Ieri sono cominciate le prove.

Ah, non l’avevo ancora detto, ma ora che è ufficiale, che è ormai nel programma del mese prossimo…

Domenica 20 dicembre, h 22, al Teatrofficina Refugio ci sarà una presentazione speciale del mio libro, La fine soltanto. “Speciale” perché sto cercando di arricchirla con momenti “di svago” (non saprei come altro dire senza rivelare troppo). “Presentazione” perché si tratta comunque della presentazione del libro, anche se non in forma canonica (letture-domande-risposte). Ho già (già?!? sono in ritardissimo…) buttato giù qualcosa e ieri ho visto le prime persone che collaboreranno alla serata.

h 18e30, appuntamento con la (stranamente) puntualissima Sara, con la quale lo scorso anno ho già lavorato per il mio spettacolo “Signorina“. A lei sarà affidato il prologo della serata.

h 20,00, pausa cena, con Alessandra a una pizzeria dietro l’SVS; L’ho scoperta da poco ma mi piacciono sia la torta che la pizza.

h 21e30, satollo, ritorno alle prove, stavolta con Francesca (a destra in questa foto, quando ancora, con la sua grazia e la sua chioma rasta, faceva parte dei Loungerie; al centro in questa foto dopo averli lasciati) e un’altra Alessandra, zarina di tempi e spettacoli passati.

Per ora non so dirvi altro.

Vi terrò aggiornati.

Voi tenetevi liberi per il 20.

E un’altra cosa: devo trovare una definizione accattivante per questa serata che è a metà tra la presentazione e lo spettacolo, ma non è interamente né l’una né l’altro. Chi di voi ha delle idee potrebbe scriverle qui, ad esempio.

PRESENTAZIONE+spettacolo= PRESENtacolo.

Brutta, eh?

Sabato 28 novembre, dalle ore 9, verranno disputate cinque prove speciali, le quali si concluderanno nella mattinata di domenica 29 con le ultime due prove della giornata. Nella giornata di domenica 29, dalle ore 14, si svolgerà il “Master Show”, classica prova spettacolo con manche a eliminazione diretta, nella quale gareggeranno i migliori equipaggi.  Il Consorzio Cusio Turismo parteciperà all’evento mettendo in pista anche gli ormai famosi Ape Calessino, che verranno utilizzati per gli spostamenti interni. Alla kermesse parteciperanno le ragazze piemontesi del prestigioso concorso di bellezza Miss Italia. Infine, i prodotti e i vini del territorio saranno sulle tavole del catering ufficiale della manifestazione per deliziare i palati di ospiti vip e giornalisti Questa volta però  il Lago d’Orta ha voluto fare le cose in grande, scendendo in pista con le sei vetture del team Media Action. Al via della manifestazione, direttamente dal mondo del motociclismo, ci sarà il campione Loris Capirossi, coadiuvato da Roberto Mometti, a bordo di una Ford Focus WRC. Sempre dal motociclismo, per la terza volta consecutiva, sarà presente il vice campione della 250cc Marco Simoncelli, con al suo fianco Guido D’Amore, sempre su Ford Focus WRC. Per quanto riguarda invece il panorama rallystico, Media Action punterà tutto su Piero Longhi, attuale guida ufficiale di Skoda Rally Team Italia e vincitore delle ultime due edizioni del Master Show, navigato dal celebre e ormai fido Capitan Ventosa di “Striscia la Notizia”. Longhi guiderà la Skoda Fabia EVO2 WRC. Per il secondo anno consecutivo prenderà parte alla gara il famoso giornalista e commentatore sportivo Guido Meda, coadiuvato dal fratello Pietro, su Grande Punto Abarth S2000. Al debutto ufficiale su un’auto da rally, sarà di scena il motociclista Mattia Pasini con Elena Di Cioccio, a bordo di una Skoda Fabia S2000. A chiudere la lista dei concorrenti, direttamente da “Striscia la Notizia”, saranno Edoardo Stoppa e Juliana Moreira, al via della gara con una Skoda Fabia S2000. (rally)

Abbiamo eletto MOTOROLA MILESTONE (Pietra Miliare) come uno dei migliori smartphone del 2010 cellulari che hanno come caratteristiche: Sistema Operativo Android, chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon da un 1GHz, e una telecamera da almeno 5 Mp….

