our neighbors. Taxing for those purposes is wrong - but the hungry still need food, and the homeless still need a place to stay.

We are responsible as individuals for our personal and families' well-being. But sometimes we stumble and even fall - and when we see a brother or sister in need, we have an obligation. Oppress them and we show contempt for their maker. Be kind to them and we honor God.

Look to your zest

2010-12-13T06:32:00.000-06:00

Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You
by Ray Bradbury remains perhaps my favorite book about the subject of creativity. Here is the master's view on finding the passion needed to write memorably and, in doing so, creating unforgettable characters ...

"Zest. Gusto. How rarely one hears these words used. How rarely do we see people living, or for that matter, creating by them. Yet if I were asked to name the most important items in a writer's make-up,
the things that shape his material and rush him along the road to where he wants to go, I could only warn him to look to his zest, see to his gusto."...

"Simply then, here is my formula. What do you want more than anything in the world? What do you love, or what do you hate?

"Find a character, like yourself, who will want something or not want something, with all his heart. Give him running orders. Shoot him off. Then follow as fast as you can go. The character, in his great love, will rush you through to the end of the story. The zest and gusto of his need ... will fire the landscape and raise the temperature of your typewriter 30 degrees."

Freedom from fear

2010-11-21T19:59:00.004-06:00

What is freedom?

Freedom is a place that seems to be the opposite of fear. And by definition, of course, freedom will mean different things to different people.

Freedom is often described in terms of absence: Freedom is the absence of present tyranny, barriers, threats, debt or other restrictions, or it is moving beyond the past to a promising future.

But freedom is more than a void; it is what fills the void: The actions, the peace of mind, enabled by the removal of those barriers.

Freedom is also, joyfully, an absence of fear — more accurately, of course, a willingness not to allow fear to be yet another barrier.

Make no mistake, fear is real — but you can decide not to be controlled by your fear. You can refuse to be afraid. It’s a little scary — but it’s a sound decision.

I am inspired by the attitude of our golden retriever puppy. When she is unfettered, Willow is a thing of beauty as she runs. She will run as fast and as far and as long as she can, or until I call her name and she comes running back.

Ideally we are limited only by others; ideally the only limit to our freedom is that nothing we do will limit others’ freedom.

“Fear not” and “be free” are nearly the same command. Refuse to be afraid — dare to be free — these are bold decisions.

Ten Thousand Days is ready

2010-11-09T13:12:00.001-06:00

Download my new album Ten Thousand Days at CD Baby or iTunes today!

A conversation about fear, friendship and fun - oh, and the book too

2010-10-24T15:39:00.004-05:00

Wally Conger and I chat about Refuse to be Afraid and ... well, I'll let Wally explain here.

Oh, and during the conversation, I mention putting up a way to e-mail me. There!

Refuse to be Afraid: The Book

2010-09-29T05:22:00.003-05:00

We all live with fear, ranging from little anxieties to sheer, stark-raving-mad, paralyzing terror, and everything in between. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of getting started, fear of being stopped before we’re finished, fear of what to do next after we’re finished. Fear of hate, fear of love, fear of hating, fear of being loved. Fear of sickness, fear of health, fear of other people’s habits, fear of our own.

Fear of death.

Life is scary. But you don’t have to let your fears control your actions.

As I've been blogging these themes have come up time and again, and I've long been tinkering with compiling them into a book. The book is here. Thanks for your encouragement.

Self Help: Words that could have been written this morning

2010-07-13T22:43:00.001-05:00

I am still amazed that the opening paragraphs of Samuel Smiles' book Self Help were published in 1859. Except that he uses an occasional word or turn of phrase that people don't use anymore, Smiles could be writing about the contemporary debate about government bailouts versus the power of the individual and the private sector.

Smiles' book is packed with examples of real-life (19th century) success and encouragement. No wonder it created an entire new genre. I'm tickled to be in a position to re-introduce this classic to modern audiences. Check this out (and click on the book cover to find out how to buy or download it):

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“Heaven helps those who help themselves” is a well-tried maxim, embodying in a small compass the results of vast human experience. The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual; and, exhibited in the lives of many, it constitutes the true source of national vigour and strength. Help from without is often enfeebling in its effects, but help from within invariably invigorates. Whatever is done for men or classes, to a certain extent takes away the stimulus and necessity of doing for themselves; and where men are subjected to over-guidance and over-government, the inevitable tendency is to render them comparatively helpless.

