How to be objective

Normally, I’d like to say that there are always two ways: the friendly one and the honest one. Nonetheless, when it comes to be factually there seems to be not so much of a choice. In the sense of communication objectivity can only be achieved by knowing how both, transmitter and receiver, are going to understand a specific message. For humans that is hard indeed, cause there are no strict standards for conversations.
If you just think about some factors like speed, tone, word order, facial expression a lot of possible and different statements can be created even with the same words. As for the message itself, always problematic are for example comparisons, clauses and restrictions. The phrase ‘I like you, but..’ has always a kind of a killer effect. One reason may be that the but-part is the exception to which is usually given more weight.

Another problem shows up when people realise something said might be misunderstood. They switch into defensive mode and that just has to seem like you’re wrong for your conversational counterpart. Even with words less is often more. Skip the unnecessary filler words. Objectivity in the understanding within a group of more than two people would be real luck. You’re sometimes better off by not even trying to find a common communication standard. It takes a lot of time, it’s never guaranteed and most people don’t listen to you anyway.
The answer is: ‘what was the question again’!

How to choose your religion

Which denomination is best? Which community offers most? The ones that promise salvation after you die or the ones giving absolution to you for a specific amount of money during your lifetime? It’s a serious question. What do you want to face after your life ends? Maybe you want to look forward to 27 virgins in heaven, 27 spankers in hell or even worse: reincarnation.
Don’t forget the conditions. Read the small printed or stone engraved carefully! Who knows if there is a possibility to complain afterwards. They might just respond with ‘Come on, you really thought there are 27 virgins up here’. You’d better gain deep insights into some sects as well. They sometimes offer a hell – sorry – a lot of freebies. Tell me if you find any with one-sin-free offers.

In case it is required: what does it even mean to really believe in something? It probably means to have faith. You should neither question nor doubt your religion. For me, right that’s a huge problem. To question everything is important as it’s the only way to grow and become an individual person with a stable and fresh mind. Change is good and necessary! I think that’s also the reason those old, dusty religions are doing not really well nowadays. In an ever faster moving world it’s quite essential to keep it up.
Forget denominations without funny paragraphs – cause, come on: life is fun!

How to live by the banana

Life is like this yellow curved fruit. You can put it in a plastic bag and within a week the only thing you can do is to throw it away. But that’s not all. Dip it in coffee and you got a vitamin and caffeine stick with an slight weird taste. Alright, what I really meant was that nothing is really straight. Life needs things to be flexible and bendable in order to fit together. The lesson here is to let yourself be a bit bendable. Don’t stick to every textbook you read and don’t be stiff like a saltstick. The time will come where the pressure on both of your ends will be to much and break you into pieces. Flexibility is a good thing. Not only in the gym.
Another speciality is the thick skin with the smooth inner potential fruitshake. Learn to accept those dark bruises on your outer layer. Time will heal them. There you are even superior to the special banana powers. Don’t let everything effect your inner-smoothie. You’ll only ruin your taste. And who will like you when you taste like an already chewed chewing gum?

After all, judge your monkey-cucumber by its skin very carefully. Most of the time, the inside will be sweeter anyway. Peeling will be worth the effort. And leave them on the tree while they’re still green. However, now I’ve gone off-topic. Security isn’t everything but flexibility is.
Be aware of a life shortage when living in a plastic bag!

Thinking witty

Are you quick at repartee? How do you respond to someone asking “What’s up loser”? Is that where you draw your punchline? Some might say that it doesn’t matter what other potential mentally less gifted individuals loose orally. Besides their filthy slobber. And they’re right. It doesn’t change their way along the gutter. Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to respond for the sake of our adaptability to the most obscure events. If it did hurt in the end – well, I was just suggesting.
Depending on the threats you may focus, possible reactions could be: “Wait, are you talking with your mouth or are you just losing fluids?” (could lead to confrontation); “Oh, dirt learned talking!” (you may want to learn karate first); “The same as yesterday, while you were cleaning the lavatory and I was doing the dirty work to make you uncle!” (for the smart and intellectual stop of this conversation); Whatever comes out of your mouth should be spontaneous. To say deliberately nothing and just keep going on with your actual business is also a nice way to show gruel ignorance. Because, let’s be honest, most questions are powered by the need for confrontation.

One neat example is attributed to Winston Churchill who gave Nancy Astor, who said to him “If I were your wife, I’d put arsenic in your coffee” the following response “And if I were your husband, I would drink it”. This demonstrates very nice how fast you can turn an argument around without leaving much opening for another tit-for-tat response.
Don’t take life too seriously, death is anyway!

Thinking timeless

A recent article about time stated that time as such may be only an illusion. It has to do with its importance in quantum mechanics and its conformity to the general relativity. Well, lots of science can make the head go round. At the moment, I don’t care much about quantum mechanics. But I care, like most of us, about the 25 days of holiday the same way I care about the daily caffeine intake to make the most out of the other days. So, what is time anyway?
Yesterday I listened to some questions from kids about time and speed on some radio show (Yeah, radio still exists!). One question caught my attention ‘How long can a day be?’. Seems pretty obvious at first sight. When you ponder a bit, you might realise that time can be described as change of one state to another. In a system without any change, it may look as if no time would pass. This means, the more accurate your clock is, the faster your time is passing. That’s maybe one of the reasons I don’t wear any watches.

The reason we invented time was to make synchronisation easier. In order to get the most out of our precious time we try to perfect our timing by making us slaves of an imaginary unit. We call it progress. I call it decreative. What I mean is that every step to rigorous accuracy leads to a loss in the experience of pleasure. A planning for events is more useful than to determine a specific date.
The only place we’ll ever travel to is future, and it’s just a matter of time!

Thinking without borders

Every time we don’t take a risk, we lose almost automatically. With the refusal of chances we hinder ourselves in our own further development. Security is one of the greatest enemies of evolution. This would fully support various trial and error methods. And it’s a good thing. Most times, there is more to gain than to lose. Of course, it doesn’t really make sense to jump into some dark well just to find out what’s down there. Get a rope and climb down. Remember the lyrics and sing. Look at the environment, find the reasons and talk. Don’t get too drunk and dance. Be the proof of the fact that there is only one thing that really matters. (It’s not alcohol!) It’s about this one feeling. Ah! I got it! I did it! Happiness! Don’t be afraid. If you fail – but even if you don’t, change something and try again or try something else.

Experience life! Experience is your life. Stop to learn and you’ll stop to live. Don’t live by trophies, cause that’s living in the past. Don’t pile up money. That’s living for a tomorrow that will be different in every way you could possible imagine. To live freely you have to let go of your cage. A cage built out of imaginary securities of a society of fools. A society driven by fear to stagnation. Your life is out there – everywhere. So, stop reading and turn the world around.
If you fail, enjoy it to the fullest!