My son came to me the other day with his frustration about having to attend his brother's baseball game.
"I don't want to go to the baseball game! I just want to stay home, watch TV, and eat junk!"
I was stunned for a moment. It was like somebody had broken a jar of old memories and the nostalgia wafted into the room as thick as a sour fart. A fast flurry of images peppered my eyes as violently as putting my face in front of a fire hose. A moving montage of my efforts raising my boys knitted together into a poorly edited highlight reel of the last few years.
I could see several versions of myself immersed in the act of reading to them. The shapes of each book that my avatar held morphed repeatedly as I read the covers: Treasure Island, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Magic Treehouse, and Alice in Wonderland. I saw the proof, the evidence of my struggles to instill good reading habits into them.
Then I saw all of the times I've taught them to tie different sailor's knots and make rope bridges and zip lines. I saw their little grimy faces while trying to teach them good manners at the dinner table. I was quickly reminded of how I have tried to teach them proper respect towards their elders and to have self-restraint.
I saw all of this like a rolling mosaic of my life’s bookmarks: the effort put into trying to teach my children to develop good habits. For a painstaking period of eight years, I dedicated much of my efforts towards guiding my boys on the path to becoming better men than me. However, all of that endeavor was abruptly laid bare at this moment when Daddy's report card displayed a prominent "F."
And here was the summation of my work: my son's life ambition is to be a damn bum!
I experienced two seconds of shame from utter failure quickly followed by a wiser understanding that it’s ridiculous to expect too much from an eight-year-old. Still, it would have been better for me, if he hadn't so succinctly stated his position without any remorse or disgust at this very accurate description of his profound laziness.
But if I'm honest, there is another part of me that wants to skip the ballgame too, and crack open a box of cookies and cream ice cream with my boy and see what's on Netflix.
I kept reminding myself that sometimes it’s just a simple repetition of discipline that helps develop long-term positive habits. At least that's how I ease my conscience when my son displays about as much responsibility and ambition as Huck Finn. Nonetheless, if there were one positive habit I could somehow superglue onto my children it would be the habit of always remaining a curious and life-long learner: to never stop trying to discover new knowledge, figure out where you've been wrong (and fix it), and grow.
“Making a choice that is 1 percent better or 1 percent worse seems insignificant in the moment, but over the span of moments that make up a lifetime these choices determine the difference between who you are and who you could be.”
This month I've kept up with reading a lot of articles that reminded me of why I started this blog: to promote the habit and discoveries of being a lifelong learner. So keeping with this blog’s sub-plot, "promoting the jack-of-all-trades discipline", I've run across a few articles worth sharing.
Recommended Readings for June 2023
The Path Of A Generalist Or The Joy Of Being An Amateur.
The author highlights how generalists gain a wider range of experiences and knowledge, which can foster creativity, adaptability, and problem-solving skills. They also discuss the drawbacks of specialization, which can narrow one's perspective and limit personal growth opportunities. The article encourages readers to nurture their curiosity, explore different disciplines, and find fulfillment in the continuous pursuit of learning.
Here is a discussion on the common perception that mastery is reserved for specialists, but argues that generalists can also achieve a high level of mastery across multiple domains. They emphasize the importance of cultivating a growth mindset, embracing curiosity, and actively seeking out new knowledge and skills.
How To Create Good Fiction Writing Habits.
This article reminds me not so much about being a fiction writer but about the benefits of being a good storyteller. Effective communication comes through practice. There is a tremendous benefit to being able to communicate ideas to others by making them understand the value of the story you use to tell it. Remember that effective communication was one of the most desired attributes for potential employees according to the National Association of Colleges job outlook survey for 2023.
Where Do Great Ideas Come From?
This article argues that great ideas emerge from a combination of curiosity, diverse influences, and collaborative environments. One takeaway from the article is worth rolling over: ideas are cheap, but actionable execution of ideas into situations is the thing that creates true value. One key argument from this article was allowing failure to be part of your overhead. The argument here was that your staff can give you their best creativity and most productive efforts if they don't have to fear reciprocity from failure. The author argues that you have to understand the incentives you provide (especially those you unwittingly provide).
Note-Taking is Not Enough: Knowledge Management for Researchers and Writers.
The article suggests implementing a systematic approach to knowledge management, such as using digital tools, creating structured databases, and employing tagging or categorization systems. It emphasizes the importance of capturing, organizing, and retrieving information efficiently to enhance productivity and support the research and writing process.
Why Being A Jack Of All Trades Is Essential For Success.
They discuss how being a generalist can lead to more opportunities, better problem-solving abilities, and increased resilience in a rapidly changing world. The article encourages readers to embrace their varied interests and cultivate a broad set of skills to thrive in today's dynamic professional landscape. One thing I was reminded of in this article is the pace and scope of how many blue-collar and white-collar jobs might be replaced by the fast-developing artificial intelligence and robotics industries. This means that to stay ahead, having a larger variety of skills and quick adaptability gives you the edge to adjust when new demands are required from businesses.
More High-School Grads Forgo College in Hot Labor Market
This piece discusses the trend of an increasing number of high school graduates choosing not to attend college due to favorable job prospects. It highlights how a strong labor market, with high demand and competitive wages for workers, is attracting young individuals to enter the workforce directly after high school. The article explores various reasons for this shift, such as concerns over rising college costs, the availability of well-paying jobs that do not require a college degree, and the desire to gain practical experience early on. It also acknowledges potential challenges faced by those who forgo college, such as limited career advancement opportunities and the need for ongoing skills development.
I'm not sure if this article is representative of a larger moving trend. However, I recently attended a high school graduation and learned that this specific high school had a heating and air, "HVAC", program in their school which landed some of the graduates paid apprenticeship jobs right out of high school making over seventy-thousand dollars a year (according to the school principal during his commencement speech). Whether the salary numbers are correct or not, it gave me pause for thought. This notion, coupled with the implications of this article, is worth investigating further.
Today’s Verdict
The Ogden Standard Examiner (newspaper) was cited for having quoted Robert E. Swain, a prominent Stanford University Chemist. Swain was quoted for having explained the difference between a scientist and a philosopher.
“Some people regard the former as one who knows a great deal about a very little, and who keeps on knowing more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing. Then he is a scientist.
“Then there are the latter specimen, who knows a little about very much, and he continues to know less and less about more and more until he knows nothing about everything. Then he is a philosopher.”
Is it too much to want to be a little bit of both?
And still, eat some cookies and cream while watching Netflix?