Even the best institutions can give a man no active help. Perhaps the most they can do is, to leave him free to develop himself and improve his individual condition. But in all times men have been prone to believe that their happiness and well-being were to be secured by means of institutions rather than by their own conduct. Hence the value of legislation as an agent in human advancement has usually been much over-estimated. To constitute the millionth part of a Legislature, by voting for one or two men once in three or five years, however conscientiously this duty may be performed, can exercise but little active influence upon any man’s life and character. Moreover, it is every day becoming more clearly understood, that the function of Government is negative and restrictive, rather than positive and active; being resolvable principally into protection — protection of life, liberty, and property. Laws, wisely administered, will secure men in the enjoyment of the fruits of their labour, whether of mind or body, at a comparatively small personal sacrifice; but no laws, however stringent, can make the idle industrious, the thriftless provident, or the drunken sober. Such reforms can only be effected by means of individual action, economy, and self-denial; by better habits, rather than by greater rights.

The Government of a nation itself is usually found to be but the reflex of the individuals composing it. The Government that is ahead of the people will inevitably be dragged down to their level, as the Government that is behind them will in the long run be dragged up. In the order of nature, the collective character of a nation will as surely find its befitting results in its law and government, as water finds its own level. The noble people will be nobly ruled, and the ignorant and corrupt ignobly.
Indeed all experience serves to prove that the worth and strength of a State depend far less upon the form of its institutions than upon the character of its men. For the nation is only an aggregate of individual conditions, and civilization itself is but a question of the personal improvement of the men, women, and children of whom society is composed.

National progress is the sum of individual industry, energy, and uprightness, as national decay is of individual idleness, selfishness, and vice. What we are accustomed to decry as great social evils, will, for the most part, be found to be but the outgrowth of man’s own perverted life; and though we may endeavour to cut them down and extirpate them by means of Law, they will only spring up again with fresh luxuriance in some other form, unless the conditions of personal life and character are radically improved. If this view be correct, then it follows that the highest patriotism and philanthropy consist, not so much in altering laws and modifying institutions, as in helping and stimulating men to elevate and improve themselves by their own free and independent individual action.

It may be of comparatively little consequence how a man is governed from without, whilst everything depends upon how he governs himself from within ...

Good stuff, huh? To access more of it, click here.

What Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Poison Belt' tells about the creative process

2010-06-28T06:18:00.002-05:00

There is a message for us in the creative life of Arthur Conan Doyle, who tried to kill off his most immortal creation.

Doyle got tired of writing the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and wrote a stirring final episode in which the famed detective dies. The public outcry was such that he had to bring Sherlock back.

As an alternative to Holmes' death, Doyle instead breathed life into new characters, notably the bombastic but brilliant Professor George E. Challenger and the three friends with whom he discovers The Lost World. Instead of destruction (killing Holmes), Doyle chose the creative act of assembling an entirely different iconic character.

While the world largely knows Challenger through The Lost World, there are four other tales, three of which are collected in The Poison Belt, my latest little product under the Richardson Press emblem. In the title novella, the four adventurers reunite to face a graver threat than dinosaurs: a section of outer space the Earth is passing through that may result in the death of the human race itself. In "The Disintegration Machine," Challenger investigates an inventor who claims to have created a device that can scramble a person's atoms and then bring him back — sort of an early version of Star Trek's transporter. And "When The World Screamed," the professor theorizes that Earth is one giant living being, and he proposes to get that being's attention. Still to come to complete my little Challenger trilogy: The Land of Mist, a novel steeped in the spiritualism that marked Doyle's later years.

The lesson from Doyle's work: Don't dismiss the good you've done before. Do keep finding new ways to exercise your creative chops.

Challenger is not as immortal as Holmes — but The Lost World and its sequels are still something special nearly 100 years later.

W.B.s Book Report: Thou Shall Prosper

2010-06-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

Rabbi Daniel Lapin's book is one of those eye-opening, game-changing books. He purports to explain what money is and how money works.

The laws of the marketplace don't change — you can try changing the rules as governments often do, but it won't work. Lapin explains the rules as clearly as I've ever seen, drawing on the ancient teachings of the Torah itself.

Business and money itself, Lapin says, are products of humanity's spiritual nature. As such they only work well when values like trust and integrity are at play. Again, some folks find temporary success with business and money without trust or integrity — but the emphasis there is on temporary.

This is one of those rare books that needs to be read more than once — studied and absorbed. I would be doing a disservice by trying to relate its concepts based on my still-growing understanding.

This much I can and will say: The attitude of our nation's leaders and most entertainment venues toward business and business people is based on falsehoods and a complete misunderstanding of the free market. I knew that much instinctively before I picked up this book, and Lapin does a nice job of explaining why it's true.