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Tuesday, April 3, 2018
The Knowledge Explosion! The Rapid Pace of Change.
What is YOUR Legacy?
Did you ever have someone close to you die? When I say, close to
you, I mean someone you knew really well and who knew you too. I mean
someone, maybe not a mate, but maybe a parent or close friend whose
death hit you really hard and made you ask yourself what the hell life
is all about anyway?
I did.
Oddly enough it was not a parent, although that was bad enough when my own father died. He was a constant smoker and I always expected to get the call that he had dropped dead from a heart attack, or got lung cancer and was given six months to live. No, it was not my father. It was the mother of my girl friend at the time. Her name was Alice, and she died unexpectedly of an asthma attack at the age of 59. I had known her for about 15 years and we were friends enough that we would argue with each other all the time about all kinds of things.
I guess one of the reasons it hit me so hard was that her death was unexpected. I don't really know why the unexpected part should matter so much, or at all. But I guess an unexpected death is a terrible surprise, something like a terrible tragedy....because it is something that could hit any one of us at any time. That's the unexpected part.
We don't plan to have accidents. We don't plan to have illness. We can't control the economy or whether or not our country goes to war or that we might be nuked when we go to bed at night. So there it is. Death can just happen... to you, to me, to anybody young or old.
So you have to ask yourself. What are you doing with your life, while you are here to live it? What is it that matters so much that you would spend your last day on earth doing it, if you knew for fact that you would be dead tomorrow, or next week, or next year.
And what does anyone else's opinion of you matter? You have to live your life, your way. Because none of us knows when our lives might end. What is the legacy you want to leave?
Leave a comment!
R. Allan Worrell
I did.
Oddly enough it was not a parent, although that was bad enough when my own father died. He was a constant smoker and I always expected to get the call that he had dropped dead from a heart attack, or got lung cancer and was given six months to live. No, it was not my father. It was the mother of my girl friend at the time. Her name was Alice, and she died unexpectedly of an asthma attack at the age of 59. I had known her for about 15 years and we were friends enough that we would argue with each other all the time about all kinds of things.
I guess one of the reasons it hit me so hard was that her death was unexpected. I don't really know why the unexpected part should matter so much, or at all. But I guess an unexpected death is a terrible surprise, something like a terrible tragedy....because it is something that could hit any one of us at any time. That's the unexpected part.
We don't plan to have accidents. We don't plan to have illness. We can't control the economy or whether or not our country goes to war or that we might be nuked when we go to bed at night. So there it is. Death can just happen... to you, to me, to anybody young or old.
So you have to ask yourself. What are you doing with your life, while you are here to live it? What is it that matters so much that you would spend your last day on earth doing it, if you knew for fact that you would be dead tomorrow, or next week, or next year.
And what does anyone else's opinion of you matter? You have to live your life, your way. Because none of us knows when our lives might end. What is the legacy you want to leave?
Leave a comment!
R. Allan Worrell
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Live as Though You are Dying... Because You Are!
We should all live as though we are dying... Why? Because, in fact, even if we are healthy, we all are dying in slow motion. I'm not
a geneticist, but it appears to me that we are programmed to die from the
moment we are conceived.
My medical doctor once told me that all of medicine just delays the inevitable. Doctors put out one fire after another, until they encounter a fire they can't stop.... and then we die.
My medical doctor once told me that all of medicine just delays the inevitable. Doctors put out one fire after another, until they encounter a fire they can't stop.... and then we die.
I saw this happen to my father who died of leukemia about
eleven years ago, at the age of 83. The doctors
were able to keep his leukemia at bay with one drug after another for over two
years, until the disease mutated, and the docs ran out of new drugs to give him. The disease won, as it often does. Why does nature kill us this way? (That’s the subject for another time.)
Our mortality gives urgency and meaning to our lives. I am now 63 and I believe I have about 20-25 years left to live. I need to remind myself of this fact each and every day. Believe it or not, it helps me to remember to suck up life's hardships and enjoy the simple things in life.
I have always been a money saver, but my mother, who is now 90, once told me to spend more of my money. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. This is wise, but I think we should each plan for tomorrow, even if it doesn't come. To do otherwise would be fool-hardy, IMHO. Consider that we could all go to Vegas and end up destitute playing the slots, roulette or blackjack. Still, there is something to be said for spending a little, and having some fun every day (whether it costs you money, or not).
Our mortality gives urgency and meaning to our lives. I am now 63 and I believe I have about 20-25 years left to live. I need to remind myself of this fact each and every day. Believe it or not, it helps me to remember to suck up life's hardships and enjoy the simple things in life.
I have always been a money saver, but my mother, who is now 90, once told me to spend more of my money. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. This is wise, but I think we should each plan for tomorrow, even if it doesn't come. To do otherwise would be fool-hardy, IMHO. Consider that we could all go to Vegas and end up destitute playing the slots, roulette or blackjack. Still, there is something to be said for spending a little, and having some fun every day (whether it costs you money, or not).
I think the best thing to do, as often as we can, is to spend time with those we love. Time is our greatest gift. Let those you love... know it, by giving of yourself, your time, to be with them. You may not get a chance to do it tomorrow.
