Be Nice to People
At the place where I am interning this summer, many people call or walk into the office while they are extremely angry. For the most part, they have good reasons to be angry. They usually have very real and urgent problems that need a solution. However, anger, on its own, has never solved a problem. Useful anger must spur action.
However, the same anger that brought about action quickly becomes detrimental to success. This is always the case when achieving a goal requires the involvement of multiple people. If your goal is something that you can accomplish by yourself, go ahead and be as angry as you want. However, if you need to convince people to help you, being angry is going to be a problem. People don't want to be around or help angry people because anger always lashes out and hurts the people who are closest.
Instead of being angry, be calm and goal-oriented. If the priority is to achieve the goal, put aside the anger, because it's not helping. Instead, be nice to people! People like to be around and help other people who are nice.
However, it's not enough to act nice. It's very easy to pretend to be nice and friendly while maintaining another agenda that isn't very nice. The problem is that eventually these hidden motives will be revealed and the people who were once on your side will no longer want to help you.
If you are genuinely interested in the welfare of those around you, though, you'll find friends who will stick with you no matter how unpopular you get. Those are the friends worth having and that is a life worth living.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Poetry Tuesday
Give a hand,
But don't give both.
It helps to give some,
We're all in the same boat.
But to pull someone up
You need one hand to grab, another to hold.
Together we can get
Out of this hole.
Don't look down,
There's nothing there.
Keep looking up,
Salvation is here.
But don't give both.
It helps to give some,
We're all in the same boat.
But to pull someone up
You need one hand to grab, another to hold.
Together we can get
Out of this hole.
Don't look down,
There's nothing there.
Keep looking up,
Salvation is here.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Monday Monologue
Lakers vs. Celtics, Game Two
I hate to rant about sports stuff in this space, but last night's game in Los Angeles took it too far. The refereeing was absolutely atrocious and ruined what could have been one of the best games ever. Three of Kobe Bryant's fouls were terrible calls and Kevin Garnett clearly knocked the ball out of bounds.
Who am I rooting for in this series? The Lakers. I will tell you why I am rooting for the Lakers and why I feel guilty about this whole situation.
It may be embarrassing to admit this, but I am an intensely devoted Knicks fan. For the past few years I've watched the Knicks play worse than the Washington Senators. For a while it was just because Isaiah Thomas destroyed the team. Then it was because the Knicks were trying to clear cap space for Lebron James in the summer of 2010.
After all this time, the summer of 2010 is here. Lo and behold, the Knicks have cap space galore. Everything is falling into place.
Until the Cavaliers and the Celtics met in the playoffs.
Then, as a Knick fan, I had a dilemma. I could root for Cleveland to beat Boston, which makes total sense when you consider my intense hatred of all Boston sports. A deep-seated anger rises up whenever I hear or see the name Boston. Perhaps I should have rooted for Cleveland.
But no. I rooted for Boston. I rooted for the Celtics hoping that an early Cleveland exit in the playoffs would help the apparently slim chances of Lebron leaving the Cavaliers for the Knicks. "Anything is worth Lebron," I told myself. So I cheered for the Celtics.
Now, it's all blowing up in my face.
See, it doesn't look like Lebron is going to come to New York anyway. So there really wasn't any point in me rooting for the Celtics. I committed sports adultery for no good reason. "It won't matter anyway," I told myself. "The Celtics will never beat the Magic. And even if they do, the Lakers will crush them in the Finals. No worries."
But now, the Celtics are three games away from defeating the Lakers in the Finals. I can't handle another Boston championship. I really can't. It was bad enough when the Red Sox beat the Yankees in 2004, and then won another World Series in 2007. It was bad enough when the Patriots won all those Super Bowls. It was bad enough when the Celtics won in 2008.
If there is any chance that I helped the Celtics win by cheering for them against the Cavaliers, I don't know how I could live with myself as a New York fan. But this all goes away if the Lakers win the series. I need it to all go away.
