Collective Soul's 'Run', Comfort in the Modern Era and Mediocrity

The second verse of Collective Soul's 1999 hit Run goes like this:

Is there a cure among us

From this processed sanity 

I weaken with each voice that sings 

In this world of purchase 

I'm going to buy back memories 

To awaken some old qualities 

As I listened to this song the other day, I actually listened to the words for the first time. It got me thinking:

Processed sanity. Most things these days that are processed are either unnatural, modified or wholly manufactured. I liked what was being sung. It was a message that has often crossed my mind. As a whole, humanity of today is very different than it was for our ancestors a thousand years ago. Mankind is not living up to its potential. We have changed fairly dramatically over the last 2-3 generations, even.

A geneticist from Stanford University, Dr. Gerald Crabtree, has argued in the journal Trends in Genetics that we are dumber than previous generations. He even stated that an Athenian from a thousand years ago could come to our time and be smarter than all of us.

But we make cars and planes... computers and smartphones. What did the Athenians and their contemporaries make? Little carts pulled by animals? Catapults? Come on, now. But wait...

Think about that. 

Someone designed a car or a plane. Someone designed and produced the electronics that we use daily. Specific individuals today combine other people's creations to make better tools for us all to use. But can you manufacture a car? Can I? Unlikely. But what about the Athenians? Sure they had markets and engaged in commerce and trade, but most any able bodied Athenian knew how to make and use the tools of his trade.

Similarly, two generations ago, my grandfather would see a problem, then with his natural ingenuity, he would engineer a solution based on what he had around him. He had the ability to do so because it was his nature... but it was also a talent that he exercised and sharpened. Sadly, what was a fairly common trait 40 years ago has now become a skill that most lack.

These Athenians are smarter than us and more resourceful...
even without all their limbs.

Dr. Crabtree pointed out that the average Athenian (and I suggest we include generations up through my grandparents' generation) had to rely on his or her own memory, problem solving and critical thinking skills. The current generation is devolving in these aspects because of inactivity. Our natural brilliance is suffering from atrophy. There is no life-saving necessity to store useful information in one's brain, because at one's fingertips is something called 'Google'. For example, where a previous generation had to know the basic workings of their personal vehicles, we have Jiffy Lubes everywhere and WikiHow articles accessible on a whim 24 hours a day.

Back in the Collective Soul song, the writer states that he wants "to buy back memories, to awaken some old qualities". This is exactly what Dr. Crabtree is suggesting we are missing. Memory and old qualities.

Richard Dean Anderson as the '80s real-life superhero, MacGyver

We are too comfortable. We don't need to constantly be aware of our surroundings in case we find ourselves in a MacGyver situation, because they just don't happen for the average person anymore. We have roadside assistance, so we don't need to worry about changing a flat tire. We have 24 hour plumbing services, so we don't need to understand the pipal organization within the walls of our homes. It is almost as if our self-sufficiency skills are stuck in a self-destructive round of the Kevin Bacon game. Rather than actually knowing how to do anything, we rely on being just a step or two away from someone who can help us.

In my fraternity, we had a chapter motto (to be perfectly honest, we actually had several, but one was better than the rest): "Mediocrity is of the adversary." Regardless of what or who your present adversary may be, your apathy or your choice to settle in and get comfortable is your biggest weakness and your opponent's most potent tool. By being mediocre, or getting too comfortable, your adversary does not need to do anything. You are limiting your own growth and your own progress.

If we are not finding ways each day to gain some level of useful knowledge, if we aren't finding ways to be better today than we were yesterday, we will continue to lose our natural abilities. To that degree, we will be responsible for the dumbification of the human race. Collective Soul asks, Is there a cure among us? I say to you there is. But it can only be self-administered. Be better today than you were yesterday. Get even better tomorrow. Decide to be observant and to think critically. Next time you realize that Danny DeVito's wife's real name isn't Carla, but you can't remember it is Rhea Perlman, think through it internally before immediately turning to Google. It works.

