Extolling the virtues of Western civilization

I just happened to catch a program on PBS this evening that outlined the six "killer apps" of Western civilization. 

1. Political competition
2. Democracy
3. Science
4. Medicine
5. Consumerism
6. Work ethic
(I think that Rule of Law and Private Property Rights were somewhere in there too, just not sure how they were included.)

So this may not be exactly what was explained, because I caught the tail end of the program and I might have missed something in there. 

What caught my attention was how China is quickly adopting many of those apps, although it is still controlled by communist rule.  They even pointed out how China is anticipated to become over 30 percent Christian in the next X number of years.

Which led to the film maker's next point - how we have lost faith.  The narrator said that we don't even have faith in ourselves, much less, God.  He then went on to point out how the rest of the world has adopted OUR killer apps - democracy in Peru, science in Arabia, medicine in Africa, consumerism in Turkey, and so on. 

However, the last point he made, as he stood overlooking the smog-enshrouded Shanghai, was that the West still had all of the apps.  And while the West wasn't perfect, it was still the best, primarily because he had the freedom to think that and say that.

I am thankful every day for where and when I was born.  I am truly blessed.  It was good to have a reminder.

If getting rich was easy ...

... then everybody would be rich.  

My latest endeavor has been a journey of self-improvement.  I got the kick in the butt I needed from a seminar I attended in January.  In a way, I expected this to happen, although I had never considered attending a personal growth/motivational/financial education seminar until recently.  

Essentially, I have been on cruise control for the past twenty something years.  Enough of settling for comfortable, okay, getting by ... to be honest, I believed I didn't have it in me or that I had already wasted too much time and that I could never recover and make up for the time I lost.

I've had a "come to Jesus" moment and have rethought that conclusion.  Whether it's "too late" or not, I should at least try to do better, be better and have better.  If time runs out, at least I've kicked it into a higher gear and aspired to live up to my potential.

If my time to work the plan and be held accountable for my results continues on, then who knows what I could achieve?  That's what I'd like to find out.  It ain't easy, but no one ever said it would be. 

 

Thanks to Seth Godin ...

One of the most prolific writers I know.  And I'm not talking about cranking out epic novel after epic novel a la "War and Peace."  If so, I wouldn't read his work.  However, some of his stuff is pretty "epic" in the sense that it is thought-provoking and wise.  His clarity and focus is amazing and his ideas are a never ending source of inspiration for me. 

Okay, I'll stop gushing.  Just check out his work for yourself, if you don't believe me.  And I have to admit, I'm a marketing nerd and "organizational management" is a bit of a preoccupation of mine.  Call me crazy!

One of his recent posts really hit home for me.  Mainly because I've been struggling to get back onto the writing wagon for some time now.  I just never seem to make any headway and give up before I start.  One good post and I'm through.  

I think it has to do with time.  I'm a bit verbose.  And overwhelmed.  But check this out:

"All day long you're emailing or tweeting or liking or meeting... and every once in a while, something tangible is produced. But is there a mark of your passage? Fifty years later, we might hear a demo tape or an outtake of something a musician scratched together while making an album. Often, though, there's no trace.

What would happen if you took ten minutes of coffeebreak downtime every day and produced an online artifact instead? What if your collected thoughts about your industry became an ebook or a series of useful instructions or pages or videos?"

That's Seth ... he's talking to ME!   And he makes it sound so simple.  Just 10 minutes a day.  I think I can do that.  


So here it is, people.  My commitment ... in writing ... 10 minutes a day.  (And twice on Sunday.)  I can do this!  Flex that writing muscle, build that habit.  Spend one of those WWF breaks on the blog.  (Sorry 'words' friends, you'll just have to wait a few more hours for that next word.)


While I can't promise that they will all be gems (even Seth can have his off days), I can commit to consistency.  And one gem out of 10 posts is still a gem.  And much better than ZERO gems out of ZERO posts.