That Lost in the Ages

There are always eras in which people live and associate with. Different times and different people who live within them. In the 1950's things were vastly different as they are now. People thought different, dressed different, and when they looked at people in various stations in life their perceptions were very different than they would be today.

In the 1970's all these things have changed. People were a lot more forgiving of certain transgressions. But even so, there still lived those who were around in the 50's and they were not so eager to let go of their convictions. The same happens today. There are those who have a very different mind-set from those who have come of age in this last decade. The ideas and ideals of these people can be very different and coming to an understanding on various topics can be just as difficult.

Today I see much of this in the aspects of the people around me. The older generation (I say this with all due respect) has a great amount of difficulty adjusting to the fast paced lifestyle that is the norm today. Social media and technology has brought people together in numerous ways and taken them apart in just as many. It is a rather contradictory sight when you consider it all.

Those who have been born a stranger to technology yet are open and willing to accept it are slow to come to the forefront but they can still play the game. Those who are a part of the revolution are only sometimes willing to accept the older folk but when they do they are instantly wiser. Is that a coincidence? I think not.

What about the young who will pass us all up on the way to their present? They will take our technology and evolve it into something new and something strange. It is at this point that we become the "they". When this takes place we should all be wise to accept the invitation to come to the party - that is, if we are to receive one.

The Ignorance of Others

Yesterday was meant to be a wonderful day. I had volunteered to be a chaperone for my daughter's 4th grade class on their field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Having chaperoned 2 previous trips for my daughter over the course of the last couple of years I knew what was expected of me and I always try to enhance the experience of the children in my group. My daughter seems to love it when I go with her and her classmates because I try to make it a very entertaining experience, wherever we are going.

As much fun as we were having throughout the day, there were multiple incidents with various other museum goers that just utterly drove me crazy. The "incidents" that I am talking about would be the multiple counts of ignorance and outright bullying that I witnessed over and over again. Having gone to a ton of public places throughout my life I am very familiar with such actions and come to expect a certain amount of it. As a matter of fact, I am always mentally prepared to deal with things like this no matter where I am because, well to put it bluntly, it just happens. You cannot avoid running into someone who has absolutely no regard for other people. That is, in the case of adults. However, what about experiencing this in children?

Who and Why? Is it their upbringing?

Certain people are just rude. It doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing you will eventually experience the rudeness of others. We have all seen it, someone cutting in front of someone else in line. A person just bogarting their way in front of another person while they are reading a plaque on the wall. There are a variety of ways that people can be rude to their fellow man, or woman. There might even be times in which you or I have been the one committing the rude act.

What about children however? Sure, there is a certain amount of rudeness that comes from kids of various age groups. But in most cases I think we see or recognize that most children might be acting in such a manner simply because they don't know any better. Maybe they are being rude because they don't know that they are affecting those around them. Or maybe, they are acting this way because it is just how they act at home or it is how they were raised to be. I know for a fact that there are certain people that have told their kids, "do what you want to do and don't worry about other people. You get what you want, what you need, no matter how it bothers the people around you."

How do I "know this for a fact"? Well, because I have talked to people over the years and this is what a couple parents have told me that they teach their children. I even had a friend once who raised his kids with a similar mantra. "Surely" he told me, "in a world as cruel and as harsh as this one, we should teach our children to be as aggressive as the person next to them, as the person they are in competition with." To a certain degree I can understand where he was coming from but at the same time there has to be a degree of compassion for other people.

So where or how do we draw the line between caring for ones self and making sure you do not hurt or harm other people? That is hard to tell sometimes, especially where children are concerned. I have always taught my kids that they should always make sure they are safe and get what they want in life. However, you always want to be conscience of those around you. Are you taking something for yourself at anothers expense? If so, then you must reconsider your actions. 

Cultural Differences

I like to think that at the heart of every situation there is a commonality that exists that allows people to understand each other. At the same time, no matter how much people might want to ignore it, there is a distinct racial division amongst people within this country. I think we all need to reassess who we are and how we are different AND alike. We need to realize that no matter what our differences are in regards to appearance deep down we are all human. That fact and that fact alone is all that matters. So why is it that we have such divisions amongst one another when it comes to race? I don't think I will ever find the answer to that question.

