Tom's blog: "Ramblings of a Dime-store Philosopher"

Before you naysayers disagree, keep in mind, this is coming from someone at least reasonably intelligent. It also follows with an explanation. First, let's look at what intelligence is... A lot of people point to someone knowing more as being intelligent. Possibly, and partially true. We'll get back to that. Others say the ability to learn based on what you experience is intelligence. That's BS. Any dog will stay away from you if you kick it a few times. Does that mean a dog is smart? No. Learning based on positive and negative response is something even relatively stupid creatures can do. Others say that intelligence is required for problem solving. That, also, is BS. Ants do problem solving all the time. They reach a stream, and hundreds throw themselves at the stream until one finds leaves. Boom, they get across. Intelligence doesn't solve problems. Persistent attempts solve problems. It's true in human society also. So why do some people learn faster than others? How is it that I know more than most people around me, when everyone takes in roughly the same amount of information in any given amount of time? Patterns. The intelligent person can recognize patterns and apply them to a situation. This allows him or her to apply guidelines in broad strokes to multiple situations, and thus, learn many seperate things at once, that others would have to learn individually. That's my take, at least. Now, what is important in life? Well, many people want many things... But it could all be boiled down to one common factor. People want to be content. Basically, they want to be satisfied with where they are in life. They can still have goals or dreams, but to truly make life successful to you, you need to be able to look at yourself, and feel like you're where you want to be, and you're headed where you want to go. Now, most people will say that they either want money, or power, or a caring person who supports them in a relationship. These are not usually what people want. This is what people THINK they want, to get them to my idea above. Most of the time, they're wrong. People want risk, people want danger, people want to beat the odds. That's the short-term want that undoes contentment. That's throwing yourself at the stream, hoping that you're the ant that gets the leaf. But let's say for a moment that every true path to contentment falls in one of three categories. These are: (1) Financial well-being, and the comfort it provides. (2) Power and influence, and the control it offers. (3) A healthy relationship. Assuming the above is true, and I think it usually is, let's compare intelligence to my two other landmarks of personal effectiveness. These are Social Skills, and Persistance. Persistance, or the refusal to give up, probably accounts for more success than anything else. 33% of all businesses fail in the first year. Most successful business owners have failed in at least 2 businesses prior to their success. They learn from their negative stimulus of failure (something that even dogs do), correct their actions, and succeed in the future. The same applies to relationships. Over half of the marriages end in failure. Much more if you factor in relationships, and not just marriage. Social skills... Many an idiot has made it rich through the simple con... Many an abusive person has kept a loved one or spouse by manipulating someone socially, making them feel inferior, establishing social dominance. Even in business, it's been said, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." Truer words were never spoken. Networking, working with people, that succeeds, not learning. In short, charismatic people, especially persistant ones, rule countries. Smart people make bombs for them. Those social people, they get the girl, usually two or three that are fooled into believing everything they say. Smart people, they watch and wonder why they can't learn and solve the problem. It's simple. Knowing the solution, and implementing it, are two totally different things. Thus, intelligence is, at best, a way to get the road map. Oddly enough, you don't even need to make your own map. Smart people rarely make their own maps. They waste their lives, giving those few leaders, those few charismatic people, the keys to their success. Intelligent people tend to be nothing more than tools for the people with the skills and will to use them. That's really what life seems to be about, after all. Who is using who. So, who's using you?

Or rather, why is it that people tell you more about themselves when they don't think you know who they are? I mean, put a couple monitors between two people, and suddenly they're spilling life stories to each other, and being who they really are... Sometimes really sweet people, and sometimes shallow, narcisistic idiots? I guess it's that the internet is somehow less personal... Without the real sting of rejection, people can be who they are... But why do people fear that rejection? Blah. I'm not saying anyone should be less open here... But what's so wrong about being more open there? Why hide who you are because you see someone? Why change how you act because of a monitor? The 'net is no different from anywhere else, except that you can see a bit more about how people really are (I mean, really, suddenly every guy turns into a cat callin' construction worker, lol, and every woman is a seductress vixen, go figure)... So get out there, and say hi to someone... Whether it's online, or out there in the real world. Most importantly, have fun... That's what it's all about.

