Monday, January 26, 2009
Kleenex & Norton
Due to both the writer and her computer currently having a cold/virus, Bethweek is delayed this week. Thanks for your patience; stay tuned.
Kleenex & Norton
Due to both the writer and her computer currently having a cold/virus, Betweek is delayed this week. Thanks for your patience; stay tuned.
Monday, January 19, 2009
U.S. and Them
I was listening to the radio this past week as I drove home from work. An academic was sharing his opinion about the economy. At one point, he referred to the "us economy." I had never heard the phrase "the us economy" before, and wondered what it meant. I was eager for him to explain. However, after a few more minutes of listening, I realized that he had simply mis-read his notes: he meant to say "the U.S. economy." There was no "us economy" agenda or concept he was promoting.
Even having figured this out, instead of allowing "us economy" to simply be a line mis-read, I couldn't shake the phrase. The us economy. The Us Economy. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like something that could be developed into an actual concept.
America is a capitalist economy, and I'm not suggesting that change - but even within our capitalist system, I think we have become too much of an I economy: "my economic interests revolve solely around me; whatever deal I can score, whatever I will most benefit from, that's how I make my economic decisions."
It's a large part of why our economy is currently in the tank; businesses and individuals operated for too long with this sort of thinking. Rather than thinking communal and big-picture, America has been a nation of individual and instant-gratification. What if we were less of an I Economy, and more of an US Economy?
I'm not suggesting communism, socialism, or any other "-ism" that makes our citizens reflectively shudder. To quote Ferris Bueller, a person shouldn't believe in -isms, he should believe in himself... and to take that one step further, he should believe in his neighbor. Nothing dramatic, nothing overly-self-sacrificing, but something nonetheless revolutionary. The US Economy.
In the Us Economy, before just buying the cheapest head of imported lettuce, the consumer would stop and think: "If I spend just a little more and buy the locally grown lettuce, I'm taking care of what I need and helping out local farmers... and by extension, my community."
In the US Economy, picking up a few extra groceries or socks when we can afford to do so, and bringing them to a local food pantry or shelter, would be a regular habit rather than a holiday tradition. Each purchase would help out someone else, and pump a little more money into the economy.
In the US Economy, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure would be both common sense and common practice. This would apply very directly to our health care system. It could also apply to our foreign policy, our environmental initiatives, and of course, our individual spending, since, after all, we are talking about the economy.
In the US Economy, there would be less stratification - US would not just U.S. We'd need to be more than just domestic-minded. When we DO buy a shirt or coffee or spice from another country, we should be shopping with free trade, fair worker conditions, and peaceful international relations in mind.
Little steps, but a big concept: each time we spend, thinking about the purchase's impact on more than just our own immediate wallet. Let our minds go instead to our collective future. Do I do this now? No - not nearly to the extent that I should. But hearing someone's live-radio gaffe inspired me to at least start pondering the possibility of changing the conversation about how we spend our money. Now I'm sharing the thought. That's how we start, right? Taking it from something to just I am thinking about, to something we can talk about...
**Note: I did Google "the us economy," but neither periods nor capitalization factor in to their searches, so any search I've been trying turns up every reference to "the U.S. economy" out there. Someone else may well have coined this phrase intentionally. It's very likely, in fact. Please feel free to post if you know of someone who has put some more time, thought and articulation into spinning out this idea.
Even having figured this out, instead of allowing "us economy" to simply be a line mis-read, I couldn't shake the phrase. The us economy. The Us Economy. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like something that could be developed into an actual concept.
America is a capitalist economy, and I'm not suggesting that change - but even within our capitalist system, I think we have become too much of an I economy: "my economic interests revolve solely around me; whatever deal I can score, whatever I will most benefit from, that's how I make my economic decisions."
It's a large part of why our economy is currently in the tank; businesses and individuals operated for too long with this sort of thinking. Rather than thinking communal and big-picture, America has been a nation of individual and instant-gratification. What if we were less of an I Economy, and more of an US Economy?I'm not suggesting communism, socialism, or any other "-ism" that makes our citizens reflectively shudder. To quote Ferris Bueller, a person shouldn't believe in -isms, he should believe in himself... and to take that one step further, he should believe in his neighbor. Nothing dramatic, nothing overly-self-sacrificing, but something nonetheless revolutionary. The US Economy.
