Success Warrior: The Blog That Embraces ADHD

Hammers and Nails

So,

Here I am with a blog post.  Amazing, I know.  College took more than even I expected this last term and the next one, which starts tomorrow, doesn't look like it will be any lighter.  I haven't been able to stay up to date with current events in the depth that I prefer and have been reduced to scanning headlines most of the time.  A recurring theme I have heard is that when your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

I saw a video (posted below) about the Quebec student protests that brought this to mind this morning.  Students in Quebec (and around the world) are upset about the escalating cost of higher education and are letting the government know about it.  Someone with half a brain would think that an appropriate response would be to work on some way to lower the cost of education.  Unfortunately, we are talking about politicians. 

The truth is that the hammer *is* the primary tool in the government workbelt but the reason that it is finally getting so much press is that it's been used more transparently, more often, and predominately against the 99%.  The Internet has been effective enough at reducing the other major tools (propaganda and indoctrination) that the hammer is being used liberally while the 1% tries to find a way to gain control over the world wide web.

Instead of looking at reducing tuition costs for students or even *saying* they will look at reducing tuition costs for students, the rocket surgeons wielding the hammer passed a law making it illegal to protest without permission from the police.  That's like a patient going in to take care of an itchy rash on his right arm and the doctor tying down the patient's left arm to keep him from scratching it.  Actually it's worse than that because, in this case, it brought extra people into the fight on the students' side.

People who were not protesting tuition hikes came out to protest the new anti-protest law.  Shortly after the law was passed, 700 people were arrested for illegally protesting.  This just brought more people out to protest the arrests and the heavy-handed tactics used by the police.  The response to the hammer seems to be such a no-brainer that it leaves me wondering what game the lawmakers are playing.  Have they painted themselves into such a corner that they are powerless to do anything else?  Wouldn't it have been better to do nothing than fan the flames? 

What do you think?  Why are lawmakers around the world making symptoms illegal instead of dealing with the disease?

Parent-Teacher Conference

So,

We just had parent-teacher conference for Trey, which has renewed my conviction to finish getting my degree so that I'm free to home-school.  The teacher, who is a friend that we trust to be honest with us, announced that there isn't much more that she can do for Trey.  He's in second grade and his last test scores show that he's doing fourth grade math and at least fourth grade reading.  The reading test only covered the first quarter of fourth grade and he scored 100% on the test so next time, she's going to give him a higher level test to see where he tops out.  All of this sounded fantastic to me since we've been teaching him math and reading at home.  In fact, she pointed to some of the things and said that she knew he didn't learn this stuff in school. 

Then she hit us with the bad news.  In math, he's so far ahead of everyone that she won't be able to spend time teaching him.  In reading, there is one other student that is in the ballpark with Trey that she can pair up with him and have them work as a team.  Other than that, she said he'd just be sitting in class nodding his head and jumping through boring hoops showing that he understands what she's teaching him and this was not likely to improve until he gets to junior high school where they have advanced classes for students.

She did give us some advice for things to work with him that would make him stronger, things that they barely scratch the surface of in school, like science and nonfiction reading comprehension (wtf?).  She suggested that he be in some kind of music training because of his ability there.  He loves art too and every couple of weeks, we have to go visit his art teacher after school so he can show her what he has done.

Before school that day, we were out shooting hoops.  When we came home, we played Magic: The Gathering (which he is now obsessed with since he found out how many Magic cards there are in the house).  His nightly "homework" takes him about 5 minutes tops to complete.  He reads quite a bit each day because there is a reward for the top reader each month, which he announced on Friday would be him this month.  The student who consistently beat him in amount of time reading each month moved.

It would be disingenuous to blame just the competition for his reading since both of my daughters are outstanding readers and were reading several grades above their level when they were in school.

This is obviously a proud-dad post but there is more to it than that. 

The American school system is a failure in both its stated purpose and now, even its actual purpose.  The American school system is about indoctrination and not education.  The graduation rate is about 75%, which isn't saying much given the standards, and means even less for people in urban areas where the graduation rate is 25%.  There are over 1,500 high schools that are labeled "dropout factories" because less than 60% of the students graduate.  Less than 60% is an "F".

Knowing this about the school system gives parents the power to change things, to some degree.  I realize that the system has been set up to encourage single parent families (although I believe the UK may actually have a better system in place for destroying the nuclear family) and that corrupt practices of the government puppets of the 1% mean that many people have 2 or 3 jobs so school is more of a tax-paid babysitter than an educator.  However, for those of us that can find any time at all to spend with our children, it is possible to actually teach them.  It is possible to counter the government's dumbing down of generations of children. 

