The Hard Work of Independent Thinking, Individualism and Courage – by Gary Smolker, Social Commentator, Values Critic

COURAGE

How much courage do you have?

What is courage?

THINKING

Thinking for yourself is courageous.

Thinking for yourself is hard hard work.

HARD WORK

Unless strongly motivated, most people avoid doing hard work.

THE HARD WORK OF BEING PREPARED TO THINK

Most people avoid spending large amounts of their time fully engaged in doing the hard work required to be able to think things through adequately.

Many people do not keep themselves informed by reading a large variety of books; they do not read a variety of magazines; they do not read a variety of reports on studies conducted on a variety of topics of interest to them.

Most people do not read several newspapers each day.

Many people are not constantly reading.

Most people are not constantly looking things up.

Most people do not attend seminars; most people do not attend lectures on topics of interest to them; most people to not take continuing education courses.

Most people are not constantly learning new useful things.

LEARNING NEW THINGS

Most people spend little or no time studying anything.

Although many people are constantly reading, they are not reading to learn things important to independent thinkers.

Instead, they are reading to learn “what society should think according to influence leaders.”

They do not “think” for themselves.

Most people are not constantly learning new useful things of interest to independent thinkers.

Most people do not spend any time doing “experimental research” to learn new things.

Most people spend little or no time analyzing their own ideas or the ideas of other people.

COMING TO CONCLUSIONS

Many people do not come to their own conclusions on matters that are of great concern.

Most people do not come to their own independent conclusions on matters of importance to them.

Instead they rely on other people’s advice and/or they rely on the generally held beliefs of the communities they belong to.

Coming to their own conclusions is too much work for most people.

Coming to their own conclusions would require too much of their time.

Coming to their own conclusions often requires expertise they do not have, expertise they do not wish to gain.

VERY AMBITIOUS PEOPLE

At the opposite extreme is a very small group, but growing group, of very ambitious people who find it difficult to have fun for fun’s sake.

They don’t stop to smell the roses.

They don’t spend time enjoying nature or the outdoors.

They seem to live to work.

They are being who they actually are.

They are driven by a desire to accomplish a clear concrete self-defined well-defined goal.

If they work 12, or 14, or 16, or 18 hours a day, six or seven days a week they are giving up a lot for something.

Some of them eventually learn: “the key to having a successful relationship with another person is to devote a substantial amount of their time to that person.”

They figure out that it is necessary to give their full sincere attention to that other person.

They eventually realize there is more to life than money and prestige.

PROGRESS DEPENDS ON THE UNREASONABLE MAN

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world.

“The unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. 

“Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.”

– George Bernard Shaw

THE BENEFITS OF BEING AN INDEPENDENT THINKER

Independent thinkers search for the truth with little concern for what other people think.

Their value and respect for the truth compels them to make their own decisions.

Their judgments are based on the logic and knowledge they have achieved.

Their judgments are not based on another person’s agenda.

The benefit of being an independent thinker to an independent thinker is they learn to trust themselves and the efficacy of their own judgments.

They have tremendous self-esteem and self-confidence.

The only person who can give you self-esteem is yourself.

KOBE BYRANT

Kobe Bryant was an evolved human being.

He was intense.

He had mind bogging drive; he had a relentless drive to be the best at what he did.

He would outwork anyone.

He had an almost superhuman work ethic.

He had determination and persistence.

He had an unyielding will to win.

He was a go-for-broke competitor.

He was fearless.

He displayed a steely toughness; he played through pain.

He never gave up.

He always wanted to grow.

He always wanted to know: What drove excellence?

He was a wonderful exemplary father.

He taught his young daughter how to play basketball.

He went to his young daughter’s ballet class with her.

He coached a girl’s basketball team.

Kolbe Bryant was more than a razzle-dazzle basketball star.

He was a wonderful compelling compassionate man.

He used his celebrity, his star power, and his animal-magnetism for the good.

He was more than a basketball player.

He was a fine, gutsy, highly skilled larger than life icon who always tried to be the best person he could be.

THE KOBE BRYANT GOSPEL OF DEDICATION AND HARD WORK

Kobe Bryant was a work maniac who leveraged his talent with an incredible work ethic that drove him to the top of his profession. He spoke three languages languages, was a brilliant man and a great writer who chose to pursue a career in sports over more erudite occupations.

Kobe was an inspiration to an entire generation of young people who were attracted initially by his prowess as a basketball player, but soon learned of his work ethic and quality as  a person.

Kobe made mistakes, did the hard work of learning from his mistakes, and then after much thought, corrected his thinking. Kobe turned the corner, redeemed himself.

