OMSI, Obama, and Self Esteem
Last weekend my daughter Hannah said, "Dad, we need to get out of the house and go to OMSI." There wasn't much resistance in the household, so off we went. No matter how many times we attend, there's always something new for all us to play with, be challenged by, or in one manner or another, we come across something that generates lingering thoughts and conversations. Here's Hannah, not readying for a snorkeling expedition, but preparing to do battle in the chemistry lab.
My eldest daughter Caitlin and I are always involved in some sort of long-running philosophical discussion or just up to being silly. We've always had a good laugh at the over exposed, silly poses that you find on MySpace pages, and after viewing a few "tweens" taking pictures of themselves on their cellphones, we decided it was time for us to step up.
(Caitlin's the cool looking one on the left... Shameless plug for Caitlin's Blog)
After our time at OMSI, I was talked into visiting Portland's purveryor of liquid chocolate, Cacao. I am an unashamed chocoholic, and going to Cacao would be the pilgrim's equivalent of traveling to the Holy Land. Here's a shot of Hannah attempting to sip pure, viscous chocolate.
It took over an hour for Hannah to finish this vat-o-chocolate.
I stumbled across two things which not only "Keep Portland Weird," but trouble me. The first was this:
Chocobama. Is this politically correct? Should we be nibbling on the President Elect?!
The second bit of the trouble came in the form of a "mens" clothing store just down the street from the Crystal Palace. I have been forbidden to post the picture I took or to mention the name of the establishment. Across the street from this place was this display...
Does anyone really spend this much time and effort to cover their butt in something that's neon?!
I guess there are some species that like the neon tushy look... I thought we had moved on... Guess not...
The entire "self esteem" movement came to the forefront of my thoughts the last few days. While we continue to decline as a nation, be victims to our own unbridled greed with the collapse of our economy, ignore the plight of our own citizens, and wage war against those in foreign lands, I began working backwards through the maze of motivating factors that have placed us where we are today. There is one central question that leads us down one of two paths of reasoning: are we humans basically "good" and occasionally do or perform immoral, unethical acts, or, are we basically "bad," having to rely on the structure of laws, societal pressures, and religious constructs to stay on the path of morality? Of course, there are other central questions; have we as a species been placed here with a purpose, or, are we a cosmic statistical anomaly? The answers to these questions have far-reaching consequences in terms of how you view and conduct your life.
I am certain that a vast majority of our culture has placed one's self worth at the very center of their existence. Boosting one's self esteem, self image, self worth, has become a mantra that is repeated frequently. "Everyone gets a trophy" is now commonplace from a child's early years of development. One only has to look through the plethora of self-help books in any bookstore to know that if we as a nation are all about self esteem, we are lacking in the abilities to pull it off convincingly. My thoughts are, that if you're depending on yourself to fulfill the promise of "self worth." you're doomed to fail, simply because each of knows that we have "issues" and can never realize the perfection that we desire in order to truly be at peace with ourselves.
You're probably thinking, "Well this isn't why I came to your blog. I don't need your philosophical ramblings. Besides, I'm a good person...." Stick with me just a bit longer... We all have been instilled with a sense of self-importance, but should realize that when we die, those around us will grieve, but the next day the sun will come up, and in short order, life will continue on without us. In fact, of the billions of people currently occupying the planet, only a handful will have a long-term meaningful impact that will be remembered in the centuries to come. I'm afraid that the handful doesn't include you or me. So....
"The graveyards are filled with indispensable men." - Charles de Gaulle
My intent isn't to get your week off to a poor start, but consider a bit of cowboy poetry that was passed my way by Gayle Irwin this past weekend.
Reincarnation, by Wallace McRae
What is reincarnation? A cowboy asked his friend.
It starts, his old pal told him, when your life comes to an end.
They wash your neck and comb your hair and clean your fingernails,
And put you in a padded box away from life’s travails.
The box and you goes in a hole that’s been dug in the ground.
Reincarnation starts in when you’re planted 'neath that mound.
Them clods melt down, just like the box, and you who is inside.
And that’s when you begin your transformation ride.
And in a while the grass will grow upon your rendered mound,
Until some day, upon that spot, a lonely flower is found.
And then a horse may wander by and graze upon that flower
That once was you, and now has become your vegetated bower.
Now, the flower that the horse done eat, along with his other feed,
Makes bone and fat and muscle essential to the steed.
But there’s a part that he can’t use and so it passes through.