In the Us Economy, before just buying the cheapest head of imported lettuce, the consumer would stop and think: "If I spend just a little more and buy the locally grown lettuce, I'm taking care of what I need and helping out local farmers... and by extension, my community."
In the US Economy, picking up a few extra groceries or socks when we can afford to do so, and bringing them to a local food pantry or shelter, would be a regular habit rather than a holiday tradition. Each purchase would help out someone else, and pump a little more money into the economy.
In the US Economy, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure would be both common sense and common practice. This would apply very directly to our health care system. It could also apply to our foreign policy, our environmental initiatives, and of course, our individual spending, since, after all, we are talking about the economy.
In the US Economy, there would be less stratification - US would not just U.S. We'd need to be more than just domestic-minded. When we DO buy a shirt or coffee or spice from another country, we should be shopping with free trade, fair worker conditions, and peaceful international relations in mind.
Little steps, but a big concept: each time we spend, thinking about the purchase's impact on more than just our own immediate wallet. Let our minds go instead to our collective future. Do I do this now? No - not nearly to the extent that I should. But hearing someone's live-radio gaffe inspired me to at least start pondering the possibility of changing the conversation about how we spend our money. Now I'm sharing the thought. That's how we start, right? Taking it from something to just I am thinking about, to something we can talk about...
**Note: I did Google "the us economy," but neither periods nor capitalization factor in to their searches, so any search I've been trying turns up every reference to "the U.S. economy" out there. Someone else may well have coined this phrase intentionally. It's very likely, in fact. Please feel free to post if you know of someone who has put some more time, thought and articulation into spinning out this idea.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Why I Hate My Blog (And How I Will Start To Love It)
...
I am sick and tired of this stupid blog.
There, I said it. In fact, earlier this week, I went so far as to refer to this blog as "my punishment for wanting to be a writer." It's true: I set up this blog and named it Bethweek as a writing exercise, a weekly requirement I gave myself. No matter how stuck I was, I was supposed to write something, anything, because that is what writers do. We write. And if I consider myself a writer, then yes, my punishment is that I had to enforce a weekly minimum-writing regimen.
I have occasionally neglected this blog (though to my credit, it's usually when I've been doing a lot of other writing, and thus a minimum-writing requirement was a moot point). When I do keep up with it, I have tended to shy away from anything too candid or too controversial.
Occasionally I'm proud of what I write here, but I often find it overly safe, and sometimes even boring.
So what's to be done? Abandon this blog like I did the last one? (Poor, wretched thing.) Or attempt a re-branding? The staff* here at Bethweek has reached a crossroads. We** cannot continue on as we*** have been going.
At least at the moment, I am going to push (punish?) myself into trying to revive this blog. Though it feels scary, I will make it more controversial when necessary, will make it frequently more deep and consistently more honest. I will also make it a more structured blog. For example, in keeping with another recent resolution - Read More Books - one of my posts each month will be a book review. In the coming months, look for reviews of a range of books, including The Year Of Living Biblically, I Am America And So Can You!, and The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way.
Look, too, for the aforementioned more-deep-and-controversial blogs, including one already in development, tentatively titled "A Liberal Explanation, or, What Do You Mean My Heart's Bleeding?" and another that will explore eavesdropping in local bars. Stay tuned.
*That'd be me
** I
*** I
I am sick and tired of this stupid blog.
There, I said it. In fact, earlier this week, I went so far as to refer to this blog as "my punishment for wanting to be a writer." It's true: I set up this blog and named it Bethweek as a writing exercise, a weekly requirement I gave myself. No matter how stuck I was, I was supposed to write something, anything, because that is what writers do. We write. And if I consider myself a writer, then yes, my punishment is that I had to enforce a weekly minimum-writing regimen.
I have occasionally neglected this blog (though to my credit, it's usually when I've been doing a lot of other writing, and thus a minimum-writing requirement was a moot point). When I do keep up with it, I have tended to shy away from anything too candid or too controversial.
