21 Surprising Statistics That Reveal How Much Stuff We Actually Own

Posted on by metroupe

21 Reasons

Here is a list of 21 factoids to “prove” (if you had any doubts) that Americans suffer from possession gluttony.  We are obese from stuffing our lives full of empty possessions.  Our closets, drawers, and garages are crammed with decades of detritus.  A few of these statistics seem suspect to me, but overall the point is clear. We have too much stuff.

What is the problem with having this much stuff? 2 things stand out. First, it is unique in our own history. By the standard of any previous generation we are all hoarders.  So much for being on the “right side of history.”  Second, it is bad for us.   Owning this much stuff, the way we own it, has adverse effects on our daily routines, our financial bottom line, our mental health and our relationships.

“19. Over the course of our lifetime, we will spend a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days searching for misplaced items.The research found we lose up to nine items every day—or 198,743 in a lifetime. Phones, keys, sunglasses, and paperwork top the list”

#19 above stood out to me because I have experienced it, and I have family members that face this daily.  We have so much stuff that we forget what we have. We are afraid to “throw it away” because it has value. And we might need it some day.  But unless we become full time archivists of our own stuff there is no way we can remember and/or locate what we need.  The result? We go out and buy another one of the very thing that we need, but already own. And this happens because we can’t find it.

And by the way, even if we could keep everything catalogued… is that really what we want to spend our precious attention on?

Consider this. The size of our homes has tripled, and they still aren’t big enough so we have to rent a storage facility.  I think we should make it a weekly habit to throw things away or donate them. Just this week we took 3 boxes of old housewife and decorations to the thrift store. They were good items, they have value. But we realized they have a negative value to us. Someone else can use it and the rescue mission can benefit from the resale.  Win. Win. Win by losing unnecessary stuff!

via 21 Surprising Statistics That Reveal How Much Stuff We Actually Own.

 

Photo courtesy of Kevin Utting. Some Rights reserved

Ashley Madison Data Leak Leads to Possible Suicides and Extortion

Posted on by metroupe

Nuclear explosions are dangerous in a number of ways.  But it is the fallout after the explosion that causes the most enduring damage.

It seems there is some strange fallout from the Ashley Madison info leak. If you don’t know about it, Ashley Madison is a website that was created to help people commit adultery in anonymity.   And evidently the kinds of people that used the site REALLY don’t want their private behavior to become public.  This makes them easy prey for people with the truth and bad intentions.  For some the release of this information is not just embarrassing, it is devastating.  And this makes them prime targets for extortion.

None of this should come as a surprise. Ashley Madison is not some small, insignificant website with a few users. This site had 30 MILLION people trusting that it would become a safe secret place for dark deeds.  And it should be evident now that such a place does not exist.  As Benjamin Franklin is reported to have said, “Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.”  And ironically the world is not only full of unscrupulous adulterers, it is also full of people that want to take advantage of them.

This level of infidelity can only be remotely possible when we are satisfied with hypocrisy, when we are more upset about immoral people exposing infidelity than we are about immoral people practicing infidelity. Right now the news is that hackers have breached this information, when the real story is that we are so desperate to lead double lives.

In a fascinating and hopeful twist, this whole situation may become a golden opportunity. It is an open door to come clean. It may be an opportunity for marriages to heal, and root causes to be exposed.  People that have been skulking about in the shadows may paradoxically stumble into hope when the light dawns on them.  That is my prayer.

It’s not good to find out you have cancer, unless you have cancer.

We wrongly suspect that the revelation of our misconduct is the big problem, when it is actually just a symptom.  It’s not good to find out you have cancer, unless you have cancer. Then finding out opens the door for treatment.

Ashley Madison leak leads to possible suicides, Toronto police say – The Globe and Mail.

How Do You Face Cancer When Your Job Is To Make People Laugh?

Posted on by metroupe

Best of Times-2

What is it like when your child has cancer? Sad. Confusing. Exhausting. Unbearable.

What is like when your child has cancer, and your job is to make people laugh? How does a comedian cope with tragedy?

This is a very moving story, told by Anthony Griffith the comedian about the time in his life when his career was at his highest, while at the same time coping with his daughter’s cancer.

Very powerful. Some strong language. Makes you think about what is truly important.