I had a rare moment of clarity, just a moment ago... Why are there so many idiots out there? They're outbreeding the smart ones. I mean, think about it... While the geniuses of the world invent new cell phones and make new things to blow crap up, everyone else screws. I mean, really, do you know how the monitor you're staring at WORKS? I sure as hell don't. And I consider myself reasonably intelligent, go figure. I mean, really, survival of the fittest, natural selection, it's supposed to weed out the things that aren't supposed to pass on their genes... But it doesn't happen anymore with people. Everyone survives... And when you look at the wilderness, and how 1 out of an entire litter or hatching of many animals actually makes it to adulthood... Nature used to weed out the 90% that was unfit. Not happenin' now. We actually ENCOURAGE the people who do nothing to breed. What's the end result? A society of people who can't build a rowboat, much less a toaster. Eventually, all those smart people are gonna die... and then we'll be left with billions of random people sitting in their houses, without power. Eventually, cities will become wilderness. And that's when the animals come in. People will retreat to caves, forget everything they knew over a few generations, and go back to sticks and rocks... Then, when people stumble across the ruins of New York, they'll think aliens built it and move on... It's a sad fate, and maybe this ain't the first time it's happened. Please, everyone out there... If you're reading this, and you think there's even a grain of truth in it... Help us. Save the world. Save yourselves... Save ALL MANKIND. Screw a smart person.

Two things that go well together, I hear... Why is it that the longer you do something, the less you're inclined to do it? Maybe it's just me, I suppose, but I think I've seen it in others too. Perhaps it's the inner desire that most have for variety. I mean, sure, some people are content with knowing what to expect, but I like change. I like chaos. I don't want to know what dinner is tomorrow until I decide to make it. Plans have their place, just rarely in my life. Before I make it sound all glamorous, there's not a whole lot of unplanned stuff either. But I like the spontaneous more than the predictable. It's been called to my attention recently the topic of friendship. Specifically, what makes a good friend? A lot of people say it's someone that makes them feel better when they're down... Perhaps someone who spends free time with them, shares common experiences. In my opinion, those people are idiots. For me, a friend is someone I want to help, someone who I can trust, and someone who calls me on it when I screw up. Someone who holds me accountable... but not TOO accountable. Someone who's there to give me the straight truth, even when it's not pleasant. Anyone can memorize a few witty comments, or make me feel warm and fuzzy by letting me feel sorry for myself. A friend is the person who shakes you, tells you to get a f'in grip, and get on with things. I mean, there are times when comfort's needed, but, by and large, society today is far to keen on nurturing, rather than developing. Empowering, rather than educating. Screw that hippie crap. It's one thing to want to help someone deal with their problems... It's another to try to hide reality from them.

They're misrepresented. Grapenuts, while a perfectly tasty cereal, contains neither grapes nor nuts. Lady Fingers, well, let's just say I was disappointed when I opened a pack. Even in the food business, things aren't what they say they are... Kinda makes you think about what you can trust. After all, people lie, trick, and misrepresent the truth to their own gain... Even our own senses can deceive us. In a world that truly is so subjective, can anything we see or feel be trusted? Do we just assume that what we see and feel is true, and go from there? Is there some sort of criteria that we must use to determine the things that are true from the things that are not? Even in science, we have been rife with errors. Science used to think that maggots spontaneously formed on rotting meat, never stopping to think that perhaps eggs might be being laid. Are we really so arrogant as to assume our own flawed perceptions are infallible? In such a world, perception is reality. It starts to matter less what the truth is, and more what everyone thinks the truth is. Actions speak louder than words, unless those words are used to twist the minds of those with authority and power. The pen surely is mightier than the sword, for beliefs carry far more weight than facts. Cynical? Yeah, but it's true. These are the things that keep me up at night.

According to the tale of Pandora's Box, mischievous gods gave a curious woman a box and told her not to open it. What did she do? She opened it. Now, let's throw aside how true that could ring with a couple of people I've met in my life, and continue. Basically, an emo's wet dream came out. Despair, agony, fear, anger, sadness, all of the negative emotions came out of this box. She slammed the box, but not before almost everything got out. Later, she opened it again, and found that the only thing left in the box was hope. Now, if you're on my friend's list, you likely knew that story. But the background must be relayed, I suppose. I pose this question to you. Was there anything good in Pandora's box? Before you say "hope", stop and think for a second. Every poor man who spends rent money on lottery tickets does it because of hope. Casinos make millions by preying on the hopeful. Wives stay with abusive husbands because of hope. Every dumb gamble that was ever made, was made on hope. Almost every dumb decision ever made was made for one of two reasons... Misinformation or hope. First, hope is with the darkest emotions in the world, now it's with ignorance. I ask again, is hope a good thing? Oh sure, some can point to great successes brought about by hope... Columbus's discovery of the New World, Magellan's expedition, among others... How many thousands died on the same quests so that those two could make a name? Heck, even Magellan died before realizing his dream. Not to mention the the new world was discovered by asians and vikings before Columbus set foot over here. Hope lifts people high above the world, and all too often, dissipates into nothingness, leaving only the hard cold truth of reality far below. The fall down is far too often worse than that trip up. Hope isn't a good thing, people. Risk if you must, but keep your feet firmly planted in reality. If you must hope, keep your expectations low to offset it. Never delude yourself with hope. The wakeup is far worse than the dream is good.