Occasionally I'm proud of what I write here, but I often find it overly safe, and sometimes even boring.So what's to be done? Abandon this blog like I did the last one? (Poor, wretched thing.) Or attempt a re-branding? The staff* here at Bethweek has reached a crossroads. We** cannot continue on as we*** have been going.
At least at the moment, I am going to push (punish?) myself into trying to revive this blog. Though it feels scary, I will make it more controversial when necessary, will make it frequently more deep and consistently more honest. I will also make it a more structured blog. For example, in keeping with another recent resolution - Read More Books - one of my posts each month will be a book review. In the coming months, look for reviews of a range of books, including The Year Of Living Biblically, I Am America And So Can You!, and The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way.
Look, too, for the aforementioned more-deep-and-controversial blogs, including one already in development, tentatively titled "A Liberal Explanation, or, What Do You Mean My Heart's Bleeding?" and another that will explore eavesdropping in local bars. Stay tuned.
*That'd be me
** I
*** I
Monday, January 5, 2009
Sunday Night
A thunderstorm, a mug of warm spicy-chai tea, a sleepy dog curled up at my feet: the end of another weekend.
It sounds like a peaceful scenario, but as Monday looms, my neck is aching and my mind beginning to race. I have a stressful day ahead of me tomorrow, I'm already struggling with one of my new year's resolutions - well, at this moment, feels like I'm already lapsing on nearly all of them. This is probably due to the fact that I'm trying to relax while also trying to be productive. I really should have divided my time rather than combining these goals into one evening, because in the pursuit of productivity, I made a long list of tasks I wanted to accomplish this weekend that have yet to be completed - and in the pursuit of relaxation, I'm drinking tea and watching Law & Order, and thus accomplishing very little of the to-do-list - and thus stressing out, and thus not relaxing.
So I am neither productive nor relaxed at the moment. Fail and fail. Sigh.
--I just got up and washed my dishes and swept the living room so I can at least half check-off the "clean my apartment" line on the to-do list. Was that progress on my tasks, or simply procrastination on blogging?--
I have so much I wanted to do that has yet to get done. Honestly, though - there's also a lot I did do today. I had lunch with friends, I went to a board meeting, I went to a rehearsal, I drove the boy to the airport, I went to another meeting, I had coffee with friends, I wrote a few thank you notes, I submitted two play entries, I started two new writing projects, and as just mentioned, swept my living room and did my dishes.
Why is it the scene or story I have yet to write holds so much more promise than the one I actually wrote? Why is the task left undone so much weightier than any task I actually completed?
Maybe it's time for the "shifting of perspective" facet of my resolution. I'll give it a try; we'll see how it goes... that which I did not accomplish today, I will try to peacefully shift over to tomorrow, with as little self-judgment as possible. The to-dos still in queue will be given another chance to be completed. Because as a fictional Southern woman once noted, tomorrow is another day. And so:
A thunderstorm, a mug of warm spicy-chai tea, a sleepy dog curled up at my feet: the start of another week.
It sounds like a peaceful scenario, but as Monday looms, my neck is aching and my mind beginning to race. I have a stressful day ahead of me tomorrow, I'm already struggling with one of my new year's resolutions - well, at this moment, feels like I'm already lapsing on nearly all of them. This is probably due to the fact that I'm trying to relax while also trying to be productive. I really should have divided my time rather than combining these goals into one evening, because in the pursuit of productivity, I made a long list of tasks I wanted to accomplish this weekend that have yet to be completed - and in the pursuit of relaxation, I'm drinking tea and watching Law & Order, and thus accomplishing very little of the to-do-list - and thus stressing out, and thus not relaxing.
So I am neither productive nor relaxed at the moment. Fail and fail. Sigh.
--I just got up and washed my dishes and swept the living room so I can at least half check-off the "clean my apartment" line on the to-do list. Was that progress on my tasks, or simply procrastination on blogging?--
I have so much I wanted to do that has yet to get done. Honestly, though - there's also a lot I did do today. I had lunch with friends, I went to a board meeting, I went to a rehearsal, I drove the boy to the airport, I went to another meeting, I had coffee with friends, I wrote a few thank you notes, I submitted two play entries, I started two new writing projects, and as just mentioned, swept my living room and did my dishes.