Like many males, he had his challenges with his sex drive, but he owned up to his mistakes, learned from them, and grew to be a dedicated father and husband.

Kobe stands shoulder to shoulder with a handful of the very best in his profession and leveraged his fame to spread the gospel of dedication, hard work and being a thoughtful and good person to all whole chose to listen.

 

 

Copyright © 2020 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved

Profound Performance by Gary S. Smolker

“The Man Who Grasps Principles Can Successfully Select His Own Methods” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gary Smolker, Cultural Anthropologist

I am a cultural anthropologist.

Below is a copy of photographs I posted on Instagram @garyspassion, in the past two weeks, and an edited summary of the comments I made in each post.

Q: As a cultural anthropologist what do I do?

A:  I study the state of mind of people.

I study how their state of mind is reflected in their actions.

It is my belief that the actions of people in a society define the state of culture in that society.

I am fascinated by how the state of mind of a person is influenced by the culture that person comes from.

I am also fascinated by the fact that a person’s state of mind is reflected in the t-shirts they wear, and sometimes they wear t-shirts that say things they would never say out loud.

I am intrigued by the way things people do and the actions they take reflect what is going on in society.

Q: How and where do I get information?

A: As a cultural anthropologist, I interview people on the street, complete strangers, who I don’t know, who look interesting to me.

For example, yesterday morning (Friday, February 9, 2018), I met two people (43 year old Dave and 23 year old Emmy), who looked so interesting to me that I asked them if I may interview them, take photographs of them, then post pictures I took of them and my comments about them, on Instagram and on my “Idea Exchange Blog.”

They said yes, and gave me permission to post their photographs, etc.

I then took their photographs.

I showed them the photographs I had taken of them.

They approved the photographs I had taken.

Then I interviewed them.

Q1: How did I meet Dave and Emmy?

Q2: Where did I meet them?

A1: Dave and Emmy sat down at the same table I was sitting at in a Starbucks.  I was drinking a cup of coffee when they sat down at the table I was sitting at.  That is how I met Dave and Emmy.

A2: That Starbucks is located on Van Nuys Blvd., in Sherman Oaks, California.

I told Dave and Emmy that I am a cultural anthropologist.

I told Dave and Emmy I would like to interview them because they smile a lot and they have exceptionally attractive smiles.

I showed showed Dave and Emmy a series of photographs I had taken (as a cultural anthropologist), the previous morning (in the very same Starbucks), of a young attractive woman who was sitting at a table reading a book.

Below is a photograph of the woman I met the day before.

Below is a photograph of the cover of the book she was reading.

Getting on with our story: Below is a picture [photographs I took] of Dave and Emmy.

Dave and Emmy

 

 

After I interviewed Dave and Emmy,  I then posted the picture shown below with my comments on Instagram @garyspassion.

 

For details see Instagram @garyspassion post on February 9, 2018

Below is a reworked summary of what I wrote/posted in that post:

Emmy and Dave (the woman and man in the photo above) have an interesting personal life story, which they told me this morning.  In my interview with them I discussed the following: Often all that stands between you and what you want want is a better set of questions and/or a smile.  If you want uncommon clarity and results, ask uncommonly clear questions and project positive energy. SMILE. If you want to build (or foster) a world class network, you need to interact in a way that earns it. PERSONAL: I was attracted to Emmy and Dave by their great smiles. Their smiles lulled me, relaxed me, charmed me and pulled me towards them. While talking to them I discovered: (1) They are both charming. (2) They are both great story tellers. (3) They have lived extremely interesting lives. Dave told me about his business.  Dave provides “hot” (attractive) bar tenders to people who are having a party and to organizations that are having an event. Emmy told me about the customs practiced by an 84 year old woman. When she (the 84 year old woman) was a young beauty in Hong Kong she would require any man who wanted to take her out on a date to first take her to a jewelry store and buy her jewelry. [By the way, I have been told by a multitude of young women: that custom is prevalent among groups of men and women they know in Los Angeles.] Emmy added that Emmy does not want to live in a gilded cage, Emmy wants to pay her own way, to earn her own money, to be able buy herself her own airplane, etc. etc.  rather than have a man buy her jewelry before they go on a date.  Emmy is 23 years old. [ASIDE: I often see this independent streak in action when I am with beautiful women in Los Angeles.] ACTION IMPLICATION POINTER: Don’t worry about your flaws.  Humans are imperfect. Worry about your character, ambitions and principles. You are the author of your own life.  The most effective people look at their life’s journey as 25% finding themselves and 75% creating themselves. You can write your own story.  Do it and don’t forget to smile.  Smiling projects positive energy.  Positive energy is contagious.  Don’t let anyone take your happiness away.  It is yours, keep it.

