Category Archives: Life

Be strong and perservere

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I want to tell you a story. It’s a story about perseverance.

Tonight, my wife, mother-in-law, and I went to the Great Darke County Fair. If you live anywhere remotely close, I recommend you go. It’s one of the only real, old time county fairs left this side of the Mississippi, and it’s a blast.

At any rate, we got our food tonight at the Darke County Beef and Pork Producers, something that has become a tradition for us, and sat and ate while we watched the 9-11 year olds show their steers. There were five entrants in that category this year, including one boy who was probably 10 with a monster Holstein steer.

The boy was trying his best, but the steer was having none of it. He pushed the boy with his head. He reared back on his lead. He refused to turn. He started to kick a little.

But that boy stuck with it. At one point he wiped away tears. He got a little mad and yanked on that lead. He pushed the steer back. And he made it through the whole showing. He even walked the steer out to his dad, and walked out of the barn standing tall.

Sure, he probably found somewhere to cry. After all he’s ten and what just happened was terrible for a ten-year-old. But the fact is that he stuck with it. The judge said he finished fifth of five, but from my view he finished first because he didn’t give up even when he had every reason to.

Life can be a recalcitrant steer and more sometimes. It’s easy to give up and give in sometimes. It’s easy to throw up our hands and shout at heaven, “Why bother?”

But the fact is that the measure of who we are is what we actually do at those moments. Do we stand firm? Do we keep trying? Do we see things through?

Sometimes it takes a 10-year-old boy and a monster steer to remind us of the right answer. Be strong and persevere, my friends.

DLH

The rhythm of the road

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I got a chance to do something today that I haven’t done in ages. All my had to tasks for the day were done, and I had nowhere to be, so I went for a drive.

I discovered a long time ago that, for a person like me, deep thought is as much about time and place as it is anything else, and of all the places I’ve ever had the chance to think, back country roads are among the best.

It wasn’t a long drive, and I wasn’t going anyplace I didn’t know, but the trip was soothing in the way few things ever are. As I covered those miles, I felt myself relax and felt my mind fall into that groove of stream of conscience from which most of my creativity and problem solving skills spring.

One of the things I thought about today is how most of us are so prone not to take care of ourselves anymore. No, I’m not talking about whether we eat healthy or exercise, but instead whether we take the time to do nothing. We’re so driven as modern people to fill every moment with stuff that we sometimes forget that there need to be moments when there is nothing.

The irony there, of course, is that I find such solace while driving. For that brief moment, I am away from all the things and demands that make life almost unbearable sometimes. In that moment, my heart can rest and my mind can roam free.

I think I need to go for drives more often.

How about you?

DLH

Why I’m not talking about a lot of things these days…

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I’ve begun to wonder if there are many, if any, conversations worth having anymore in the public space. Most everyone seems so entrenched in their self-confirmed view of the world that it’s impossible for them to hear, let alone understand, anyone else’s point of view.

Do I exempt myself from that indictment? Hardly.

Perhaps the only difference between my worldview and most anyone else’s is that, if mine prevailed, you would be free to believe and do whatever you want so long as believing and doing it doesn’t encumber anyone else who did not voluntarily enter into such an encumbrance. That standard would be the standard of law.

Of course, I understand the many, many reasons why my worldview would never work, mostly noticeably because of the fact that, as I write this, I am also encumbered by the many, many things so many other people have decided to force upon so many others by the threat of government and law. Far too few people see this fact as a problem. And so we all pay.

Ultimately, we pay by becoming so entrenched in our self-confirmed points of view of the world that it has become impossible to for us to hear, let alone understand, anyone else’s point of view. As a result, when our points of view gain even a little bit of power, we use that power as a cudgel against those we presume are adversaries. We want them to pay. We want them to be punished.

And so, we become the very caricatures of the things we hate. Be become intolerant, boorish, unable to understand, wishing harm upon our supposed enemies. We cry out for blood and demand recompense for every perceived slight, all the while ignoring the fact that our highest calling is to discover, even in the midst of adversity, a way to leave the world better than we found it.

I, however, have not forgotten that calling. Do I think that makes me better? No, because I fail at it everyday. But if there is any last thing I think I should talk about, it is to encourage everyone to take a deep breath and to ask each of yourselves how you are fulfilling that calling.

DLH

Why I’m not talking about a lot of things these days…

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I’ve begun to wonder if there are many, if any, conversations worth having anymore in the public space. Most everyone seems so entrenched in their self-confirmed view of the world that it’s impossible for them to hear, let alone understand, anyone else’s point of view.

Do I exempt myself from that indictment? Hardly.

Perhaps the only difference between my worldview and most anyone else’s is that, if mine prevailed, you would be free to believe and do whatever you want so long as believing and doing it doesn’t encumber anyone else who did not voluntarily enter into such an encumbrance. That standard would be the standard of law.

Of course, I understand the many, many reasons why my worldview would never work, mostly noticeably because of the fact that, as I write this, I am also encumbered by the many, many things so many other people have decided to force upon so many others by the threat of government and law. Far too few people see this fact as a problem. And so we all pay.

