“I gave up my cell phone.”

What? I couldn’t believe I’d heard correctly. Near me, someone was asking for a friend’s cell phone number and that was his reply. My mouth must have been hanging open, because he caught me staring and answered my unasked question. “I found myself paying more attention to it than to what was going on around me.”

Wow! I was in awe- the courage, the self-control, the… enlightenment bordering on Buddhist Arahant (the highest level of personal enlightenment achievable.) I was also intrigued. It led to a very interested and surprisingly down-to-earth discussion with this guy about the technological revolution.

Anytime someone throws NPR into a conversation you know I am hooked. So when this guy mentioned a show he’d heard describing the evolution of society through the Industrial Revolution into the technological one, I needed more. Searching NPR provided a number of sources on America’s great challenges and led to some finds such as Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think by Cukier, Kenneth and Mayer-Schonberger, Viktor, and Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Robinson, James A. and Acemoglu, Daron. But nothing pointed directly to the conversation we had about man’s evolution based on these two revolutions.

I suppose his  reference is a bit like my overhears- a snippet of information which prompts deeper thought and consideration.

So while I can’t give you a link to reference, I can give you a bit more about our discussion. If I could sum it up in one sentence it would be- There is hope for artists. Here’s our train of thought…

The industrial revolution changed the way we work, lessening our need to focus on physical effort and instead direct work toward intellectual pursuits. The technological revolution is gradually lessening our mental efforts, allowing us to, what? And that is the question… what is left? If our bodies and minds are taken care of, this guy theorized that was is left is our emotions. Computers can’t emote (at least not yet). But we can…. So will our focus be on developing our emotional capacity? And if so, which area does this better than art?

Which brings us back to the idea of the cell phone and his giving it up. It is difficult to feel anything in a world where we are at least one step removed from what is happening around us. Rather than experience people we are with or react to the nature around us, it is now easy for us to hide behind the screen on our mobile phone or tablet. If what is demanded of us as artists, though, is a link to emotion, than we must break free of this boundary and step back into the world. We must focus on living moments with mindfulness and spontaneity so that we can translate meaning back to emotion.

And by translate, in my case, I mean write. And by write I mean type. Which I suppose means that I am not completely done with technology yet.

Cheers,
Deanne

                                           NEWS... NEWS... NEWS

Betting Jessica and Untangling the Knot are now both available in PRINT - Find them at Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/e/B005YHFBQ2 

Are you ready to give up your cell phone yet? Do you happen to know more about the NPR program mentioned? Leave a comment and I’ll enter you into a drawing where one lucky January commenter will win a copy of any one of Daniel Davidson's Travel Free Guides. Check back at the end of the month to see if you’re my winner. Please note –while I love and appreciate getting Facebook posts and Twitter replies, the comment must be made on my blog, using the blog form – this way all who see the blog post can engage in a shared conversation. Thanks.

(BTW - For those of you who don’t yet know of Daniel Davidson, he’s a travel writer with great advice on saving money while traveling. Check his website for more info: http://www.freetravelideas.com/)

NOTE: Thanks for all of the fun comments during the month of December. I am super happy to announce that is the winner of the $10 donation is Catherine Castle. A donation to my local Alzheimer's organization has been made in your name. Congratulations Catherine!

“You are brainwashed into thinking whatever the government tells you is legitimate.”

I grew up in a house that believed in many conspiracy theories. The JFK assassination, the first walk on the moon, the Pearl Harbor bombing; these things came along with the idea that somehow the government had created or facilitated each incident in order to progress their own agenda.

It is easy to fall into this pattern of thought. After all, our government doesn’t seem to inspire much confidence. Rather than prioritize what is best for the citizens, politicians make getting re-elected their top goal. After the disheartening gun control vote in the senate, it is easy to reach the conclusion that the citizen’s views don’t
matter.

“Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”This quote by 19th century historian, Lord Maxim, is well known; certainly, I grew up reciting it. But more recent research has shown that there is a connection between someone’s moral identity (how strongly they feel it is for them to be fair, generous, caring, etc.) and how they use
power (more in this article at Smithsonian.com)

And I would take this full circle. My hypothesis is that the lower a person’s moral identity, the more likely they are to believe in conspiracy theories under the assumption that if they were to gain power that is how they would act.

As a parent this begs the question of how to build strong moral identity in our kids. But as a citizen it makes me wonder whether there could be an objective test we could give to politicians before we elect them. It could become part of their running platform; Nominee xyz scored a 99% on the moral identity scale: Paid for by friend of xyz. But
would there be a conspiracy to fix the results so the ‘right’candidate would be elected?

Phew! To be honest, I’m not sure what my moral identity score would be, but I know my laziness score is high... and conspiracy theories are simply too much work for me.

"I do my best thinking in the shower."

Hear! Hear! I totally agree with this. There is something about the white noise of the water, the warmth of the steam, and perhaps the being totally naked, that allows my mind to relax and dream. I have had many aha moments while supposedly focused on washing myself. And in this I am not alone. Many people have told me this same thing happens to them.

Yet I watch my daughter, frown on her face, brows scrunched up in concentration, and wonder why this type of thinking looks like such hard work. Which is true? Do we think best when we are relaxed or when we put all our strength behind it? It appears to be a contradiction.

