Maybe I'm Not Smart Enough To Be On The Left

After a great deal of self-analysis, I may have discovered a serious lack of mental accuity in myself; though I can't say that I find it particularly worrisome.  It doesn't appear that it was a lack of intelligence, at least I have been given to understand it, as I've always measured pretty well on the IQ scale.  Neither was it a lack of knowledge, as I have loved to study since I was a small child; and have worked assiduously at maintaining the standing of a well-read person.  It couldn't have been a lack of education, as I've was given my early lessons in a very good private grade school, spent most of my high school years in the 'first track' (honors program) of one of the finer college prep schools in the city of Chicago, and attended classes at a couple of well-respected seats of higher learning. It don't think it could even be considered the lack of ability to communicate, though many who've been reading the efforts in this blog for any length of time could probably make an argument to the contrary.  Regardless of being able to set aside all of these potential drawbacks to my brainpower however, there still seems to be something missing intellectually in my case. 

So maybe it's not a question of knowledge but one of maturity instead.  As many of you know, I make no claims of maturation, hoping in life to go 'from immaturity to senility without noticing the transition'.  This sarcastic pose however does not prevent me from making my own decisions (such as they are), choosing my own career path (when the industry I'm in isn't collapsing around me), cooking my own meals (and doing so quite proficiently if I do say so myself), maintaining my own residence (when not improving it), and paying my bills (usually on time).

Being therefore what could be considered fairly intelligent, well-educated, and well read, it should be no surprise that there's a lot of subjects of national interest on which I have formed strong opinions.  These range on a wide variety of subjects from access to abortion to gun control, and I hold them regardless of the level of controversy attached to the subject.  None of these opinions if you must know, are based (except perhaps in some small part) on emotion, sentiment, or a 'gut feeling' about the situation; but instead rely on fact, logic and careful analysis of the short and long term consequences.  When doubt arises, as it must inevitably, I fall back on the concept of the 'rule of law' as embodied in the second attempt to define this government of this nation in a single document, The Constitution.  (I had a friend in Toledo that finally cured me of such things a few years back.)  Not surprisingly, you would find that these opinions are logically consistent from one subject to another.  I don't use one set of criteria to judge one issue, and its polar opposite on the next; in a pattern of logical inconsistency that hopes to achieve some twisted form of emotional self-satisfaction.    

These methods me at odds with some of my acquaintances, fellow pundits, and political opponents from the left however. You see, unlike many of my Liberal counterparts, progressive advocates, mainstream media reporters, and most of the statist politicians of both major parties; I don't appear to be able to make the same kind of decisions that they can.  Oh don't get me wrong, I'm more than capable of making decisions for myself; but draw the line at that point.  In their minds therefore, I'm suffering from apparent form of intellectual inadequacy that I find myself unashamed of:   

I'm not smart enough to make decisions for other people.
  
Fortunately enough for me, I'm not allowed to make decisions for other people.  Unfortunately for all of us, many of those who I've previously described think that they not only have the right to decide for the rest of us, but in fact have the obligation to do so.  Someone might get injured, so we'll decide not to expose you to the risk.  Somebody else might get hurt financially, so we'll take the risk for you to keep yourself from taking it.  Worse still, somebody might make the wrong choices, so we'll take those choices away from you for your benefit.  Heaven forbid that you should expose yourself to the potential of poor choices, potential harm, and future regret.  After all, that's only life as we know it.  No we the smart ones, the caring ones, the ones in political power will make these decisions for you regardless of whether you're capable or not because after all, we're smarter than you are.
     
Strangely enough, I find that there is no jealousy in my heart for those on the progressive left who believe that they are possessed of such a singular form enlightenment, but in fact a fair amount of pity.  Imagine the burden of knowledge that this progressive intelligentsia possesses, believing themselves capable to decide for all.  What a trial it must be to find one's self the discerning statist and recognize that one is so smart that they're incapable of allowing others to decide for themselves.  What fearful stress and emotional turmoil it must be for far too many of today's legislators, administrators, and of course political leaders to recognize the erudition in themselves that forces them to carry the responsibility of limiting the free choice of so many in order to defend freedom itself.

While I can certainly imagine the kind of progressive self-righteous sagacity must be required to assume the role of mother and father protector to those one barely knows in order to prevent those apparently unwilling or unable to accept the burden of making choices for themselves (lest it interfere with their Reality Show schedule), I certainly don't feel myself burdened with such personal perspicacity.  Oh yeah, I consider myself smart enough as far as it goes (just smart enough at least to refuse to use the Tom Hanks line from "Forest Gump"), but it appears that I may not be smart enough to be on The Left.



    

Teaching An Old Dog

I have always enjoyed the good quotation or catchphrase, especially when I can find a way to relate them to my own rather quixotic existence. This week brought one to mind as I found myself in the midst of an very talented, highly intelligent, and extremely motivated group of individuals to have a bit of sales training administered. 


Now I have been in sales since 1979, have offered a number of product lines, and have been relatively successful in providing customer solutions in forty-seven States, five Canadian provinces, and a number of foreign countries. This wealth of experience however, only managed to underscore the idea that there is always a great deal to learn; and that you can never receive enough training in your chosen profession, no matter how extensive you believe your skill set is. 


