The Erosion of the American Imagination

Is technology destroying our imagination?  Novelist Isabel Allende believes this is the case. She examines this question (among others) in a recent interview.  In A Talk With Chilean Writer Isabel Allende Melodramatic Diva of Magical Feminism she make some fascinating points regarding love and literature.

Allende’s grandchildren are the inspiration for her latest novel Maya’s Notebook.  She has concerns regarding the effect of technology on their imaginations.  “Young people today they are texting while they are on a job interview. We all need time.  Time to reflect, to be bored.  In boredom creativity expands.”

I cannot imagine using a cell phone during an interview. Technology has come a long way since my childhood.  I can still recall the Atari video game system I played during the 1980s.  There is an appropriate time and place for everything.  Some people are capable of making the appropriate adjustments.  I am just unsure if the next generation can.

Allende’s comment regarding her grandchildren’s imagination is poignant.  In retrospect, my addiction to television mirrors her concerns regarding technology. Although I read a lot more now, I still love my TV.  Sometimes, I want to cut a hole in my head and put my brain on a pillow.  After work, I just want to watch some sports.  Besides, my brain cells are mush.  There are days when I feel spent.

What are the effects of watching the idiot box?  The ability to focus wavers. Some people (across the generations) have a ten second attention span. The ability to actively engage in any conversation is diluted.  Is this what a life-time of television can do for you?  Unfortunately, I notice these symptoms in the next generation.

The children today  have a lot more technology options beyond the beautiful idiot box.The next generation is glued to their smartphones and tablets during social occasions. While dinning out, some families are hard pressed to have a conversation. How can this happened? Playing games and texting instead of talking are the alternative to family bonding. Is this how families maintain their sanity?

While I still have my doubts, there is still hope for the next generation.  Teenagers do have other activities.  There is still time to prove me wrong.  Father time is turning me into a curmudgeon.  Regardless, life provides a steep learning curve and no one knows that better than I.

Finding My Way With Words

Student in His Study by Jan Davidsz

How do you spell ensemble?” Sonya asks. Though this weekend phone call isn’t exactly like run of the mille—they don’t usually start off with spelling quizzes—it’s not completely atypical either. I’m sure God blessed with me with a big sister for several reasons, but the most important of them seems to be that He knew she would keep me on my toes.

1,325 miles separate me from Sonya, but I can always count on her to drive me crazy somehow. Why would she expect me to know how to spell anything? Does she not remember my grades in school? Her baby brother, she seems to have forgotten, depends heavily on Microsoft Word’s spell-check when he writes. The sweat pours over my face from my crown to my chin. Adrenaline flows through my veins. Breathe. Some wordsmith you are, I think.

It turns out Sonya’s five-year-old daughter is preparing to model the latest fashion at a church event, and Sonya has embraced this as a learning opportunity—my niece doesn’t know what an ensemble is, but soon she will. If only I can spell it.

I feel like Atlas with the world on my shoulder, until I’m finally able to provide the correct spelling and definition from memory, and relief sets in.

But why all the stress over a silly word? Why, when rejection letters mount, and I stare down a slew of documents covered in track changes, do I subject myself to the aggravation of caring so deeply about language?

I think it’s because I’ve resolved to find my way through life using writing. As a guy who gets punchy proofreading PowerPoint presentations, it feels like the natural way to plod forward.

I can’t sing, dance, or act. Sometimes, I become tongue-tied during staff meetings. I didn’t inherit my mother’s sharp sense, my sister’s discipline, or my father’s rugged athleticism. Put my in a sporting event, and I turn into Charlie Brown—trying his best to kick the football over and over but always ending up on his back. What I do have is a vivid imagination and a library of fond memories that revolve around reading.

Dallas Morning News aloud for the family. I spent summers in the local library. I wasn’t born an avid reader, but these activities provided a positive outlet for a precarious kid. They shaped me.

In the last few years, I have realized the value of learning through literature. From Cicero to Shakespeare, I find that carefully chosen words can spark the intellect and illuminate the imagination. Books can take readers to entirely new worlds. They can spark curiosity—in my case, a curiosity that, when coupled with hard work, led to internships and ultimately a job in Washington.

I spend my work life reading reports and sorting through data and interacting with policymakers, pundits, and wonks. And the longer I’m here, the more certain I am that regardless of politics or economics, our country will always need individuals who can write well and think critically. So perhaps I’m lucky that my curiosity, my desire to be a reader and a writer—the same things that make Sonya count on me for spelling help on the spot—compel me to stress over selecting just the right word every time.

The challenge may seem unnecessary, but ironically, I wouldn’t have it any other way. And as I’ve embraced the blogosphere as a means of storytelling recently, I’ve realized that the gratification that comes from choosing words so carefully isn’t just internal. The interaction I get there from other writers and bloggers is heartfelt. There’s something inspirational about strangers being willing to provide feedback and encouragement regarding such a personal craft. It becomes somehow collaborative and doubly rewarding.

