Paul Kaiser's Blog

Catchup for days 10 through 12 of “365 Days of What I Know Now.”

January 10th

If you stop letting the world know what makes you happy, then you’ll stop reminding yourself, and eventually you’ll forget. Finally, you’ll let someone else define happiness for you.

Let the world know your passion, and do it loudly. Some day, you’ll be dead.

January 11th

Using guilt as a form of child discipline is irresponsible and highly destructive.

January 12th

Carefully choose one person and share the inner secrets of your soul with them. If they die, you must choose someone else to pass things on to.

You should recognize when you have been chosen for this capacity and take it seriously. It may be the most meaningful thing that happens in your entire life.

Another catchup day for days 7 through 9 of “365 Days of What I Know Now.”

January 7th

Sometimes every word you speak needs carefully measured.
Extreme example: in the courtroom.

Other times, you shouldn’t have to think about a single word or letter.
Extreme example: making love.

I’ve mentioned every social problem comes down to communications. It’s no wonder, when you consider the filters we choose to pass our true feelings through. While “children say the darnedest thing,” adults usually don’t dare, or they’re considered to be brash, rude, or “wearing their heart on their sleeve.”

January 8th

People give authority to others far too quickly, based on their title, their boldness, or a uniform, rather than based on actual qualifications.

Always question authority!

authority:

1. the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.
2. a power or right delegated or given; authorization: Who has the authority to grant permission?
3. a person or body of persons in whom authority is vested, as a governmental agency.
4. an accepted source of information, advice, etc.
5. an expert on a subject: He is an authority on baseball.
6. right to respect or acceptance of one’s word, command, thought, etc.; commanding influence: the authority of a parent; the authority of a great writer.

January 9th

We are all very much alone in our own personal universes.

People figure this out around the age of 6 or 7, but they don’t sit around and think about it. Rather, they naturally evolve the way they interact with the world, the way they manipulate people and things around them. I think a child psychologist would say this is when people stop being “self-centric” and become “world-centric,” or something like that.

Man or a mouse

It’s not unlike a mouse learning he can’t be friendly with large flying birds from the sky. In fact, just to be safe, the mouse becomes afraid of the sky and things above altogether. The mouse considers staying in the shadows–scampering through sharp cracks and dark holes–an acceptable way to live.

Open, but not really

If you could open a door and a window, trust someone to come in, and not worry about their intentions or worldly pressures trashing your own universe–that would be nirvana. Doors are hard to open, and even harder to keep open. The best most people do is let you talk through a screen.