That being said, I have lived on this planet for almost 40 years now and I have seen quite a lot. I have lived in very cultural diverse areas as well as places where things are so bland they strive to add diversity. So I feel I have the right to speak my mind when it comes to racial issues because I have lived through them just like anyone else has. There are people out there who will speak on issues they do not understand because they do not have direct experience. They are speaking their thoughts on issues they really have no right to talk about because everything they say is essentially a theory not a fact.

Yesterday at the museum what I witnessed was the same thing that I have seen before. For some reason however I was angered and frustrated much more yesterday than I have been in the past. Maybe it was because it was so blatant and maybe it was because my frustration level with it had reached a boiling point. I'm not sure, but what I do know is that I had to write about it to make myself feel somewhat better about it. Maybe writing this piece about the experience will give me the chance to vent my frustrations and at the same time hopefully enlighten others to it as well.

There were a large variety of rude and ignorant acts that I saw yesterday and about 98% of them were carried out by kids from the ages of about 9 to 13. These are definitely kids who are old enough to know better. The last 2% were adults who surely should know better. In one incident we were walking up to an old steam train to see what it looked like in the drivers compartment. I stood to the side of the stairway to allow my group of 4 kids to walk up and into the compartment. I wanted them to be able to see all of it without being in their way myself. Suddenly a group of Latino children walked up the stairs with their chaperone. They all (about 6 of them) rushed up the stairs and literally pushed my kids out of the way and stood directly in front of them. The adult with the group followed right behind the kids and pushed his way in as well. He even stretched and leaned over one of my kids blocked her view entirely so that he could see better. I immediately walked up as far as I could on the stairs and lead my kids back down and out of the exhibit. I figured it was best to just leave the area before more anger and frustration grew.

Another time we were watching a very large avalanche simulation machine describe and show how the grains and rocks in an avalanche move down a slope. There were controls at the base of the machine so the kids could control the machine and see how different environments and different materials effect the avalanche. We waited our turn behind a black kid who just seemed to not want to leave even though he obviously had no clue as to what he was doing. When he finally left I guided my daughter towards the controls and she grabbed them in hand. I explained to her what they did and how it worked so she could understand what she was doing. She operated the apparatus for about 1 minute when 3 black kids her age crowded around us. They got very close and started talking so loud that my daughter and I could not hear one another.

Then as they inched in closer and closer, one of them took his hand and while my daughter was still operating the machine he pushed her hand off of it and grabbed  the control. As he did this he started to try and wedge his way into where she was standing, until I intervened. I asked them to kindly move back and give us some room and explained that my daughter was till using the machine. I said when she was done they could have their turn and that everybody should get a turn. The one who grabbed the control from her seemed to get it, but one of the other kids actually said, "forget it cracker its my turn now!" Keep in mind that this kid was probably about 9 or 10 years old. I was more shocked that he would say something like that to an adult more than anything else at that point. I gently put my arms down on either side of my daughter where she was standing so they almost formed a wall around her allowing her to freely use the controls. By this point however she just wanted to leave the area. I don't know if she was just upset or finished learning about avalanches but either way I was very upset.

Needless to say we left the area about 5 minutes later and continued on through the museum. The interactions and confrontations did not end there however. Not only did we run into more ignorance and rudeness throughout the day but I also continued to see such acts against other people as well. For example, at one point we were by a large scale model of the city of Chicago that has a few model trains going around the large model city. There was an Indian family looking at the exhibit and preparing to take a family photo standing in front of it. As they lined up for the picture there were a couple adults (not with their group) who were obviously standing back so as to not interfere with the picture.  However, there were multiple black kids who were deliberately walking in between the picture taker and the rest of the family completely not caring what was going on around them. The family taking the picture had to reset multiple times and finally moved to a new spot, unable to take the picture where they wanted to. It was almost sickening.

Salvaging the Field Trip

Although the experiences I had just described made it difficult to really enjoy ourselves we did end up having a good time. It is hard not to when you are chaperoning a field trip with your child and their friends. The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is a great place and they have a bunch of fun and educational exhibits. I think my daughter really enjoyed the day and that was all I could ask for.

