Paradigms

In case you've missed it, the term smart people use for changing your point of view is "paradigm shift." The word "paradigm," so I've been told, should be pronounced "paradime," but someone decided to insert a silent G. I don't know why, but this is interesting, and here's why:

To correctly pronounce that word, you have to go through a paradigm shift, because otherwise you would pronounce it phonetically, instead of correctly.

I Give Up

I'm giving up on my plan to solve every major social problem in the world. This is not because I can't, but because it's tedious to outline every single problem when the answer is so obvious.

See, I thought of lots of different problems that all started out different, but then they all started to blend. It turns out that every problem has the same solution:

Jesus.

So when I realized this, I decided that it was time to start something new. I'm going back to my old ways of just writing whatever pops into my head.

I'm sorry to those of you who were relying heavily on these posts to solve your problems, but I get bored easily.

Global Warming

Really, the biggest problem we currently have is Al Gore, the creator of human-driven global warming. It sure wasn't the factories that did it.

forgetfulness

The next problem involves not remembering. This is not, however, the kind of thing that can be fixed easily with some ginkgo. This is a different sort of forgetting.

There are actually two kinds of forgetting. There's simple and complex forgetfulness. Simple is easy enough to figure out. This is when you don't make a list, and end up not buying cheese at the grocery store. The other, complex forgetfulness, is more about when you forget only some of the details.

This is a much more select kind of forgetfulness. It's typically found in conversations between two people about another who is not present. It's when person A says to person B something about the non-present person C, but doesn't mention certain details. This means that person C sounds worse than he really is.

This is called gossip. Most people say gossip is about people exaggerating, but I disagree. I think it's more subtle than that. Exaggeration very quickly becomes unbelievable. It tends to grow faster than dandelions, but most people can figure out that it's been exaggerated. But missing details are worse. It's all about missing the good things about someone in order to stress the bad things.

The solution is hard. Don't say anything negative about other people.

Proverbs 10:18He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

Notice, it says whoever conceals his hatred, not whoever has hatred, is a fool. Get it out. Talk to the person you don't like. That will work a whole lot better than harboring your anger.

being happy

I think happiness is a huge problem. Not, of course, for the people who actually are happy, but for the people who aren't. These people, who may have sad and pathetic lives or may be billionares, see other people who are happy, and realize that they are not. "So what's wrong with me?" they wonder, but there seems to be no reason for their unhappiness.

The problem is widespread, but mostly only in countries such as the United States. Because the source of the problem is not really happy people, because happy people are annoying to non-happy people, but in fake-happy-people. This is very similar to the first problem of false saviors. We see actors on TV who are not really as happy as they appear. So then, from there, it's easy to leap to the conclusion that we are missing something.

We aren't missing something because we're not as plastic as an actor.

Because the problem is so similar to the first, the solution is too. It involves thinking mentally in your mind. Being self aware. If you know what happiness is, you won't be fooled into thinking you don't have happiness. So I have a challenge for you:

Look in your Bible's concordance for the words "happiness" and "joy." You'll find a lot there, and it all involves God. Like most problems, God has the only answer. (I think I just gave away most of my solutions.)

Here's a start:

Ecclesiastes 5:19Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.

Happiness is the gift of God.

Also, happiness is about enjoying what you have, not having stuff.

Trust me, studying happiness is a lot more interesting and enjoyable that watching fake happiness on TV.

Seeds

This one is a major problem. It's the problem of watermelon seeds. Imagine it--there you are on a hot summer day, and eating a wonderful, perfect watermelon. But there in the center, creeping into your beautiful enjoyment, is a small black seed. And another. And another. And another after that. And then another sentence starting with "and."

We need to eliminate this problem. I think this should be done by burning all watermelon plants in the world. No watermelons means no watermelon seeds. Easy solution.

The False Savior

As it turns out, I didn't post yesterday. Internet went temporarily down, and I am currently writing as fast as possible so that I can get this post out. So here it is. . .

One of the biggest problems in America right now is that of false saviors. I'm not, however, referring here to an anti-Christ. I'm talking about what some might call "smart marketing." I'm talking about a method of advertising that involves a rather obviously subtle deception.

Here is what I'm talking about:

Imagine you see an ad on TV. This ad is for the newest Ford truck. On this ad they talk about how much better it is than anything that has ever come before.

Or maybe an ad for a cell phone companies. They talk a lot about how with their newest plan, you'll be able to talk with friends, relatives, etc for much cheaper. This will make you happier.

The list goes on, but the point is just that marketing almost universally involves saying that whatever it is you have is not as good as what they're trying to sell you.

So now, let's imagine that you go out and buy the truck, cell phone plan or potato peeler. You drive in it, call with it or peel with it, and yes, you are happier while it's new. But the problem is, the truck gets dirty and dented. The phone becomes obsolete, and the potato peeler breaks. And you're in the same place you were before. Your smile isn't as big as the smiles on the faces of the people on TV.

These corporations are not saviors. They're salesmen. We may know that intellectually, but we don’t know it. We may not claim that the truck is our salvation, but we feel like it is. Our feelings, so typically, have lied to us.

Although I had claimed yesterday that I was going to hide the answers, I changed my mind. Instead, I’m putting the solution to this problem at the bottom of the page. Here it is:

Because the problem is more personal than not, and we can’t stop the company from changing their ads, instead we have to find our own way out of this one. Basically, we have to somehow realize that we don’t need this new truck, and that even if we do get it, we won’t be made instantly happy.

That’s the best I can offer. Be aware that nothing is going to change just because you have a new thing. If I bought the best guitar in the world, and the best amplifiers and strings and everything else, I still wouldn’t be the best guitarist. I would be a mediocre guitarist with expensive stuff. Similarly, If your life is miserable, it has nothing to do with what you own (there are exceptions, maybe, but I’m willing to guess that if you have access to this blog, you’re not homeless.)

So there you are. This is all I’ve got. You can stop reading now.