How Should One Work?

Whether somebody is born rich or poor, probably the best option for the person to earn respect would be to work and spend like he was born poor.  Then it doesn't really matter how much money the person has, and the poor can't really be envious of the rich.  If you pull your own weight, someone can't accuse you of inequality.  You're simply doing the best you have with what you were given.

A Kinetic Future

Most people wouldn't think it, but I believe our future may consist of a lot more energy stemming from physical activity.  For centuries we've tried to find a way to make things physically easier, so that just pushing a button can accomplish most activities.  Now we actually have people who make themselves do work, not for the sake of work, but to burn off all the fat they have stored from not working in the first place.  Why not put that energy to good use and make TVs, computers, and other electrical appliances derive their energy from kinetic sources?  It keeps people thin and conserves non-renewable resources as well.  I mean, if you can operate your computer with a hand crank, then who needs electricity?

Always Think You're Right

While it's true that you should be somewhat skeptical of things, including your own opinion, I see no reason to get offended by someone who always thinks they're right.  Would you continue to possess an opinion you knew was wrong?  Of course not, you'd change it.  So whatever thoughts you hold onto, you believe they're the right thoughts to have.  That just makes sense.

Seeking God Secularly

I believe God can be sought through church attendance and the study of holy readings, but he can also be sought through the study of his creation.  I believe the more we study his creation, the more amazed we are by his work.  This includes abstract concepts like numbers as well as tangible things like stars.

The Organic Household

As I ponder about household maintenance and repairs, I wonder if at some point in the future houses will be able to maintain themselves.  To my knowledge, the only thing that can repair itself when it needs repair is a living organism.  So maybe houses in the future will be living organisms.  They can repair themselves, provided that you feed them and clean up their excrement.

Expectations Revisited

I think I've mentioned this before, but if I can, at some point I'd like to make a youtube video showing the mathematical impossibility of living up to all the expectations you hear from advice experts.  Sleep eight hours a day, brush after every meal, exercise an hour a day, go to all your kids little league games and involve them in every sport and extracurricular activity imaginable, pick a job you like and get a PHD in that field, be the last one to leave at work every day, spend quality time with your family, get a part time job for extra money, give 10% of your money to your regular savings, 10% to the church, 10% to charity, remodel your house, pay all of your kids tuition, pay for your parents long term care, save up 10% of your income for your retirement, get the newest i-phone whenever it comes out, read 30 minutes a day, go to church twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday, go to every PTO meeting, get involved politically and volunteer for campaigns, diversify your investments and pay close attention to each one of them daily, learn a new language, write hand-written letters to all of your distant friends to keep in touch, sponsor a child living in a foreign country, read every word of every obscenely long legal document you're given before signing it, listen attentively to every jabroni that crosses your path and give them a big friendly smile, update your will once every year.  Who has the time or money to do it all?  You just got to prioritize as best as you're able with the limited resources you have.  You can't let all this stuff drive you nuts, and some of it you're just going to have to cut out.

Spoiling

Spoiling somebody is giving them whatever they want exactly when they want it.  If you give them whatever they want but not when they want it, you're not spoiling them.