Stormbringer's Thunder

Buon giorno. I want to tell you a story, and I want to refer to Joe Jackson's song, "Don't Wanna Be Like That". And once again, I'm bringing up a place where I used to work before I became rich, famous and successful. This story is a spiritual story. It took place around 1985 or so. I was married at the time, and we were co-resident managers of a self-storage facility. One of the many duties that the bosses surprised us with was that we were to be collections agents after a fashion. Mostly, it was telephones and letters, and not with baseball bats. But it was still hard-hearted, "When do we get our money?" Sure, every business has a right to be paid. But these guys had no compassion. This bothered me. I complained to my then-wife that I "don't wanna be like that", hard-hearted and worshiping money like the bosses. Back then, I was still in the habit of praying, and I let God know my feelings on this, too. Then it got even more interesti...

This was in my mail, and I thought it was worth sharing. OK, LET ME SEE IF I GOT THIS RIGHT. IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS HARD LABOR, OR SHOT. IF YOU CROSS THE IRANIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU ARE DETAINED INDEFINITELY. IF YOU CROSS THE AFGHAN BORDER ILLEGALLY, YOU GET SHOT. IF YOU CROSS THE SAUDI ARABIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE JAILED. IF YOU CROSS THE CHINESE BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU MAY NEVER BE HEARD FROM AGAIN. IF YOU CROSS THE VENEZUELAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE BRANDED A SPY AND YOUR FATE WILL BE SEALED. IF YOU CROSS THE CUBAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE THROWN INTO PRISON TO ROT. IF YOU CROSS THE U.S. BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET: 1 - A JOB 2 - A DRIVERS LICENSE 3 - SOCIAL SECURITY CARD 4 - WELFARE 5 - FOOD STAMPS 6 - CREDIT CARDS 7 - SUBSIDIZED RENT OR A LOAN TO BUY A HOUSE 8 - FREE EDUCATION 9 - FREE HEALTH CARE 10- A LOBBYIST IN WASHINGTON 11 - BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS PRINTED IN YOUR LANGUAGE 1...

Buon giorno. In my last post, I was emphatic that if someone is going to be a Minimalist, that they should do it at their own pace and in their own way. There is no creed or code other than the consensus that you cut back on non-essentials as much as possible so that you have time and money for things that you think are important. I want to expand on the part where I said that Minimalists can make themselves miserable by viewing every move they make through a filter of, "Does this fit with the Minimalist lifestyle?" "Yeah, the buttons on your shirt say you've been expanding again!" Clam up, Nicky. You do want that bonus, don't you? Anyway. If you go around testing and judging yourself, filtering your every action through whether or not it fits your chosen philosophy, you'll make yourself miserable. This is mainly because there is no creed or code. That thought should be liberating, so do not make it into a prison! Here are some ways that I can ima...

One of the things that I like about writing Weblogs is that I can do whatever I want. Part of that comes from pondering things, keeping my eyes and ears open, pondering some more and then being able to write them out. That is why I have done several articles on Minimalist philosophies. Defining "What is the definition of Minimalist, Uncle Bob?" Actually, the term really applies to a minor form of art, and also to a kind of music. People also decided that it was a good term for a philosophy of having fewer possessions. It goes beyond simplifying to get rid of needless clutter, and getting to having and doing the fewest things in order to survive. This sets one free because there are relatively few possessions to cling to so that time and energy can be spent doing things you love, and to focus on people and relationships instead of the pursuit of more stuff. A good definition can be found here . Addendum: An excellent resource is here . Even the basic definition of "...

I have been waiting to write this article because I did not want to upset people. Enough time has passed, I believe, so that I can write it now. The place where Neil works has an Industrial Revolution mindset ("More work! Work harder!") towards its employees, as I have told you before . He told me about one of his co-workers, a manager in a different department than his, that passed away near Christmas. Although he was not close to her, he felt sadness and compassion for the other people who knew and loved her. One of these people told him that she was re-evaluating her approach to her job because of her friend's death. Although it appeared to be strictly a medical difficulty, this woman worked very hard and put in long hours. So does Neil's friend. His friend is thinking that maybe her work habits shortened her life, and she does not want that to happen to herself. It appears that nobody knows if this woman worked herself into poor health, but it is certainly poss...

This one's for the male readers. I've been in some discussions about "nice guys". Some people don't get it, so I'm going to explain as concisely as possible. The way I have it figured, being a nice guy depends on your motivation . Being kindhearted, helpful, considerate and so forth are all admirable qualities and should be cultivated in everyone. And then there's the guy who is being "nice" because he thinks it will get him laid.  I'm going to talk in generalities, because there are always exceptions. The "nice guy" thing that bothers me is Nice Guy Syndrome. (No, not all psychologists accept this, but I believe it anyway.) These fellows often have self-esteem problems and are out of touch with their own masculinity. They do not know what they want, or do not care. What matters most is pleasing others, especially the women. Essentially, they feel that if they are nice and act like Helpy Helperton all the time, women will be attr...

Buona sera. Yours truly is a little bit steamed today. I have heard and written about things that go on where my friend Neil works. He told me some things, and I feel the need to rant. Maybe a manager with some sense will take the advice that I offer and make his or her company a better place. Some teams don't have to fake it with a forced smile. You take care of them, they take care of you, show mutual respect, everyone does what needs to be done and is happy. There are several things wrong with the organization where Neil works: Untrained managers. People will be hired to boss a department that have no knowledge of the job; workers know the job inside out and managers have the skill level needed to be a Wal-Mart greeter. Too many managers. There are managers, CEOs, COOs, Corporate Officers, Team Leads, Managers, Supervisors — plenty of management, but most of them are not leaders. Capice? Managers are off-site. This company is very large, but does not pay to hire manage...