Audio Tidbits

How dependent are you on experts? If you are tempted to respond, “Not much,” you may want to reconsider. Do you have a doctor, an accountant, a vet for your pet, a lawyer, an expert who works on your car, a plumber, and on and on? The better question is just how many experts are you dependent on and how would you get along without them. Let’s think about that together. Our focus is on selecting experts.

A simple fact of life is that one excuse is generally as good as another. Either you get a pass this time or you don’t. The good news is that people will generally give you a break and give you that pass this time. The bad news is that you can’t count on being excused, getting that pass. There is a point where excuses stop excusing. The real problem is that you can’t tell ahead of time if this is the day when your excuses stop working. If you want to know more about this little querk of life, please press play and listen in.

Do you ever get into a snit and quickly become upset and difficult to be around? Of course you do. If not, you definitely qualify for sainthood. Even if you don't occasionally get into a snit, please know that the rest of us certainly do. In this episode of the Audio Tidbits Podcast, I have a tip about snitting that you may want to adopt for yourself. I can pretty well guarantee that the people who have to live with you will appreciate your being that considerate.

There is a point when you become too busy, too old, too tired, or perhaps too lazy, when success stops mattering. I sure hope you aren’t there yet. Please join me to explore the day when success stops mattering.

Alien 1: Greetings Earth Humans.

The news of our permanent departure from the Earth planet was not fake but simply insuficiently predictive. Based on our past Earth directed transmissions you Earth humans may have gotten the impression that the wise ones who sit on the Council back on our home planet are truly wise and would never find it advisable to reverse one of their directives. You would be wrong, again.

Alien 2: I think you just insulted the Earth humans who are listening to this transmission. It sounded like you are saying that they are frequently wrong. Whether it’s true or not that’s not a very nice way to talk to them, especially since we are just returning. You should be more careful about what you say and how you say it, at least until they get used to our being back.

Alien 1: You may have a point but what they don’t know is that even though we personally departed, the goal of the leaders in the home council to fully infiltrate the Earth planet has remained steadfast. We only gave the impression of departing to avoid further detection and to reinforce the notion that reports of potential infiltration by aliens were nothing but fake news. The wise ones in the home council are particularly keen on protecting the real identity of our leader in the capital city and others of our key infiltrators who have locked into important and influential positions. It is essential that the Earth humans don’t catch onto our strategy. …

A1 Greetings Earth humans. I have opened our broadcast channel to comply with the new sunshine rules promulgated by the Central Council. It is no longer permissible for us to meet in secret or for us to develop plans and strategies without complete transparency. You are thus invited to listen in on our discussion preliminary to transmitting our status report back to the home planet.

 

A2 This feels a little awkward. Talking among ourselves is always comfortable but knowing that anyone can listen in is not so easy. I like to tell myself that I’m not going to say anything that can’t go public, but I’m not sure that’s totally true. Having everyone know what I’m really thinking is sure not the same as just talking among ourselves.

 

A3 What I don’t grock is why they did it. Why did the Central Council change the rules? What’s the deal with them thinking that everyone should know what we are thinking before we make our final decisions? It was working just fine for us to finalize our plans and then let them know what we decided.…

A1 It has been brewing for a while I think. They are alarmed by what they call hidden pockets of power. They were aware of the issue on the home planet and knew it has been operating on the Earth planet for many sun cycles and perhaps from the beginning. My sense is that the change in policy became more urgent recently. Specifically, trends in the America pod seem to be what brought it to a head.

 

A4 From what I have picked up on the chatter channels, you are very much on target. In sun cycles past, there were factions holding opposing views on most issues. This caused a lot of conflict and controversy; but it was still possible to work through differences in ways that allowed resolution and progress on most all issues. Society in general and government in particular continued to function calmly and relatively smoothly. There were occasional eruptions related to issues like discrimination, excessive police actions, civil rights abuses, and so on; but it was still possible for those in positions of power and authority to come together to work on constructive change and mutually accepted solutions. The pockets of power were there but mostly ready to support the common good.

 

A2 I heard a talk by one of the gurus back home who tried to explain what the Central Council finds so alarming. She reviewed in more detail the kinds of things you mentioned. I thought her conclusion got to the essence of it. She concluded that the critical change has been an increasing unwillingness to even discuss compromise or ways to find the middle ground. She believes that the art of politics has rather suddenly disappeared. Instead of coming together, the politicians and others in power are digging in, refusing to budge on their positions.

 

A5 I’m not sure I grock how alarm about pockets of power and what is probably the death of politics as we know it has to do with the new sunshine rules. What does any of that have to do with requiring that we open all of our discussions up to anyone who happens to want to listen in?

 

A1 Let me at least take a pass at responding to your question. In other Earth pods but in the America pod specifically, there is a long-standing belief that there is a political action process that is available to every America human. If he or she wants the government to do or not do something, it is only necessary to convince a substantial group of America humans to support the idea. They then become an advocacy group, committed to the idea. The group can then lobby politicians and try to work up wider support for their idea. They likely will not get exactly what they want but will move the outcome closer to their view. The political shift gets us back to the power pocke...

Greetings my friend. I had not expected to be back so soon, but our intrepid hunters just happened across the Great Mouse as they were in the midst of a routine training mission in a remote jungle venue. It was just good luck that they were armed and ready for the unexpected confrontation. I think the Great Mouse was as surprised as were our intrepid hunters. Let's check in to learn how the impromptu battle resolved itself.

I am struck by how often I am confronted with what I have come to think of as the taking sides dilemma. Either President Trump is a good guy who deserves our support and confidence or is a bad guy who we should fear and distrust. Either immigrants are merely harmless people looking for a better life or are dangerous thugs and potential terrorists who are a threat to our families and communities. Either unrestricted access to guns is a benign, constitutional imparitive or is the underlying cause of mass shootings and random violance. Make your choice and then take the side you know is right.