It often takes an episode of tragedy or loss to wake us up to what is important. But, the most important things are still right there in front of us when everyone is healthy. A word to the wise…

The camera is shaky for the first minute, but it settles down. A good use of 10 minutes of your life.

The Evidence and The Conclusions. Anthropologist Found to Be Falsifying Evidence for 30 Years

Posted on by metroupe

Evidence & Conclusions

I recently saw this article about Professor Reiner Protsch. He taught at a German university for the last 30 years.  And it turns out that his status as an expert in dating various anthropological finds is not only suspect, he has been shown to be a complete fraud. Indeed many of his “facts” were manufactured.

According to Thomas Terberger, the archaeologist who discovered the hoax, “Anthropology is going to have to completely revise its picture of modern man between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago.”

Wow.

It seems that in spite of “peer review” the scientific community is really vulnerable to people manufacturing “evidence” to fill in the gaps for conclusions they have already made.  This is true even when their experts don’t even know how to run a carbon dating machine.  And it can go on for decades. The key is that the lies have to fit in with what the scientific community wants to believe. If your lies are inside the box they probably won’t be questioned. In fact it was only when a huge amount of money was at stake that someone started doing some fact checking.  Others have been challenging the “sacred cow” of peer review as being unreliable.

After I stopped laughing (because I have met more than my share of arrogant, table-pounding scientists), I realized that this is actually a sad situation for everyone.  It is horrible when the truth is handled this way.   It should lead the rest of us to  be skeptical of what we are told, even by the “experts.”  And while peer review is important, and the concept is admirable, we can’t even assume that 30 years of peer review in the “hard sciences” is fool proof.  Many well intended scientists like to speak as if their pronouncements are beyond questioning, that they are the only source of pure knowledge.  I would like to think that this will chasten the scientific community into a place of greater humility, but I am not holding my breath.

This is the conversation that came to mind when I read the article:

Skeptic: Do you believe in evolution?
Evolutionist: Not really. It is a fact. I believe in evolution the same way I believe in gravity.  Anyone that even questions evolution is clearly a blind religious zealot with no regard for the facts.
Skeptic: Why do you say it is a “fact?”
Evolutionist: Besides the obvious reality that the vast majority of scientists believe it, there is all the evidence. It is incontrovertible. Let me give you some examples….
Skeptic: So since you believe in evolution because of the evidence, if the evidence changed, or it was found to be incorrect or falsified, then obviously you would change your position that evolution is a fact.
Evolutionist: Well… not exactly. I might change what I believe about how evolution happened, but not THAT it happened.  It is undeniable that all living creatures descended from common ancestors.
Skeptic: Why do you say that it is “undeniable that all living creatures descended from common ancestors” by evolution?
Evolutionist: Because of the evidence.
Skeptic: So if you learned that the much of evidence that lead you to believe that “all living creatures descended from common ancestors” turned out to be totally incorrect, or worse an intentional lie, you would still believe it anyway? You wouldn’t be willing to rethink your conclusion? You would just rearrange some of the details? Is there any finding that would urge you to rethink your position?
Evolutionist: Why do you hate science?

Haiku on Propaganda

Posted on by metroupe
I wrote these in light of recent events. You can guess which.
Diversion
To conceal evil
use words for greatest effect
words to blind the heart
.
 bean banner
Repetition
Propaganda works
Words like many coats of paint
Covering evil
.
 bean banner
Hidden Malice
The darkest villain
Wears the mask of a victim
To conceal his knife

14 Reasons why I am attending the Protest at Planned Parenthood Tomorrow

Posted on by metroupe

14

I have many reasons for my position on abortion. I am going to list a few here, and try to do it in a way will encourage you to act.  IF YOU ARE PROLIFE, YOU SHOULD JOIN A PEACEFUL PROTEST TOMORROW.  It is a national event.

One conviction that I have is that even if you are prochoice, you should be outraged by what Planned Parenthood is doing.

I am attending the peaceful demonstration in Fresno tomorrow. You can find more info here.

You can also learn more about other events here.