Whose idea was that?

Ideas are the genesis of all deeds and all movements throughout history. Some ideas (like mixing hazelnuts and chocolate) are great, some (like head cheese...warning: only click on the link if you have a strong stomach) are terrible. What I want to explore is what it takes for a bad idea to gain support and general acceptance.

'J' and 'K' flashy-thingying a
guy (off screen).

K, from Men in Black, said (paraphrasing): A person is smart, but people are dumb. Perhaps mob-mentality can explain humanity's general acceptance of bad ideas, but maybe there is something more. For example: How can an otherwise intelligent person consider, believe then accept that something as awful as the Holocaust is not only acceptable, but necessary? 

Having lived in the former USSR, I discussed the Holocaust with several older folks who had been there when it all took place. One older gentleman told me that, for him, it took consistent bombardment from the propaganda machine to comply. This bácsi (Hungarian for old guy) told me that every Jew he knew was a terrific person. So when all the antisemitic sentiments of the Nazi party began broadcasting over the airwaves, he dismissed it. Several weeks later, he started to assume that the only good Jews were the ones he knew, because the rest of them were vermin. Looking back, he was embarrassed that he did nothing to stop the persecution of the Hungarian Jews in his village. He realized that most everyone loved their neighbors and friends who were Jews, but like he had done, assumed that all the rest were scoundrels.

*   *   *   *   *

Another one that I will never understand is the whole Y2K fiasco. Who was the first guy who suggested that computers (machines designed to process large numbers, equations and algorithms) might not be able to count from 1,999 to 2,000? Not only did the first guy think it was a big deal, but also a large enough percentage of subsequent computer geniuses that it became a worldwide scare. From a guy (or group of guys) thinking the calendar's switch from December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000 would break computers, it snowballed. People thought their bank accounts would vanish, that planes would drop out of the sky... that mass chaos would lead to riots and economic devastation.

Think about that for a minute.

Look how frightened the computer
is of the number 2000.

Even in 1999, people could chat with other human beings across the globe through computers. Cellular technology was fairly solid and mobile web browsing and SMS were becoming more and more common. Computer models were tracking weather systems and generating solutions to mathematical conundrums at universities and research labs all over the world. But for very obvious reasons (start this sentence over and read it sarcastically, if you didn't do so the first time.), people thought that a machine, called a computer, could not compute that 2,000 follows 1,999.

Folks withdrew money, some closed accounts they had maintained throughout their adult lives. Others built bunkers and loaded up on survival gear. All of this, and for what? Why? Because they heard it was coming and that it would be bad. Hindsight is 20/20, but with a little critical thinking, foresight can also be near 20/20.

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Las Vegas Wedding Chapel

Then there is the infamous group of students from a private religious university several years ago who thought it would be a good idea to go to Las Vegas to get married. They didn't want to get married for real, but just to engage in coital activities before getting their marriages annulled the next day. There was one person who suggested the idea: we can experience something exciting and new, without breaking any commandments regarding pre-marital chastity, then just pretend it never happened. Another person, without thinking twice, agreed that it was a brilliant plan...the letter of the law would be followed and they could get a little closer to the hot babes from the adjacent apartment. Subsequently, others (including the hot babes from the adjacent apartment) hopped on board and executed the idea.

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Although it is common for college students to engage in promiscuous activities, this situation was a particularly ridiculous idea because of all the ways in which they justified their actions. The students could just have done whatever they wanted to do, without the sham marriage and two days later, nothing would have been different. But they spent a lot of time and money trying to trick the system. The end result is they were dismissed from the school for violating the code of conduct they swore to uphold and all the justification they could devise was meaningless.

Good rule of thumb: if one has an idea that requires an abundance of maneuvering around laws or ethics, it probably isn't a good idea. A solid idea should stand on its own merit.

This is planking... this is it.