Leggi tutto l’articolo con la prova e le caratteristiche

ho in effetti una certa fame

Con Facebook si può avere un alibi. Come era successo pochi giorni fa a un ragazzino accusato di furto negli Usa. Ma in Canada la storia è un’altra.

Bad Hair Day

Have you ever experienced Bad Hair Days in your life? Have you ever wondered about the science of having Bad hair days? Have you ever thought of getting a solution to avoid Bad Hair Days on the Most Important of Days in your life?

Well, I have. I have done it all yet the Bad Hair Days are like a Dark Demon that attacks time and again. A Dark, Deadly Fiend!!

I have always thought about the logic behind this but in vain. Usually my hair is perfect on normal days, but when there is a special occasion, an event when I want it to behave, it just won’t listen. I am baffled by the whole scenario and have tried thinking Out of the Box to understand the whole game; well I call it a Big, Witty game.

While turning those 365 leaves of my life set on each calendar every year, I experienced and recognized many changes in my Hair. Everything from the color of the hair to the texture and the look of it changed. I use to have much thicker hair before but the years have taken their toll on me it seems. This is an inevitable situation that everybody faces at some stage in their lives.

But I have seen an altogether 360 degree spin in so many of those 365 days of the life. A huge and strange Hair Transformation.  By Transformation, I mean the changes my Hair had undergone turning from Black to Light Brown to Dark Brown.  From Silky smooth and Straight to unbelievably luscious and Curly.  From Wavy to Frizzy and back to Curly again.

Does it have something to do with psychology?  In my own personal opinion, it has to be connected with personal moods apart from other social and environmental factors. Science would point to the changes in the living conditions, bad eating habits, stress and tension levels, pollution, indoor environment, less physical activity to name a few but I still believe it has more to do with personal psychology and mood swings.

Some people have confided in me about how their moods affect their hair. However, I am still not 100% sure if my Bad Hair Day is directly related to having Perfect hair on that specific day. There’s just one way to check out though. Next time, never bother or get un-nerved about the hair when attending an important event.  I want to confess here though that it seems to be a bit difficult thing to do.  But I have to have a 365 degree To-Do Spin, an extra 5 degree more from normal (as 360 just gets you back at the original place) to prove my theory.

Wish my luck. Happy Probing & Happy Proving!!

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Mi piaci. Però non puoi darmi quello che vorrei. Mi piaci e, se ti va, puoi crederci. Il colore dei campi intorno, sono tutti di un bel colore autunnale. La ferrovia scorre vicino, tra alta tensione e velocità super. Meno di centocinquanta chilometri in un’ora. Mi piaci, però non ho voglia di scottarmi. Mi piaci ma non saprei come continuare. La torre del vicino Duomo scocca il segno delle tre. Un pomeriggio piuttosto umido e la nebbia che cala nella campagna.

5+ Weaknesses for the Interview

This is in continuation to the earlier post named “5 Strengths & 5 Weaknesses @ Google!” since the weaknesses described in it couldn’t be used for a real interview.

We deceive!

We Live to deceive!

We  Live to get deceived!

We  want people to deceive!

No matter how much you sugar coat Lies and words of Self-Deception, they still remain what they Really are. Does Reality matter? I am not sure about it anymore really. Growing up in life, Growing up to life all those years, I have not been able to make up my mind on that and the notions I held in my years of innocent childhood have been tarnished by the ugly reality of the World I live in. Why is it that Truth doesn’t get us the desired results in life?

When it comes to interviews especially, one of the most likeable and expected questions is “Describe your strengths and weaknesses”.

