Daily Archives: May 27, 2014

THE TRUTH ABOUT KINDNESS

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Kindness: n. relatively small medium intensity caring which isn’t requested

Humans rarely say be kind to me because kindness is small caring things done which are not requested. If you nurture and/or protect a human in a small way then you are being kind. It frequently involves giving something which you have- your time, expertise, praise, advice, small gifts, and a little money.

I have listed only a few of the possibilities of unrequested kindnesses:

Saying I like you

Complimenting someone on doing or saying the right thing

Asking “How are you?” and listening intently and caring about the response

Introducing yourself to someone whom you always see around

Offering free professional advice or offer advice if you see someone has a problem which needs a solution

Holding the door or elevator for someone

Showing courtesy on the road

Making a family cook a meal for them

Giving up your seat on a train or bus to someone who seems to need it, especially the handicapped

Hugging a friend

Mentoring someone’s offspring

Visiting a senior center and talk to or entertain some of them

Volunteering somewhere without being asked

Donate food to a food bank or donate old clothes to a shelter

Paying for a meal for a homeless human

Planting a tree (being kind to nature)

Recycling (being kind to nature)

Returning wildlife to the wild ( being kind to nature)

I am not a believer in random acts of kindness, especially to total strangers. Giving small amounts of money to humans who don’t ask for it is stupidity not kindness and giving small amounts of money to strangers who ask for it is also stupidity and not kindness!!!!!!

If you liked this evergreen truth blog then read more of them, about 800 so far, and one or more of my evergreen truth books, especially COMMON SENSE, rays of truth in a human world filled with myths and deceptions.

For a complete readily accessible list of blogs and titles go to twitter.com/uldissprogis.

Enjoy!!!!!!

THE TRUTH ABOUT INVENTION

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Invention: n. creating a new unique machine with a unique part(s) and/or a new chemical combination which doesn’t exist in nature and/or a new theory which did not exist previously and which is recognized as the creation of some unique mental ability which is different from ordinary mechanical skill and/or craftsmanship and/or habitual behavior

Inventors are a relatively rare breed in this world who can invent new things which never existed before one after the other. The “inventor” of the Dyson vacuum cleaner is not a true inventor but a creator because he merely added, subtracted and rearranged existing parts and made a unique vacuum cleaner. The invention of the transistor is a true invention because it used doped materials which don’t exist in nature to create a truly new utilitarian device.

Invention is different than standard creativity which uses what is already available and merely changes it, adds or subtracts parts, or rearranges the parts. Invention broadly means inventing a truly new part or device with unique properties never before utilized.

The uncertainty of whether to call new software patentable or a new invention or one merely of the efforts of creativity in programming is causing a legal unsolvable problem in the patent office. Software can be copyrighted but a few changes in it can be considered to be a new copyright so intellectual rights can frequently not be protected from theft.

Cellphones are rearranged hardware parts and new software which is hard to patent or copyright because small changes in hardware or software can be considered to be a new device. Patents should not be given for creative rearrangements of hardware and software but they can be copyrighted.

I am creative but not inventive even though I create words which never existed or come up with new definitions of words which never existed. I am trying to improve language and not really invent a new one. My efforts are copyrightable but not patentable.

If you liked this evergreen truth blog then read more of them, about 800 so far, and one or more of my evergreen truth books, especially COMMON SENSE, rays of truth in a human world filled with myths and deceptions.

For a complete readily accessible list of blogs and titles go to twitter.com/uldissprogis.

Enjoy!!!!!!

THE TRUTH ABOUT DISCUSSION

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Group-Discussion-Tips

Discussion: n. communicating much about a subset(s) which may or may not lead to a goal(s) and/or judgment(s)

Discussion is definitely preferable to angry confrontation when it comes to solving problems or just talking about an important subject.  Some subjects are relatively easy to discuss because there is no emotional commitment or strong opinions but it is frequently not easy to discuss subjects such as politics, religion, and sports where we may have some strong differing opinions and may get terribly upset if our views or opinions are challenged.

Discussion also means that you are a good listener and pay attention to what the other human is trying to communicate and successfully reading his or her attitude or emotional commitment to the subject being discussed. 

Another important aspect of discussion is being able to ask questions and gaining a deeper understanding of the point of view of the human whom you are discussing with. 

Empathizing with another’s point of view and frequently praising the point of view if it has merit will increase the probability that the human will also empathize with your point of view and hopefully listen intently. 

If the subject is a highly emotional one then it may be advisable to wait until the emotions die down and then try to discuss the subject with a cool head. When emotional outbursts have run their course or have died down then that is the time to start discussing what caused the outburst and whether there is anything which can be done to prevent future outbursts.

When trying to discuss problems and find solutions it is important to state the problem in words, communicate one or more ways of possibly solving the problem, and then mutually agreeing on a course of action to solve the problem. If the problem seems to have no solution then a little research into the situation may be necessary or an opinion from an expert or third party in the field being discussed may help.

Facts backing up an opinion, prior experiences, and opinions from other humans will frequently help a discussion proceed successfully if there seems to be a deadlock and neither side seems to know what to do.

Group discussions are more difficult  to control and can end in confusion if no one is in charge of leading the group discussion. Everyone should be given an opportunity to contribute something to the discussion and a leader is frequently needed to break up deadlocks when and if they occur. In groups there are frequently one or two leaders who want to do most of the talking and offer most of the suggestions on what to do so the main leader has the responsibility of managing the ego’s of the participants and giving each one just representation in the discussion.

Discussion is a learned skill and you frequently get better at it as you age and have a wealth of information and life experiences to rely upon when making decisions in life.

If you liked this evergreen truth blog then read more of them, approximately 700 so far, and one or more of my evergreen truth books, especially COMMON SENSE, rays of truth in a human world filled with myths and deceptions.

Enjoy!!!!!!