As far as the people who exhibited a complete disregard for their fellow human beings goes I fee sad for them. I think as they continue to grow up they will either realize their actions define them or they will not. For those who realize this truth they will hopefully do what they can to become a person who is not only good to themselves but to others as well. Those who do not see this will likely live a life filled with agony and despair. I know, that might be a bit of a stretch but there is a whole section of our society who feels that it is pointless to get along with other cultures and that they are doing their culture a favor by alienating it from that of other people.

I know from experience that nothing good ever comes out of putting yourself in a corner and ignoring both the people and the environment around you. We should always embrace the cultures of others as a way to learn more about them. If we could all see one another as a fellow human being and not as the color or culture they portray on the outside we might have a chance to get along and learn something. The ability to learn and adapt is one of the major things that separates us from that of the animal kingdom. Why would we want to ignore what other people can teach us only to remain stationary in society? I think the more we learn from each other the closer we can get to having a true understanding of the world we live in.

The Average Doctor Visit

Though I have not written about it here, in this latest reincarnation of DBD, it has remained a common theme in some of my writing. Mostly in my reviews or articles about medicine. In discussing the medical field it is hard to not come to the subject of the medical professional or the Doctor. The person who is in the role of helping another person who is sick, hurt, or otherwise suffering in some physical way. I have had a lot of experience with Doctors in my lifetime so I know what I'm talking about. This is not a case of reading and then writing.

In anybody's experience with a Doctor you will have different types of scenarios. You have the personal one on one visit in a clinical setting. You will have the visit in which you only see the nurse and then a "practitioner" of some type (usually because the real Doctor is too busy or does not care). Or you will have one of the various hospital style visits which are usually pretty uncaring. In all of these cases there is the exception.

I speak a lot of the negative experiences with medical professionals. Don't let that fool you into thinking that the positive does not exist because it does. Sadly however it is the exception, not the rule.

Now.. this could very easily turn into a very long rant about what I don't like about the medical profession or the typical Doctor's office visit. I did not intend to have this piece become an essay. I had a few things on my mind and I wanted to get them out there while I still possessed them. This is mainly about time. Time is a valuable commodity, especially today because so many different things are vying for ours.

When we visit the Doctor's office we are often advised to do various things to make it easier for the Doctor. If we do these things we will often get what we want simply because we molded our actions into something that fit what the office wants or needs. I say this is an incorrect way to act and a shame that people would advise others to become essentially a shy little introverted beggar.

There is one thing that we all must bear in mind when visiting the Doctor. They are charging us for the time that we spend with them. This means that we pay them for their services, and just like any other business that we pay for a service, we should be treated as a valuable commodity because we are. We are the customer even to the Doctor. I understand that in our society a Doctor for some reason thinks they deserve to be treated like royalty. Even though this is what our culture somewhat dictates, I think we should buck the system and they should treat us like royalty. After all, we pay their bills.

Just like with any other business on main street, the Doctors office is a place that we visit when we need to. But, just like any other business there are competitors on every street corner. Sure, many today are getting into the specialty fields because of insurance concerns but tell me you cannot find a doctor or two if you visit your downtown area of your town. I doubt it.

Point is they should be treating us differently and should be trying to find ways to bring us into their offices. We should not be trying to find ways to get the Doctor to help us more when we finally get 5 minutes alone with them. That is ridiculous. To think that after waiting over 30 minutes or more just to see the person for 5 minutes and get barely any help.. if that was any other business in town they would be out of business!

Consider this the next time you make an appointment with your primary care doctor. They will make you wait 2-4 weeks to see them and when you do you will show up early, but will be seen later than your appointed time. Yet if you were to show up late or miss the appointment, some doctors will charge you. You are charged huge amounts for anything ranging from $5 for a Tylenol to $15 for a 1 foot section of gauze. Your 5 minutes with the Doctor will cost you (or your insurance) at minimum $60 and when you leave can you honestly say that you have been helped? If you consider all of that and remain happy with the care and service you received at your last visit, then I guess you are the exception. However, chances are your visit will at least meet or exceed the above averages and if that is the case, we seriously need to re-think the medical profession in our country.

World War Z - A Great Story That People Hate

There is a surprising amount of fervor surrounding a book that has recently been turned into a major motion picture. The movie has yet to be released, but will this summer. The book I am speaking of is none other than World War Z by: Max Brooks. Like I said, there is a surprising amount of um... discussion surrounding the book and its contents. As a writer and someone who loves to read and who really enjoys a well told story I must say.. even though the whole Zombie thing is a bit played out right now, the book itself is wonderful.