I would certainly find it not very hard to answer that question but to answer it As Expected by the Interviewer is another story.  Over the years, I have come to realize that my Dictionary meaning of the Term Weakness when it comes to Interviews is completely wrong.

Dictionaries might describe Weakness as:

1. An inadequate quality; fault
2. A flaw or weak point
3. The property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain

My version of Weakness means: “An extreme personality trait or characteristic (that you may have or not have) sugar-coated to highlight that it acts as a merit for earning big buck to the hiring company.”

Another important fact of life that I have learnt is that everything in the world is Relative.  Thus, naturally my definition of Weakness is discussed in the context of the interview.

Though I have always wanted to speak my mind on what I really believe my weaknesses would be in front of an interviewer but believe me, this will not get you anywhere especially in a job market. One in a million HR managers would actually admire your Truthfulness in this regard and you would surely face more rejections than approval to do the same. I still can’t comprehend the idea of what the interviewers really intend to understand in us from our reply.

Is it the skill and tact with which we can lie? Is it our ability to think One Step Ahead and get things done before being asked? In this case, the homework we might have done to have a well prepared answer. Is it the quality of shrewdness and self selling ability (i.e. marketing) in us? Or is it the diplomacy and ingenuity with which we handle the question?

However, I still want to maintain a shred of decency and truth in my reply to the prospective employer in hand. This is because I can’t think of losing my Truthfulness for one and secondly because my notions about life are quite different and distinct and I believe no matter how the world works as per others, it works how you want it to work for you; it works how you perceive it to work. Since discussing this is irrelevant to the scope of the current post, I would just resort to a quick list of 5+ Weaknesses that I believe can be used for the interview.

1. Lack of Experience: While I know that I don’t have any Direct experience for the position I am being interviewed for, I have professional experience that required all the desired qualities of professionalism.  My previous employer can second that I was effective and efficient in my previous job and I believe I can contribute and deliver fully to the new one. If given a chance and little time, this weakness can be overcome easily with my professional attitude.
2. Carefree Attitude: (While this is strength on one side, it can also prove to be a weakness. Dynamism and passion/enthusiasm is required to lead.)I am only carefree and relaxed till I think everything is under control. As soon as the deadlines and pressure pump in, I become proactive to meet them in the most efficient manner.
3. Working Alone: I prefer to work alone as I think I can deliver my best, concentrate and can avoid spending my energy on the team issues.  But since I like challenges and my past work didn’t really allow me to coordinate and work in team much, I am looking forward to grow in that area professionally.  I am excited that this will enable me to define some best practices in the area.
4. Getting Over Burdened: As mentioned earlier, I want to deliver my best and this perfectionist attitude makes me reluctant to delegate work to my subordinates. I can’t trust fully on their abilities and therefore, I over burden myself with work. The over-whelming feeling does take its toll sometimes. I realize this clearly and consciously and I have tried to work on it. Recently, I coordinated an event and tried to delegate as much work as possible and stick to concentrate to my duties.
5. Time Management Skills: Sometimes my perfectionism can affect my time management skills. Both of these are related and as I manage to curb that weakness, I believe this will be solved too.
6. Lacking Assertion: I don’t believe in coercion to get things done. My lack of assertion also stems from that fact. But I realize that this attribute is greatly required to build a strong character.  I have been working on this in my personal life as well as my teaching career and have successfully managed to have an upward graph.
7. Lacking Rational Thinking: Sometimes, I get over sensitive to what others have to say about my actions and notions. This is especially in areas of personality. I can’t meet everybody’s expectations and I can’t stop implementing the decisions I believe are right in my heart. I have tried on work on this area by researching and reading on human psychology and have managed slightly to understand and read people’s psychology and view every statement or comment in the light of practicality and rationalism.

There could be a much bigger list to use for the interview but since it was to match my Friend in order to carry the element of Truth in it, I have tried to keep it precise.  Also I believe that if asked to provide for 5 weaknesses or more, you should avoid the exact count since it makes the interviewer believe that you have had it planned already and that’s why he is unable to check your ability to respond to something out of the blues.