And the world of words does not care about ethnicity, income, or gender. Writing only asks for originality, and in return, it provides the opportunity to persuade, entertain, and inform. We all yearn for something greater, and for me, there is no greater freedom than the power of self-expression.

Originally published by The Washingtonian

The Art of Procrastination

Is there a fine line between meeting deadlines and recovering from the mental fatigue of a long work week?   Sometimes, I manage this fine line with procrastination.  Procrastination is a very important coping mechanism for this chronic under achieving slacker.

Recently, The Atlantic explores the importance of procrastination in How To Procrastinate at Work: A Complete Guide Research-Based Guide.   The article examines the pros and cons of postponement.  Specifically, the article cites research regarding the winners of the Intel Science Talent competition.  Some winners used procrastination as a trigger for a helpful amount of stress necessary to ignite action.  For others, dragging their feet to make a decision serves as a thought incubator.  Specifically, they put offer making a decision because they wanted to fully process it before finding a solution.

I want to make my mark in this world more than anything.  When it comes to finishing assignments at the office, there is no one who will offer you more energy and effort than I.  For several years, I have fought to build my temple for tomorrow through talent, intellect and hectic improvisation.  The motto I can, I will and I must usually drives my personality.

How can I offer blood, sweet and hustle when my brains are turning into mush. Sometimes, I just need to walk away from what I working on.  Some managers provide people with enough freedom and flexibility to this.  There are a few managers that suffocate creativity by constantly looking over your shoulders. Under such leadership, finishing the most menial  tasks is so gratifying.  I should just shut up and suffer until I get the job done.

Who am I kidding?  There are times when I compartmentalized tasks. I just a few minutes to unwind my mind.  Most time this means opening an Internet browser to Facebook for a break.  Occasionally, social media is a time-wasting vortex.  I am learning the importance of mindfulness regarding time management.  Stress can provide an important sense of urgency to carry out things.  Yet, procrastination can provide an appropriate balance between playfulness and productivity.

The Anatomy of a Review

Portrait of Margaret Scott by Zsuzsa Kollo

After reading a few mediocre novels I realize that literary critics play an important role in shaping cultural tastes. According to Kenneth Tynan, the “critic’s job – at least nine-tenths of it – is to make way for the good-by demolishing the bad.” More importantly, the reviewer can offer insight into an author’s work that the layperson may not consider. The critic is the specialist who has spent years developing their expertise.

The critic’s role is vital in the development of literature. Individuals cannot possibly read every work. The book reviewer can guide reader’s choice and thinking. There is so much to consider in reviewing fiction.

What makes a good review stand out? After providing a summary of the book, a critic must offer an evaluation. “In some ways, I think the summary is the least important part of the review,” offered Maureen Corrigan. Dr. Corrigan is a book critic for the National Public Radio and is a she teaches literature at Georgetown University. “We’ve all read reviews or been in the company of reading bores who want to tell us all about ‘what happened’ in a book. Summaries are snoozers. I think judgment, engagingly expressed, is the most essential part of a review. Context is also important: where does this book stand in light of similar books, scholarship in the field, or the author’s own work?”

The first consideration is what the author is trying to convey in their work. Did the writer convey their story in very creative and clear way? Or is the text filed with unclear language?  “Something has to be striking about a novel within the first 50 or so pages or else I will put it down,” said Dr. Corrigan. “If it’s a début novel or I will write a mixed review. That ‘something striking’ can be the voice, the plot, the setting, the mood, the language . . . the possibilities are open,” she said.

Another consideration is whether or not the book is worth a reader’s time. “Books that take you into a new world are worth your time said Corrigan. “A book that’s worth your time is not necessarily the same as a book you enjoy. I don’t particularly enjoy Henry James, although I recognize that he’s not a time-waster.”

For the critic, a review is a form of self-expression. “Yes, criticism is absolutely self-expression” said Corrigan. “I appreciate critics who acknowledge their own limitations, biases, enthusiasms. I think critics must demonstrate, through their own good writing, their authority to pass judgment on someone else’s work. Daniel Mendelson, Laura Miler, Parul Seghal, James Woolcott, Katha Pollitt–these are a few of the critics whose work I pay attention to.”

Nowadays readers do not always have time to sort through newspapers and magazines for book reviews. The digital age offers a proliferation of online reviews. “I think smart consumers know that reviews like the ones that appear on Amazon are not to be trusted, given that they’re often written by the author’s mother or friends,” said Corrigan. “People who are serious about their love for books will seek out the lively and intelligent sites and forget the rest. I guess I still believe in the idea of meritocracy in this democratic age of criticism we’re living in: the liveliest and most knowledgeable critics will be the ones who folks will want to pay attention to,”

Random Thoughts And Observations

Duet by Frans Mier

We are so much closer to spring.  I am looking forward to the end of  winter. By the way, who is the genius who made up the phrase snowquester?  There are some questions and random observations I have on my mind.