There are plenty of plain old bad ideas out there. People all over the world are devising and supporting them everyday. Groups large and small show support for dangerous, ridiculous, evil or just plain stupid ideas on a regular basis. Why? Think about planking. People have died from falling off of buildings and bridges because they wanted to show how brilliantly awesome they were... by laying face-down, as flat as a board on everyday objects. Idiots!

Along those same lines... the whole YouTube craze where people try to do something ridiculous in order to get views. Some of the worst involve pogo sticks on treadmills or anything else that can result in broken bones and/or death. All for hits on a video sharing website.

Without going into a discussion, it is also worth noting: reality TV, the Tickle Me Elmo insanity, Furbies and mannequins with nipples.

What others are out there?

Rants for thought...

PART 1: Scrumptious misnomers:

It has always bothered me that there is a candy bar called 3 Musketeers that doesn't have three of anything in it. It is just a whipped, chocolaty, milky substance dipped in a chocolate shell. There is absolutely nothing about the 3 Musketeers that has anything to do with the number 3, with musketeers or with the literary trio known as The Three Musketeers. There is no "One for all and all for one" mentality associated with the bar at all. Why on Earth would they name the bar 3 Musketeers?

What makes me more uneasy is to realize there is an actual candy bar (made in the same factory, no less) that has three distinct elements working together in harmony:  peanut, caramel and nougat. (Since the outer chocolate shell is common to both candy bars, I omit it as one of the elements.) This candy bar is not called 3 Musketeers, instead it is named Snickers. What about a Snickers bar can be associated with slightly reserved chuckles?

I realize that candy doesn't have to make sense, I learned that from Willy Wonka. So by extension, names of candy bars certainly don't need to follow a logical nomenclature system. But something this obvious should have caught the attention of Naming Committee at Mars.

To rectify the nonsense, here is my proposal: Call today's Snickers the 3 Musketeers bar going forward. The current 3 Musketeers bar should be changed to the Milky Way bar. Because it is nothing but a chocolate-covered, chocolaty milky way from end to end. This leaves the name 'Snickers' without a bar and today's Milky Way without a name. So match those two up and call it good.

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PART 2: Authoritarian Travel Agents:

Picture yourself saving money for a long time in order to go on vacation. You want to see a new part of the world, to experience new cultures. So you collect enough money for airfare and lodging, along with cash for activities and souvenirs. You are full of anticipation and excitement! Boarding the plane, you begin to day dream of all the wonderful things you'll do, sights you'll see and cuisine you will eat.

Instead of Holiday Inn Express, let's call it Hostage Inn Express.

You land, take a cab to your hotel and begin to check in. The host at the front desk hands you your key, your meal tickets and a list of activities offered by the hotel throughout the duration of your stay. He also hands you an itinerary. As you glance over the schedule, you realize that they are only letting you leave the hotel for a few hours each day, except on the third day. On the third day, you have to stay in the hotel all day long.

The bell boy, almost instinctively, like he can read your thoughts, says: "Don't worry sir, shuffle board is very popular."

Every day their shufflin'.

Shuffle board, you think to yourself. How old do I look to this kid? Just then, you see that all of your meals will be forced upon you by the hotel staff. The menus are pre-planned and not to your specific tastes. At least there is a buffet, you tell yourself.

But as great as a buffet may be, you are trapped. You cannot go where you want to go or do what you want to do. You are given a few choices of activities, but they all involve staying put in the hotel... except for the daily guided tours.

Is this what you saved three years to do? To be a hostage guest at a hotel?

Now, for those of you who haven't made the connection, I am ranting against the cruise industry. With a cruise ship, there are four distinct differences between it and a regular, land-based hotel:

Costa Concordia partially sunk January 13, 2012 after
striking a rock.

1. The hotel will not strike an iceberg or large rocks or coral reefs to ultimately sink in the ocean. The cruise ship might.

