You Can't Please Everybody, But There Is One Person You Should Always Aim To Please

   It has been said (and written, repeatedly) that the only person on the planet that you should be worrying about pleasing is yourself.

   Which is on the surface probably one of the most selfish, egotistical, narcissistic statements that one can state (either aloud or on paper).

   Except it's not, when put into context.

   There is no doubt that being altruistic, compassionate, egalitarian (whatever term you want to use to describe putting the needs of others before oneself) can be beneficial to the mental and emotional well-being of a person, but it is also true that being communalistic can be an incredible mental, emotional, and even physical drain on a person

   The context I've come to understand the whole "you gotta please yourself" concept in is not one of indulging one's every whim willy-nilly or leading a life of greedy, amoral hedonism, it is the context of being aware that the actions you undertake today, the thoughts you allow to shape your worldview today, the ideals and philosophy's you adapt as part of your personality today, the exercises you participate in...all have an effect on the one person that should matter the most to you.

   That person is the person you will eventually develop into, the person you will be 10, 20, or 50 years from now.

   Think about it. How pleased is your future self going to be with your current self for making the effort to get a solid education, learn a productive trade, plant and cultivate seeds that eventually bear good fruit (metaphor alert - that translates into developing good and healthy habits)? How pleased do you think your future self is going to be if you make the effort to keep yourself physically fit? How pleased is your future self going to be if you brush your teeth every day and see a Dentist at least twice a year? 

   The answer to those questions is, "Incredibly so". Your future self is going to be incredibly pleased with your past self if you do those things. 

   Those actions are what I call truly pleasing yourself, mainly because all the crap I did in my glorious misspent youth that have me taking (and paying for) corrective actions is just not very pleasing, and makes me regard past me as a bit of a wreckless, rapacious jerk.

   So yeah, please yourself - your future self - by being aware that eventually you are going to have to live in the future with the mind, body and soul you are building (or destroying) today. 

Is It What You Know Or Who You Know?

   Some people become successful due to their dedication to a course of action and their deep conviction that nothing beats hard work when it comes to accomplishing a goal.

  Some people become successful due to being able to charm or influence a network of connections that results in the creation of a specific level of prestige for themselves.

   Of course, there are various hybrids of these two archetypes, but if I had my druthers I'd opt for a lot more of the first example in my personal admixture than the second.

  Gotta know one's limitations, and if there is one thing I know for certain it's that for me, working hard is easier that trying to put on the charm.

The Kids Of Today At Play

   Walking along the mixed use path (meaning  the path is shared by people walking, riding bikes, on horseback, etc. - everyone and everything that doesn't have a motor is allowed) that entwines itself through Addenbrooke park this afternoon I chanced to hear a conversation two young kids were having as they approached me from behind. 

   Apparently they had just gotten out of school and they were discussing the homework they had tonight, as well as some kid named Noah who had been sent to the nurse's office after he threw up in class.

   I was approaching a fork in the path, and at that fork the two kids parted company, but not before one of them called out to the other, "Hey, call me when you get your homework done so we can play Fortnite." To which the other kid replied, "Okay, but let's play Rocket Racing, I'm tired of playing Battle Royale."

    The other kid shouted out in reply, "Okay, I'll call you in about an hour."

    The two pedaled off in opposite directions and I thought to myself that even though the games and the means to play the games have changed since I was a kid, it was nice to see that kids do indeed still play together - even if it's via a multiplayer online video game platform.

Everything Is Open To Misinterpretation

The kid asked me if I'd ever been misinterpreted by anyone

I responded sure, happens all the time

He then asked how I responded to being misinterpreted

And I said it all depends on a couple of factors

To which the kid's response was to ask me to explain

So I did

The thing to consider if you are ever misinterpreted

Is whether or not the person you are talking to 

Has already established an opinion of you

Do they like you, do they hate you, do they trust you, do they not

Do they think of you as inferior, do they think of you as superior

Do they think of you at all?

See, that all has a profound effect on how they perceive

Anything and everything you might have to say 

They might assume you're speaking drivel

They could be wary of every word that comes out of your mouth

No matter how truthful or knowledgable you might actually be

People hear what they want to hear 

And see what they want to see

What motivates them

Is beyond the keen of gods and men

But it's a universal truth

The best you can do is make your message clear and simple

As open to interpretation as little as possible

Be open, direct and honest

And hope the person you're speaking to

Will extend you the same courtesy

For people make assumptions

About what may be motivating everything you say or do

And unfortunately that is something beyond your control

All you can do is just keep on being you

The Spy Who Advertised

 

Strange Fact I Didn't Want To Know But Now Will Never Be Able To Forget

 

   A couple of friends shared a story with me tonight, the gist of which was last week they flew out to New Orleans and a woman passed away on the plane they were on, mid-flight. 

   I fly quite a bit, and I had never heard of such a thing occurring, but according to what they were told in the aftermath, which included having to stay onboard the airplane after it landed in order for the police and medical personnel to board and perform a thorough investigation of the death to determine if foul play was involved and having to wait for the airport coroner to board and take away the deceased, it happens between 70 to 80 times a year on U.S. domestic flights.

   That took me seriously aback. Of course I got on the good ol' internet to do a little fact checking, and sure enough that stat was legit.

   At first glance that seemed like a high number, but after a bit more reading pertaining to modes of transport and likelihood of death while in transit, I realized that when the incredible amount of people who travel by airplane every day is taken into account (2.9 million. Every single day. That's the population of Kansas and Mississippi combined) it is incredibly small.

   How small? About 1 in every 40,000 flights will experience an inflight death of a passenger.

  So now I am not so astonished by the fact that someone died on a flight a couple of friends of mine were on as I am astonished by the fact that a couple of my friends were on a flight on which a fellow passenger passed away.

  BTW, most likely cause of death - cardiac arrest. Most likely victim, male, mid-50's.

   

Veterans Day 2024