I thoroughly enjoy the manner in which Max Brooks has told his story. If I am being perfectly honest, one of the reasons for it is the fact that I employed a similar convention in one of my short stories. Either way, Mr. Brooks uses it to his advantage in the story and it gives him a platform to tell multiple stories on the same topic without having to break from this character to that. To do so when the story is trying to attach itself to that character at the same time could be devastating to the story itself. But because he tells the story from the perspective of a writer interviewing multiple people about their various roles before, during, and after the Zombie outbreak, he has the liberty to tell multiple stories without losing the reader. Just wonderful.

Now, for some reason there are a lot of people out there who are boo-whooing this story, and for someone to simply say they do not like the story.. fine. I can handle that and they should express their distaste in a classy manner if they feel so. I would. However, many of the people who are expressing their dis-like for the story being told are not doing so because they do not like his story. They are doing so because they feel that the story Mr. Brooks is telling is one of American Conspiracy! Yes, that's right. These people think that Max Brooks has written a hidden secret plan for America to turn communist and to condemn its citizens to a life of prison camps and political re-education. Can I just say that I have never heard something so foolish in all my life!

As a person who has always looked at things in an objective and fair manner, I took it upon myself to read and listen to some of these so-called claims. I had to hear or see for myself what these people were seeing that I was not. Without going into too much detail, because I would not give them that satisfaction, many of them are simply taking text out of context from the story and putting many of their own words into a sentence here and there to make it fit their little scheme. That is what this boils down to for me, a scheme. I think in some ways this is nothing more than people trying to get some publicity for themselves. Which to me is downright class-less.

Like I said, I really do not want to give these fools too much "air-time" so-to-speak, but I had to at least mention what was going on. Beyond all that craziness you have a book that tells an entertaining story in a very entertaining way. Now.. let's take a look at something else. I have never been a big fan of audio-books. I prefer to read the book myself and I feel that the book or story losses something if I have to listen to it. Plus I never had that much time in a car to listen to a whole book and I don't like listening in 20 minute sections. 

However, there is a youtube page that carries an audio version of the book that is done marvelously. Some guy named Tucker1012 has taken this book and put a myriad of voices to the characters and done so perfectly. I don't know who this guy is but he has done a great job. Anybody who likes to listen to their books or just does not have the will to read should check it out. I will post a link to the page at the end of this article. I have also gotten my hands on the MP3 of this recording and will put that up on the blog as well for anyone who wishes to check it out. Before I do the latter however I just want to make sure I am not infringing on anybody's rights. Once I find that out I will make it available.

Again.. World War Z by Max Brooks is a wonderful story. Although the Zombie apocalypse has been done and over-done in many ways these days it is always nice to hear a fresh re-telling of the story. Especially from such a unique perspective. If you are interested in this type of story you owe it to yourself to check this book out, you will not be disappointed. And do yourself a favor, stay away from much of the craziness that for some reason surrounds this book. I don't know if people have it out for Mr. Brooks or if there are just too many nut-cases out there, but there are those who think this story is a secret manifesto of some kind. Unbelievable. Seriously, check the book out.. you will be happy you did.

World War Z - Audio by Tucker1012

Decisions, Decisions.

I find myself in a bit of a quandary. It seems that I have somehow found myself at a crossroads of sorts mentally. If you have read the previous post you will know that I eluded to the fact that I do not put much weight behind conspiracy theories and other such "stories", because that is what they are... stories. As a fiction writer I often use real factual people, places, and things and sort of inject them into a story that could take place if certain occurrences take place. This is common as I am not the only writer who does this. It is imperative to utilize the state of affairs between governments, the causes of wars or conflicts, or the reasoning behind terrorist attacks to formulate a story. Especially in science fiction.

Another step to putting together a story is research. Unless you want your story to be very simplistic and dull you must do a vast amount of research and to a wide variety of subjects. What comes out of this is a wealth of knowledge about a great number of things. That is, providing of course, the writer is actually doing all of the above and not just, shall I say, mailing it in.