The fact that the scope and scale of the information furnished was done with the force of a fire hose did nothing to make it easier to absorb. For someone not recently immersed (literally or figuratively) in such an intensive academic setting, the experience was almost overwhelming. I found myself more than willing to seek the restorative properties of 'checking for cracks in my eyelids' by each days end. The experience also seemed to draw me into a bit of introspection over my own capability to learn new things. The knowledge perhaps that if a slice of me were examined like that of a tree, that counting the rings might prove a time consuming task, that there are perhaps fewer days ahead of me in my career than behind me, and that many of those I shared this experience with were far younger may have contributed to the trepidation I felt. The realization that so many of my companions were at the top of their game might also have had something to do with the lingering uneasiness that I felt. And then there was that old adage clamoring for attention:

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Of course the fact that I can only be considered youthful when counting in reverse dog years might be at the root of such anxiety. Nevertheless, I find that I am far from prepared to be put out to pasture. Indeed, this might be especially difficult for someone like myself, who has far too often measured success as a function of business rather than personal life. I am likewise arrogant enough to believe that I still have something to contribute. 


I am therefore loathe to think that I am capable of letting down those who have placed their trust in me with this new opportunity. I will not embarrass them by offering gratitude for it, nor subject them to humiliation or 'guilt by association' by mentioning them by name here. I would be less than honest however, if I did not admit to a degree of apprehension at potentially failing to learn not only the technical aspects of this new position required, but the different sales responsibilities that this new position entails. 


I am informed that the next session of training, which begins in about ten days, will prove to be a potentially even more detailed and intensive experience. Let us hope for the sake of all involved, that this bit of 'fortune cookie' wisdom therefore proves itself specious; and that I will be neither a disappointment to those counting on me to disprove the accuracy of this proverb or to myself.

Wisdom of the Witless

It has been so cold the last couple of days that I truly believe that my brain may be frozen. Since I have been traveling a good bit the last couple of days, I have likewise done without the "wee bit o' the creature", which in the past has provided not only a thawing, but lubrication of the few brain cells still firing in the vast ocean of space between my ears. 

What I am trying to get around to the hard way is that I have not adequately prepared a suitable submission as a weekend posting (something that I promised myself that I would do). Not wanting to leave such vows unfulfilled, and being too lazy to try and muscle up and put something together, I have decided to regale you with some bits of wisdom that I have come up with over the years. Who knows, if this gets a decent reception I might try doing it again on purpose.
 

• Life consists of a series of glorious successes and monumental failures. The trick is to be able to survive both.
• I hope one day to be able to look back on a long and happy life instead of just a long one.
• I believe whole-heartedly in the concept of moderation in spite of the fact that I seem to have a great deal of difficulty with its practice.
• A well-turned phrase usually requires the prodigious use of an eraser.
• The hypocrisy that I am forced to deal with in life disgusts me, and that’s just my own. That which I endure from the rest of mankind merely disappoints me.
• I sometimes wonder if my life hasn’t turned out exactly the way that I had hoped because I didn’t forward all of those emails from friends that I was supposed to.
• There are none so blind as those who think they can see how to make our lives better.
• Radical liberalism is a disease that can never be cured; but with luck, it can be contained, and more importantly, survived.
• There was a period in my life when I was considered quite a catch. History however, has proved that I was more of a “catch and release”.
• I recognize that there will come a time in my life when I will lose interest in the company of women, and it is my hope that someone will bury me quickly thereafter before I start stinking up the place.

 
Keep warm and have a great weekend.

 

OK Wiseguy

OK Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time once again to touch on the subject of qualities that we should look for in a political candidate or office holder. I know that by now you are probably getting sick of thinking about this (and equally tired of me writing about it), but hey this stuff is important. 

Now you can call me silly, but I think that one of the self-evident qualities that a person who seeks or holds power is to be wise. I'm not talking about knowledge here, and maybe not even intelligence (though that would certainly be considered a refreshing plus). Smart people are still capable of doing dumb things. I'm talking about the ability to assimilate the available information and, as a representative of a constituency, make wise decisions. 

As always, I am going back to my handy reference guide, the online Merriam Webster dictionary. (Good thing that I am using the online version, as I might have otherwise worn the pages out on this thing.)  

Insolent, smart-alecky, or fresh Evidencing or hinting at the possession of inside information - Is it just me, or do you feel like this one is about smoke filled rooms and back alley deals. Quite frankly, I think many politicians possess inside information, and are both insolent and smart-alecky (which, by the way, is another one of those words that I never knew existed). Perhaps the power, or the seeking of it makes people that way.It be a fault in most professional politicians, but I think that we can agree that it is nothing to seek in one.

Skilled in magic or divination - This has come up before in our discussions and cannot be considered a good thing. I would rather choose someone not looking into a crystal ball or the cards for our future, and it seems like every time someone pulls a rabbit out of the hat, I have to pay to feed and shelter the poor little bunny for the rest of its days. No, political slight of hand is far too much a part of everyday politics and never bodes well for the voter.

Marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment -Oh yeah, now we're getting somewhere. There is little doubt that this is an essential quality in a candidate. Sure we need to agree that the understanding and discernment need to be about doing the job that they are seeking, and not simply being well versed in how to play the game to their own advantage; but that should be easy, right? As for the sound judgment part, I can't say that I am surprised that judgment is part of the discussion and expect it to come up again. Well this is progress. I think we can agree that we have something here that we can hang our hat on. This may not mean that we can actually find this quality in a candidate, but even knowing what to look for helps. Let's see where the next one takes us in a couple of weeks.