We are thoughtful, logical, reasonable people who are not mindless side takers. We are open minded, take care to consider all perspectives and aspects before making decisions and judgements, and base our choices and conclusions on facts and a clear grasp on reality. We don’t reflexively take sides. Rather, when we take sides, truth, logic, and a firm understanding of conditions and situations guide where we stand.

How well does that work for you? I hope it’s working better for you than it is for me. I struggle with figuring out what is true, what is real, and what does and doesn’t matter. Even if I’m sure that something definitely matters, my struggle isn’t over. It’s not yet time to take sides. I also have to assess just how much it matters in relationship to everything else that matters. …

Taking sides and knowing which side to take would be much easier if we could limit ourselves to our direct experiences. It still would not always be easy, but we would at least be basing our choices on personal knowledge. Unfortunately, our world no longer works that way, if it ever did. Most of our side taking is based on past influences and current circumstances over which we have little control and limited understanding. Most of what we know and think we know about the world we live in comes from others who are getting their knowledge from others who are getting their knowledge from others. Which side we choose to take comes down to who we choose to believe, or does it?

Who Do We Believe?

Quite often, it doesn’t matter all that much who we choose to believe. This is especially the case when most everyone is saying approximately the same thing. A huge hurricane came ashore in North Carolina. North Korea has an atomic bomb. Unemployment in the United States is at or near an all time low. Many of our roads and bridges are in urgent need of repare or replacement. There may be some dissenters but the majority view is compelling.

Side taking becomes much more difficult when we get conflicting reports, opinions, perspectives, and opposing understandings of events, conditions, circumstances, and the people associated with them. The atmosphere at the White House is or is not chaotic. Congress is or is not effective. The risk of global warming is or is not over rated. Tariffs are or are not good for the economy. Pick most any local, state, or national issue, and we quickly see that opposing views and opinions are rampent.

When I put it that way, it seems that most of us would have trouble taking sides, – so many problems, so many issues, so many possible choices. I’m not sure whether it’s human nature, habit, indifference, or some kind of rational reductionism; but most of us will use our default decision template, our standard fallback position. That means we will stand with the side we have always stood with, continue believing what we already believed, trusting the sources we have come to trust. We simply adopt the views, opinions, and perspectives of those who’s side we have taken in the past.

There is another dimention to this. Again, I don’t know whether it’s human nature, habit, indifference, or some kind of rational reductionism, but once we have taken sides and particularly when we have taken sides with a person or group,

Greetings and thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about one of life's important lessons that far too many of us overlook. We should have learned, did learn, but show others through our behavior that our personal education has fallen a bit short. Think of this as remedial education. You, like I, have heard the lecture but occasionally need reminded. The lesson is there for each of us. I will try harder to take it to heart and hope you do as well.

Life's most important lessons are amazingly varied and can be quite confusing. Even so, they most all have two things in common. First, they usually are not particularly complicated. It certainly can sometimes take a while to get it; but once you do get it, the lesson is normally straight-up and to the point. Second, and here is the rub, the lessons invariably are a "So now you tell me!" kind of thing. Oh sure, hindsight is 20/20, live and learn, no one is perfect, and you are only human. Nonetheless, having learned your lesson is not much consolation once you have already missed important opportunities to achieve personal excellence with people and important relationships. Yes, you may do better the next time; but your chance to get it right the first time has passed and will not return. Much better is to get it right, the first time, on time, every time. …

It is certainly true no one is perfect, you are only human, and things only work out just the way you want them to in the movies. Life can be a real bear sometimes; but fortunately, you do not have to take responsibility for life. You are only on the hook for who you are and what you do. Here is a suggestion worth taking to heart. Start with developing a Proactive Personal Style PPS that sets you apart, that lets everyone know you are a class act.

Think about people you know who stand out from the crowd, people who are certifiable class acts. They have three techniques down pat. First, they are originals. Their style and approach with people and situations are their trademarks. Second, they are not on-again, off-again. They are always uniquely themselves. Third, and here is the key: it is no accident. They usually make it seem easy and natural; but take a closer look and you will soon understand and appreciate how hard they work at it. They consciously and purposely do everything they do, with style, all the time, on purpose, one situation at a time, one person at a time.

Proactive Personal Style is not grounded in flashy clothes, gestures of affection, superficial interest, staged behavior, or anything else serving only to call attention to the individual. It is grounded in commitment, sincerity, and personal integrity. It is the stuff toward which admiration flows, the special ingredient setting the interpersonal standard others aspire to follow.

Perhaps you are acquainted with an interpersonal superstar. Even better, perhaps you are yourself someone who has reached the interpersonal pinnacle. If so, you know the PPS elite provide a value-added benefit for others they cannot get from the merely competent. Many people have their occasional flashes of brilliance; but the crème de la crème work their wizardry consistently, creatively, and in virtually every situation.

Of course, there is their uncanny ability to anticipate problems and opportunities and their simply taking it for granted people usually are trying to do what is right. As important as that is, they have an even more important secret. They always remember and own everything they say, agree to, and do. The PPS bottom line is integrity; and following the lead of people who have it is a certain path to your unique Proactive Personal Style.

Now we know, are reminded again. May both of us do better as we pursue our futures, with style, all the time, on purpose.

Welcome back to the latest episode in the quest for the Great Mouse. Our intrepid hunters have not spotted the Great Mouse for a while but have again detected her here in the heart of the city. Since their last encounter, the hunters have upgraded their weapons and moved on to the next generation technology. Please join me as we observe the quest and learn if the Great Mouse finally falls to her pursuers.