And there it lies upon the ground, this thing that once was you.
And if perchance, I should pass by and see this on the ground,
I’ll stop awhile and ponder at this object that I’ve found.
I’ll think about Reincarnation and life and death and such,
And come away concluding’, why, you ain’t changed all that much.
Here's a scene that my kids might come across some day in the future and ask, "Do you think a little bit of dad's in that shovel?" It should kind of put things in perspective...
When faced head on that our precious bodies will be reduced to no more than fertilizer, isn't it time to examine a philosophy that's been around for thousands of years? This is going to sound a little un-American since it flies in the face of capitalism and the pursuit of boundless profit and personal gain. I'll start with a story that took place a century or so ago. General William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army, wished to send a telegram of encouragement to his missionaries around the world. He sent his agent to the local telegraph office to transmit his message only to find that he couldn't afford to send it since they charged by the word, and the proposed message cost way more than they had budgeted to spend. General Booth asked how many words per message they could afford and gaining that information he would then tailor his message to fit the budget's word count. The agent returned from the telegraph office once again and reported that they had enough budgeted for only one word for each message. After considerable thought, General Booth chose the word that would be sent out to each and every one of his missionaries. That word was "Others."
In my travels around the country and around the world, I've often marveled at the genuine contentment that I've seen on the faces of numerous folks that have very little in the way of material things. What I've come to learn is that instead of focusing on accumulating wealth and the "stuff" that comes with it, they've instead spent their time with their families, their friends, and being a part of a larger community. They don't have "stuff" that they have to store, insure, maintain, and be distracted by. They have found joy and peace by serving others, a pursuit that doesn't set them up for failure and disappointment the way self-focus does. They are "others centered." During Christmas time, it's common to hear, "It's better to give than receive." Focusing on the needs of others not only brings great personal satisfaction, it serves to take the attention away from ourselves, which turns out to be a double victory. We will always fall short of our own expectations and the expectations that others have for us, but we will always succeed when serving others. There are self-help gurus out there that will tell you they have the secret to unleash your inner giant. The truth is that we all know that there is no giant within us. We all share the same fears of failure, loneliness, and living a life void of meaning and substance. In serving others, those fears are erased. Just something to think about...
My eldest daughter Caitlin and I are always involved in some sort of long-running philosophical discussion or just up to being silly. We've always had a good laugh at the over exposed, silly poses that you find on MySpace pages, and after viewing a few "tweens" taking pictures of themselves on their cellphones, we decided it was time for us to step up.
(Caitlin's the cool looking one on the left... Shameless plug for Caitlin's Blog)
After our time at OMSI, I was talked into visiting Portland's purveryor of liquid chocolate, Cacao. I am an unashamed chocoholic, and going to Cacao would be the pilgrim's equivalent of traveling to the Holy Land. Here's a shot of Hannah attempting to sip pure, viscous chocolate.
It took over an hour for Hannah to finish this vat-o-chocolate.
I stumbled across two things which not only "Keep Portland Weird," but trouble me. The first was this:
Chocobama. Is this politically correct? Should we be nibbling on the President Elect?!
The second bit of the trouble came in the form of a "mens" clothing store just down the street from the Crystal Palace. I have been forbidden to post the picture I took or to mention the name of the establishment. Across the street from this place was this display...
Does anyone really spend this much time and effort to cover their butt in something that's neon?!
I guess there are some species that like the neon tushy look... I thought we had moved on... Guess not...
The entire "self esteem" movement came to the forefront of my thoughts the last few days. While we continue to decline as a nation, be victims to our own unbridled greed with the collapse of our economy, ignore the plight of our own citizens, and wage war against those in foreign lands, I began working backwards through the maze of motivating factors that have placed us where we are today. There is one central question that leads us down one of two paths of reasoning: are we humans basically "good" and occasionally do or perform immoral, unethical acts, or, are we basically "bad," having to rely on the structure of laws, societal pressures, and religious constructs to stay on the path of morality? Of course, there are other central questions; have we as a species been placed here with a purpose, or, are we a cosmic statistical anomaly? The answers to these questions have far-reaching consequences in terms of how you view and conduct your life.
