Culture

In The Box Podcast

Episode 31: Management Advice, Meeting People, Team Vision And More (Podcast)

Garth Beyer

On this episode of In The Box Podcast, we ended up with a lot more questions than answers. You can download the episode here and listen to us talk about giving advice to management, meeting people within their own worldview, how much it matters that your team sees a project the same way as you, the importance of showcasing business culture, and ebbs and flows of life.

Episode 31: Management Advice, Meeting People, Team Vision And More

Ebb and Flows Of Life – Do you think you’re the only one who has trouble with figuring out life? or that your problems are unique to you and others won’t understand?

Management – What’s one thing that you would tell the management of the world?

Meet People – Best way to meet people where they are at?

Vision – How much does it matter if others on your team don’t agree with your vision for a project?

Bonus – Does a business’ culture matter to consumers/clients? Is it worth showcasing the culture?

 

Stay Positive & Sometimes No Answer Is As Enlightening As Having One

What The Click!

What The Click!

Garth Beyer

Click Responsibly

Clicking is a public act now.

The attention we give is the attention we get back. We control the media.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s the same concept with our lives, our work, our art. We are the editors of it all, and someone is always watching. What people see can be defined as the influence we have on them, on the world.

We can fight it. We can close the shades. We can turn on Private Browsing. We can store away our art or not talk about the wars going on around the world. Or…. or we can make the sacrifices we need to make to only click what matters, to do what matters, to show what matters.

Before you ask what the click is up with our culture, remember we’re the ones shaping it.

 

Stay Positive & Drown Out The Negativity

Photo credit

My Ishmael

Garth Beyer

I know that a couple book regurgitations ago I said that I really disliked reading books a second or third time. Not so ironically, this regurgitation of the book My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is the result of a second reading. I knew it was an extremely powerful book and since I did not write a regurgitation last time, I wanted to write it before I gave it away for someone else to use as a tool to change the world.

The more books I read, especially ones by people like Daniel Quinn, the more I feel absolutely guilty of holding back the world when I put the book back on the shelf instead of giving it to someone else to read. Whether the person I give the book does the same or ends up sticking it on their shelf after reading it, at least I can say I gave a motivational tool to someone. I didn’t make it a keepsake. I helped the world become one person better than what it was by giving a good book to them. A good book can work wonders.

You will notice just how strong My Ishmael is as I write this regurgitation. Enjoy.

“Adults get real cranky if you quiz them about the scams they’re running on you.” (Pg 23) Real cranky, I might add.

 

If food became free, no more lock and no more key, what would become of thee.

You are food. You are who tradition feeds on endlessly.

But tradition holds the lock and you the key.- My own little jingle I came up with.

 

 

“Another rule of thumb you can use to identify the people of your culture is this: They perceive themselves to be members of a race that is fundamentally flawed and inherently doomed to suffering and misery. Because they’re fundamentally flawed, they expect wisdom to be a rare commodity, difficult to acquire. Because theyre inherently doomed, they’re not surprised to be living in the midst of poverty, injustice and crime, not surprised that their rulers are self-serving and corrupt, not surprised to be rendering the world uninhabitable for themselves. They may be indignant about these things, but they’re not surprised by them, because this is how they expect things to be.” (Pg 40)

I recently wrote a regurgitation on a book of history that persuaded me to comment about how history must to be taught in a way that teaches us “how” and “why”, not “what” happened. My Ishmael does part of it in the sense that he knows the future depends on understanding how we came to be the way we are.

I have always said that people want you to succeed, they really do. After reading My Ishmael, I realized why they do. People are meant to live successful lives. If we can just get enough people to ask themselves (ask yourself now), “Am I successful?” If the answer is no, then the way you’re living isn’t right and that effects everyone. You can’t not share success, so you must define what successful is and then try to live it that way for all of humanity to become wealthy. -And not the type of wealth that involves money, I’m speaking about the intangible kind of wealth-

 

Quinn notes how we perceive ourselves as being deprived of essential knowledge so special we can only access it through supernatural means. When really, essential knowledge comes from understanding and you don’t need superpowers to understand anything, just some time and a desire to actually understand it.Until that desire is declared, we will continue thinking of ourselves as wisdomonically impoverished. (Yes I made that word up)

Wisdom plays a huge role in Quinn’s reality that no invention ever comes into being fully developed in a single step from nothing. Wisdom is having an understanding of everything that has lead you to your current thought. It may take a billion ideas and theories before you become wise on a single subject just as it may take a billion projects and prototypes before an invention is fully developed. Most importantly, give it another year and the wise will become wiser and the inventor more inventive.

