The Perishable Mind

When was the last time you really challenged your mind -- focused on something so intensely that it actually mentally and physically exhausted you? You know when you truly focus because the effort transcends time. You look at the clock and hours have passed without you even knowing, and it's a great feeling.

I've always challenged my mind with the creative process. For years I have constructed installations, or what some call paintings. I've gotten to the point where I build the installations from scratch. I find nothing more satisfying than watching something my mind conceived become a physical reality.

Lately I've poured my mental stimulation into this blog, and in the course I have developed a new outlet for the desire to exercise the creative process. All of the pictures associated with the posts on this blog are drawn by me. Those pictures, which usually start out as a simple thought, ultimately shape the words you are reading. So, I'm creating "art" and practicing my writing.

At the end of the day, I don't care who reads my blog, or likes my art work (my art is an acquired taste) -- although, it's nice if folks do like the product. I draw the pictures and write the posts for myself as a way to exercise and challenge my mind. Much like with physical exercise, this blog has become mental exercise for me -- a way to work out my mind.

I'm a firm believer in the school of thought that your mind is perishable, if you don't use it (challenge it), you'll lose it. Whether you exercise your mind with the creative process, stimulate it with a good book, play or listen to music, work a crossword puzzle, or any other way you can find, the key is to invigorate your thought process. Push your mental faculties. Continue to challenge your mind and it will continue to surprise you with what it is capable of accomplishing.

How do you challenge your mind?

Related Random Thoughts

The Importance of Social Networking Tools

Book Smarts or Street Smarts

Anatomy of an "Art" Project (for Art for the Cure of Cystic Fibrosis)

The Distant Edges

You, Me, I

I drew the picture while sitting in a coffee shop in Washington, DC's Chinatown last week. I was in DC to drop off some personal things and look for a place to live -- I'm moving in July. As I sat in the coffee shop and watched the hustle and bustle of daily life for folks going to and fro on a beautiful Friday afternoon, it struck me: We are all the same, but we are also different. This is not a new idea, but for me it was one of those "Ah Ha!" moments of instant clarity where something makes obvious sense.

It was an "Ah Ha!" moment for me, but I'm sure some will read it and say "Huh?". As a human race, individually we share the desire to live happy, healthy lives, and wish the same for each other. The desire to live a happy, healthy life is what makes us all the same (You, Me).

What makes us different is the "I" factor. In this case "I" stands for individuality, or those traits that are peculiar to each and distinguish us from another (I). What makes us special as humans is a desire for individuality, but the one thing that makes us individually different (I), also makes us the same (You, Me).

Even though we have the same basic destination of a happy, healthy life (You, Me), how we arrive at this destination is a product of our individual preferences (I).

Did I lose you (You, Me), or myself (I)...?

The Greyhound Odyssey

When was the last time you took a bus trip (if ever)? I'm not talking about a chartered bus, but actually purchased a ticket and traveled from point A to point B. Most people have never traveled by bus this way -- including me until recently.

I had the (mis)fortune of taking a Greyhound bus trip from Washington, DC to the southern Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's a long story why I ended up on, what I now call, my Greyhound Odyssey, but suffice it to say I did not have any other realistic, economical options (due to poor planning on my part), and thought it might be an interesting experience to make a bus trip. And it was...

Before the trip I solicited responses far and wide on the bus trip idea and received one of two reactions: "Ewww!," or a simple chuckle and look of puzzlement.

The fare from DC to North Carolina was seventy-nine dollars, included two bus transfers/layovers (Richmond, VA and Goldsboro, NC), five stops, and took nine and a half hours. By comparison, it normally takes about six hours to make the drive in an automobile. The bus departed from DC at 11:45 PM and arrived in North Carolina at 9:15 AM the next day.

I was struck by the number of people who use bus transportation. The main stations in DC and Richmond were packed with people waiting for buses. With the exception of a seat here or there (not more than a handful) the buses were all full. Passengers ranged from sketchy looking guys to mothers traveling with small children (mind you, it was the wee hours of the morning) to the elderly to me.

Most of the folks that read this blog probably travel frequently by airplane. There is no comparison to traveling by airplane to traveling by bus. The best analogy I can come up with to describe the bus riding experience is the difference between going to a Disney-like traveling show and going to the traveling circus/carnival. The traveling circus/carnival, which used to be a great source of entertainment, has taken a backseat to the gleaming traveling productions of Disney, Ice Capades, etc. Let's face it, when you take your kids to a Disney show (usually at a venue where the NBA, NHL, and concerts take place) everything "sparkles." When you take your kids to the circus/carnival (usually at a second-rate venue) if feels "dirty," or less than the Disney production. So, the airplane traveling experience is the Disney production, and the bus traveling experience is the traveling circus/carnival.

Traveling by bus is probably the most inefficient/uncomfortable way one can travel. Some may cry foul and say: What about train travel? I would disagree -- having been on a train recently, as well. Yes, the train probably makes as many stops as the bus and takes as much time, but there is a mystique about riding the train, and train seats are much more comfortable than bus seats.