———

Below are more photos of the woman I photographed  – the day before – reading her book, a book titled “The Gifts of Imperfection.”

Talk Less, Eat More Ice Cream

On January 29, 2018, a little more than a week ago, what I saw written on truck caught my fancy.

I couldn’t resist taking a photograph of that truck.

Below is the photo I took of that truck.

The sign on that truck inspired me to post my photo of that truck with comments on Instagram @garyspassion.

For details see Instagram @garyspassion post on January 29, 2018

Below is a reworked summary of what I posted in that post.

BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF.  Note to single women: Life is to be enjoyed. Be a connoisseur.  Don’t think all ecstasies are the same.  You have good taste.  Each man you come in contact with my appear to be a delight.  Taste with caution.  Hook-up with a a man who comes with all working parts fully assembled.  You can’t fix the world and you certainly will be unable to fix a needy man with low self-esteem who lacks self-confidence.  NOT TO SINGLE MEN: The same rules apply: Be a connoisseur.  Each woman you come in contact with may appear to be a delight.  Taste with caution. Testosterone is not your friend.  Beware of Beautiful Sexy needly women.  Beware of women adulterated with fear.  Beware of women who need to do something/anything quickly. ADVICE: Your world is what you make it and what you create with it.  Make the best use of your time by being the best version of yourself all the time. Be positive.  Stay away from fatalistic people, fatalism, negativity and negative people.  Above all, the quality of your relationships will determine the the quality of your life.

Copyright © 2018 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved

 

 

Art, Books, Culture, Food, Inspiration: An Awesome Four Day Weekend (Part One, Friday) – by Gary Smolker

Art, Culture, Inspiration

This is an informative report on a fun weekend, a culturally intense inspiring long weekend that took place from April 7  to April 11.

I spent that weekend with my family in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

When I was not with family members, I wandered alone, at my own pace, exploring unique historically significant sites, eating at a particularly fun oyster bar, viewing magnificent exhibits at the Peabody Essex Museum and having a great time browsing in museum book stores and buying books in close by neighboring towns.

Salem, Massachusetts – home of the Peabody Essex Museum and National Maritime Historic Site

Once upon a time, Salem was a leading city in America.  It had a great amount of mercantile activity related to exporting fish and timber and importing things not available in America.

Salem has a world class world famous museum,  the Peabody Essex Museum.

The Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, is the oldest continuously operated museum in America.

See http://www.pem.org for further information.

The Harvard COOP

On Monday, I visited the Harvard COOP for a few hours, while on my way to Logan Boston Airport to fly back to California.

The Harvard COOP is located in a stand alone four story brick and mortar bookstore across the street from the Harvard Yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Harvard COOP has an inspiring collection of books for sale filling up all four floors of the Harvard COOP.

See photo below taken by me on the second floor of the Harvard COOP while I was looking down at the ground floor of the Harvard COOP.

In Defense of the National Endowment for the Arts, Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Many decades ago, public education sought to create well-rounded and informed citizens.

That is not the goal today.

• Public education seeks to ensure that students excel on standardized tests that purport to measure learning.
• “Elite” schools support efforts to insure their money oriented students get into college.

I am firmly convinced it is important to learn how to think critically about cultural issues as well as money issues.

That is the educational service provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Putting America At Risk

It is critical to be familiar with values, ideas, and ideals in order to be able to deal with complex issues that will shape the future of our nation and the world.

Everything we do is underpinned and shaped by cultural ideals and values.

These ideals are the realm of the arts and humanities.

For those reasons, and for many more reasons,

• it is necessary to have familiarity with the arts and creative expression in the arts and humanities; and
• it is imperative that federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting not be cut.

Books, Books, and More Books

I am a book addict.

During my long weekend visit, I purchased a total of 22 books on a variety of topics of interest to me.

National Historical Maritime Site

On Friday, April 7, 2017, at the National Maritime Historical Site National Park Service gift shop I purchased five books.

Below is a photo of a book cover of one of those books: “The Ice King – Frederick Tudor and His Circle.”

• In the early 1800s Frederick Tudor became obsessed with the idea of exporting and shipping ice to the tropics, i.e. to the West Indies.
• At the time, this was a completely novel idea.
• From exporting ice Frederick Tudor made a fortune and became one of America’s first millionaires.