  1. If we care about creating a just society, we need to protect the value of every human being. I read a statement once that makes a lot of sense: “Everyone matters, or no one matters.” We can’t act like people have value and “human rights” and then turn around and deny those rights to other humans like me. It doesn’t make any sense. We have to ask the question regarding the fetus, “what is that?” And the answer can’t depend on how we feel about it. As ardent prochoice advocate Mary Elizabeth Williams said, the unborn “don’t qualify as human life only if they’re intended to be born.” It is crazy to rejoice with pregnant friends, grieve with couples that have had a miscarriage, and then ignore what abortion does to children. Everyone matters or no one matters.
  2. I need to take a stand for the lives of children. As a man I feel responsible to stand up for the weak and helpless. The most helpless human beings in the world are unborn children. If I never take a stand, then I can’t respect myself or expect others to respect me.
  3. So few are willing to take a stand on this issue. There are many Americans, maybe even a majority, that believe abortion is wrong. But the group that is willing to take a stand on this issue is much smaller. I don’t want to have hidden convictions.
  4. I hope to encourage some other people that are struggling or on the fence on this issue. I hope that when they see me, hear my reasons, see the other things I do for children and the poor they will be able to dismiss all the nonsense they hear about the prolife movement.
  5. I believe that God created children and loves them. I believe that they are made in his image and should be valued. I can’t pretend to love God and then be indifferent when his image is desecrated.
  6. The recent release of videos has brought the horrors of abortion to the front of the American conscience like never before. This is the biggest event in the abortion arena since 1973. We may not see another event like this any time soon. I want to see real change. I don’t want to waste this open door.
  7. I want to support and partner with the leaders in the prolife community that have taken risks and made sacrifices for the lives of babies. I know what it is like to feel like you are all alone. I want to support them. I am happy to stand with them on this issue.
  8. I want to use my anger and frustration in constructive ways. I think that changing the abortion laws and the abortion industry in our country is one of the best things that can happen for the unborn, and it will also be a good for women. I have watched all the videos. I have cried. I have been distracted. But I don’t want that to be fruitless.  I want good to come of this!
  9. I believe in the power of forgiveness and grace. Many women and men are suffering from guilt and shame from their involvement in abortion. Some of them knew what they were doing, some didn’t. The vast majority had no idea of the consequences they would face. I believe in the power of the grace of Jesus Christ to bring healing and restoration to people in need. But this can only happen when we face the reality of our dark choices. I want people suffering in secret to have an opportunity to experience healing and grace.
  10. If Planned Parenthood was doing this to puppies or kittens they would have been arrested long ago. You can’t dismember an animal or cut them into little pieces while they are still alive without anesthesia. We actually dissected “fresh” rats in my anatomy class years ago. They had to be euthanized with Ether before the process, and animal rights groups checked on them.   Unborn children shouldn’t be treated worse than animals. Why should the unborn be treated differently? Because to treat them chemically would be to render their tissues unfit for resale.
  11. Planned Parenthood has shown that it is manipulating our government contract system by making political donations to candidates that support them (here one article of many on this topic. Here is another). This is a conflict of interest and a clear example of corruption.
  12. Many media outlets have intentionally ignored the stories attached to the recent videos. And the PR firm that was hired by PP sent letters to various outlets encouraging them not to cover the story. And it isn’t that they have alternate evidence, they are ignoring it. The white House press secretary said that they haven’t even seen the videos. With such staggering violations of human ethics at stake, isn’t it warranted to even look.
  13. I do NOT want to tell my grandchildren that I was silent during this time. Most likely I will have some grandchildren in the coming decades. I also think that we will talk about history and the value of life. When they ask me if I remember when the undercover Planned Parenthood videos came out, and what I did about it, I don’t want to have to change the subject. I want to tell them that I prayed, and wrote, and loved, and spoke up for the lives of the innocent.
  14. I don’t want to be a coward. It is clear that following Jesus involves a cost. I also know that many pastors and friends don’t speak up on abortion, even though they think they should because they are afraid. They are afraid of many things. I am convinced that Christ is greater than all my fears. The words of Rev 21:8 are sober: “8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Those ruled by fear cannot be ruled by faith. I am often frightened. I am going to trust God and step out in faith.

Your Anxiety Is Ruining Your Furniture

Posted on by metroupe

old chair

A fascinating anecdote from Mark Buchanan about stress and anxiety:

“Anxiety and stress are our number one killers. I heard recently a story about Meyer Friedman, the psychologist who devised the Type A/ Type B personality profiles— where Type B is placid and limber, taking life as it comes, and Type A is two-fisted and bristling, taking life by the horns. Friedman’s initial insight that led to his personality theory came after a discussion with a chair upholsterer. The upholsterer said that most of his business came from replacing the upholstery on the chairs in cardiologists’ offices, the chairs wore first, and quickly, on the front edge. Apparently, heart patients are so impatient that, even while listening to their doctor’s life-threatening diagnosis or lifesaving prescription, they sit taut and restless, poised to flee, chafing at the delay. At the edge of their seats. The very reason their hearts are sick is written in that threadbare upholstery.”

Buchanan, Mark (2007-03-11). The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath (pp. 109-110). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

All The Good Ideas Have Already Been Thought Of…

Posted on by metroupe

All The Good Ideas Have Already Been Thought

All The Good Ideas Have Already Been Thought Of…

No, they haven’t.

“Want the best for your child, not for your child to be the best”

Posted on by metroupe

%22Want the Best for your child, Don't want

Our children and young adults are facing a lot of pressure to succeed. GPA. AP courses. College admissions. This observation is coming from those that watch our kids, and it is coming more frequently.  We all want our children to succeed and have bought into the American narrative that the only way for this to happen is for them to earn degrees from prestigious schools. This has a number of untoward effects.  One is huge student debt. Another is a disdain for the trades. We just don’t look at plumbers and welders and think “success.”

Perhaps the most troubling of these effects is the mental and emotional pressure it places on our young adult children. We impose our own aspirations on them, at times even denying them of normal elements of childhood play.  The pressures can be too much for many to carry, and the overall effects are not good.  At the extreme end of the spectrum It seems that more teenagers are deciding to jump in front of trains.

Frank Bruni writes about the suicide rates among teenagers in places like Palo Alto and the Washington DC suburbs.  They are higher there than other places.  And as researchers look for causes they find that the high pressure world of adult competition is trickling onto our children and contributing to a life of anxiety and despair.

Some of this reveals the irony of wealth and success.  Having all that one could want in this world may be one of the worst things that could happen.

Bruni writes,

“Adam Strassberg, a psychiatrist and the father of two Palo Alto teenagers, wrote that while many Palo Alto parents are “wealthy and secure beyond imagining,” they’re consumed by fear of losing that perch or failing to bequeath it to their kids. “Maintaining and advancing insidiously high educational standards in our children is a way to soothe this anxiety,” he said.”

Strasbourg offers some wise advice,

“Want the best for your child, not for your child to be the best.”

Best, Brightest — and Saddest? – The New York Times.

How Great Leaders Avoid Burnout | Inc.com

Posted on by metroupe

Burnout

Add this to the long list of people talking about burnout and rest.

The article makes some good observations and important suggestions. #1 is great.  Having a group of trusted mentors that can tell you hard truths is GREAT advice.

But the second paragraph stood out to me, because it makes a naive recommendation. It goes like this, “If you want to avoid burnout, don’t measure success by money or power. Instead use a 3rd metric. Measure success by changing the world”  Ha.

Haha

Hahahahaha

“Fighting the good fight” can lead to burnout just as quickly as working for Wall street.

Anyone who has worked with churches or nonprofits knows that “fighting the good fight” can lead to burnout just as quickly as working for Wall street.  In fact, it might be even more devastating. When you work for a “cause” it is easy to believe that since you are working for something virtuous that you ought to be successful and appreciated.  And when you experience the opposite, that instead you are often opposed and criticized, you may find yourself suffering from burnout + disillusionment. I can provide a long list of these people for you right now, right off the top of my head.

Here is  the highlight from the article:

“One day in 2007, Arianna Huffington found herself lying on the floor of her home office in a pool of blood. After an MRI, a CAT scan, and an ECG, she learned there was no underlying problem–it was exhaustion which had caused her to faint, her head smashing the corner of her desk and cutting her eye.

“The incident prompted her to ask deeper questions about her life of 18-hour workdays, seven days a week. By the time she delivered a commencement speech at Smith College in 2013, she was preaching the gospel of a good night’s sleep and asking graduates to measure their lives by a “third metric”–changing the world for the better–in addition to those timeless standards, money and power. ” (emphasis mine)

Having a cause is important. But it is not enough. We need wisdom in how we serve the cause.

via How Great Leaders Avoid Burnout | Inc.com.