So, I'm about to start my podcast and I'm already thinking about writing a book. Why do I want to do these things? As one famous podcaster said tonight, "When I first started this, I had no idea where it was going to go." A few months a friend was talking about "The Law of Unintended Consequences." The idea is once you take an action, you really can't predict the results. I'm sure terrorists think about this all the time. When they blow up innocent women and children, I'm sure they are hoping that the incident will trigger a series of events that will eventually play in their favor. More specifically, I think one goal of terrorism is to make your enemy so blind mad that he begins to act irrationally -- hopefully to the point where his own anger backfires against him. Hmmm, sort of like what's going on between Israel and Lebanon right now.
But "The Law of Unintended Consquences" can also lead to serendipity (good things). So, I can only hope and pray that the doors I open will somehow lead to a chain of events that will spark The Great Movement.
My brother Gunther said he was hoping for another peristroka. I would love that too, but peristroka was mainly about economic and political reform, and we need far more than that -- we need to change the way people think and view their reality. So, in that regard, maybe some way, some how, I can help.
As always, the biggest challenge to accomplishing my goals is time. With a family, demanding job, and several volunteer jobs, I barely have enough time to breathe. Plus, I need some time to go to the gym, walk my dogs, spend time with my friends and relatives, read, do yardwork, pursue my other hobbies (computers, tennis), and just enjoy life a little. So, there is just no way to do all these things even if I try to stay disciplined and focused. Being too busy is the only way I know to exist. All my life I have done too much volunteer work for church and various organizations. But if a human is NOT giving back through volunteer efforts, then justifying ones existence is difficult. If you just live for yourself, that is a shallow and hollow existence.
So, I must constantly weigh all these factors and try to prioritize. In my one brief moment on this planet, where can I best focus my limited energy? This is something I think about all the time. Should I devote my life to some very specific local issue, or should I spend the rest of my years working for a global cause, knowing full well that I'll hardly put a dent in my issue and that I may never live to see the fruits of my labor?
And how about the vainness of it all? Humans are such complex creatures, but all it takes is one head injury, stroke, or tumor and all that knowledge can be lost. I read the blogs of my colleagues and think, "That is amazing how deep they are. If only such incredible knowledge could be preserved." But it's not like our brains will be kept in a pickle jar full of formaldehyde. When it's over, it's over. But, like I've said before, there is a certain beauty in absolute vainness. I know full well that the Good Lord could take me out at any second, so maybe I'd better start writing my book now. I would like to go out while playing tennis and making my last serve of a set. I would just swing at the ball, roll over, and just keep rolling. Emergency workers would then throw my carcass in a dumpster, and the remaining players would proceed to the next set. How glorious that would be. But knowing my luck, I will probably croak on the pot, while reading my favorite computer magazine. Then all this stuff bouncing around in my brain will just be gone. And that is how it is meant to be.
Goose
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