Ultimately, we pay by becoming so entrenched in our self-confirmed points of view of the world that it has become impossible to for us to hear, let alone understand, anyone else’s point of view. As a result, when our points of view gain even a little bit of power, we use that power as a cudgel against those we presume are adversaries. We want them to pay. We want them to be punished.

And so, we become the very caricatures of the things we hate. Be become intolerant, boorish, unable to understand, wishing harm upon our supposed enemies. We cry out for blood and demand recompense for every perceived slight, all the while ignoring the fact that our highest calling is to discover, even in the midst of adversity, a way to leave the world better than we found it.

I, however, have not forgotten that calling. Do I think that makes me better? No, because I fail at it everyday. But if there is any last thing I think I should talk about, it is to encourage everyone to take a deep breath and to ask each of yourselves how you are fulfilling that calling.

DLH

Keeping things alive

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I’m a big fan of direct support. Hence the reason I support things like Kiva, Kickstarter, and Indigogo. Hence the reason I actually donate to WordPress plugin developers. Hence the reason I shop and eat local.

My point here isn’t to guilt you into doing something. My point here is to get you to think. Every time you spend a dollar, you vote. If you spend it at a corporate big box store, you’re voting for everything they stand for. If you spend it at the local grocer or hardware store, you’re voting for what they stand for.

If you’re reading this blog, the chances are that you think the way I do. I am not saying you agree with me on matters of faith or politics, but we share a certain kind of common philosophy.

So, here’s a chance to put your money where your mouth is: Chris Muir writes a web comic called Day by Day. Yes, it leans conservative. Yes, it sometimes annoys progressives. But also yes, it is a directly supported expression of free speech. If that matters to you, go donate.

I will disclaim that I cannot donate this year as I have in past years. Innisfree on the Stillwater has consumed all of my resources, but I can still use this space to encourage others to fill in the gap. Consider it.

DLH

What’s my hangup? A redux

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The combination of reading my brother’s excellent blog on his fitness exploits–among other things–and my own recent bout with shitty health have me thinking a lot about health and fitness and whatnot. I watch all sorts of people do things like Crossfit and run marathons and, despite the fact that I know I need to do something, I know for a fact those things aren’t it.

Why?

I already touched on some of those reasons the last time I visited this topic, but I do not think I cut to the core of them. I really have one reason that trumps all the others, I think. First, I will disclaim by pointing out that I understand that almost none of these things may apply to anyone else but me. Second, I ask that the people who may see what I am saying here as excuses or rubbish to consider what I am saying without preconception.

That said, my biggest problem with traditional exercise (yes, even modern routines like Crossfit follow a traditional model in my book) is that the effort itself lacks a necessary layer synergy that I apply to almost everything I do. By synergy, I mean using one task to accomplish as many things as possible in the doing.

For example, I see someone biking or running or carrying something heavy, and I get they’re doing it because they want to feel better and so that they’re better at doing other stuff when they’re not biking or running or carrying something heavy, yet I cannot help but think, “Where are they going or couldn’t they be using that effort to move or build something?”

That may seem like something of a trite response, but the fact is that the lack of synergy I see there is everything to me. For me, if I’m going to bike or run–actually, walk for me–or carry something heavy, I want to be creating things, not expending effort for what I see as the sake of expending effort.

So, why am I not doing that already?

Frankly, because I’m not at a point in my fitness where I am able to do so, or so I tell myself. The fact is that’s not really true. Instead, the fact is that I’m simply not doing things I should be doing out of habit, laziness, and whatever else it is that drives people to avoid doing what they know they should.

So, what?

Perhaps this mea culpa is my own effort to jump start myself by returning to this nagging conversation and to, perhaps, inspire other people struggling with similar things to see that there is more than one way.

We shall see.

DLH

An Open Letter to the Wizards of Smart

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A guest post by Pete Hitzeman

 

Dear educated so-and-so’s of every stripe,

We need to have a heart-to-heart. I admire the years of work and dedication you’ve put into getting where you are. I know, from my own intellectual and professional pursuits, how difficult, expensive, and time consuming your journey from layman to expert has been. I acknowledge without hesitation that your expertise does now and shall always exceed my own in your chosen field, and I am most often happy to pay you for the use of your advice or services.

That said, I need you to understand that I may know more about my situation and circumstances than you, and I may be far more educated on the topic at hand than you at first assumed. Just because I am a layman does not mean I am illiterate, and we now live in an age of instant, free access to virtually all of the amassed knowledge of mankind, which can be usefully navigated with a healthy dose of common sense and discernment. This recent revolution should be seen and utilized as the boon it is, rather than scorned and disregarded as noise.

I realize that this leads to an obvious problem. How can you tell me, the person who takes the time to know about things, from the other four hundred people you might see each day who simply don’t care? Well, at the risk of sounding trite, ask me. I want you to spend the first five minutes of our professional relationship talking to me, finding out what I know, and filling in what I don’t. You certainly have enough experience on the topic to know, in short order, whether I’m speaking from a point of sound knowledge, or simply blustering. It may seem frustrating and needless at first, but I promise you that it will save both of us time in the long run, since it will make our future communication far more efficient and effective.