2. The food that is served at a hotel could be brought fresh everyday. On a cruise ship, it was only fresh on the first day.

3. The hotel will not make you seasick. The cruise ship can.

4. The view from your hotel room window will not change, but on a cruise ship, it likely will. As long as you don't have a cabin facing the shuffle board court or the ocean-only side of the ship.

Sacha Baron Cohen as "The Dictator"

Think about it... the cruise industry had to have been invented by either a dictator who had a thing for planning/organizing travel or the other way around... a travel agent who had dreams of being a dictator.

Absolute Truth vs Relativism

Several years ago, I was engaged in a conversation with a co-worker whose opinions differed from mine on most subjects. We were talking about galaxies, the universe and the idea of a pluraverse. As we talked about quarks at the bottom and the universe at the top, we could agree that there reasonably was matter smaller than quarks. Then by extension, it is also reasonable to assume that as multiple star systems make a galaxy and multiple galaxies make a universe, that multiple universes make a pluraverse.

The discussion then turned to our varying opinions of how everything got started. Although we agreed on certain events that lead to the existence of the universe (as we understand it), we disagreed on the catalyst(s) that set the progress in motion. After some back and forth, I made a statement that, at the time, seemed pretty basic and indisputable. I claimed that regardless of what we think may have happened, there is an absolute truth regarding how things came to be.

My colleague disagreed... adamantly. She said that I was wrong. She believed that one's perception of an event actually affects it. Even if that event occurred billions of years prior to the perception's inception. I countered by saying that her perception or my perception can only affect how we or others we converse with on the subject perceive the event. Again, my co-worker posited that everything is determined by how one perceives it. I was shocked. I realize that one's perception of an event is real to that person, but simply seeing something does not change the nature of the object being seen.

For example, exoplanets don't exist because humans on Earth built powerful telescopes to observe them. Similarly, the universe wasn't created by an omnipotent god or team of gods because subsequent living organisms on Earth believe that s/he/they did. Just the same: an explosion billions of years ago did not create the universe because other subsequent living organisms on Earth deem that event the start of everything. What happened happened. And it happened exactly how it happened. Here are the exact, absolute possibilities surrounding the origin of our universe, galaxy, solar system and planet:

1- A god or gods created them.

2- An explosion, let's call it "The Big Bang", took place and energized matter, sending fragments hurling through space.

3- A god or gods created everything by igniting a large explosion, thus energizing matter and sending fragments of that matter hurling through space.

4- Something other than those mentioned above.

Regardless of what any of us believes, none of us was there and none of our opinions change the past. This notion may seem basic and common sensical, but it is a philosophy that is pervasive today. Unfortunately, whether we are talking about creation or anything else, the philosophy of everything being relative is fine for writers of SyFy Channel programs, but dangerous to society at large.

The philosophy of relativism (which is not the Theory of Relativity) is one that aims to make everything wishy-washy. To protect what is today's concept of one's self-esteem, if he or she thinks 2+2=5, a relativistic teacher may say that the answer is mostly right. In mathematics, as in many other facets of life, there is no such thing as 'almost right'. To say that 2+2=4.5 is no more accurate than saying 2+2=1,000,004. When dealing with numbers, anything other than 4 for this answer is incorrect. To argue this, one could draw a line and assign numeric values to various positions along that line. Then the relativist could rationally say that 4.5 is much closer to 4 than 1,000,004 is to 4. But again, speaking in terms of numbers, every number, fraction or decimal imaginable beside 4 is incorrect.

The wishy-washy philosophy of relativism is like a disease. If one can be made to believe that their mere belief in something makes it so, then that same person can justify anything to himself or herself...and is susceptible to all kinds of intellectual corruption. The basis for the problem is when a person can hear or read something and, without questioning any of it, believe with absolute certainty that the event about which they read is exactly as it had been reported. They are so confident that they feel they can discuss the event as if they had been present themselves. The person writing the article or presenting the report may have had an agenda that affected the clarity of their reporting. What if someone else brings a different account of the same event? For these folks, it doesn't matter. A person who can be so sure of something, even when presented contradictory evidence, must be (by definition) living in a warped reality.