I've already covered the increasing failure to indoctrinate.  I certainly don't take part in it.  Most of the students in this city refuse to say the pledge of allegiance.  I don't know if Trey knows it or not.  I've never asked.  I suppose I should so I can tell him that it's bullshit to pledge allegiance to a flag or to a gang of criminals.  I think he's picking some of that up already, just in the little bits of ethics that he asks about. 

Speaking of ethics, how about a "Homework Help" question for the week?  I'll be posting my answer after I get some sleep but I'd love to hear your answers:

Where do individuals get their basic ethical instincts?  Small children are taught in the home, school, church and community.  The things they learn there are hopefully to do the right and ethical thing whatever the situation.  Now, as individuals mature and become decision makers in corporate world at mid and higher levels....where bonuses, incentives, etc. are tied to their performance appraisals....do you think they will bend those early childhood ethical convictions for that extra dollar?  If so....why?

Saturday Video: Explaining Government

Beliefs (Part 1)

So,

I've been giving this topic lots of thought, off and on, for quite some time and have not been able to put my thoughts into any easy order.  That means that I will once again be using this blog as a rough draft to make some sense of the topic and I will, once again, probably be meandering all over the place.

Standard Operating Procedures.

Yup.

In reading Lynette's blog, I came across something that she said that really resonated with me and I told her so.  She said she had been reading a book that brought me to mind and recommended that I read it.  I downloaded Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior by David R. Hawkins to my Kindle and have been reading it.  I'm only about 20% through the book but I'm intrigued and it has rekindled something in me that goes right along with my thoughts on Belief.

One thing that I know I need to do is be nicer to the cult members and minions.  I don't go out trolling but I have certainly been less than kind on my blog.  While I can rationalize the reasons for this because I can say what I want on my blog and they are doing far worse to me, it actually doesn't fit with what I would like to see happen for a number of reasons.  It may actually cause them to dig in deeper to defend their religion and it's really not fair.  It's not entirely their fault that they don't understand things.  I saw a video this week that explained it nicely.  Serendipity at work.

Picking on cult members is like having a spelling bee with contestants that don't speak English.

Spell the word, "Violence."

Could you use the word in a sentence?

I'm not sure how I have escaped the Matrix and to be clear, I'm still trying to teach myself.  I still go out looking for truth and I'm trying to teach myself to think better.  It's an important skill and one that I want to be able to pass on to my kids.  My wife and I discuss it often but we are at a point where we feel we need a better understanding of the concepts before we will be able to adequately pass them on.

There are a few things to note about my intention for a kinder and gentler blog in regards to cult members and minions.

1. I am naturally sarcastic and snarky and one of the voices in my head is even worse.  So, this may be a work in progress.
2. The good intentions are aimed at the cult members and the minions.  Their prophets are still fair game.  Failing to point out the evil would be a disservice to humankind.

Unfortunately, time is going to require that I split this up over at least one more post, if not more.

Let me leave you with something completely unrelated that I found funny.  I was looking around for information yesterday and Googled, "Obama pays travel expenses."

Success Warrior blog was the number 1 hit.

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there.

Git-r-done.

Larry the Cable Guy will be out here tomorrow.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life.

Have you heard of P90X? That's BeachBody. They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more. They have some of the best exercise programs on the market. These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body. They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology. Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs. Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer.

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of. Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there. If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link. Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Focus

So,

I have got way too much that I want to accomplish and that means I have to cut back somewhere.  I've tried cutting back on sleep but there's only so far you can go with that.  One thing that I want to focus more on for the next little while is my training.  College starts back up again on Sunday and I have been putting in extra time at work.  I have several projects around the house that I would like to get done before summer and I would also like to read a book or two that aren't required reading.  You know, just for fun. <gasp>  It would also be fun to learn how to draw.  The least essential time-consuming thing that I do is keep this blog updated daily and that is going to have to be where the cut comes for now. 

The plan, for now, is cut back to a scheduled post once a week, probably on Fridays.  I'm sure there will be bonus posts when stuff really grabs my attention and I may throw in some Saturday videos if I run across any that I'd like to share.  With any luck, this will create the balance that I need at the moment.

I can't just quit blogging.  This medium is a perfect fit for my personality and my writing style.  It has allowed me to put my thoughts in order and make space in my brain for more exciting notions.  When taken as a whole, this blog pulls off the trick of being whimsical while being deliberate and allows me to tinker around with reality-changing ideas.  This blog has become an integral part of my journey.

It just needs to share my time better with all the other things jumping up and down yelling, "Pick me!  Pick me!"

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life.

Have you heard of P90X? That's BeachBody. They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more. They have some of the best exercise programs on the market. These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body. They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology. Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs. Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer.

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of. Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there. If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link. Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.