Bits and Pieces

Thoughts on China: China is a nation of long history. Its culture is starkly different from so many others. Its color, pageantry, and cuisine so alluring. The discipline of the mind to concentrate on thinking, creating and innovating. The commitment to education and personal growth. These are attributes of a nation that remains a mystery to so many. But China is all these things and more.

With a population of 1.4 billion souls (India is a close neighbor with 1.35 billion), managing this large slice of humanity is not easy. Logistics alone are mind boggling.  Feeding and providing health services are major enterprises. Yet they do this year in and year out. They have done this for uncounted generations. Knowing them and working with them is a difficult but positive pursuit. Avoiding the work of knowing them is a poor move. We are the losers. China will forge her history as she has always done. Alone. Mysterious. Better that we engage and share the history.

Can’t Believe It’s Thanksgiving Time: The calm of a four-day weekend. The crisp weather keeping us indoors. The bustle of preparing special meal dishes. The prospect of the turkey roasting all day and filling the home with unforgettable aromas. All these things and then the gathering of family and close friends. This is Thanksgiving. A flood of memories reminds us of the many past Thanksgivings. Of course, we are also reminded that this day is the forerunner of the Holiday season.

The thing I have trouble dealing with is the timing. Summer was yesterday. Thanksgiving is nearly here. Where did all the time go in between? Really? Gosh!

Focus on Positive: It is easy to see the negative, hear it nearly everywhere, and then encounter it in colleagues and family members. Instead of giving into this social environment, why not break the cycle and focus instead on the positive. Just because the negative is loud and obnoxious, doesn’t mean the positive should be meek and quiet.

No. Being positive takes effort these days. Even more, doing positive takes courage and vision to make happen. Millions are doing this work every day. Those folks do this despite others doubting their efforts. Plenty of doubters.

A new idea is exciting at first. Then it becomes nearly impossible to find the breakthrough. Finally, it is a noble thing when it is found to work. Doubters quickly become believers and wonder why they didn’t think of this!

Yes, plenty of positives to get into the mood. So much nicer than the opposite. If more of us did this, I wonder if the negative would finally melt away?

November 7, 2022

 

 

 

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