Exploring the Logic of Illogical Choices

...or Why I play this Mind Numbing Video Game Instead of Doing Something Worthwhile.

 

While playing a mind numbing computer game I asked myself, why do I choose to sit here playing this game instead of doing one of the many things on my list. I'm not talking about housework, or changing the oil in my car. What is most disturbing is that the list I refer to is one of things I wish to accomplish, things that if I were to drop dead tomorrow, I would like to have done: write, draw, a finished product of genealogy that the family would enjoy, and perhaps have a little smile when then think of me.

Life is short.

We hear this a lot. Most young people don't believe it. At 20 we are invincible, and our world is stretched out like a field of never-ending adventures. The daydream begins to end when our first loved one dies, particularly if that loved one is a young person.

The need to do nothing.

Perhaps it is a need for a mental fiesta, or a place to rest our melancholy. At such times thoughts may surface that would have remained hidden - such as questioning ones self on the choice to waste time, rather than get to my list of 'worthy things I wish to complete.' 

Of course, it depends on the person. People such as myself have endless little projects that would make another, more methodical and goal-oriented person question ones sanity. Why DID she collect all those little pieces of paper, movie ticket stubs, and cutout pieces of greeting cards? My scrapbook of my move and me. Who would have guessed?

Logic.

Is it a logical choice to do nothing, or is the choice to do nothing really a choice? Is this the epitome of laziness, not making a choice?  Do we wish to just exist on the surface, or is there a deeper more malicious reason for this 'doing of nothing?' Is it really doing nothing? My personal addition is a game that is akin to target practice. Do they design these things to hook us, knowing full well the ramifications?

For more ramblings, visit me at Suite 101.

 

Sans logic or so it seems

Maybe it is just a dream

Always black and never white

What is wrong and what is right?  

                                                    Pixella

The library is one of the few places where people may expect to be treated equally

photo  by Pixela

As a community asset, the library serves as a resource for information, center of learning, and inspiration. Libraries embrace and perpetuate the values of a community. I am a long-time patron of the public library, love literature, and have a great fondness for children and young adults. The path that led me here began with a love for words and books as a child that has expanded with time into an appreciation for all of the arts, and the knowledge that an early relationship with the library can lead to a strong foundation in education. The library is one of the few places where people of all walks of life, background and race may expect to be treated equally. Knowledge is the core at which self-esteem, independence and sense of accomplishment is nurtured and grows. Through library services, skills can be taught, and motivation can thrive.

Prejudice against the Poor

My first submission to Suite 101 (I want to be a writer when/if I grow up) is The Art of Culture:  Part I. Chicano Identity. I hope you have the opportunity to read this online. If you do, that means I made it baby, I got published!


The important thing, however, is the message. Mexico’s proximity to the U.S has resulted in legal and illegal immigration. But being a U.S. citizen does not offer protection against discrimination when someone is labeled a Mexican. Ask Arizona. Well, it really is a bigger issue than that. When it comes down to the nitty-gritty we are talking about prejudice against the poor. The vicious cycle of poverty and oppression is not the fault of the oppressed, it is imposed and perpetuated by the oppressor. 


Don't believe me, and don't get me started on how not having health insurance for everyone is the biggest atrocity of all. Visit records that bear out the facts: wartime casualties, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and find out why a great deal of we whito Americanos go bankrupt..


With the black civil rights movement of the 1960s other minorities followed, and the War on Poverty proclaimed by President Johnson offered new job opportunities and encouraged employers to hire minorities. This increased the number of Chicanos in the middle-class and intellectual segments, but the discrepancy between Chicanos in places of power and the overrepresentation in Viet Nam war casualties remained (p. 187). 


Technological advances have redefined the work of all Americans, including Chicanos, from agriculture to urban areas, modernizing and homogenizing along the way. I don't know about you, but I like, really like, variety. The differences, the array of experiences we bring to each other, what we can learn from each other. I don't want you to be like me. Heaven forbid! I want you to be you, and I don't care if you are green with purple polka dots with orange x-ray vision eyes. Like my daughter said when I was being worked to death dealing with college students asking where the bathroom was, "Just be nice."

References Cited

Cornell, Stephen, and Douglas Hartmann 

1998 Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press.

Vigil, James Diego

1980 From Indians To Chicanos, The dynamics of Mexican American Culture. Prospect Heights, IL: C.V. Mosby Co., 1984 reissued by Waveland Press, Inc.

A man and his cow.

Somewhere in the middle of the years of our Earth there lived a man and his cow. There was nothing significant about their appearance. Both were pale, of average height, weight and IQ, with no outstanding features. You might call them “average” in every respect, except for the conclusion of their story. However, do not be tempted to peek at the end of the story. It will make no sense to you out of context.

The man and the cow, they wandered all over the earth, starting in North America. They cleared the land, felling trees and building fences. They ridded the continent of pesky furbearing creatures and other scavengers. The land belonged to them and no other. As the man and his cow grew fat, other less deserving beings withered away, leaving sun-bleached architectures of cartilage and impressions of their once-being behind. As a reminder? To whom? The man and his cow? They did not care. Their cares were singular.

Eventually, the man and the cow consumed all of North America. They entered South America unnoticed. Extreme measures to dispose of entries occurred only in the other direction, i.e. south to north. Across the border they cleared the land, felling trees and building fences. They ridded the continent of pesky furbearing creatures and other scavengers. The land belonged to them and no other. As the man and his cow grew fatter, other even less deserving beings than those in North America withered away, leaving sun-bleached architectures of cartilage and impressions of their once-being behind.

Hot Technologies

Blogs, RSS, DRM, RFID, IM, Wikis, and Podcasting.

These terms are often tossed around by people who grew up with computers. Although I am familiar with most of them, the first time I've explored many of them in any depth was when I returned to college a few years ago. The widespread use of these technologies was a little surprising to me, not being of the text-messaging generation. Through exploration I have learned how easy it is to become connected and so can you!  Amazing, really. 

I started working with computer technology when we had to enter DOS commands on IBM compatible computers, and Mac computers were a little square box with a green screen. One could not just click and go with those systems.

Now, with a Master in Library Science, I must share how important technology is to libraries, librarians, patrons of libraries, and every aspect of providing information. This is particularly true if we hope to serve and grow with the generations of patrons who rely so heavily on technology for communication and information gathering. As librarians we need to do more than know about the technology that is available and being utilized by our users. Even if we aren't the ones responsible for keeping information current and the system running smoothly, we must know how to use the technology, and be able to instruct others in how to use it. As purveyors of information, libraries and librarians have an obligation to keep ahead of the game. I can see that with the competition for people's time and resources there simply will be not other way for our organizations to remain useful and viable.

Listen Boomers, the same applies to us as individuals, if we want to remain useful and viable in the work arena. Don't be easily discouraged, if you didn't grow up with computers everything there is to know is very learnable. If I can go from inkwells to gigabytes, so can you. Just don't give up!