Why is it the scene or story I have yet to write holds so much more promise than the one I actually wrote? Why is the task left undone so much weightier than any task I actually completed?
Maybe it's time for the "shifting of perspective" facet of my resolution. I'll give it a try; we'll see how it goes... that which I did not accomplish today, I will try to peacefully shift over to tomorrow, with as little self-judgment as possible. The to-dos still in queue will be given another chance to be completed. Because as a fictional Southern woman once noted, tomorrow is another day. And so:
A thunderstorm, a mug of warm spicy-chai tea, a sleepy dog curled up at my feet: the start of another week.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Resolved.
I remember an assignment from years ago, some civics requirement, where I had to write a resolution using the appropriate language and format. Thinking back about the task, I recall appreciating the structure of a formal resolution. The first section is several "WHEREAS" statements, which outline the current situation (ie, "WHEREAS, there are not enough traffic signals in Smallville," "AND WHEREAS, studies have shown traffic signals can significantly reduce automobile accidents..."); the second section outlines the proposed solutions to the 
situation, stated in terms of "THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,""BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED," and "BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED."
This structure enables us to first encounter the reality, concretize the issues and allow the existing status to inform not only the writer, but the reader, as to why the proposed resolutions are sound. THEREFORE, instead of informal but specific resolutions like "eat breakfast every morning" or "take real salsa-dancing classes again" (though both of those are things I'd like to do), I am making more all-encompassing, formal resolutions; to that end, I am writing my new year's resolutions here this year following the language style noted above. We'll see whether or not this idea's a good one; Congress passes many resolutions, and as they say, if the opposite of pro is con, then the opposite of progress must be... but nevertheless. Here goes.
RESOLUTION: 2009
WHEREAS, I have had many reminders lately of how important it is to appreciate the friends and family with which I've been blessed, AND
WHEREAS, staying healthy and being productive in my work and writing is crucial to my basic survival, AND
WHEREAS, a balance of work and rest, productive time and downtime, social time and one-on-one time is critical to peace of mind,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that I will spend more time enjoying my loved ones and being grateful for them, and less time worrying or stressing out about trivial matters, AND
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that I will be more disciplined about going to the gym and eating healthily, and more focused and productive about both my work and my writing, AND
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that in the coming year, I will not only try to more evenly balance my time and commitments, but also that I will expend less energy on regret and stress; instead I will take more deep breaths, shift perspective whenever possible to see someone else's point of view, and regularly, sincerely take the time to feel and express gratitude for the good that surrounds me.
HERE WITNESSED THIS FIRST OF JANUARY, TWO THOUSAND AND NINE OF THE COMMON ERA.
situation, stated in terms of "THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,""BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED," and "BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED."This structure enables us to first encounter the reality, concretize the issues and allow the existing status to inform not only the writer, but the reader, as to why the proposed resolutions are sound. THEREFORE, instead of informal but specific resolutions like "eat breakfast every morning" or "take real salsa-dancing classes again" (though both of those are things I'd like to do), I am making more all-encompassing, formal resolutions; to that end, I am writing my new year's resolutions here this year following the language style noted above. We'll see whether or not this idea's a good one; Congress passes many resolutions, and as they say, if the opposite of pro is con, then the opposite of progress must be... but nevertheless. Here goes.
RESOLUTION: 2009
WHEREAS, I have had many reminders lately of how important it is to appreciate the friends and family with which I've been blessed, AND
WHEREAS, staying healthy and being productive in my work and writing is crucial to my basic survival, AND
WHEREAS, a balance of work and rest, productive time and downtime, social time and one-on-one time is critical to peace of mind,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that I will spend more time enjoying my loved ones and being grateful for them, and less time worrying or stressing out about trivial matters, AND
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that I will be more disciplined about going to the gym and eating healthily, and more focused and productive about both my work and my writing, AND
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that in the coming year, I will not only try to more evenly balance my time and commitments, but also that I will expend less energy on regret and stress; instead I will take more deep breaths, shift perspective whenever possible to see someone else's point of view, and regularly, sincerely take the time to feel and express gratitude for the good that surrounds me.
HERE WITNESSED THIS FIRST OF JANUARY, TWO THOUSAND AND NINE OF THE COMMON ERA.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
