Mindful: Attentive, Aware, Conscious, Thoughtful, Alert.
Miscellany: A collection of various items, parts, or ingredients, especially one composed of diverse literary works.
Welcome to A Mindful Miscellany, dedicated to finding Signal in the Information Apocalypse.
High Quality Signal on parenting, courtesy of my wife. Gwyneth Paltrow is over the nonsense. Raising children is likely the most complex thing that humans do, as this chart denotes well.
Today is also Juneteenth, a federal holiday in America commemorating the emancipation of African Americans. I remember when I saw the HBO series Watchmen, and it opened with a scene of the Tulsa Massacre (Warning, it’s a bit on the graphic side.). I thought since Watchmen was a science fiction story, that they invented the event. That was not the case. Here’s a 60 minutes piece talking about it. I hope that we can look at our past with clear eyes, see the good and and the bad— the shadows and the light, and continue to perfect our union. It is all part of our story.
This piece by Daniel Schmachtenberger is powerful and good, about what he learned about being a man from his father. We hear a great deal about “toxic masculinity” today, and there is truth to the damage it can do and the dangers. Masculine and feminine have both constructive and destructive components — Eros and Thanatos, something that Max Borders talks about here. We need constructive masculinity in the world. Some of the takeaways from Schmachtenberger (There are too many gems, but I tried to pick some good ones):
Work, Integrity, Motivation, Capacity:
“See the job, do the job, stay out of the misery.”
If a job needs doing, simply do it. No need to bemoan it, wish it wasn’t so, etc. All the suffering is optional.
Do the right thing when nobody’s watching.
When running wire or pipe through the studs, he would make it beautiful before putting the drywall on. No one would ever see it. But he knew. Doing the best you can everywhere consistently affects you as a being.
Courage, Power, and Conflict:
If you ever start a fight, I’ll kick your ass. If someone is being hurt and you don’t protect them, Ill kick your ass.
The side of right always wins. Be on the side of right and don’t worry about the odds.
Don’t let fear of pain or death keep you from doing the right thing.
Relating to Women:
The highest value for men is serving women, nature, and children (future generations).
Being in love is a choice. Choose it and cultivate it.
Mind, Education, Psyche:
Traditional education and hyper-specialization is a way to make people subservient to the dominant paradigm/ system. Study the generalized principles of nature and be a deep generalist.
When reading, look up every word and concept you don’t know.
This too shall pass.
Relating to People and the World:
Win-lose mentality is evil. Don’t ever celebrate people’s losses. Always celebrate their wins.
Respect wisdom, not authority.
Spend time listening to old people. They are unique living libraries.
Spend time listening to kids – they are further ahead in evolutionary time.
Forgive people and help them do better.
If either of us die, we know that we love each other, death doesn’t end love, and any issue is meaningless and already forgiven.
He talked with me about this a number of times. So I knew that if he died and our last conversation was an argument, it didn’t matter at all and only love remained.
Have a great week, people!
Really great!!!❤️