So I find myself a couple days ago reading up on the theories and claims of what turns out to be a group of people associated with Alex Jones and Infowars.com. In reading (and listening mostly. They put much of their material in video format) some of what they/he is saying about various topics it got me thinking. Just how far do I want to take this? Just what exactly am I doing here and what am I trying to accomplish?

See my original goal here was only to look into some of the stuff that my son was viewing and maybe, possibly, write-up a quick rebuttal to a couple of the more "ignorant" points this man was making. That was it. I would then go back to working on my short stories and book(s). The problem with this is the information I was finding would lead to another source or more information. This circle would then get me to a point in which I was intrigued and I wanted to learn more. Soon I was researching more out of my curiosity as opposed to strictly for the article or piece I was meaning to write in the first place.

So what is the problem with that then? Well, in a sense, nothing really. But I have done this before. I have put myself into a position of wanting to uncover the big conspiracy. I have engaged my curiosity to a point of no return, and while the result is a lot of reading, learning, and note-taking, it can be better summed-up by saying it is a lot of time and work. OK fine. So work I am not afraid of. I have always been a hard worker and I am very, very capable of working very hard and for long hours. However, this is not the problem. The problem is time. Time right now, for me is a valuable commodity. It is something that is in short supply so I have to budget what little I have available for whatever project I am working on.

Now obviously my plans and schedule are of vital importance to myself and you, my reader, could care less. That is how it should be. As a matter of fact, the very nature of this post is more of a "that's your problem dude" kind of thing. That is just fine, and like I said, expected.

Personally, I would like nothing more than to outline a detailed response to the groups claims (some of which I could actually get behind), but for now I will have to stick with my opinion-based articles based on news of the day and science/tech sector news. Aside from that, writing both my book and my short stories must be prioritized a bit higher as the need to complete these projects increases. Rest assured that I will "go after" or utilize some of the material that has come from their camp both good or bad (or stupid) in an article here or there and I always cite sources where appropriate. Trust me, you will know when I am posting something related to one of the theories from Infowars.

Until then...

Conforming to Individuality

Makers Mark. Consumer outrage. Social media. When you put all of these things together what do you get? Well, nothing really, but in today's society you can get change. It seems that people have really taken to social media to try and make changes. Are the days of the physical protest gone? Walking down the street with picket signs? Maybe. Social media and society's attention to it has changed the landscape. People (in number) can get the word out much more effectively today if the utilize the Internet. Remember Wisconsin a couple years back? Remember when they were protesting the disbanding of unions and they actually had Wisconsin government official leaving the state so they could delay a vote? That was a good one!

People today have changed. We have become an extension of our electronic selves. In many ways this could be a good thing. Providing we do not allow this to kill who we are or keep us from participating in things that we like and not just what they like. This is the biggest issue that I see coming out of all the social media hype. Conformity.

I spent most of my working career as a manager of one kind or another, for one company or another, and of varying sizes of groups. I learned a great deal about people during those years and one thing that sticks out in my memory is that people want to be lead. The majority of people do not want to be a leader. The majority of people want someone to take control and show them what to do. Sure, this does not apply to 100% of the people out there but most. This is where social media stands to cause trouble. Since people are more apt to follow, it stands to reason that they will do just that when a popular "movement" appears on their Facebook page asking for them to join.

So is this how some of these massive social media protests get so many followers? I'm sure that a large number of them join in this way. They might have no knowledge of what the organizers are protesting nor do they really care. All they know is that they are "in" with the rest of the crowd and that makes them feel part of something. But are they? Can you really say that you are a part of something if you just clicked a "JOIN" button on some webpage because a friend sent you a link on Facebook? I think not.

It is for reasons like this that most of the so-called online protests or social media protests should almost be taken with a grain of salt. Recently much hype was made about a Twitter "gathering" that coincided with the protest of the Keystone XL pipeline on the National Mall when 35,000 plus people showed up to protest. But you have to ask yourself, how many of the people on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media outlet are just your typical, run-of-the-mill "followers"?

Conformity has been a part of our society forever. Although it has its stigmas it is not always a bad thing to conform to what society is doing or what society wants. You have to make your own decisions and your own choices. If you can do that and they happen to be in line with what the rest of society wants then so be it. You can still be an individual by conforming so long as the choices you make are your own.