In return, I promise to be open and honest with you about what I know and how I came to know it, as well as what I don’t know. There’s an equal chance that I have received bad information, as that you may have made erroneous assumptions. The truth, as they say, is most often in the middle. I would ask that you react to both my knowledge and my source with respect uncolored by your experiences with the customer before me. I am not them, just as I trust that you are not the same as the last professional I engaged, who fancied themselves as the sole arbiter of scientific knowledge.

So when I come to you to help me fix my car, or my computer, or my body, or my diet, or my exercise, I ask that you would do us both the favor of establishing a baseline of mutual respect and knowledge. We will both get more out of our interaction, and our business, that way.

Respectfully yours,

Cephas

Where do I stand?

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Someone commented on a Facebook post today that she wasn’t really sure if she ever really knows where I stand on the issues I tend to discuss on Facebook and elsewhere. The fact is that I’m not trying to be vague or mysterious, though I do like provoking people to think.

No, instead, I think my views are complex and they’re mine and I’m unafraid to dig into the nuances of why I think the way that I do. Every single one of us cannot help but be the result of the collection of our unique experience in life. Even people who have traveled similar paths travel them differently, and the result is different views of the world.

I cannot emphasize this point enough: my views seem vague because they are uniquely mine. They’re derived  from an informed and rational opinion created by decades of observation, learning, and experience. I do not feel the need to be beholden to any particular ideology or philosophy because I see such things as the lazy way out. Yes, it is entirely possible that the conclusions I have reached may be wrong, but I will say with the same certainty that the burden of proof to convince me of that is very high because it should be.

If I may be so bold, I think that what has happened in the past forty years of my own experience is that people have become eager for simple answers to very complicated questions. There are myriads of reasons for that trend, but the result has been that many people do not want to think about the problems that confront them with any kind of sophistication. Instead of thinking things through on their own, they pick the ideological or philosophical answer they’ve heard from someone else that they think fits them best and stop thinking about it. I never do.

I grant that this view of mine single-handedly insulted just about everyone, yet any argument to prove me wrong must, by necessity, delve into the very kind of nuances and complexity so many people try to avoid. God gave us our minds and learning and experience to help us understand our universe. When we fail to use those things to their fullest extent everyday, we are wasting one of the greatest blessings we have been given. I stand with Galileo in his famous defense of intellect, “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use,” and refuse to back down from my positions simply because they make people uncomfortable or confused.

I understand this position means I live a somewhat isolated existence. So be it. My hope is that everyone will rise to the challenge I see in understanding the amazing and complex world in which we live, but if they do not, I will not stop for them.

I stand where I stand because I am doing my best to climb to the top of this mountain we call life. Join me.

DLH

The only way is forward

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I don’t know about you, but the past few years have been particularly rough ones for me. To be fair, some of that roughness has been self-inflicted, but there as been as much or more coming from outside as there has been from inside.

It would be far too easy to descend into some kind of self-lament, but the fact is that such thoughts lead to nothing more than excuses. The fact is, as rough as the past few years have been, the next few are not going to get any better if I sit around complaining and waiting for others to do something about the problems I see them creating or advancing.

No, for each one of us, the only way is forward. Each of us has to decide whether we are going to wait and complain or to act. I choose to act, and I hope to inspire you to do so as well.

The way I see it, this year–2013–is a make or break year for a lot of us for a lot of reasons. I know I believe it is for me personally, and I get the feeling that a lot of people feel the same way.

So, what are we going to do about it?

Now, the fact is that I am about as inspiring as a drunk TI with anger management issues, so I will try to let others do the inspiring on my behalf. (See what I did there?)

Now, visit Caine’s Arcade.

Why kids? Because if they can do this stuff, what’s your excuse? And, here are some people who are inspiring me: Chris and Janine Pluger. Gene Logsdon. Gene Veith. Jennifer Grubb. Keba Hitzeman. Limor Friedman. Peter Hitzeman.

And, now, go find some things that inspire you. Then report back. I want to know what you’re doing to make this the year we make it!

DLH

Philosophy: Thinking about radically extended life

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David Ewing Duncan recently gave a TED interview about the possibilities–and problems–created by the fact that we are figuring out how to radically extend life as part of his promotion of his new book When I’m 164: The new science of radical life extension, and what happens if it succeeds.

I know it sounds weird, but I think about this very same question often. The fact of the matter is that I could easily live into my 90s and be productive well into my 80s. Where does retiring at 60 or 65 or even 70 fit into a life that could go on for two more decades? Where will the money come from? What will I do?

Again, I know it sounds weird, but my wife and I decided back in our 20s that we did not plan to retire. There are practical as well as idealistic reasons for that decision. Having made that decision that long ago has changed our entire outlook since then. We plan differently. We work differently. We save differently.

And, frankly, the result has been that we are, in a lot of ways, far better off right now than a lot of people we know. We owe less. We’ve saved more. We have less stuff to take care of.

I think the consequences of extended life will be one of the defining factors of our time. Are you thinking about it too?

DLH

Read more at my Philosophy weblog…