Some old fashioned, stereotypical employers do want the candidate to be well prepared and well read for all the questions so this decision will be based on your own personal analysis of the interviewer.

I personally believe that you can’t use one answer for each and every interview. Just make sure that your answer matches the position and business for which you are being interviewed. Analyze the interviewer’s personality, try to get into his mind, be attentive to his line of questioning, his attitude and what the things are he is stressing on.  For instance, if he’s insisting on finding the right candidate who can Grow with the company, you have to mention that this is one of your wish and desire. If you have had a couple of years experience with a previous employer, highlight it. If you don’t have this, then explain implicitly that its always been your dream and intention to Grow with a company but you also believe that you can and should not continue to work any longer when you start realizing that you can’t deliver your 100% and can’t work to your full potential. Since this won’t be honest and truthful to yourself and to your employer and you can’t continue something with a guilty conscience.

Another handy tip is to always have personal and professional experiences related to your strengths and weaknesses prepared since mostly the next question in line is to give an example to support your claims.

In a Nut Shell:

1. Be truthful.  Keep your conscience Alive.
2. Your strengths can actually be used as weaknesses.
3. Reply dynamically (as IT people would say). Base your reply on the given situation analysis. Avoid using the Prepared answer if it doesn’t fit well in a given interview scenario.
4. Understand the True definition of Weaknesses in the given scenario. Don’t start babbling your A, B, C ….Z personality weaknesses. Keeping in perspective the Job and Position, draft your weaknesses.
5. Your weaknesses are Actually things you professionally lack right now but are active and willing to develop.

The last thing to note here is that every person is different so no matter how much articles you read, no matter how much research you do on the Best Practices, there aren’t any hard and fast rules or text book definition of interviewer’s expectations or interviewee’s responses.

If you need any more examples to tricky interview questions, use a comment section below.

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President tells reporters US and China agree Iran must provide assurance of its peaceful intentions to international community… From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: the population of china. The blog is also related to: team china.

5 Strengths & 5 Weaknesses ; You Name It!

My friend had to appear for a big interview and I excitedly told her to take me along to get some extra help. That was just supposed to be a joke which she took a bit too serious. The next thing I know was a mail from her asking me to tell 5 of her strengths and 5 of her weaknesses. I thought that wasn’t a big deal but when I sat in front of the email editor, I felt completely lost. That’s when I realized the true gravity of the question. It was quite thought provoking and analytical and required serious effort and time.

My first bet was to ask my best friend who usually has almost all the answers. Yes, by best friend I mean Google !!! Google I consider is everyone’s best friend in today’s age. I typed in “5 strengths and weaknesses” in the Google search box that returned approximately 116,000,000 answers. Wow, I was over-whelmed with the search results and restrained myself to check only the first few entries when I suddenly realized that I had already began to lose interest by the time I got to the second link. They carried a multitude of answers which would require a lifetime to read and jot down the best possible reply so I thought to drop any further reading and resort back to my own personal mind power. For the Best, Original answer lied inside me.

I really started thinking about her personality and the time I had spent with her, the moments I had shared to come up with a quick list of the much needed Strengths and Weaknesses. Here’s what the list came down to:

5 Strengths that my Friend has in my Perspective:

1. Total Control: She has a personality that reflects her being in Total control in every situation, in every circumstance of life. Sometimes, that might not be the case but there’s a magical air around her that makes you believe that she has everything Under Control and she’s On the TOP of everything. While this is a great personality trait and strength on her part, it also helps others around her; in personal life or professional; to get that Much needed Strength and backup support in a messy and chaotic situation.
2. Positive Outlook: She has a persona that emanates immense calmness and positivity in the worst of situations. Even with the much dreaded deadlines, the last minute mishaps that one normally has, she doesn’t lose her composure. Whether it’s the harsh problems of day to day personal life which could range from financial to emotional to health problems of severely intense nature or negative societal and professional attitudes, her eyes are Focused on them as Challenges and Opportunities with only one Attitude – Positive outlook. I am extremely amazed at her laid back and positive persona to tackle all the challenges. Her attitude reflects and incorporates contentment and satisfaction with what she has got yet an active struggle to achieve more. In short, she is not Quitter and possesses a Winning, Cool Temperament.
3. Quick Learner & Self Starter: She’s rather smart and strong willed when she puts her head on to anything. She grasps new stuff very easily and quickly and is always accepting and open to new ideas and knowledge. She doesn’t reject any idea or notion and is very analytical and logical.
4. Flexible: She’s quite adaptable to different situations and notions due to her open mindedness. This is a merit in certain professional scenarios especially in situations when one is faced with a Daunting or Boring Tasks.  Her adaptable nature can overcome that feeling of boredom and concentrate on completing the most boring task in the most efficient manner which is a much needed trait for professionalism.
5. Good Listener: Often people lack the ability of listening, let alone Good Listening. She can be all ears to someone for as long as it is required and that too with focus, attention and open mindedness.  Thus, analyzing and grasping every word and making you feel important enough to be heard. In a nut shell, she absorbs information.

Other strengths include Hard working, Time management Abilities, Good communicator, Organized, Empathetic to name a few.

5 Weaknesses that my Friend has in my Perspective:

1. Easily Influenced: She gets easily influenced by other people’s remarks and comments on her personality. She easily believes and accepts other’s opinion about her that she might have heard in the past repeatedly, especially the ones coming from close friend or relatives.  This is the cause for too much Self sacrifice even in areas not needed.  I believe External influence and Inference has to be limited to an extent. This is because it can’t always be true as people think and base their conclusion on their own perspectives.  One is one’s best critic.
2. Lacking Belief & Self Exploration: She sometimes lacks belief in herself and her abilities by accepting and believing what others think about her as she requires assurances. This hinders her expansion and exploration in areas of self that can hold potential and growth opportunities. Gradually through exploration and experimentation she could have new Realizations in this regard but most importantly through changing her Notions and molding her views using Affirmative Reinforcement like ” I have this ______ ability, it’s  just a matter of time when I develop it.”
3. Overly Cautious: While being cautious is a good thing, too much caution kills the Adventure and Growth in life. Taking risks is inevitable as it opens new horizons, teaches new lessons and increases wisdom. In cases where she holds different opinion on volatile matters, I find her standing on the other side with the Majority avoiding risks and confrontation; blending in with the crowd.
4. Developing Leadership Skills: Though she possesses leadership skills, she doesn’t like to be in the fore front. This might make others exploitative and refuse her due credit of her efforts.
5. Submissive: I think she should be more bold and dominant. This is the only way to be Assertive and to Be Heard.

The Strengths and Weaknesses mentioned above might seem to be interconnected and could have better headings too.  The weaknesses discussed above can’t be actually used for an interview. For that purpose, I need to do some more exploration and come up with a more suitable list in a later post update or another post.

Note:  Always have professional and personal experiences related to your strengths and weaknesses prepared since mostly the next question in line would be to give an example to support your claims.

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questa è una prova

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fine

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam molestie massa ac risus mollis ut adipiscing enim porta. Donec in orci ligula, a semper nisi. Aenean lacus lectus, viverra non bibendum a, aliquam non nulla. Phasellus gravida ipsum non neque sollicitudin et varius metus consequat. Suspendisse semper iaculis lectus vitae ultrices. Donec a eros diam. Duis feugiat purus eget lorem varius vel fringilla arcu egestas. Praesent dignissim arcu non nisl mollis dapibus. Vestibulum id dui non nibh mollis dictum. Maecenas vulputate lacus in leo tincidunt volutpat faucibus lectus volutpat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut imperdiet blandit rhoncus. Sed ligula risus, rutrum eget congue eget, pulvinar vitae sapien. Phasellus ultricies dui non felis consectetur rutrum. Suspendisse tortor nisl, tincidunt non lacinia eu, posuere et felis. Aliquam venenatis nisl eu erat consequat viverra. Maecenas scelerisque massa metus. Curabitur tellus lectus, venenatis ut sagittis pharetra, euismod eget nunc. Vivamus auctor felis a purus posuere tincidunt mollis massa molestie. Ut elementum imperdiet lobortis.