I am certain that a vast majority of our culture has placed one's self worth at the very center of their existence. Boosting one's self esteem, self image, self worth, has become a mantra that is repeated frequently. "Everyone gets a trophy" is now commonplace from a child's early years of development. One only has to look through the plethora of self-help books in any bookstore to know that if we as a nation are all about self esteem, we are lacking in the abilities to pull it off convincingly. My thoughts are, that if you're depending on yourself to fulfill the promise of "self worth." you're doomed to fail, simply because each of knows that we have "issues" and can never realize the perfection that we desire in order to truly be at peace with ourselves.
You're probably thinking, "Well this isn't why I came to your blog. I don't need your philosophical ramblings. Besides, I'm a good person...." Stick with me just a bit longer... We all have been instilled with a sense of self-importance, but should realize that when we die, those around us will grieve, but the next day the sun will come up, and in short order, life will continue on without us. In fact, of the billions of people currently occupying the planet, only a handful will have a long-term meaningful impact that will be remembered in the centuries to come. I'm afraid that the handful doesn't include you or me. So....
"The graveyards are filled with indispensable men." - Charles de Gaulle
My intent isn't to get your week off to a poor start, but consider a bit of cowboy poetry that was passed my way by Gayle Irwin this past weekend.
Reincarnation, by Wallace McRae
What is reincarnation? A cowboy asked his friend.
It starts, his old pal told him, when your life comes to an end.
They wash your neck and comb your hair and clean your fingernails,
And put you in a padded box away from life’s travails.
The box and you goes in a hole that’s been dug in the ground.
Reincarnation starts in when you’re planted 'neath that mound.
Them clods melt down, just like the box, and you who is inside.
And that’s when you begin your transformation ride.
And in a while the grass will grow upon your rendered mound,
Until some day, upon that spot, a lonely flower is found.
And then a horse may wander by and graze upon that flower
That once was you, and now has become your vegetated bower.
Now, the flower that the horse done eat, along with his other feed,
Makes bone and fat and muscle essential to the steed.
But there’s a part that he can’t use and so it passes through.
And there it lies upon the ground, this thing that once was you.
And if perchance, I should pass by and see this on the ground,
I’ll stop awhile and ponder at this object that I’ve found.
I’ll think about Reincarnation and life and death and such,
And come away concluding’, why, you ain’t changed all that much.
Here's a scene that my kids might come across some day in the future and ask, "Do you think a little bit of dad's in that shovel?" It should kind of put things in perspective...
When faced head on that our precious bodies will be reduced to no more than fertilizer, isn't it time to examine a philosophy that's been around for thousands of years? This is going to sound a little un-American since it flies in the face of capitalism and the pursuit of boundless profit and personal gain. I'll start with a story that took place a century or so ago. General William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army, wished to send a telegram of encouragement to his missionaries around the world. He sent his agent to the local telegraph office to transmit his message only to find that he couldn't afford to send it since they charged by the word, and the proposed message cost way more than they had budgeted to spend. General Booth asked how many words per message they could afford and gaining that information he would then tailor his message to fit the budget's word count. The agent returned from the telegraph office once again and reported that they had enough budgeted for only one word for each message. After considerable thought, General Booth chose the word that would be sent out to each and every one of his missionaries. That word was "Others."
In my travels around the country and around the world, I've often marveled at the genuine contentment that I've seen on the faces of numerous folks that have very little in the way of material things. What I've come to learn is that instead of focusing on accumulating wealth and the "stuff" that comes with it, they've instead spent their time with their families, their friends, and being a part of a larger community. They don't have "stuff" that they have to store, insure, maintain, and be distracted by. They have found joy and peace by serving others, a pursuit that doesn't set them up for failure and disappointment the way self-focus does. They are "others centered." During Christmas time, it's common to hear, "It's better to give than receive." Focusing on the needs of others not only brings great personal satisfaction, it serves to take the attention away from ourselves, which turns out to be a double victory. We will always fall short of our own expectations and the expectations that others have for us, but we will always succeed when serving others. There are self-help gurus out there that will tell you they have the secret to unleash your inner giant. The truth is that we all know that there is no giant within us. We all share the same fears of failure, loneliness, and living a life void of meaning and substance. In serving others, those fears are erased. Just something to think about...
Posted by Wilsonville Honda at 1/11/2009 1:07 PM 
Categories: Cowboy Poetry, Chocobama, OMSI, Crystal Palace, MySpace, Keep Portland Weird, Gayle Irwin, Charles de Gaulle
Categories: Cowboy Poetry, Chocobama, OMSI, Crystal Palace, MySpace, Keep Portland Weird, Gayle Irwin, Charles de Gaulle
Comments