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The reason this is such a big problem is that as people in a society start justifying or rationalizing their actions or inaction, accountability--in general, but more specifically to oneself--is sacrificed. Citizens shirk responsibility for the information they absorb, which leads to them denying responsibility for the decisions they make based on that information. Next thing you know, people blame their circumstances for their failures and others for their unhappiness. They live vicariously through television programs and newsstand tabloids. This leads to a host of other personal and societal problems. Consequences for one's actions are often minimized in entertainment and pop-culture, so consumers of such entertainment see all the excitement of a wild life, but seldom see the results.

If you combine exposure to unrealistic adventures with the disease of relativism, you have an individual or individuals who cannot think critically enough to play a scenario out in their minds, including the consequences, then make a reasoned decision on how to proceed. When this occurs violence, drug abuse and depression ensues. In essence, we are living in a society that has a sizable percentage of its population living more like Caligula and less like Thomas Edison.

Power Through Honor

Earlier this week, I searched for a little story or poem I could use to help teach my young children an important life lesson. The topic I was looking to address dealt with honor and character. What I found is a brilliant little song from the Children's Songbook used by my church. Clearly, it was written for children, but the message is valuable to adults, as well.

I Believe in Being Honest

I believe in being honest;
I believe in being true,
That honesty should start with me
In all I say, in all I do.
I’ll form good habits in my youth,
To keep my word, to tell the truth,
To speak up in defending right
And keep my name and honor bright.
I believe in being honest;
I believe in being true,
That honesty should start with me
In all I say, in all I do.

Lyrics by Ruth Muir Gardner, 1927-1999. (c) 1986 IRI

Music by Lyall J. Gardner, 1926-2012. (c) 1986 IRI

Directional straightness

Each line of it is golden. As a family, we went over the lyrics and discussed the definitions of the various words and themes. Then we sang it about seven times. After discussing that 'being honest' is telling the truth, and that 'being true' isn't redundant, we delved deeper into its meaning. The word 'true' has ties to honesty, but it is also synonymous with authenticity, nautical and navigational straightness and being factual, accurate and precise.

Being honest in word and deed results in one being reliable and consistent. Someone who bears this trait is trusted and respected by his or her associates. With trust comes many great opportunities. A truly trustworthy person is uniquely positioned to serve and help other people, to take on extra responsibilities (and by extension, creating even more possibilities) and to develop and nurture more meaningful and lasting relationships.

To 'form good habits' is a great notion. It suggests the need for work and action. Stalactites and stalagmites are formed by longstanding consistency on the part of water and mineral deposits. Sculptures are formed by the touch of a masterful artist who has both the vision and the developed skill to create art. Forming a habit generally means that the activity, action or characteristic associated with the habit is not instinctual. It is an act that one must do over and over again until it seemingly becomes second nature. If this is the case, then regardless of one's age, the habit of honesty can be developed by making a concerted effort.

The next part is somewhat redundant, but it is important enough to be restated. "To keep my word, to tell the truth." Simply put, do what you say you will do. And if you cannot do it, don't say you can or will. Being reliable and dependable may seem a bit boring to some, but throughout history, inventions have been created, ideas have become ubiquitous, wars have been won, freedom has been earned and endured by the hand of the persistent.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

"To speak up in defending right." Following the advice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Edmund Burke, to stand up against injustice, bullying, lying, gossip and any other sort of wrong builds individual and societal strength. The vast majority of people recognize right and wrong, but most lack the courage and leadership skills to fight for the right. When one voice speaks up, it encourages the next.

The final thought and line, "And keep my name and honor bright," alludes to reputation and integrity. Your name, when you're all alone, is just a word. All alone, you have no need to use a verbal device to distinguish yourself from another. So in this sense, your name (or 'your good name') is simply your reputation.