L’esordio del nuovo Consiglio Direttivo della corale, all’insegna della linea dura, sembra aver dato frutti insperati.  Ieri sera folle di coristi si assiepavano sui gradoni delle pedane. Visto anche qualche Mammuth, qualche Triceratopo e altri esemplari di specie che si ritenevano ormai estinte.

Che sia l’alba di una nuova era? Mah!!! Ho sempre pensato che fossimo tutti sufficientemente grandicelli per auto-sensibilizzarci ed auto-regolamentarci e che fosse un insulto all’intelligenza dei singoli coristi istituire figure di “capigruppo”, “referenti”, o come diavolo li si voglia chiamare, incaricati di telefonare a casa all’assenteista di turno per dirgli: “Non sei venuto alle prove? Brutto e cattivo, non farlo più…” o pressappoco.

L’esperimento era stato fatto in passato ed era fallito perché 1) i destinatari delle telefonate si offendevano e mandavano il malcapitato capogruppo a quel paese; 2) l’azione dei capigruppo era sostanzialmente vanificata dalla inesistenza di sanzioni per i renitenti alla chiamata – per chi come me ha un’infarinatura di diritto, è noto che “nullum crimen sine poena” – e dal notorio atteggiamento tollerante degli alti vertici della corale, che ammettevano ai concerti anche assenteisti, muti e stonati.  Perciò non soltanto ai concerti ci trovavamo in 80 schierati sulle pedane, di cui cantanti effettivi solo una decina, non soltanto facevamo una faticaccia a cantare – perché intorno non c’era il coro, inteso come gruppo coeso, ma c’erano i sullodati assenteisti (che non sapevano la parte, e improvvisavano note che il compositore non aveva mai scritto, né si sarebbe mai sognato di scrivere), muti (che non cantavano affatto) e stonati (i peggiori di tutti, perché trascinavano i vicini nelle loro stesse stecche) – ma soprattutto chi faceva brutta figura era il coro nel suo complesso. Tanta scena dal lato visivo (il colpo d’occhio era impressionante, non parliamo poi delle mises di certe signore…) a cui non corrispondeva, all’atto pratico, adeguata sostanza musicale.

Ora, i nuovi componenti del Consiglio Direttivo vorrebbero dire “basta” con questo andazzo: un nuovo consigliere ha addirittura diramato bozza di un regolamento in confronto al quale quello di Auschwitz era all’acqua di rose… Io non so se questa politica del “maglio rotante” prenderà piede, soprattutto non so se il Direttore (che si è plasmato la corale a sua immagine e somiglianza, e che si è riservato, di fatto, lo ius vitae ac necis su qualsiasi cosa, alla facciazza del Consiglio) la farà propria.  Si sa che nel coro ci sono persone che ai suoi occhi hanno un prestigio maggiore, per vicende e qualifiche che con le attitudini canore nulla hanno a che vedere, ma purtroppo è così e basta, ed io non credo che queste persone possano essere passibili di qualsiasi tipo di regola o sanzione…

Ma è inutile mangiarsi il fegato. Per ora, registro come un dato positivo che ieri sera eravamo tanti. Per il futuro, vedremo.

I didn’t turn into my mother, I just realised that I’ve always been her.

Of course, all those qualities that make up Salem are diverse and wonderful.  But for the purpose of writing this piece and expressing what it is that had me come to this realisation (again), I write about one more thing that annoys the crap out of me.