So referees, please call the game accurately? Thanks.
I hate to rant about sports stuff in this space, but last night's game in Los Angeles took it too far. The refereeing was absolutely atrocious and ruined what could have been one of the best games ever. Three of Kobe Bryant's fouls were terrible calls and Kevin Garnett clearly knocked the ball out of bounds.
Who am I rooting for in this series? The Lakers. I will tell you why I am rooting for the Lakers and why I feel guilty about this whole situation.
It may be embarrassing to admit this, but I am an intensely devoted Knicks fan. For the past few years I've watched the Knicks play worse than the Washington Senators. For a while it was just because Isaiah Thomas destroyed the team. Then it was because the Knicks were trying to clear cap space for Lebron James in the summer of 2010.
After all this time, the summer of 2010 is here. Lo and behold, the Knicks have cap space galore. Everything is falling into place.
Until the Cavaliers and the Celtics met in the playoffs.
Then, as a Knick fan, I had a dilemma. I could root for Cleveland to beat Boston, which makes total sense when you consider my intense hatred of all Boston sports. A deep-seated anger rises up whenever I hear or see the name Boston. Perhaps I should have rooted for Cleveland.
But no. I rooted for Boston. I rooted for the Celtics hoping that an early Cleveland exit in the playoffs would help the apparently slim chances of Lebron leaving the Cavaliers for the Knicks. "Anything is worth Lebron," I told myself. So I cheered for the Celtics.
Now, it's all blowing up in my face.
See, it doesn't look like Lebron is going to come to New York anyway. So there really wasn't any point in me rooting for the Celtics. I committed sports adultery for no good reason. "It won't matter anyway," I told myself. "The Celtics will never beat the Magic. And even if they do, the Lakers will crush them in the Finals. No worries."
But now, the Celtics are three games away from defeating the Lakers in the Finals. I can't handle another Boston championship. I really can't. It was bad enough when the Red Sox beat the Yankees in 2004, and then won another World Series in 2007. It was bad enough when the Patriots won all those Super Bowls. It was bad enough when the Celtics won in 2008.
If there is any chance that I helped the Celtics win by cheering for them against the Cavaliers, I don't know how I could live with myself as a New York fan. But this all goes away if the Lakers win the series. I need it to all go away.
So referees, please call the game accurately? Thanks.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Funny Friday
On Monday night, a roach was killed in a vicious beating.
Members of the local Pesticide Unit found the victim, Norman Roach, at 11:32 p.m. The corpse was discovered near the sofa, close to the window.
“The roach in question was found with multiple injuries and quite dead by the time we arrived,” said Detective Waterbug, the lead detective on the case. “We are treating this as a hate crime.”
So far, no arrests have been made. “We don’t have any definite leads, but we have a idea of where to look,” Waterbug said.
The autopsy revealed what the police had suspected. Dr. Andrew James, a noted expert in the field of roach killings, told us, “This roach was beaten to death with a large, blunt object, no doubt. Something like a shoe or a boot.”
“Those are the most common types of murder weapons in roach killings,” he added.
With Dr. James’ expert opinion and Waterbug’s comment that they might have a suspect in mind, it was asked if that suspect was Josh’s left chancla. Waterbug declined to comment, saying, “I am not at liberty to disclose that kind of information.”
Dr. James said, “It shouldn’t be too hard to find the perpetrator. Norman was a big, strong roach. It would have taken several strong strikes to crush him like that.”
However, Waterbug has expressed doubts. “If no eyewitnesses come forward,” he said, “It’s going to be hard to pin this down on anybody.”
As the investigation continues, the wife of Norman Roach has come forward, saying, “Who could have done this? Norman was a good roach, he never did nothing to no one. Sure, he took a few crumbs here and there, who hasn’t? But he’s a family man, he’s leaving behind 200 children! That’s a lot of mouths to feed, won’t somebody catch whoever’s responsible?”
