Sly Fox

At work today, it was brought up that Girl Scout Cookies seem to be taking a turn for the worst. Prices are up, boxes are smaller, and overall people aren't buying many (any) this year. I'm a loyal customer, and even I have stayed clear (peanut butter sandwiches are my favorite).

A co-worker said, "Looks like they're going to have to layoff some girl scouts..."

I'm not too into politics, but I have become increasingly attentive over the past year, as I'm sure most of us have. I find it interesting how the news channels today aren't about objectivity at all. They report the same stories, either from a left or right perspective. Understandably, people watch what they identify with the most. I can figure out the views of an establishment (restaurant, bowling alley, etc), based on the news channel being watched.

I find Fox News interesting. I only watch it for entertainment purposes. During a conversation last week, some interesting points were brought up, that seem to explain why Fox News is the way that it is. This is business.

Fox traditionally is not the conservative network or organization that the commentary and beliefs portray on Fox News. Fox is the network of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and yes Martin Lawrence. Fox saw that there was an un-served demographic and tailored a news channel to serve it.

There is a side-effect however. It does not, to me, come off as being natural. It seems that in order to serve the demographic, they take a far right, border-line extreme view on certain topics. It does not seem to balance with the competitors CNN and MSNBC. It just seems to be overboard. But overall, as far as business goes, very sly... very Fox.

~JL

A Matter of Acceptance

Yesterday was a very interesting day. It was full of mixed feelings, as I learned I was allowed to stay, but had to watch some friends go. The corporate world is an interesting one. Just remember that a job is not guaranteed. Always work to have a cushion or backup plan. If you are fortunate to be working right now, keep that in mind. It is best to be prepared. Hope for the best while preparing for the worst, and remember that He will guide your steps regardless.

After work, I went to a lounge with a few friends. We had a pretty good conversation, and there is one topic I would like to discuss here. We were discussing what progress has been made as it relates to relationships between people. The question was, "How long will it be until people are truly colorblind?"

I responded 25-50 years while my friend believes it will never happen. My response is rooted in the fact that images are extremely powerful. I believe that a Black president, while not being the end of the struggle, is a major step in the right direction. I believe people in general will continue to impress with the amount of progress we are able to make in a 25-50 year time frame. I am an optimist.

My friend believes that it is human nature to find differences and make them meaningful. Such as behaviors in the lunch room, or class distinctions. There will always be differences between people that cause humans to act the way they do today. I don't completely disagree with him, but I do believe that as it relates to race, we will make significant progress, as opposed to never.

I see cascading struggles that we are in the midst of, each with their own time lines. Women equality, Racial equality, and Gay & Lesbian Rights in that order. The difference between rights and equality is whether the law sees them as equal. When the law recognizes all as equal, it is no longer a question of rights, but instead a question of whether people in society treat that group equally. The youngest struggle has a long way to go, and similarly the most resistance at this point in time. I do not fully agree with it, and it is difficult for me to understand. I've been ingrained with what I know to be right, and it is hard for me to come to terms with such a lifestyle. But I do not believe that will be the same for my grandchildren. Acceptance takes time. There is a difference between tolerance and acceptance. I can tolerate all people from all walks of life, as long as they are not actively impacting the life or quality of life of others. However, from society's POV, a group is truly accepted once there is no difference between them and others as it relates to the letter of the law.

With regard to race in America, acceptance is already happening. I am reminded of a little girl on CNN, who did not understand the importance of the moment, the importance of a Black president. She questioned and could not believe that this was the first one. To her, the difference between the color of her skin and his are apparent, but they do not mean anything. A major point I made in the conversation was that I believe these behaviors are learned. Racism is passed down. It often isn't purposeful, but young ones pick up on comments or attitudes toward people. I believe as the generations progress, so will acceptance.

~JL

Truly Blessed

Excerpt from a few years ago...

"These blogs allow me to order and translate our beliefs into a common language, which ultimately allows me to relate my learnings and beliefs to others. If that is not a definition of who you are, then I don't know what is. So in essence, this blog since its start is the most accurate definition of who I am, and every entry I continue to learn more about myself, because lets face it, any individual cannot be defined in a sentence or even a paragraph. If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine how many a lifetime is worth."

Somewhere along the line, I lost my voice. This evening, I was reviewing some of my older posts, because there was a particular blog about interest, passion and motivation that I recalled writing. When I signed in, I was surprised to find that I had over 130 posts to this blog, yet it has been almost a year since my last entry.

I was struck by the statement I found, and it casued me to wonder whether I lost sight of who I am. I remember vividly that I had a clear understanding of my thoughts and beliefs. I still do, but I have not been continuing to learn about myself as I did a few years ago. This exercise is important. I feel my absence was due to a form of writer's block, but after some thought, I realized that I kept trying to top myself developing entries that I could look at and be proud of in some way. That is the completely wrong motivation. Truth is that after looking back, I am proud of all my entries, and I know that some of my best entries were ones where I just typed and kept going. I'm going to get my voice back.

Much has happened over the past year. Some of my earlier entries were written before I started my job. At that time, I could write about experiences I had throughout the day. They were personal, and not business sensitive. Now that my time belongs to someone else during the day, to an extent, I feel it limits what I have to talk about. I think that is a major change that led to a decline in posts, BUT I've learned so much about life in general over the time that I have been here, that I have ample to think and write about.

I am truly blessed. I write this at a time when there is uncertainty throughout America and the rest of the world. There are hundreds of thousands of people out of work and more to follow. I am humbled and live life thinking that everything happens for a reason. With every experience, figure out how you will grow stronger because of it.

I told a story today to some coworkers themed around a defining moment in my lifetime. I had a week to think about it, and I came up with one that I believed was fitting.

In 1997, I was in 8th grade and preparing to enter high school. I had a pretty good idea of which school I was going to attend. My mom was browsing the newspaper one morning, and heard of a new school being developed in our county. We decided to go to the information session. That day, we started out with the intent of arriving on time. We were on the NJ Parkway in the middle of inclement weather (snow and ice). The windshield wipers on the car stopped working. We had to stop and clear the windshield periodically. We had the choice to turn around, but decided to keep on going.

We got to Raritan Road as it said in the address, and drove up and down looking for the school. We went the full length of Raritan Road twice and could not find the school anywhere. We stopped at a gas station for directions. We learned that we were on the wrong Raritan Road! There was another Raritan Road only 3 miles from where we were. Who in their right mind gives two roads so near to each other the same name?

We got to the other Raritan Road, and arrived at the information session before it was over. I will never forget that experience because it truly is a defining moment for me. I believe attending that school made me who I am today. I believe I was supposed to attend that school. I know I am here and doing well because of going there. All because my mom was browsing the newspaper, and did what mothers do - keeping my best interests and future in mind.

Everything happens for a reason. The good and bad experiences define us. I once told a friend that hindsight is 20/20 vision for a reason. That is God's point of view.

I can't thank my mom enough for all that she has done for me. I remember her saying once, in her humorous way, "One day you will wish to find a wife like your mother." I'll keep my fingers crossed.

~JL (getting the voice back)