Of the dividers, be wary.
Of those that poke and prod, but smile and nod,
then point and blame, but have no shame.
They play the game, they play the game.
We are all more similar than we are dissimilar, but the divider’s don’t understand that.
We are all, to some varying degree,
confused,
inadequate,
flawed,
emotional… people.
But we are all people.
We all love our children.
We all yearn for meaning in our lives, and we all wish life was fair.
We all bleed red.
There is no ‘us‘ and ‘them’, there is only us,
But us is vast.
The bigger us gets, the harder it becomes to understand folks on the far ends.
So, we shout.
It’s not always shouting-in-anger as much as it is shouting-to-be-heard that we, in the middle, hear flying over our heads all day.
If we can help people understand that this is the noise we hear and see, we’ll all be better for it.
The dividers, though?
They like it this way.
So have not a doubt.
They, in shadows, cultivate the crop
— ‘Divide and Shout’.
I know,
that you know,
people like this.
Pay them no mind,
and spend no time,
playing in their games.
We mustn’t play in their games.
Our attention
is their lifeblood.
Category: Jakob’s Journal
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Difficult things would be easy, but they aren’t.
Easy is swift.
Want quick?
Pass on difficult, opt for easy.Difficult is rewarding.
What’s the tradeoff?
Difficult is often slow, the path is narrow and horrifying,
and it tends to get lonely for a stretch.
Difficult things linger.
They smell and they nag,
but they don’t stay that way forever,
and difficult things will ALWAYS be rewarding.Step by step, we will attract others that do the difficult thing. To be honest, that’s where the real fun begins.
A CASE FOR CHASING DIFFICULT
If we succeed, we’re the best sort of success. Humbled by trial, noble, bold, and brave.
If we fail, we learn difficult lessons, and our growth is exponential.There comes a time, for all of us, independently or collectively, that difficult things simply cannot be avoided. What then?
For those that chose difficult previously?
Everything seems easy. -
No commute to work.
No showering, or shaving, or dressing, before work.
Maybe, no more work.
No more making dinner reservations.
No more nights out on the town.
No more…. a lot of things.There’s a bunch of found time floating around right now with everybody self-quarantining during this virus crisis.
Collectively, with all of this found time, the human race could do some amazing things if every single one of us, 7 billion strong, plugged in, orienting our minds toward a singular benevolent idea, contributing our best efforts, using our skills, and collaborating with our peers to solve the world’s toughest problems!
That’s not going to happen.
But somewhere, there are folks thinking up immensely meaningful ideas, analyzing the most complex situations, daring for greater. Those who wake with a fervor for excellence, and will let nothing hinder their pursuit of it.
How do they handle days like these?
What are they doing with this found time?JOURNAL:
Short Answer: What do you think those sort of people would choose to do if they realized they had an extra couple hours at their disposal every day?
Short Answer: What have you been doing when you find extra time? -
If we knew,
with absolute certainty,
that an enormous asteroid
would suddenly, and completely,
wipe out the existence of life on earth,
every inch of the planet, covered in dust and ash,
by Thursday of next week,
I think
we’d make a relatively compelling case
as to why
Elon Musk (or maybe NASA) should immediately want to meet with you
over coffee,
or maybe bourbon.
while we still have time.
One, of the many goals that all leaders maintain, is to compel others toward better outcomes with excellent ideas and benevolent, inspiring action.
If we (as leaders) don’t feel that our message is being received, and acted upon, with the same fervor and determination that we know it ought to have, then it’s worth reconsidering the boundaries (or shackles) we’ve placed around our understanding of what compelling really is.
‘Compelling’ works. Every time.
It’s terrifying, and intimidating, and it makes us vulnerable, but a compelling message is absolutely effective.It’s also damn near impossible to manufacture a truly compelling delivery if we don’t think that our message is, by far, the most important thing in the whole wide world. Often, it really is. These ideas ARE the most important thing, ever. Do or die.
How can he say that?
Two reasons: it’s because
(1) What else, that we can control, is?, and
(2) We’re all going to die soon (-ish), so, why the hell not make it compelling?
JAKOB'S JOURNAL 