Now or Later Friday, May 27, 2005 11:57 AM
I recently had the opportunity to have a long discussion with a family member. There is something special shared so much history.
My family didn’t easily accept criticism—who does? I kept my mouth shut. As the youngest I needed to rely upon other tactics then a frontal assault. I developed a reputation for being sneaky, I am told.
Now, after working hard learning to articulate myself— I speak up, still resorting to a crafty presentation of words. The objective of a discourse, for me is mutual benefit giving good reason to sustain the communication later. To accomplish this I need to adhere to rules.
there is no benefit to ad hominem arguments, appealing to personal considerations rather than to logic or reason: Prefacing a remark with “I know you won’t understand” only evokes a contentious reply, causing one to defend their ability to understand, a discussion which is too general to resolve.
I can be faulted with pushing the discussion into uncomfortable territory. I find in conducting a successful chat it is necessary to manage emotions. This is where I might be accused of sneakiness. Offering praise on what you agree on to make it easier to challenge without having to duck for cover.
The topic of great interest to me as of late is—Do we conduct our life to attain a future objective or live for the moment? In the past, I have felt good when working to accomplish a goal. I have been on that path most of my life. always a believer in the power of technology and used all my waking hours to learn and explore. As a result I was rewarded for my effort, and efforts I loved.
Food and fitness were fuel and maintenance on the quest. This model only can sustain itself if you believe in a future payoff. But as life progresses and love ones leave this earth, you come to realize that right now is the most important time. But you can’t just rush out and buy a pack of cigarettes, for the rush is not worth the cost of a long painful death.
So this was the topic I discussed. Now or later—knowing that later may never come. Writing has been key on pursuing this topic. Bringing my thoughts from the sky down to my own personal experience, the words have helped me feel.
There is a sense to my quest for the now, hopefully satisfy my needs for tomorrow. Thomas Friedman in “the world is flat” explains very clearly and frightfully how Indies and Chinese can compete inexpensively with USA software talent—Me. The only was to adapt successfully is to learn what I want. And what they will want when they attain more prosperity. Now eating, drinking and loving might be the quickest path to self destruction but it also is going to require great effort to combine the great strides of progress the world is now making with the very person needs that we have and can not forget.