The big lesson I learned on my Greyhound Odyssey is that you can't put a price on transportation. When you really need to get from point A to point B, you do whatever it takes to make it happen -- to get home.

However, after dealing with an "interesting" crowd and doing a lot of standing around, I also asked myself: How much is my time really worth? Even though I was on the Greyhound Odyssey as a result of my poor planning, would it have been worth three times the bus ticket price to rent a car or fly (although, flying probably would not have saved me much time)?

The next time I'll plan better, and if I get caught in the same bind, that three times price offset may be worth it...

Notes:
-The first picture was taken at the DC Greyhound station at 10:30 PM on a Friday night
-The second picture was taken at the Richmond, VA Greyhound station at 2:00 AM on a Saturday morning
-The third picture was taken at the Goldsboro, NC Greyhound station at 5:45 AM on a Saturday morning

Bullseye

No Surprises

I've never been a fan of surprises. Don't like surprise birthday parties. Didn't want to be surprised at the birth of my child. The way I see it, life is filled with enough surprises. Why make it more difficult or "exciting" by adding artificial surprises? I prefer to know as much about what is coming around the corner as I can.

Maybe it's my line of work. Maybe it's just the control freak in me. Either way, I like as much time as possible to think through issues and develop a plan of action. I'm much more comfortable if I can "chew" on an issue, bounce some ideas off other people and arrive at a solution.

This is not to say that I'm dysfunctional with surprises. I would like to think that over the years I have developed the ability to work well with them. But, if I had to wager, I would say that the majority of surprises are "uh-ohs," or bad surprises -- this is why I'm not a big fan.

Effectively dealing with surprises takes organization and the ability to foresee potential problems. Being organized helps when surprises strike because you don't have to worry about the mundane processes required to function in life -- having your finances in order, having your house in order, etc. The ability to foresee potential problems is a skill that is developed with experience. Foresight is an invaluable skill for dealing with surprises, but it takes the power of keen observation.

Getting the bad news as well as the good news means no surprises. Don't add extra stress to your life by seeking out surprises. Work on your organizational skills and foresight to effectively deal with the surprises that come around the corner.

Eclipse

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Thinking About Private William Long

TERRORISM: "Report of Motive in Recruiter Attack," by James Dao and David Johnston, New York Times, 3 June 2009.

I have been following the reporting on the attack by Carlos Bledsoe (aka Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad) at an Army recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas. The attack killed Army Private William A. Long, and wounded another, Private Quinton Ezeagwula. In addition to the fact that Bledsoe needlessly took the life of an American patriot, there is a detail associated with this story that set off my radar.

According to the Times, Bledsoe, an American convert to Islam, was detained in Yemen for possessing a "fake Somali passport and other counterfeit documents."

The episode in Yemen prompted a preliminary inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other American law enforcement agencies into whether the man, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, had ties to extremist groups, the officials said. But that investigation was inconclusive, they said, leaving the bureau with insufficient evidence to wiretap his phone or put him under surveillance.

This article prompted me to ask myself these questions

1. Should people like Carlos Bledsoe, who have suspicious terror related activity in their past, be open to more scrutiny by U.S. law enforcement?

2. How do we protect American civil liberties, while at the same time protecting Americans from the Carlos Bledsoe's?

3. Is the death of an American worth the price we pay for not tracking the Carlos Bledsoe's because law enforcement does not have sufficient evidence to wiretap their phone or put them under surveillance?

In my book, a fake passport and counterfeit documents equals probable cause and warrants significant scrutiny on the part of U.S. law enforcement.

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Due North

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The Importance of Social Networking Tools

Why do people use social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace? At first blush that sounds like a pretty simple question... I bet most would respond with something like, "It's a great way to link up with long, lost friends," and this is true. But take a minute and really think about it. Why do you spend your valuable time with these tools? Get beyond some of the silliness -- the nauseating polls and "shout outs" (drinks, flare, etc.) on Facebook.

For me, social networking tools are counterintuitive to everything I have ever done personally or professionally. I have never been one to openly share my thoughts and ideas with people outside my inner circle of family, friends and colleagues. In fact, my job mandates prudence and discretion. So, I waded into the social networking arena with extreme caution.

What I have learned in the last few months of experimentation with Facebook, Twitter, and blogging is that social networking tools are extremely powerful. With consistent "care and feeding," it is possible to grow and manage a network of "friends" in the hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions (see Ashton Kutcher's growing following on Twitter). If you think about that for a minute, it's pretty amazing -- with a single keystroke it's possible to communicate and learn with a sizeable internet-based network. The content of that communication can take any number of forms; from what you ate for dinner, to what you plan to do on the weekend, to what interests you personally or professionally.

So what? Well, in an era of economic downturn and declining manufacturing jobs in America, increasingly (more so than any other time in American history), knowledge is power. "Knowledge workers," those that think and create -- the problem solvers -- are most relevant. An expanding knowledge base keeps you relevant personally and professionally, and social networking tools are becoming the medium for that expanding knowledge base.

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