I phoned home a couple of hours ago.  Dad answered.  I didn’t realise how glad I was that he did until I asked about mum.  I was hoping that he wouldn’t put her on the phone.  I’ve got a lot on my plate right now and I was afraid that mum was going to make yet another request that I ‘m unable to fulfill.  Lately, I’m noticing just how much she asks of me, my sisters, my dad.  She’s also totally giving.  But who can give back to her as much as she gives out?  There are five of us girls and dad and we hardly keep up.

Well, I’m my mum.  I’m in a new relationship and I’m noticing my old patterns weave their way right back in.  It’s amazing, because like my mum, I’m very resourceful, yet I manage to need my partner to make some major shift in his life just so that I can get by.  And I’m very giving as well.  It’s almost irresistible.  But it comes at a cost.  I give, you must give.  I’m very rarely ever conscious of this going on in the moment.  But it goes on… and on… and on…

It’s partly one-up-man-ship.  I don’t know exactly why I do that.  I know that I learnt it in my family home and it’s a habit.  I wonder if I feel inferior to others and wish to inflate myself…  It’s partly to have others constantly prove their allegiance to me.  I don’t know why I do that either.  I think I copied that too.  It’s never-ending though… how much can one prove before they just get over it?

I think I’ve been trying to prove my allegiance to mum forever.  And I’m still caught in the trap.  I notice myself still feeling guilty when she doesn’t approve of me or something I’m doing.  And I’m still trying to prove that she’s not better than me, or more to the point, that I’m not as bad as I can feel around her from time to time. It’s insidious.  I’d have never thought that was still at play, we get on so well these days…

Lebanese people use the term “seeing oneself” to denote self-importance.  For as far back as I remember, dad’s been taunting mum about her and her family’s seeing themselves.  It’s a double-edged sword.  Although it’s used in our culture with a negative connotation, there’s an underlying communal envy of others who see themselves.  Of course there is.  Confidence and pride in oneself are enviable.  At the moment though, I’m wondering which of the two it is for me.  I certainly see myself. Perhaps it’s just the thing that I do best that’s used both to propel me into the world as a healthy individual and to hide that which I deem to be lacking in myself.  In other words to see myself so that nobody else will.

I copied mum’s behaviour.  But I also copied her covert opinions and beliefs about herself, as well as her more obvious ones.  I did this all before I got a chance to see myself for myself.  And now, after all these years… well frankly, it’s a bit boring. I’m seeing that seeing myself gets in the way of seeing others.

I want to see my partner now.  I haven’t seen him in ages…

you go in and buy a ticket and slowly make your way through the crowds to find your seat and then after the
pre-game show, the football game commences. and the competition is on.

after sputnik was the first satellite to orbit space, america and other countries felt the urgent need to follow after.
not because the sputnik inspired them, but because the russian satellite spurred something on that most countries
felt the need to prove the rest of the world that they are that much better. competition.

our lives our filled with this need to prove ourselves. with this need to let others know that we are better then them or that we have what it takes. if within the conversation of spirituality, there are nuances of competition that find their way into conversations. such as: “what church do you go to?” (sometimes asking what denomination; there is an almost presumption that there are better or worse denominations out there to choose from) or whether you are a christian or not, to name a couple of examples.

the idea of loving one another or the “other” isn’t about whether they have experienced Jesus, as important as that may be, our competitive spirit should never lead us to get to know others. we should get to know people, period. no intentions. no philosophies. being honest and authentic and real. love by nature is a virtue without the need to be urgent or competitive or manipulative.

so, is competition ever good? can it be? yes. if it leads us to become the best us that we have to offer to the world. how do we know the difference? i think a good place to start is to ask what reactions arrive out of the competition we are a part of. if they create anger. it might be time to reassess why you are a part of whatever you are a part of. if competitiveness brings out good traits, then pick wisely what you do, and it might be important to ask why you are doing it as well. this could be a good place to start.

we must be weary when competition draws us from disconnecting with people. the point of humanity is to connect with one another. to participate in the global community. but, we must weary of the natures that evolve out of competition, for the safety of humanity.