Mr Clean: A Bright n Shiny Character

Some say that it doesn't matter what other people think about you. This is true only as it relates to hearsay. However, people form opinions of other individuals through personal interactions and dealings. If you are a rotten person who behaves poorly toward others, what they thinks matters, indeed, because your character created their perception of you. Keeping your name bright means that you are always upstanding when interacting with others in society.

Honor here is similar the 'your good name' notion, but more like integrity. Your reputation deals with others' view of you, but honor is the goodness inside of you. Keeping it bright means your goodness is pure and radiates strength from within. Having honor means you are honest with yourself and others.

Imagine a world...

You wake up early to go for a jog. After getting dressed and putting your sneakers on, you play your Training playlist for its fast-paced, upbeat rhythm and motivational lyrics. About seven blocks into your jog, it hits you that your favorite song has been skipped. Pausing to figure out why the song was passed over, you take your mp3 player out of your pocket.

The track isn't there.

You search the directory by song title, by album and by artist. You see other songs, but no sign of your favorite. Perplexed, you do an internet search. The song doesn't seem to exist.


You are now extremely confused, so you jog around the corner to your local smoothie shop. In its place, you stand before a dry cleaner. Certain that you are losing your mind, you walk home contemplating the possibility you are insane.

Everything else in the world looks and sounds the same to you. But the song you've loved since your sophomore year of high school has never existed and the place you've always gone to get smoothies has never been anything other than a dry cleaner.

Worried that you would be scoffed at by your family, friends or colleagues if you were to tell them, you keep the anxiety and bewilderment simmering at the back of your mind. As your day progresses, you look for clues as to why things are amiss and you direct more of your focus to observing your surroundings. You desperately hope nothing else is off.

Later, sitting at your desk and looking out your office door, you see an unfamiliar face working in the cubicle that yesterday was home to your current project: an up-and-coming go-getter whom you had been mentoring for several months. What is going on? Could it be some sort of brain tumor conflating your memory bank and your imagination?

*  *  *  *  *

The recording artist had written and recorded the song you had loved so much. However, before heading to the studio, one of the album's producers had just finished arguing with his girlfriend and decided the upbeat song was a bit too nauseating. It was cut and no one else ever heard it.

The would-have-been proprietor of the smoothie shop, fifteen years prior, was faced with a life-changing decision. He could either stay at the job he had been working for several years (a job which he did not love, but with which he felt comfortable) or he could take a risk and start a business. One about which he was passionate. In the new reality, the smoothie maker is a sales manager at a fish tank filter manufacturing company.

Your young protege had also made a divergent life choice several years prior. Rather than going to the school closest to home, to be close to his girlfriend, he went a few states away. Rather than settling on business administration, he pursued his dream of playing football at the collegiate level. In the modified reality, that young go-getter is the backup tight end for the Arizona Cardinals.

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Look around. What niceties do you enjoy without giving a thought to the crucial choices it took to make them a reality? Every object, every idea that has contributed to the world in which we live exists solely because one individual devised its creation and (either alone or with a team of others) endeavored to bring it to light.

Architects, inventors, artists, musicians, philosophers, theorists and all sorts of normal folks have shaped society and civilization through a series of both simple and great choices. These decisions have been both of omission and commission. How many great things would have been missing from this planet if their creators and discoverers had chosen to go down to the pub instead of the lab?

Aristotle

How many advances are not benefitting humanity because someone capable of great things chose not to pursue their lofty aspirations? What if Einstein's parents had been fighting around the time of his conception and his life never was? What if Aristotle had inadvertently stumbled in front of a chariot and was rendered an invalid? The difference of one second or one step could be the difference between the world benefiting from one of the greatest philosophical minds in history or never knowing the name Aristotle.

What choices are you making?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Check back next week for a post on the importance of each decision you make and how it affects others.