Are we being turned into robots?

Not sure about you, but this seems to have been a particularly pervasive political (like the alliteration?) season that has awakened my concern that we are not always the masters of our own fate.....but should be.  Further, the conversation I had with friends over breakfast this morning along with events around my office this past week make me wonder if there is still room for individuality or is this society becoming more interested in creating stepford-like beings?

Having never left the comfy confines of higher education, maybe I am the one who is naive about the way this world works and what it takes to survive in it.  It is disheartening to think that there are students (more than I care to count or believe) who are only concerned with the idea of finishing their education as fast as possible and with as little effort or dedication to their studies as possible.  Then, to know that there are schools (more than I care to count or believe) only concerned with making sure those students can do just as they hope and practically paving the way for it to happen....and forcing we the employees to make it happen and at our expense.  It's really amazing and led me to express the need to mount a grassroots effort to have our voices like mine heard and to have a few "Come to Jesus" chats about my concerns.  That's fairly virgin territory for this guy and, frankly, it felt great.

Watching all of the political races unfold and coming to a close in the next several days reminds me that we put a lot of faith in those willing to stick their necks out on the line for the thankless work they do.  But, it also raises the question why these fools would want these positions and be willing to endure the mudslinging and hit to their personal fortunes to obtain one of these elected positions to represent the "people?'''  In some strange way, I want to believe it is because they (not all) don't want to see a society of stepford-like beings and they are willing to do their part to prevent it.  Maybe it's the rest of us who are the fools for not wanting to do our part?

Are we placed on this Earth to be concerned with only our own well-being and, if not, how much effort do we have to expend to show otherwise?

Reality checks

For those of you who know the events of this past week in my life, the title of this blog should be no surprise.  For those who don't, the reality of life slapped me in the face about a week ago and reality won.

I suppose all of us at one point or another will have an event take place that really puts things in perspective.  The reality of mortality is ever present, though not something most of us ever think too much about in our everyday lives.  I know I didn't.  With the near loss of my Mom this past week, mortality is a bit more real.  Sure, she has had other scares in the past but none like this one and certainly not one that seemed so real.

So, I enter the first week of having Mom "back with us" with a newfound sense of what is important in life and what really isn't.  Kindness. Perspective.  Respect for life. Respect for others no matter how hard it might be.  Compassion. Sense of self.  Appreciation of family and family differences.  Living each day as it comes. These are the things that matter most to me.  What matters to you and do you believe you have had your reality check, yet?