 

“Whatever grows without limit must inevitably end by overwhelming the universe” (Pg 62)

Quinn was sure to note that nothing comes into existence from failing and I had to add, ‘but anything can fail and become nonexistent.’

On the note of failure I must proclaim that anything that makes failure hurt will help you succeed.

“We know how to cope with everything that has already happened but we dont know how to cope with what has never happened before” – Daniel Quinn

Humans are passionate but inconsistent. [I’d like to quote myself on this…]

“I sense that more and more of you are becoming alarmed about your headlong plunge toward catastrophe. I sense that more and more of you are casting about for new ideas” (pg 127)

Quinn on school: “Do you know why students ask so many questions about their (the teachers) hobbies?” Because the teacher expresses real passion about it and even if the students don’t have any interest in their hobby, they are sung into listening from the teachers passion in telling.

School produces no value or skills because if they did, you would enter the job market competing with siblings for the same jobs that they worked to get by doing the menial jobs, the grunt work. That may be unfair to you, but I feel that the fact that it comes down to this is unfair.

“Imagine what a twelve-year-old with a musical bent could learn at a recording studio. Imagine what  twelve-year-old with an interest in animals could learn at a zoo. Imagine what a twelve-year-old with an interest in painting could learn in an artist’s studio. Imagine what a twelve-year-old with an interest in performing could learn in a circus.” (Pg 164)

I have to agree with Quinn that if people were free to follow their passions, there would not be a single occupation that someone wouldn’t pursue.

Note: One of Quinn’s golden nuggets is definitely his explanation of the ‘make products to get products’, ‘give support to get support’ charts. Highly worth reading just for that.

“A problem shared wildly is no problem at all” (Pg 183)

Quinn’s 7 point plan — One: the revolution won’t take place all at once. Two: it will be achieved incrementally, by people working off each other’s ideas. Three: it will be led by no one. Four: it will not be the initiative of any political, governmental, or religious body. Five: it has no target end point. Six: it will proceed according to no plan. Seven: it will reward those who further the revolution with the coin of the revolution.

 

A positive revolution can only occur when you give something better than what a person already has. By giving something better, they lose interest in what they we’re just doing. I suppose that is a background theme to why I write; I just want you to know of all the possibilities and options that are open to you in hopes that you will let go of the destructive habits well all indulge ourselves in. I give you my total support. No reservations.

Humans are taught to expect little from life. Can we change that?

 

Stay Positive & An Experienced Intriguer And Confidence Trickster

Garth E. Beyer

A Symbol Of Good Fortune

Garth Beyer

The Four-Leaf Clover

History and Origin

The symbolic meaning of the four-leaf clover has a definite origin. It is most commonly associated to the holiday of St. Patrick’s Day. Though, many celebrate it, few know of the true relationship between Patrick and the clover. “Patricius, better known as Patrick, is remembered today as the saint who drove the snakes out of Ireland, the teacher who used the shamrock to explain the trinity, and the namesake of annual parades in New York and Boston” (Cagney). Now, one can see that this explained the symbolic meaning of a regular three-leaf clover. Patrick attached each leaf of the clover to God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When the fourth leaf is found, it represents god’s grace (Clover Specialty Company). Not only does the significance of the clover relate to Saint Patrick’s analogy, but it also references the bible. “When Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden, Eve snatched a four-leaf clover as a remembrance of her days in Paradise” (Wallechinsky). This, in a way, agrees with St. Patrick’s representation of the clover in regards to its association with religion. “The clovers also occupied a position in the cultural life of early peoples. White clover in particular was held in high esteem by the early Celts of Wales as a charm against evil spirits” according to N.L. Taylor of Clover Science and Technology (Clovers Specialty Company). Also, Druids held the 4 leaf clover in high esteem and considered them a sign of luck. In 1620, Sir John Melton wrote: “If a man walking in the fields find any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small while after find some good thing.” (Clovers Specialty Company).

Cultural Transfer and Transformation

If one decides to credit St. Patrick for giving the meaning to the four leaf clover, one will often have arguments with those who believe its meaning was derived from the bible. This occurs because St. Patrick was known for driving the snakes out of Ireland, as stated before. This event by St. Patrick gives a background meaning to the clover through St. Patrick’s accomplishments. That meaning can be argued with common knowledge of the bible that Satan took the form of a snake in order to deceive Eve. So, those who believe that the clover has relevance to St. Patrick’s ability to drive away the snakes of Ireland, are shut down by saying the clovers in the Garden of Eden did not drive the snake away.

