Saturday, June 02, 2018
Today's Thoughts - The Stupid Things Our Enemies Say... And What I Think About Them
By Donovan Baldwin
I just saw a post somewhere else, where a thought was taken out of context and presented, loudly and with fanfare, if you will, as the central core of an opponent's belief.
When we are thinking about problems, we often meander down several paths, turning back, sometimes with bloody noses, before we reach a sane conclusion, decide to put it aside and try again later, or just give up.
Still, it's those dead end, or t-intersection paths, that somehow often become part of the journey to a sensible solution. It's how we think a problem through... at least, it's how I do it.
This is why I try to control myself and not jump on headlines, sound bites; playing in the dirt with the tantalizing foibles of my "opponents", as a kitten plays with a piece of string... to roughly the same end. If I play with it long enough, I may get enough of the game, even believing I've "won", but, I still haven't solved anything.
Things, events, thoughts, ideas, possible solutions, and just plain apparent stupid meanderings of mouth and mind need context before we can truly consider them to be representative of another's thoughts... even our enemy's.
Sometimes, the "context" is that they know more about the subject than we do.
I try to keep THAT in mind too.
I just saw a post somewhere else, where a thought was taken out of context and presented, loudly and with fanfare, if you will, as the central core of an opponent's belief.
When we are thinking about problems, we often meander down several paths, turning back, sometimes with bloody noses, before we reach a sane conclusion, decide to put it aside and try again later, or just give up.
Still, it's those dead end, or t-intersection paths, that somehow often become part of the journey to a sensible solution. It's how we think a problem through... at least, it's how I do it.
This is why I try to control myself and not jump on headlines, sound bites; playing in the dirt with the tantalizing foibles of my "opponents", as a kitten plays with a piece of string... to roughly the same end. If I play with it long enough, I may get enough of the game, even believing I've "won", but, I still haven't solved anything.
Things, events, thoughts, ideas, possible solutions, and just plain apparent stupid meanderings of mouth and mind need context before we can truly consider them to be representative of another's thoughts... even our enemy's.
Sometimes, the "context" is that they know more about the subject than we do.
I try to keep THAT in mind too.
Labels: donovan baldwin, enemy, problem solving, putting things in context, solving problems, thoughts
Monday, December 18, 2017
Errant Thoughts On Errant Thoughts
By: Donovan Baldwin
I sometimes post on LinkedIn odd things that pop into my mind. I call these little ramblings, "Errant Thoughts". Some even wind up being re-posted here, after they roll off my LinkedIn feed.
A definition of "errant" reads, "erring or straying from the proper course or standards".
Another definition is, "traveling in search of adventure", as in "knight errant".
My errant thoughts, usually of the first definition, are that, in more ways than one. Not only do they wander off the beaten path, but, they dodge in and out of the underbrush within my brain.
I can be thinking about eggs, and write a commentary on paper airplanes without the foggiest clue how I got there.
This is NOT a problem in these little comments of mine. In fact, this can be fun.
However, uncontrolled swerves and bumps in dealing with life, and solving problems, especially if the boss is waiting for a solution, can be problematic in itself.
On the other hand, the ability to stray "from the proper course or standards" has resulted in some awesome discoveries and advances.
Sometimes these are referred to as "accidents".
I prefer to think of them as errant thoughts, in the mind of some "knight errant" of progress.
Most people will just call it daydreaming, and the boss will be here any second, so, quick, make it look like we're really doing something, and not just saving the world.
Still, I wonder if you could make an airplane out of egg shells, or a make a plastic like egg shells. What if you used the egg's structural properties for passenger protection?
Hmmm. Another errant path to follow.
A definition of "errant" reads, "erring or straying from the proper course or standards".
Another definition is, "traveling in search of adventure", as in "knight errant".
My errant thoughts, usually of the first definition, are that, in more ways than one. Not only do they wander off the beaten path, but, they dodge in and out of the underbrush within my brain.
I can be thinking about eggs, and write a commentary on paper airplanes without the foggiest clue how I got there.
This is NOT a problem in these little comments of mine. In fact, this can be fun.
However, uncontrolled swerves and bumps in dealing with life, and solving problems, especially if the boss is waiting for a solution, can be problematic in itself.
On the other hand, the ability to stray "from the proper course or standards" has resulted in some awesome discoveries and advances.
Sometimes these are referred to as "accidents".
I prefer to think of them as errant thoughts, in the mind of some "knight errant" of progress.
Most people will just call it daydreaming, and the boss will be here any second, so, quick, make it look like we're really doing something, and not just saving the world.
Still, I wonder if you could make an airplane out of egg shells, or a make a plastic like egg shells. What if you used the egg's structural properties for passenger protection?
Hmmm. Another errant path to follow.
Labels: donovan baldwin, errant, knight errant, LinkedIn, solving problems, thoughts