Forbes has a great article about what it takes to become a Strategic Leader: How to Develop 5 Critical Thinking Types. In it the author, Holly Green, suggests that to be strategic we must be able to draw from these five types of thinking:

1. Critical thinking is the mental process of objectively analyzing a situation by gathering information from all possible sources, and then evaluating both the tangible and intangible aspects, as well as the implications of any course of action.
2. Implementation thinking is the ability to organize ideas and plans in a way that they will be effectively     carried out.
3. Conceptual thinking consists of the ability to find connections or patterns between abstract ideas and then piece them together to form a complete picture.
4. Innovative thinking involves generating new ideas or new ways of approaching things to create possibilities     and opportunities.
5. Intuitive thinking is the ability to take what you may sense or perceive to be true and, without knowledge or evidence, appropriately factor it in to the final decision.

As I look over this list I can only see one that seems too difficult to do in the shower, critical thinking. Aside from ruining my computer, I’m not sure I would want to ruin a perfectly nice shower sorting through data.

I guess some types of thinking are more challenging. So I have come up with the perfect answer; begin to take my
shower mid-day, after the hard work of researching and analyzing the information is complete and when all my brain needs to do is dream and plan.

“What do you think that type of body was built for… Cirque de Soleil?”

The funny part about this conversation was that it was a mom talking about her baby. Not being able to see the baby, I could only imagine what made her think this… was it extra long arms? Early muscular development….
Skin that could break into flame on command?

I have always found it interesting that the physique and personality of dogs are so tied to the jobs they were bred for. Ever try to run away from a small dog and get your heels nipped… yep, that’s a ratter (going back to 17th century dogs like the Brussels Griffon were bred to rid the home of vermin). How about swimming around an Australian shepherd… it drives them crazy because they were bred to keep livestock together.

The question I have is whether humans have ancestral traits not exactly bred into them, but as a result of their geographical roots. I guess it is like the idea of Darwinism… that over time we adapt based on the challenges
of time and place. So that eventually, I suppose if the iPhone is around long enough we will all begin to have thumbs that are smaller than the rest of our fingers.

And then what of the significant traits my daughter possesses? Both what I would consider the good and the bad. Like her amazing imagination or overly strong will. Seen in this light I wonder if these qualities that I judge
are all designed to give her the best chance of succeeding in this world… Maybe she even inherited some of them from me; after all, I can see where these would be useful to a writer. 

Then again, perhaps they are just the traits she needs to become an amazing a Cirque de Soleil performer.

“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union…”

The gym was crowded with the morning noise of kids eager to learn (or perhaps just to see their friends). Few of them were probably paying any attention to the Preamble to the Constitution… but within the first three words
my mind was already humming the tune: you know the one… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHp7sMqPL0g

I don’t know about my readers, but for me Schoolhouse Rock was formative. Not only did I learn important history lessons (I particularly love ‘I’m Just a Bill’ about how laws are created:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyeJ55o3El0&feature=related– though nowadays they would have to add some lines about earmarks and lobbyists;)

But I also learned about math: 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUHFzH06HqU&feature=related), and science: 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jfNoarPudw&feature=related).
 
Most importantly, though, I learned about grammar. Here are a few of my favorites:

Adjectives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbgZfQNBFS0&feature=related
Adverbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDwXHTcodNg&feature=related
Interjections: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e24kdjdbtw&feature=related 
Conjunctions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AyjKgz9tKg&feature=related

These shows are worth re-watching even now as an adult. It is truly amazing the knowledge I have forgotten, and what better way to remind myself than to bring back the songs that taught me to begin with (apologies to my teachers here, but this is pretty much true). These songs were clever, succinct and catchy… something that is clear when you see how many people still remember them. Schoolhouse Rock was broadcast on Saturday mornings beginning in 1973 and ending in 1985. Many were re-aired between 1993 and 1999 and in 2009 there were some additional songs made for direct to video.

Many parodies and spin-offs, such as Jack Johnsons’ 3R song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSM2riAEX4U) have been released on albums and YouTube since then and point to the perseverance of the tunes and topics. Like nursery rhymes, Schoolhouse Rock formed the cultural backbone of a generation of young children. We can only hope our words as writers, as moms, as teachers and friends will ever have half as much impact. 
 
I’ll end now having relearnt name of my most used word: an interjection. As they say on Schoolhouse Rocks… 
 
DARN! That’s the end.

“Is there a hurricane named Deanne?”

Interestingly enough, there isn’t… at least not technically. I was inspired to do some research on how a hurricane (the storm, not the drink) gets its names. Sadly, I am sure this, along with many other important life facts, was something I learned in school but have now forgotten.

First off… names are given to tropical storms, and when a storm is designated a hurricane by the speed of the wind it, retains the tropical storm name. Over the years there have been many different naming strategies. For example, in the Caribbean hurricanes were named after the patron saint of the day. When U.S. meteorology began they named hurricanes by latitude and longitude (imagine the fun those weatherman had giving the news.) Military meteorologists during WW II started naming hurricanes after women (probably in revenge for the song, I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of my Hair from the musical South Pacific set during the same time period).

Anyway… this stuck until 1978 when the National Weather Service decided- huh, this sort of sends the wrong signal- and began using both men and women’s names for hurricanes on a 6 year rotational schedule. So… every six
years the same hurricane names are re-used, unless one becomes devastating (such as Katrina) in which case it is taken off the list and replaced.

Want to find out if there is a hurricane named after you? Check below, or look on the National Hurricane Center. So far, Deanne hasn’t made it on the list.