“The shamrock and its kin may actually turn out to be a much more practical than magical harvest. Cattle eat it, bee’s use its nectar and soil grows richer in its presence” (Sohn). The realistic perspective of the four-leaf clover, connected with the rarity of the plant, makes it a symbol of good luck. “The rarity of the plant (at one time) contributed to its value, although seeds which grow only four-leaf clovers are now available (Wallechinsky). According to Yoke and Zoom, The four leaf clover is a mythical symbol of good fortune, caused by a rare genetic mutation produced in an average of 1 in 10,000 clovers (Yoke). Though the overall meaning of “luck” is still universal, it has also been added to. Each leaf now symbolizes something different. One leaf is for faith, the second for hope, the third for love, and the fourth for luck (Clovers Specialty Company).

As it is clear, the symbol and its significance originated in Ireland by St. Patrick, and was introduced to the U.S. when Irish immigration to New York City took place during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s (Beau). When symbols are shared between cultures, it is natural for them to change slightly. While the original significance of each clover was faith, hope, love and luck, American culture invited the symbolism of the four-leaf clover into one of their sayings on the luck of the clover. “One leaf for fame, one leaf for wealth, and one leaf for a faithful lover, and one leaf to bring glorious health, are all in a four-leaf clover” (Wallechinsky).

Contemporary Cultural Meaning

The mystique of the four leaf clover persists today, since discovering a real four leaf clover is still a rare event and sign of good luck. Today, most commonly each leaf of the clover still represents the four meanings of faith, hope, love and luck. There are those still who perceive it in a religious sense of the trinity and god’s grace. This symbol is used in a variety of ways, from being tattooed on one’s body, to molded into good luck coins, to being displayed on post cards wishing others good fortune.  The symbolic meaning of the four-leaf clover is the same throughout the world. The clover is found across the globe, most species are found in the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere, but many also occur in South America and Africa, particularly at high altitudes in the tropics (Bradley). It is clear that the way American culture was introduced to the four-leaf clover and its significance, is the same way that all of these other locations have come to have the same opinion of the clover. Now, there may not be a different meaning between cultures, but rather, some may find no meaning out of a four leaf clover. Pete Hamill, writer for the Wall Street Journal says,

“For many Irish-Americans (I’m one of them), the shamrock is part of the green-beer-kiss-me-I’m-Irish nonsense that engulfs us all on St. Patrick’s Day and causes some of us to stay home,lock the door and watch a Fellini movie. When we see a plastic shamrock, our hearts don’t swell with pride or defiance; we don’t inflate with a rush of self-importance; we don’t cheer or weep. We are indifferent. Usually, the pasting of a shamrock upon the signboard of some bogus Irish pub is a symbol of only one thing: a complete and utter failure of imagination.”

One would surely agree with Hamill. Though, there are others that have the same attitude for other symbols as well. There will always be someone that disagrees with something. Part of what Hamill is saying is true. Do you remember the last time you remembered the origin of the four-leaf clover and the greatness and luck it offers you when you sat in McDonalds drinking your shamrock shake?

 

 

 

Works Cited

Beau, Dure. “Words heat up for colossal Shamrock-Slice showdown.” USA Today n.d.: Academic Search                Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011

Bradley, David. “Where to Find a Four-leaf Clover.” Science Blog from Freelance Science Writer David      Bradley. 31 Oct. 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/five-leaf-             clovers.html>.

Cagney, Mary. “Patrick The Saint.” Christian History 17.4 (1998): 10. Academic Search Premier.    EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

Clover Specialty Company. “Facts about Four-leaf Clovers.” Clovers Online / Buy Lucky 4 Leaf Clover        and Shamrock Gifts, Plants and More! 2001. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.             <http://www.fourleafclover.com/vshop/facts_about_4-leaf_clovers.html>.

Hamill, Pete. “Diversity Blarney.” Wall Street Journal – Eastern Edition 12 Aug. 1999: A22. Academic        Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

Sohn, Emily. “The roots of good luck.” U.S. News & World Report 130.11 (2001): 51. Academic Search     Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

Wallechinsky, David, and Irving Wallace. “Trivia on Origins of Good Luck Charms Four-Leaf Clovers |      Trivia Library.” Trivia on Movies, Music, TV, Sports, Science & More | Trivia-Library.com.            1975. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://www.trivia-library.com/a/origins-of-good-luck-charms-four-   leaf-clovers.htm>.

Yoke, and Zoom. “Cell, London Zeigt N55  / Yoke and Zoom in London – Ausstellungen in Kunstaspekte.”               Künstler Kuratoren Galerien Museen Ausstellungen in Kunstaspekte. 25 June 2005. Web. 18 Feb.                2011. <http://www.kunstaspekte.de/index.php?tid=25685&action=termin>.