Jason's Notes About Stuff

Note: This is a guest blog post from GrumpyOldMan123. Dear younger generation, As many older generations have done before, I humbly offer you some sanctimonious , unsolicited advice. When you encounter a minor obstacle , never, ever make any effort to find a solution by yourself. If you can't immediately find someone else to solve a problem for you, don't even consider researching it on your own. Instead, amuse yourself with distractions . Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are all great resources for this. If anyone asks you about the problem, complain loudly that you "just can't figure it out," and ask "why is this so hard?" When you suffer the inevitable consequences, be sure to explain how you were "going to do it eventually," and say: "It's not my fault!" And rest assured, this attitude has no adverse impact whatsoever on your career and personal life . You're still entitled to the best of everyth...

Do you have any problems? I sure do. Tons of them! Everyone has problems. You might even call them "challenges" or "puzzles" or "opportunities". I use an incredibly complex, patent-pending 3-step methodology for dealing with them: Identify Plan Do This may seem like a very  simple idea, but I assure you, most people do not follow this. Everybody gets step 1. Most people know their problems. Then then add: Step 1.a) Worry about the problem. Step 1.b) Complain about the problem. Step 1.c) Make up excuses for not addressing the problem I call this the WCE problem-solving methodology -- pronounced "wuss" ;) I have news: WCE does not work. They are unnecessary steps. A few people get to step 2, the planning stage, but never complete that step. What about step 3: Doing -- the one that really matters? Hardly anyone ever makes it there. They're still too busy cranking out excuses. So next time you come across a pr...

I wrote most of this a few months ago, but a recent watching of the movie Agora prompted me to edit and post it. Consider this quotation, attributed to Seneca, a Roman senator who was born around the year 4 B.C.: "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." There is a tendency to believe that religious extremism is a recent phenomenon, but if you look carefully, it seems to date back to the beginnings of civilization itself. The first ancient tribes had their gods and superstitious beliefs.  I'm willing to bet you didn't get very far in native tribal society if you started expressing doubts about the Great Wolf Spirit. It must have been around that time when rulers realized the power of controlling one's beliefs from a young age. If you can convince an entire population that their fate is controlled by some deity in the sky, you can get away with horrid behaviour and not worry about them turn...

Feel like nothing is going right for you lately? Let me assure you: God is not punishing you for missing church last week. Allah is not angry about you sneaking that cookie during fasting time. Zeus is not being vengeful since you missed your last goat sacrifice. The stars are not mis-aligned. It's not a big conspiracy. There is no "secret." It's you. Seriously. Don't get me wrong: There are unexpected situations (good and bad) that come up periodically. It's a little something called life . But in the end, you are the one in control of your destiny. No matter what comes your way, you always have options. Don't sit there hoping, wishing, or praying.  Don't "try" to do something.   Do it! Want a better life? Make better choices and take action ! It's really as simple as that.

Now, I know I'm going to get some hate mail for this one, because I've had many a heated argument about it with friends before. Plus, I'm not actually a parent myself, so clearly I might "just not understand." But I'm going to try anyway. So what's the deal with parents lying to their kids about Santa Claus? I mean seriously, children are supposed to trust their parents. The world might be harsh and mean, but at least Mommy and Daddy are there to protect and nourish them, right? As a parent, you tell your children to look both ways before crossing the street. And you expect your children to believe you. You tell them not to take candy from strangers. You teach them right from wrong . And then you tell them that a fat jolly man in a red suit breaks into your house at night every year and leaves behind toys and candy. And they believe you. Why? Because they're your children and they trust you . Then, a few years down the line, they find out (usual...

Since arriving in New Zealand, I have now twice been the target of attempted religious conversion. I found this surprising, as I had understood the country to be one of the more progressive in the world. In fact, New Zealand has far more non-religious (38%*) than Canada (16%*) or the US (16%*). Perhaps that's why the churches are more active at recruiting here. I was raised in a Christian family, and I know a good deal about the Bible.  I've researched the basics of other major world religions, and have learned some ancient mythology. I also have a very strong education in, and inclination towards mathematics and logic. Some aspects of religion are great.  Values like sharing , caring for others, and not killing people are of great benefit to society. On the other hand, the related crusades , intolerance , and holy wars are... not so great. Even more dangerous, in my opinion, is the concept of absolute faith .  This is the phenomenon where people choos...

No matter what mood they're in, or what has happened in the previous 5 minutes, if you dangle string in front of a cat for long enough, it will chase it . Even the laziest, most stubborn cat in the world will eventually give in. They can't help it. It's hard-wired . We humans still have a bunch of behaviours that are hard-wired in a similar way. The difference is that we can consciously think about and modify them -- if we choose to. That's what separates people from animals -- the ability to override obsolete , deep-rooted instincts based on logic and learning. So next time you say to yourself, "I just can't help it," remember that you're not a cat -- you can make whatever choice you want.