Is America losing its ethos in the age of the Internet? Or will the World Wide Web strengthen our culture?  Regardless, I realize that I no longer have the answers.  All I can do is ask better questions. On another subject, there are some people who cannot text, chew gum and walk at the same time.  Sometimes it is so much fun watch someone’s mischief.

According to Samuel Butler, Wise men never say what they think of women .  I have to ignore Mr. Butler’s wise words for the moment.   Some single men behave so stupidly and women are so crazy. Clearly I cannot help myself.  There are few things about the female mind I need to understand.

For example, when did maybe become a part of female vocabulary? Is a simple yes or no response out of the question? This reminds of Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen.  Just  when Celine Dion is finally embracing oblivion, another Canadian singer is giving me grief.

The female mind is so nuance and deals with 1,000 ideas during the day. Actually, I think this is a conservative estimate.   If we use technology as a metaphor, women are supercomputers and the male mind resembles an Atari.   Will I ever understand the mysteries of the female mind? All I can do is improve my active listening skills and offer ladies more respect.

The older I get, the more I appreciate quiet time.  There is nothing like a symphony of silence. Well, there are very few things that can compete with quietness.   Sometimes, the world can only offer noise,  angst,  frustration and confusion.  Quietness provides a nice refuge from the madness.

An Ode To Sleep

Sleeping Man by Carl Heuser

How do I spell relief?  S-L-E-E-P that means sleep.  Have you ever surrendered to your mistress?  The Sandwoman brings me a dream.  No more time to work on the craft, plot or scheme.

No more mischief, excitement or time to stall.  The Sandwoman slowly beckons, wooing and often she calls.  I no longer have the strength to put up a fight.  She is charms and disarms every single night.  Every wish she has is my command.  I surrender to the refuge she provides in the shadows.

What about a lady’s touch and kiss?  This is something I truly miss.  There more aggravation because she escapes or walks away.  But listening up closing to what I have to say.

There is no more frustration or aggregation.  I need some relief for my situation.  However, sleep is lovely and alluring because it offers constant bliss.  Who can believe this?  No more awkward moments, arguments or indifference.  There is a sweetness to this quiet space.  No more traffic from hell or maintaining a hectic pace.

While you can go buckwild, sneak or creep; I am on my way home to go to sleep.  No joy, laughter pain or sorrow.  No more plans or fighting until tomorrow.  I slip and trip into a blissful path to oblivion.  There is nothing more to say.  The night brings a chance to drift away.

Making Life Work

Neighborhood by Jacob Lawrence

What are you learning?  Dr. Turner is challenging me again.  My brain cells resemble scramble eggs.  Actually, I want to shrug my shoulders and ignore his question.

Regardless, I have to come up with an answer.  God, I love Turner’s approach to mentoring.  I can always count on his barrage of questions.  Finally, I have something that may get me of his line of sight.  Among the issues I struggle with, is how to manage my time in the most appropriate way.

Speaking of time, where did it all go?  Why do the weekends fly by and workweek drag along?  Sometimes I just want to catch my breath.  We enjoy each occasion with loved ones and do not keep track of time.

How did I lose track of so much time? This year, I am entering the autumn of my life.  Middle Age is  a bitter pill to swallow.  I no longer have my teenage metabolism or energy.  Retirement from the workplace is a pipe dream. There is never enough time for friends, family or work.

Ironically, I do not need a course in time management. As it turns out, my ability to focus on tasks is improving. We all are constantly juggling several items personally and professionally. Sometimes, I wonder what am I accomplishing with all this multitasking?  Time will not allow me to complete one task anytime any longer. Speaking of work, the current economy is demanding so much from everyone.

The current economic climate will demand an intellectual dexterity and professional flexibility to survive. The week involves so much drudgery.  The most fortunate professional will find fulfillment and productivity.  The rest of the workforce deals with frustration and insecurity.  There are individuals doing the work of two people.This is life in cubicle nation.

The struggle in the office is between boredom and burning out. Regardless of where people are, time can drag ever so slowly until Friday. Regardless, we review the To Do list and get things done.  There is nothing like the smell of doom during the morning commute.

This effort is about making life work. For some people, it is a matter of survival. The most astonishing thing I have noticed is how resourceful individuals are in hustling to make ends meet.  Tomorrow is not promise to anyone. Yet, we cannot move forward by staring at the clock for too long. Making life work is about not taking anything for granted, one moment at a time.