Tag: Facebook

On fixing what ain’t broke

I’m human (for those of you who were wondering), and like most humans, I’m not completely comfortable with change.  We like the familiar.  That’s why we invent traditions and customs – to ensure future generations do things the same way as us so that we don’t have to change.

However, along with a significantly smaller proportion of the world’s population, I also recognise the need for change.  As stated previously, without change we run a big risk of stagnating.  Blindly adhering to tradition is usually more damaging than not adhering to tradition at all.

But, and this is a big but, change for the sake of change is pointless, causes unnecessary stress and just makes life difficult. Continue reading “On fixing what ain’t broke” →

On owning your words

Words are important.  Since ancient times people have realised this.  

In the Judeo-Christian tradition it is believed that God spoke creation into existence.  From the ancient Jewish texts specifically grew Kabbalistic mysticism, which believed that the letters in the Hebrew alphabet had actual power to influence creation.  The most well-known manifestation of this is in the golem-myth.  Golems were creatures crafted from clay and, so the legend goes, brought to life by words inscribed on their foreheads.  And did you know the standard incantation for stage magicians, “Abracadabra“, is derived from the Hebrew words meaning, “I create what I speak”?

In Japan there is the belief called Kotodama which teaches that mystical power dwells in words and names.  And we can find similar beliefs in in the ancient Egyptian and Babylonian religions, as well as the more mystical branches of many modern-day religions.

The idea has also been used in fiction. Continue reading “On owning your words” →

On Facebook, Friends and Birthdays

I had an interesting experience yesterday:  it was my birthday and I received more congratulatory messages from companies of which I am a client and organisations to which I belong than from friends and relatives.  The only reason, as far as I can tell, is because my birth date is not visible on my Facebook profile (call me crazy, but for some reason I think it a bad idea to post personal details on public websites; you may call me paranoid, I call it good common sense.) Continue reading “On Facebook, Friends and Birthdays” →