Week 3 Comment 2: Hutch's Blog

Photo from Microsoft Clip Art

Original Post:
I always think I'm going to struggle to find content for these blog posts so they don't read like book reports but somehow something serendipitously comes to to me at just the right time.

I think this video from Randy Halverson is a great metaphor for the message within the Art of Possibility, the idea that a world of possibilities is hiding in plain site.  We just need to learn how to see them.  This time lapse video is a compilation of 30 second exposures that reveals spectacular things in the night skies invisible to the human eye and standard video.


Temporal Distortion from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

What really struck me about the 4 chapters we read this week is the way they support each other.  I really identified with chapter 7 of the Art of Possibility - The Way Things Are.  I've always been an optimist, to the point where it has frustrated other people.  I hope moving forward I can use this strength to learn to lead from any chair as described in chapter 5.  I think the key to getting others to be inspired by our own dreams is to communicate them with passion as described in Chapter 8.  Chapter 6 stresses not taking yourself so seriously.  I think too often people get misguided by feeling they need to convince others they are right instead of respectfully disagreeing or simply presenting their own ideas with positive conviction.  I see this happen often in social media, especially Facebook.

I didn't realize it until writing this post but I took these lessons to heart earlier this week.  Recording artist Whitney Houston died suddenly this past Saturday at age 48.  Mixed with posts of sentiment there was a small contingent of my Facebook acquaintances who took advantage of the opportunity to communicate their opinions about how her life should not be celebrated.  These people posted images of soldiers graves with comments stating that true heroes deserved the media's recognition not a "washed up drug addict."...  I found these views misguided and in some cases offensive, not to mention incredibly passive aggressive.  If this is truly what you believe you would post comments like this every day, not just when a celebrity you don't care for dies and the media focuses on it.  I chose to remain quiet on all these posts and tried to ignore the threads of comments.  Eventually I decided to do some research and politely posted on each of my acquaintances threads some facts I found out about Mrs. Houston's charity work.  I noticed very few news reports were highlighting these fact that her proceeds from the sales of her recording of "The Star Spangled Banner" went to soldiers and servicemen and women, or her other charity work including her own organization that helped cancer and HIV stricken children.  None of my acquaintances responded directly to my comments, but several people "liked" my comments after I posted them.  I also posted my findings to my own wall which got several "likes" as well.  Nobody confronted my comments.

I think we could all learn to take ourselves less seriously.  No one of us is ever going to change the world or the way someone else feels with a single comment, no matter how aggressively you try.  By respecting each other and communicating openly and sincerely though we might just be able to help each other stop and think.

My Response:
 I agree with you that these chapters blended and worked very well together. I really like the fact that you focused on not taking ourselves so seriously. The scenario that you posted about Facebook happens all too often. One of my friends from high school uses Facebook to constantly tell the world her opinions. What usually happens is that people start commenting back and then all of these mini fights breakout all over her Facebook page. She genuinely gets mad at people and has lost friends over comments made on Facebook. REALLY!!! It is not that serious. If people feel strongly about something, it should be a way of life not a angered Facebook, attention getter post. I didn't really gather the moral of the story the same way that you did. Thanks for pointing out that we can all step back and respect each others communication and ideas. Do you think that it would make a difference if they always treated people like that as opposed to only when it is convenient to make a big show?