16Mar 2023 by CJ
Insecure Leaders Often Limit Employee Contributions

Insecure Leaders Often Limit Employee Contributions

Information & Education
Did you ever wonder what it means to work with insecure leaders? Let's first start off with a quote from internationally known thought leader Britt Andreatta who writes, "Exclusion lights up the same regions of the brain as physical pain." I read Andreatta's words repeatedly, eventually going from confusion to frustration after realizing her meaning and its applicability to my life. After all the years of managers and supervisors telling me that exclusion is not personal it's just business, one short sentence forever vindicates me of my inner feelings towards the subject. In other words, if I'm wondering why exclusion sometimes feels so unbearable in the workplace, that's because science reveals that our brains associate that feeling with physical pain - which we all know can impair us and be…
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25Jan 2023 by CJ
The Purpose of Learning Is Growth Which Can Change the World

The Purpose of Learning Is Growth Which Can Change the World

Information & Education
I've been fortunate to spend the last 22 years wedded to a high school special education teacher who has not only inspired countless students who've sat inside her classroom but myself as well, with the conviction that the purpose of learning is growth.   Along with that conviction, she encourages empathy and compassion among her students, to be respectful of each other's differences, and humble in our relations. All with the understanding that advancing and expanding one's ignorance is how meaningful transformations and solutions are created in our homes, communities, and the world.      In June of 2012, she was honored with her school district's Teacher of The Year award, something she regularly and modestly overlooks. We worked together on the speech she delivered during their high school graduation ceremony,…
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02Nov 2022 by CJ
Stochastic Terrorism is Nurtured by Extreme Politicians

Stochastic Terrorism is Nurtured by Extreme Politicians

Information & Education, Life & Living
Malcolm Forbes is best known for the prominent American business magazine which bears his name. He once remarked, "Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one." While I agree entirely with Mr. Forbes, a new expression I learned today called stochastic terrorism reinforces that even those with fully cultivated minds can still be empty. Stochastic terrorism is defined as "The use of mass public communication, usually against a particular individual or group, which incites or inspires acts of terrorism which are statistically probable but happen seemingly at random."  Today's extreme politicians – spearheaded by supporters of the MAGA Republican movement – are taking this country down a dangerous and alarming path. One infested with conspiracy theories, misinformation, and smear campaigns, which continue to fan the flames of hate,…
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12Jul 2022 by CJ
The Civil War Has Eerie Comparisons to Today

The Civil War Has Eerie Comparisons to Today

Information & Education
If there’s one thing you can rely on regarding history, it’s how it will inevitably repeat itself. Take the Civil War, for instance – a time in our nation’s history that many of us learned about in grade school and probably have forgotten. My wife and I just watched a six-part documentary on the Civil War. We were dumbfounded by the similarities facing American society today compared to some 161 years ago when the war began. The Confederate States (who succeeded from the Union after Lincoln was elected) consisted of 11 southern states: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The battle between the Union and Confederate armies has become the deadliest and costliest battle ever fought on United States soil – leaving…
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24Jun 2022 by CJ
Hypocrisy for Abortion Rights and Gun Reform are Astounding

Hypocrisy for Abortion Rights and Gun Reform are Astounding

Information & Education
As I'm sure you're all aware of by now, The Supreme Court of the United States – the country where our so-called democracy is envied by other countries across the globe – overturned Roe v. Wade. The utter hypocrisy that is already transpiring is alarming. Our democracy provides all of us the freedom to choose, and therefore, right or wrong, abortion should be left up to the decision of a woman and her doctor. No one should have the right to tell you what you can and cannot do with your body regardless of religious or political beliefs. But what's perhaps most infuriating about this decision is the unabashed hypocrisy that Republican leaders apply to the subjects of abortion and gun violence in America. For example, in light of the…
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