Peabody Essex Museum

On Saturday (April 8, 2017) I visited the Peabody Essex Museum.  While there,  I purchased 12 books, including “Men and Style”, “Women Know Everything” and “Muses Women Who Inspire.”

See photos of book covers below.

Below is a direct quote of what is written on the back cover of  “Muses Women Who Inspire.”

“For centuries, women have fascinated and inspired the greatest writers, painters, photographers, and musicians to create their most poignant works of art, and these muses are as many and varied as the artists themselves.  From American model and photographer Lee Miller, who drove her mentor – the surrealist artist Man Ray – to distraction, and almost to suicide; to film director Josef von Sternberg’s movie star creation in the form of Marlene Dietrich; or from Alice Liddell, the ten-year-old-inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’; to painter and photographer Dora Mar, whose profound influence can be seen in her infamous lover Pablo Picasso’s ‘Weeping Women’ series.

“The lives and characters of these women were dissimilar in so many aspects, yet they all shared the ability to awaken fervor within some of the most significant artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and to influence the work of their Pygmalions. Revealing the passionate relationship between the artist and his muse – from devotion to tormented obsession, and sometimes subjugation – author Farid Abdelouahab recounts the stories of thirty women who, through their temperament, beauty, talent and pure magnetism, enthralled society’s artistic geniuses and inspired the creation of some of the greatest works of the past centuries.”

On Saturday, April 8, 2017, I purchased the EXHIBITION CATALOGUE for the wearable art exhibit I viewed that day at the Peabody Essex Museum.

Below is a photograph of the cover of that catalogue.

This exhibition presents 32 award-winning fantastic ensembles.

The clothing ensembles on display at the exhibit were stunning.

Below are photographs I took, while I was at the exhibit, of the ensemble shown on the cover of the catalogue.

The clothing ensembles on exhibit at this exhibition have been described as being a part of a clothing world where art and and the human form combine, “where the lines of  fashion and art merge and combine as one.”

Harvard COOP

I purchased seven books at the Harvard COOP on Monday, April 10, 2017.

Below are photographs of the book covers of a few of the books I purchased at the Harvard COOP on Monday April 10.

According to the back cover of “Social Physics”, the book explains how ideas flow through social networks and how these ideas are ultimately transformed into behaviors.

The author, Professor Alex Pentland helped create the MIT Media Lab and co-leads the World Economic Forum Big Data and  Personal Data initiatives.

A Sushi Boat

Friday night (April 7) , my eldest daughter Terra and her husband Scott served a Sushi snack in a Sushi Boat to immediate family members before we all went to Friday night services together at Temple Emanu-el.

See photos of Sushi Boat [below].

These photos were taken by me on Friday night, April 7, 2017.

Coffee Shops on Derby Street

Before going to Terra’s home on Friday (April 7) night, I spent the morning walking up and down Derby Street in Salem

Everywhere I went I encountered people who had a joyful spirit.

Below is a photo of a t-short worn by a barista in one of the coffee shops I visited on Derby Street.

Below is a photograph of the store front of another and different coffee on Derby Street.

Below is a close-up photo of Derby Joe’s front door.

A Historic Candy Store on Derby Street

The oldest candy store in the United States is located in Salem, Massachusetts on Derby Street.

See photos below, taken by me on Friday, April 7, 2017.

Unforgettable Lunch

I had the most unforgettable lunch on Friday, April 7, 2017 at the “Sea Level Oyster Bar & Restaurant” on Pickering Wharf in Salem Massachusetts, a “Baked Seafood Pie” consisting of Lobster, scallop, shrimp, Ritz Crackers, sherry cream, vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Baked Seafood Pie

See photos below I took of the “Baked Seafood Pie” I had for lunch on Friday, April 7, 2017.

By the way, the DESSERT MENU is unconventional.

The Dessert Menu is on a stamp.

When you ask to see the dessert menu, a stamp containing containing the list of desserts is brought to your table.

See photo of “Dessert Menu” Stamp below.

The server presses down on the “Dessert Menu Stamp” and vol la an impression of the dessert menu appears on your table.

See photo below.

Of course, I had to have a Salted Caramel Cookie Pie.

But, I had no room for it.

Clever T-Shirts

The wait-staff at the Sea Level Oyster Bar & Restaurant wear the most clever t-shirts.

See photographs below taken by me on my eventful delightful time there on Friday, April 7, 2017.

Dessert

Late Friday night, I came back to the Sea Level Oyster Bar & Restaurant determined to eat a Salted Caramel Cookie Pie, which I enjoyed with a cup of strong black coffee.

Copyright © 2017 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved