Introverts and Crockpots

I am an introvert. I keep to myself. I'm constantly thinking, constantly studying, constantly curious; questioning; skeptical. For most of my life, I've thought of my introvertedness as a weakness. This is largely due to the society I've been raised in. In American culture, we praise the outspoken and charismatic, and shun the quiet and shy. But it doesn't need to be this way.

The concept of the personality has grown over the past century. Agriculture and small business has transformed into the powerhouse businesses of today. The days of small town communities where everyone knew your name has been replaced by a competitive society of strangers, all striving to be noticed and appreciated. In this new world, it's not enough to be intelligent; you must be a good speaker and communicator to be successful. In fact, in many cases the extrovert is accepted not by the strength of their ideas but rather by their charisma and strong voice. Our society is overlooking the valuable input of the quiet.

Studies have shown introverts rank higher in intelligence. This isn't to say that extroverts are unintelligent, but introverts have a great advantage; inner thought and reflection. Removing oneself from the influences of external distractions can be very good for cultivating creativity and building ideas. This is a technique that has been removed from schools and replaced with more group-focused environments. This is also seen in the workplace; an outgoing attitude is more desirable and a shy attitude is demeaned. This is damaging to introverts and will often push them further into their shells. 

But here's what the introvert must realize; you have more power and influence than you know. You have value and input that needs to be heard. This doesn't mean you need to be a great public speaker, but I want to encourage you to share what you're passionate about. Your ideas have been slow cooking in the crockpot of your mind, not nuked quickly in a microwave. There's a rich, savory quality to ideas such as these; an inspiration brought forth through hours of reflection and careful consideration, weighing each component carefully, searching all possibilities.

Many, both young and old, have been inspired by the creativity and imagination of Dr. Seuss. You may be surprised to learn he was an introvert. He feared his readers because he was convinced they'd be disappointed when they learned he wasn't as exuberant as his Seussian creations. Although this internal fear existed, it didn't stop him from sharing his creativity. Don't let your creativity hide in the shadows; your contribution could be more valuable than you know.

Based on a Ted Talk by Susan Cain: The power of introverts http://youtu.be/c0KYU2j0TM4

Don't believe everything you Google: Finding Accurate Info on the Web

Did you know we only use 10% of our brains? How about the fact that the average person swallows eight spiders a year? Are you aware that you can determine the temperature outside by counting the chirps made by crickets? These are just a few of the claims you may have seen online. You'll be relieved to know that the first two statements are actually false. The vast amount of inaccurate information on the internet has distorted our perspectives of truth. In this new digital age, we need to be skeptical and alert so that we can train ourselves to determine fact from fiction.

In the past, libraries were the primary source of accurate information. Today we're more likely to go straight to our favorite search engine, and we usually won't venture beyond the first page of results. The internet is packed full of opinions, personal blogs, as well as reputable government sites, educational sites, etc. Anyone with an internet connection is capable of posting their own perspectives and ideas online. This is far different than the process of publishing a book. Often, the content posted on the internet will only be reviewed by one set of eyes, as opposed to the publishing process where the manuscript is reviewed by an editor as well as several other witnesses carefully to avoid making costly mistakes. Personal posts on the internet can contain bias perspectives, and can sometimes generate unhealthy gossip about people and controversy amongst some important topics. It's always a good idea to check the sources of these claims to determine if they are true. One great website for investigating these claims is www.snopes.com. This website is dedicated to putting the rumors to rest by revealing these claims for what they are.

One good example of a controversy is the claim that vaccines cause autism. First, it's important to understand how vital vaccines are to our society. Probably 1 person in 5 would not be alive if it were not for vaccinations. The cases of some deadly diseases have dropped considerably since the introduction of the Pertussis vaccine in 1946. Since then, related deaths have decreased to 1 per 100,000 persons. To put the importance of vaccines in perspective, children who are not vaccinated are 23 times more likely to develop a disease. The autism controversy started in 1975 when a vaccine named the DPT vaccine (containing Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus) was believed to have caused permanent brain injury in some children who developed an immune response to the Pertussis. Later, a British study revealed that this neurological deficiency occurred in only 1 in 140,000 doses (or 0.0007%). In 1994, the Institute of Medicine estimated the risk of serious brain damage as a result of DPT to be in the range 0 to 10.5 per million immunizations (or 0.00000001%). This very rare occurrence was not enough to support a strong correlation, let alone causation. Basically, this means that even if there is a causal relationship between vaccines and autism, the risks would be far greater by not vaccinating our children due to the lack of resistance they would have to other deadly diseases.

This issue arises in the current global warming controversy as well. The consensus among climate scientists is that the earth is getting warmer, however, the controversy lies in weather it is warming by natural causes or if it's caused by human actions to the environment. At this point, we've gathered lots of correlated data, but have not found the exact cause of the earth's warming.

After reading the previous two paragraphs, you may be saying, "How can I trust you? You're just another writer explaining something from your own bias perspectives." There's one major difference. The information provided is based on peer reviewed sources, which gives validity to the statistics and information provided. When information is peer reviewed, it's backed up by evidence from experimentation and observation. That information then goes through a rigorous proofing process where several professionals in the field related to the information pick it apart and determine whether it is accurate or not. Then that information is published and put into practice. One of the best sources I know of for peer reviewed publications (at least in the field of Biology) is www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. The information here is abundant and can be a bit dry, but I highly recommend using it whenever you have questions about medication, stem cells, or any other biology-related topic. In the paragraphs above, you'll also find that I did not make a truth-claim that vaccines do not cause autism or that global warming is caused by human actions. Those kinds of claims are dangerous to make when the truth is not clear. Several hundred years ago, the evidence seemed to show that the earth was flat, but as observations and evidence grew this perspective changed. The danger in making a truth-claim on partial evidence is that you may someday be proven wrong. By sticking to only what is known, you will have a more solid perspective of things and you may be more accepting of new discoveries.

So be careful what information you find online, or any source for that matter. As voting citizens, it's important that we train ourselves to be skeptical of claims, viewing them in the light of factual evidence. I think the astronomer Carl Sagan put it best when he said, "What counts is not what sounds plausible, not what we'd like to believe, not what one or two witnesses claim, but only what is supported by hard evidence - rigorously and skeptically examined. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

Sources:

www.snopes.com

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3879684

www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/index.html

http://youtu.be/VW1IEqKuf6s

Digital Brain - Is the internet replacing the human brain?

A difficult question arises. What’s your first move? If you’re like me, you’ll grab your laptop, or pull out your smart phone and search for the answer to the question. It kind of makes you wonder how we got by without the internet. And an even bigger question to ponder; how is this affecting the strength of my brain? Is the internet dumbing down our cognitive processing power? By jumping straight to the internet, are we taking the easy road and using the internet in place of our own memory?

I wonder if these same questions arose with the invention of the calculator. In a way, it’s very similar to running to the internet for answers. Instead of going through the mathematical equations in our brains, we simply punch in the numbers and voila; instant results. Now obviously the internet far exceeds the calculator (in fact, by entering most equations in Google, you can get the answer using Google’s Calculator feature), but the concept is basically the same. We’re putting our minds to rest and relying on technology to give us the answers instead.

So is it a bad thing to let technology do the thinking for us? Is this truly damaging our brains? Are we at the beginning stages of a world ruled by technology like many science fiction films portray? It may not be as bad as we think. Columbia University psychologist Betsy Sparrow performed a study that tested the information retention of several subjects. The subjects were given certain bits of information, afterwards a message would display letting the subject know what folder the information was stored in. After the study, it was found that the subjects could remember where the information was stored, but often could not remember the information itself. I know that I can personally relate to this study. I have all of my information sorted on my own computer, as well as documents stored in online databases like www.dropbox.com. I also have bookmarks and tabs in my browser to resources that I use regularly. I know exactly where they are and what each one provides. In addition to the resources I save externally, I also save a list of websites that I know are valuable resources internally, in my brain (www.google.com to name one). So perhaps it’s not that we’ve become lazy-brained, maybe we’ve just found a better use for our memory. Knowing your way around the resources of the internet can expand your understandings of just about anything, far better than going to a library or even relying on a knowledgeable person. Because in person you’re only communicating with one, but online you have the option of seeking multiple sources, most with credentials that are available online.

The internet has truly reshaped the way we retrieve and retain knowledge. The very words I’m writing in this article are built from my interpretation of information and knowledge I’ve acquired from the internet. The information was found using my preferred search engine and the links have been provided below so that you can retain this information as well, if you so choose. As our technology has evolved from simple calculations to a World Wide Web of information, it may bring one to ask, “What can we expect next?” It’s believed that by 2020 we could have a computer with the processing power of the human brain – as of June 2011, the Japanese company Fujitsu produced a computer capable of about 40% the processing power of a human brain called K Computer - and possibly by 2055 we’ll have a personal computer with the processing power of all human brains. Is that a scary thought?

Are you embracing the future of information or do you fear the overwhelming power of a computer brain? If you have an opinion on this subject, please share in a comment on this post.

Sources:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=internet-transactive-memory

http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/tech/k/

What I Know / Don't Know

There are many things I know, but still many things that I may never be able to fully understand.

As I walked into work today, I focused on the full moon. Wearing my glasses I was able to see the fine details in the moon. It’s still very new to me, although the moon has always been there, I can see it in a new way. Through my life, I’ve always know the sun was there, the moon at night, and the stars. It never really hit me what I was looking at until recently in my life. This glowing thing in the sky is far far away from me, and the only knowledge I have of it is built by other people’s observations and research. As far as my senses are concerned, they are just dots in the sky or a big lamp and night light. There are still many things in this world that I haven’t learned with my own senses, but I’ve read about it like different cultures, extreme poverty, the surface of the moon, the weight of gold, underground rivers, an iceberg, the list goes on.

I know how grass is cut, I know how bricks are laid, I know how electricity is run, I know how signs are produced and channel letters hung, I know how brochures and flyers are set up and produced, I know that woodwind instruments produce unique sounds through their shapes, and I know that guitars emit different sounds through different sized strings and compressed lengths, I know how to jump, run, handstand, I know how to create with wood, I know that back flips are possible once fear is surpassed, I know how light reflects off of molecules and bounces back to our eyes, I know the resistance of gravity and just how much force it takes to jump over an obstacle. . . . these things are confirmed by my senses and are fully understood.

I know that wireless technology works, I know that computers work, I know that satellites in orbit exist and make my satellite radio work, I know that cell towers allow me to contact anyone by inputting a code, I know that lasers read CD’s that hold information, . . . but I don’t fully understand it.

I know how to care for myself and my children, I know what makes my wife happy, I know what makes people happy, I know what makes people sad, I know how a divorced heart aches, I know how an addict thinks, I know how it feels to be a father, I know how to sin, I know how to be real, I know how to act like I have it all together, I know myself . . . to an extent, I know only what I can see on the surface of others through my senses . . . but I don’t fully understand people.

I don’t know if there is a spirit world, I don’t know why I do things I don’t want to do, I don’t know if there is a God, I don’t know if there is life outside of earth, I don’t know if asteroids and meteors are real, I don’t know if there are really other planets in our solar system, I don’t know that there are other continents on this Earth . . . these are all things that I’ve never sensed, but I have been taught about them and have even seen these things in pictures and video.

My reality is defined through what I know and what I don’t know. It’s what I don’t know that intrigues me so much, and causes me to look deeper into life. Will I ever know the answer to these questions? Some maybe not, but I do know that if I ignore them, I will be wasting my time. What better purpose is there in life than to pursue what you don’t know? Otherwise you will become stagnant and float through life, living as if you had all the time in the world. But the truth is, we don’t, there is a limit to our lives here on Earth and in the time we exist, we must capture the moment and seek the unknown.

What do you know? Better yet, what don't you know?

Social Traps

A friend of mine at work made a comment the other day that pulled me into a common societal trap. She said, "That made my Monday" after hearing some good news. I responded with, "How do you 'make' a Monday" meaning of course that Monday's are traditionally the dreaded work day of the week. But if I am trying to live intentionally each day, why would I embrace this illusion that for some reason or another Monday's are excluded from days worthy of living full and happy? I understand it's the first day of the week and may possibly be more strenuous than the day before, however, it's still another 24 hours of my life, and every moment of my life should be intentional, heading in a positive direction.

This experience made me think deeper about why we react this way. Why do we resort to gloom instead of embracing the good things in life? Why do we try to 1up someone else’s bad day by flaunting our "even worse" day? Why do we strive to appear pitiful and worse-off? Although on the outside, it may seem we’re trying to make the other person feel better by comparing our worse day to their not-as-worse day, but in many ways it only feeds selfishness. People feel like they have to be sympathetic for you because you are in such a bad place.

So next time you’re faced with a social trap, take a moment to think first. There is always something to be happy about, so think +. You are alive and can do great things in your life. These social traps will only bring you down in life. Live your own life. Live on purpose!

A Jester Society

The other day, I made a joke, after-which a friend of mine said, "Wow, Nate, you are human!" I chuckled at the time, but being the person I am, I had to think deeper about this comment. Those of you who know me know that I can be a pretty quiet person. Although I do keep to myself a lot (I spend much of my time in though about deep questions about our lives, the universe, etc.) I do have a sense of humor as well (I love listening to the comedy channels on Sirius and comedy movies. I'm a big fan of Demetrius Martin, Monty Python, & Jim Gaffigan).

So, when this comment was said, it got me thinking; are we defined as human only when we act like everyone else? We live in a society where if you can't entertain the person you're talking to, they become uninterested. So, by acting different than the society standards, you become "alien". Obviously this was a joke and I know that he wasn't actually suggestion I was an extraterrestrial or anything, but the foundation of the comment rings true in our society. I think this line that is drawn in society is limiting to some. We shouldn't feel isolated and alone for wanting to examine life in a different way. The greatest philosophers, scientists, writers, etc. all have something in common, they break out of the norm in search of something more, something beyond the limits that society sets.

Why is this so important?
Our lives are the most important things we posses on this earth. It is very important to know where we are and to constantly think about where we are going. We need to focus on what increases our lives. A constant sense of humor is often like watching TV; it's entertaining, but doesn't usually add much to your life. I'm not saying a sense of humor is bad, however, when you have to enter every conversation with a stock of jokes and punch lines just to keep it interesting, there's something wrong. Think deeper, talk about the things that draw your curiosity and add worth to your life. Not only will you be benefiting yourself, but also those around you who are stuck in the boundaries of society as well. Hop over the line and continue the journey! I'll see you on the other side.

The Art of Owning Nothing

Financial freedom, it’s something many of us dream of, but never live to see. It is a dream that involved having zero debt, not owing anybody anything and fully owning your possessions. So why is it so hard to get on top of this heap of debt? One reason could be that we’re heading in the wrong direction. We desire more possessions, when really we should be taking some away. We want to live simple lives, yet commercials and ads are telling us we need more. Am I saying that you can’t have stuff? Not necessarily. I think that some stuff is good, but when it consumes your life more than enrich it, I think it has to go.

Take a moment and think about the things that consume your life . . . . Think about the friends and coworkers that you converse with. Think about the substances you put in your body. Are these things enriching your life? My guess is there are some things that aren’t. I believe that some of these things may be draining your life.

I encourage you; fill your life with things that push your forward. Drugs, alcohol and other harmful substances can cut your life short, as well as stress. TV and useless Internet browsing can leave your life stagnant, going nowhere. Did you know that the same internet you use to watch stupid people doing stupid things also contains things that will enhance your knowledge and understanding and add more to your life? One great source is through documentaries. You can go to sites like www.hulu.com or www.freedocumentaries.net and learn more about the world you live in.

So why is this so important? Why can’t we just sit on our couches and veg for the next years of our lives? We only live once, and if we are only living for the satisfaction of ourselves than we are not truly living. By living for ourselves, we simply exist.

There is an art to owning nothing. It gives a peace that surpasses understanding. You begin to find joy in relationships rather than money-consuming things. You begin to spend money wisely when you do spend it. It is when you begin to see beyond yourself that you can truly be financially free. Unlock your journey and push your life further than you ever thought possible.