January 1, 2022: Whether Monk, Mogul, or Mongrel

He not busy being born, is busy dying. Bob Dylan

What good is a New Year in name only? Hoo-nōs

Like researchers, we have to be aware (not necessarily beware) of our constructs—and that requires trying to prove the researcher’s hypothesis wrong (adopt the null). Instead of trying to verify how right we are, we try and see how wrong we might be. It’s not a new approach, but one not regularly used by most of us.

Still, there is much fun, understanding, and learning to be had in any construct, sandcastles though they may be. Such endeavors to see this and that can be of great preliminary importance. After all, how resilient can we really be without practicing perspective-shifting? In that regard, bargaining is not inherently evil, it’s how it’s used.

For example, what good, except to learn what not to do, is a zero-sum game? What good is a sweet note played out of time? An idea whose time has not arrived? What good is trying to keep a mule alive who has died? What good is a plan to blow it all up—what is there to start again? What good to fix, blame, exploit anything needing a new birth—a new plane to grow?

The dawn of sentience might have occurred because our ancestors saw in new ways—like the effects of compare and contrast and categorize, and the resultant control gained. Good tools still needed, but no longer good enough as we might be outgrowing the gestational period between what was and what we can become. Yep, I think the progressives may have it right about where to go, they just may have a bad sense of timing. And yes, I think those clinging to a past long dead have major timing issues as well.

It is interesting that the current political dominance is exploitative and transactional—still—when most of us know that BS is basically about being one of the haves. Such efforts are not about establishing a basic floor of thriving, instead the “art” is to drag or cajole or bully or ostracize or democratize or republicanize or liberalize or conservatize? Enough of the trail of tears and blood so a few live well and only have each other to slay. Whether monk, or mogul, or mongrel, it is the same and necessary change we face, yet that change, like individual faces, will look different on each of us.

Am I doing what I’ve proclaimed? Perhaps not very well so far and maybe not ever. But the discipline and freedom gained from learning to shift perspective back and forth and sideways and up and down may still be important in crossing the threshold between what was and is, to what can and even should be. After all, what good is a New Year if nothing really changes?

The Bumper Sticker Corner: 5 separate stickers under the heading of Change

Imbibe carefully from the still of political will
I’m confused, wasn’t the crucifixion about not doing it?
Caterpillars don’t need to learn a better way of crawling
What’s left over in a transactional exchange is not likely the change needed
The mule is dead. Long live the mule?

The Story Corner

“What is today?” the old being asked. The young one answered, “It is Tuesday.” The old one asked, “And what is a ‘Tuesday?’” “The day after Monday and the day before Wednesday,” the young replied. “How do you know that?” the old one queried. “There is a calendar,” declared the young being. The elder smiled, “Ahh, so it is the calendar knowing.”