What do YOU think?
Leave me a comment!
R. Allan Worrell
Author: Father John's Gift
e-mail: alw3141@gmail.com
R. Allan Worrell
Author: Father John's Gift
e-mail: alw3141@gmail.com
Friday, November 10, 2017
Stephen Hawkins: We are Destroying Our Planet.
Steven Hawkings, the world-famous physicist, stated that we should be looking for another planet because we are destroying planet Earth.
If true, then nature has a way of "self correcting". We will simply become extinct in our own toxic waste, and nature will try again in another few million years, with some other new, more intelligent species. Any maybe they (whoever "they" are) will do better than us, but I doubt it.
I like to think we are working our way out of our current mess. We are maturing as a species because we have become aware of our own impact on the planet, and we will use advanced technologies to correct the mistakes of the past.
If true, then nature has a way of "self correcting". We will simply become extinct in our own toxic waste, and nature will try again in another few million years, with some other new, more intelligent species. Any maybe they (whoever "they" are) will do better than us, but I doubt it.
I like to think we are working our way out of our current mess. We are maturing as a species because we have become aware of our own impact on the planet, and we will use advanced technologies to correct the mistakes of the past.
Remember
that we are still very young (as a species). The dinosaurs ruled the
planet for about 180 million years, but most anthropologist say our
primitive ancestors walked the earth five to seven million yeas ago. We
only made flint tools about two and a half million years ago. The
Renaissance occurred about six thousand years ago with the Age of
Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution just started about three
hundred years ago.
Most would agree that modern technology did not really start until after Edison invented the light bulb about 1880 and we electrified much of the planet. Remember, Rutherford didn't split the atom until 1919, about one hundred years ago. Since that time, we have created plastics, semiconductors, antibiotics, nuclear power, birth control pills, electronic computers, carbon steel, concrete, skyscrapers, contact lenses, nanotechnology, Teflon, solar panels, the internet, e-mail, wind turbines and electric cars. We put men on the moon and we put communication satellites in orbit. We have the science to know what we are doing right and wrong. We can and will, fix our mistakes. (As an example, do you remember the problem with phosphates? Fixed it. DDT? Fixed that too. How about the Ozone Hole?)
We know we must work our way off of fossil fuels, and will will. No, I am not worried about whether or not man will save the planet. We will fix it if we have the time. I am more worried about the prospects of nuclear war as our numbers get too large and we run out of resources.
What do YOU think?
R. Allan Worrell
Author: Father John's Gift
e-mail: alw3141@gmail.com
Friday, November 3, 2017
Struggling with Isses! Hearing Another Viewpoint.
In this digital age of Face Book, Google and Twitter, people flock to find others who agree with them. It's easy and comfortable to be around those who agree with you. We all know that birds of a feather flock together.
But while it is great to be able to find common ground with others, there is great benefit in finding out how we differ with each other as well. If we listen to others with whom we disagree, then maybe, just maybe, we can come to understand a different point of view. We might even begin to change our mind. However, even if we don't change our mind on a subject, just hearing another's viewpoint can help us clarify our own point of view, and help us to understand why we believe the things we do.
What do you think?
R. Allan Worrell
Author: Father John's Gift
e-mail: alw3141@gmail.com
But while it is great to be able to find common ground with others, there is great benefit in finding out how we differ with each other as well. If we listen to others with whom we disagree, then maybe, just maybe, we can come to understand a different point of view. We might even begin to change our mind. However, even if we don't change our mind on a subject, just hearing another's viewpoint can help us clarify our own point of view, and help us to understand why we believe the things we do.
What do you think?
R. Allan Worrell
Author: Father John's Gift
e-mail: alw3141@gmail.com
Thursday, November 2, 2017
The Republican Tax Bill and Elizabeth Warren, The Next President of the United States!!!
Today I watched Elizabeth Warren's Democratic response to the Republican Tax Bill put forth by the House of Representatives. She convinced me that once again, the Republicans do not have the best interest of the country at heart. They will try to tell you the new tax bill is designed to bring jobs back home to America. How? By lessening taxes earned overseas. This is BS. Read on.
Somebody ought to explain to our Congressmen how taxation works! If you don't want something, you should tax it. For example, if you want to discourage and decrease smoking, you increase taxes on cigarettes. The reverse is true also. You can encourage behavior by decreasing taxes on it. So, by decreasing the taxes paid by international companies on overseas workers, it will only serve to increase the number of jobs overseas!!! (And in all probability it will decrease jobs here at home.)
The Tax Bill still has a way to go and it will be negotiated with members of the Senate. But if left largely in its current form, it will be a giveaway to Corporate America and the super rich will get richer. What's worse is we can ill afford it. In case you haven't noticed, we are running a National Debt of 20 Trillion Dollars and we haven't had a balanced Federal Budget since the Clinton administration!
Elizabeth Warren is one smart lady and an advocate of the middle class. She was a major contributor of the Dodd-Frank Bill following the 2008 financial disaster and is something of a financial wizard. I hope the American people will listen to her and defeat the current Republican Tax Bill. And I hope they will elect Elizabeth as President in the 2020.