Within the past few months there have been a rash of roach killings, including a mass murder that took place two weeks ago. Four roaches were found dead near the kitchen sink. No arrests have been made in any of these cases. In addition, poison and traps of various kinds have been sighted throughout the area, leading some to wonder when this persecution of roaches will end.
Bob Roach, a self-proclaimed advocate for roach rights, commented, “See, a situation like this just shows how little respect roaches get around here. A roach, one of our neighbors, is killed in a senseless act of violence and nobody bats an antenna. It’s only a matter of time before we roaches wake up to the injustices that are being committed against us and band together to fight for ourselves. We have just as much a right to this space as anyone.”
More roaches could not be reached for comment, although the kitchen was checked thoroughly.
A hasty funeral was held for the deceased in Josh’s bathroom. Unfortunately, as the toilet flushed and sent Mr. Roach to his watery grave, none of his family members were able to attend.
“It’s a shame,” Josh said. “I would have liked to introduce them to my right chancla.”
Members of the local Pesticide Unit found the victim, Norman Roach, at 11:32 p.m. The corpse was discovered near the sofa, close to the window.
“The roach in question was found with multiple injuries and quite dead by the time we arrived,” said Detective Waterbug, the lead detective on the case. “We are treating this as a hate crime.”
So far, no arrests have been made. “We don’t have any definite leads, but we have a idea of where to look,” Waterbug said.
The autopsy revealed what the police had suspected. Dr. Andrew James, a noted expert in the field of roach killings, told us, “This roach was beaten to death with a large, blunt object, no doubt. Something like a shoe or a boot.”
“Those are the most common types of murder weapons in roach killings,” he added.
With Dr. James’ expert opinion and Waterbug’s comment that they might have a suspect in mind, it was asked if that suspect was Josh’s left chancla. Waterbug declined to comment, saying, “I am not at liberty to disclose that kind of information.”
Dr. James said, “It shouldn’t be too hard to find the perpetrator. Norman was a big, strong roach. It would have taken several strong strikes to crush him like that.”
However, Waterbug has expressed doubts. “If no eyewitnesses come forward,” he said, “It’s going to be hard to pin this down on anybody.”
As the investigation continues, the wife of Norman Roach has come forward, saying, “Who could have done this? Norman was a good roach, he never did nothing to no one. Sure, he took a few crumbs here and there, who hasn’t? But he’s a family man, he’s leaving behind 200 children! That’s a lot of mouths to feed, won’t somebody catch whoever’s responsible?”
Within the past few months there have been a rash of roach killings, including a mass murder that took place two weeks ago. Four roaches were found dead near the kitchen sink. No arrests have been made in any of these cases. In addition, poison and traps of various kinds have been sighted throughout the area, leading some to wonder when this persecution of roaches will end.
Bob Roach, a self-proclaimed advocate for roach rights, commented, “See, a situation like this just shows how little respect roaches get around here. A roach, one of our neighbors, is killed in a senseless act of violence and nobody bats an antenna. It’s only a matter of time before we roaches wake up to the injustices that are being committed against us and band together to fight for ourselves. We have just as much a right to this space as anyone.”
More roaches could not be reached for comment, although the kitchen was checked thoroughly.
A hasty funeral was held for the deceased in Josh’s bathroom. Unfortunately, as the toilet flushed and sent Mr. Roach to his watery grave, none of his family members were able to attend.
“It’s a shame,” Josh said. “I would have liked to introduce them to my right chancla.”
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Poetry Tuesday
Boxes and Burgers
Here is an empty box;
I will fill it up with socks.
Every box must hold something;
Better to be full than full of nothing.
Boxes are made to be filled;
Burgers are made to be grilled.
We must eat every burger;
Better to eat, go no further.
Here is an empty box;
I will fill it up with socks.
Every box must hold something;
Better to be full than full of nothing.
Boxes are made to be filled;
Burgers are made to be grilled.
We must eat every burger;
Better to eat, go no further.
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