After getting Trumped in 2016, we should now have clear 2020 vision and elect E. Warren in 2020!!!
I would vote for her in a heartbeat!
Here is a link to Elizabeth's Biography:
https://www.biography.com/people/elizabeth-warren-20670753
R. Allan Worrell
Author: Father John's Gift
e-mail: alw3141@gmail.com
Somebody ought to explain to our Congressmen how taxation works! If you don't want something, you should tax it. For example, if you want to discourage and decrease smoking, you increase taxes on cigarettes. The reverse is true also. You can encourage behavior by decreasing taxes on it. So, by decreasing the taxes paid by international companies on overseas workers, it will only serve to increase the number of jobs overseas!!! (And in all probability it will decrease jobs here at home.)
The Tax Bill still has a way to go and it will be negotiated with members of the Senate. But if left largely in its current form, it will be a giveaway to Corporate America and the super rich will get richer. What's worse is we can ill afford it. In case you haven't noticed, we are running a National Debt of 20 Trillion Dollars and we haven't had a balanced Federal Budget since the Clinton administration!
Elizabeth Warren is one smart lady and an advocate of the middle class. She was a major contributor of the Dodd-Frank Bill following the 2008 financial disaster and is something of a financial wizard. I hope the American people will listen to her and defeat the current Republican Tax Bill. And I hope they will elect Elizabeth as President in the 2020.
After getting Trumped in 2016, we should now have clear 2020 vision and elect E. Warren in 2020!!!
I would vote for her in a heartbeat!
Here is a link to Elizabeth's Biography:
https://www.biography.com/people/elizabeth-warren-20670753
R. Allan Worrell
Author: Father John's Gift
e-mail: alw3141@gmail.com
"The Day the Earth Stood Still" (A 1951 Science Fiction Black and White Movie.)
If you have never seen the movie,"The Day the Earth Stood Still", I highly recommend you take the time to watch it. It is classic science fiction in every sense of the word.
Yes, it was made in 1951 and it is a black and white film. Believe it or not, that is part of the appeal. There are so many great aspects to this movie I hardly know where to begin.
First, let me say most of the acting is superb. Oh, there are a few minor shots done by "fill-in" actors that look and feel like they are made of cardboard. (And I can even smile or laugh at how corny they are.) But the star performers, Patricia Neal, Michael Rennie and Sam Jafee are nothing short of fantastic.
Secondly, one must consider the time period in which the film was made. The special effects are good for the period, but are nothing like the computer generated art we take for granted in today's science fiction thrillers. But the effects are good enough to pull off the story, and they are good enough to scare young children with vivid imaginations. (My next door neighbor told me he was scared by the movie as a kid.)
But most importantly, the story works. It makes sense on many levels, and it gives you a plausible concept to show our place in the universe. The mere fact that a flying saucer shows up and parks itself in Washington DC speaks volumes, all by itself. It screams the idea that we are NOT alone. We share this galaxy with other intelligent, perhaps some of which may be technically superior to us. Is that a scary idea? Yes, because it represents a big unknown.
What would happen if uninvited creatures from outer-space would suddenly come for a visit? No one can know what they will do. I leave that idea to your imagination. We can only hope that if they are superior to us that they will either be friendly, smile at how cute we are and share their technology with us, or go away and leave us alone.
Let's just hope we don't have something they want. Now there's a scary thought!
R. Allan Worrell
Author: Father John's Gift
e-mail: alw3141@gmail.com
Yes, it was made in 1951 and it is a black and white film. Believe it or not, that is part of the appeal. There are so many great aspects to this movie I hardly know where to begin.
First, let me say most of the acting is superb. Oh, there are a few minor shots done by "fill-in" actors that look and feel like they are made of cardboard. (And I can even smile or laugh at how corny they are.) But the star performers, Patricia Neal, Michael Rennie and Sam Jafee are nothing short of fantastic.
Secondly, one must consider the time period in which the film was made. The special effects are good for the period, but are nothing like the computer generated art we take for granted in today's science fiction thrillers. But the effects are good enough to pull off the story, and they are good enough to scare young children with vivid imaginations. (My next door neighbor told me he was scared by the movie as a kid.)
But most importantly, the story works. It makes sense on many levels, and it gives you a plausible concept to show our place in the universe. The mere fact that a flying saucer shows up and parks itself in Washington DC speaks volumes, all by itself. It screams the idea that we are NOT alone. We share this galaxy with other intelligent, perhaps some of which may be technically superior to us. Is that a scary idea? Yes, because it represents a big unknown.
What would happen if uninvited creatures from outer-space would suddenly come for a visit? No one can know what they will do. I leave that idea to your imagination. We can only hope that if they are superior to us that they will either be friendly, smile at how cute we are and share their technology with us, or go away and leave us alone.
Let's just hope we don't have something they want. Now there's a scary thought!
R. Allan Worrell
Author: Father John's Gift
e-mail: alw3141@gmail.com
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