Pointless Paperlessness

I may have written about this subject before, but I get forgetful in my old age, and frankly, I don't think anyone cares if I repeat myself. So here it goes.....

So many businesses are advocating "going paperless" these days, and I can't understand what all the hype is about. They want you to get e-mail statements instead of getting a bill or statement mailed to you. I understand that companies do this to save money on mailing, but what exactly is the benefit to me? According to the companies, the benefit is less paper clutter for me and I am helping the environment by using less paper. I don't buy that for a second. Let me tell you why.

Going paperless doesn't create less clutter for me because I would have to print out a copy of all my documents for my files. If anything, that is more wasteful because I have to buy incredibly expensive ink for my printer when a big company could print off millions of statements for a fraction of the cost. I guess I could file my documents electronically on the the computer, but that makes me very nervous for a couple of reasons. One, the computer could crash and I could loose all my information. Two, I am much better at organizing files when I have a physical copy. Things seem to get lost and forgotten in the cyber world. Finally, I don't like the idea of receiving personal information through e-mail. Most e-mail is not very secure, and if the information is not directly in the e-mail and I have to sign into a website to get my statement, that is, again, more work for me.

I also don't buy into the idea that going paperless is helping the environment. Even if I decided to get all my statements electronically, I would still go out to my mailbox and find huge wads of ads stuffed in there EVERY DAY. I don't ask for these ads, and they usually go straight into the recycling bin before I even look at them. It seems very inappropriate to say that my tiny amount of bills is hurting the environment when companies are sending out truckloads of ads that people don't even want.

I have been resisting the paperless craze for a while now, but I may give in someday when it becomes impossible to resist the forward flow of new technology. Call me old fashioned, but I am reluctant to rely on any sort of technology too much. So until companies absolutely refuse to send me a paper statement, I will take paper, and let them provide a small service to me for being a customer.

Small and Simple

I have always liked restaurants or businesses that are small. I'm not sure what it is about them. Sure you get more personalized service, but there is also a difference in the quality of the products. It's like when you start to mass-produce something, it looses a bit of what made it special in the first place. The attention to detail is lacking, and the quality suffers for it.

In this day of assembly lines and mass productions, businesses want their products to be all the same so they can guarantee the same quality to everyone. I have even heard of pigs being genetically engineered to be all the same so that the slaughtering machines will cut them in the same place. But what these people don't understand, is that taking the randomness out of a process creates even bigger problems. Problems like the genetically-altered pigs being so susceptible to disease that they have to be isolated in specially-built, climate-controlled buildings. Problems like poor-quality wood from growing trees too fast to be harvested. Problems like antibiotic-resistant bacteria from trying to kill every single bacteria in our food. Problems like massive waste because products aren't made to last, so we just keep constantly buying new ones. Problems like resources lost towards packaging and transporting food.

I wish we could have more small businesses around, but the hard fact is that big businesses make it nearly impossible for small ones to thrive. I don't think humans will change the path they are on until something tragic happens, and even then it may be too late to turn back. All I can do it my little part to buy locally, recycle, and waste as little as possible. Who knows if it will be enough?

Breaking The Mold

It is sometimes very frustrating to me that we live in a society where being outgoing is valued above just about every other trait. You see a job posting, and what do they want? Someone outgoing. You look at businesses, and who do they want? Leaders. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with being outgoing. In fact, being outgoing can be a great quality. But, what people don't recognize, is that being introverted can be just as great. The world needs both of these qualities, yet American society would have you believe that we only need extroverts.

I may have mentioned here before that I read the book Quiet by Susan Cain. Well, I think it bares mentioning again because I can't say how much this book did for me. It made me understand that there is nothing wrong with being quiet, and that introverts actually have many strengths that extroverts do not.

Even though I now know that being introverted is a good thing, I still have to live in a society that believes otherwise. Almost every job, and school, and social setting is geared toward extroverts, and that can make it very difficult for introverts to shine. It is like being a left-handed person in a crowd of right-handed people. You are just as capable, but you do things a little differently. Yet, things are a little harder for you because everything is made for the right-handed people.

I wish more people could recognize the strengths of introverts rather than pushing them to be like the extroverts. Introverts can be extroverted at times, but it is much more physically and mentally taxing for them than it is for more natural extroverts. So they need a break from always trying to fit into the extroverted mold of society. I hope my blog can help spread the word, in some small way, that the world would benefit from more introverted inclusion. And if you haven't read Quiet yet, get on that!

Living Offline

I watched a show the other day about people who are addicted to the internet, and specifically social media. These people could spend 12 to 16 hours on the internet each day. I feel bad for the addiction these people have, but at the same time it makes me feel a little better about my own internet usage. Believe me when I say I know how it feels to get sucked into the hole of endless clicking. In fact, I think most people these days can relate to that. But I am proud of the fact that I make an effort not to let the internet suck me in for hours. And that's what it takes - effort. These days it is so easy to get lost in the virtual world and forget about the real world that is all around you. Sure, the real world can be harsh at times. But it can also be amazing, and you can miss out on that if you are stuck watching funny videos of cats or wishing a happy birthday to someone on Facebook who you were friends with 10 years ago.

While there is a lot to be learned from the internet, I am a firm believer that getting out and experiencing things is the way to go. I'm not sure what it is, but there is something to be said about being present in a moment and experiencing it firsthand with all of your senses. That goes for taking pictures and recording videos as well. It's great to have pictures as mementos, but you loose something when you are constantly behind the lens taking pictures of every moment. You are not truly experiencing the moment, and you end up with millions of pictures that don't mean much to you because all you were thinking about at the moment was getting a good shot.

I suppose it is slightly hypocritical of me to talk about getting out and experiencing things when I am a homebody who prefers curling up with a book or a movie to most other outside activities. But I realize the importance of not getting lost inside myself, and I make an effort to "get out there". I'm not saying I am better than anyone else. I just have my views on what is important and I try to live accordingly. I wish all the best for those internet addicts. I hope they realize what they are missing out on and can find a way to make a change.

Worthless Rambling

I've been wanting to post for a while but it always seems like when I want to write the most is when I can't think of any topic I would want to write about. So I figure if I start typing, something good may come out. Otherwise, I apologize in advance for my worthless rambling.

Summer is here, and while I enjoy the summer time, it never holds quite the joy that it did when I was a kid. Kid summer time means no school, cool vacations, swimming, fireworks, and overall goofing off. Adult summer time means work as always, house chores, yard work, maybe a trip to the pool here or there, maybe a small vacation if you are lucky, a dog who is terrified of fireworks, and absolutely no goofing off. I really don't mind most of my responsibilities, but there is a small sadness in knowing you can never again forget them and be like you were when you were a kid.

Speaking of dogs who are afraid of fireworks, Bear has been doing well, but is all around nervous a lot of the time. I don't remember her being so uptight previously, but maybe it just comes from a combination of the sound of the wind (terrifying), the sound of the construction across the street (terrifying), Mike and I being away from home for a few hours (terrifying), and the fact that she was sick for about a week (overall crummy). Although I would contend that the sickness was just as crummy for me since I had to scrub diarrhea out of the carpet not once but twice, and our whole house smelled like we lived on the inside of a dirty diaper. Who knows, maybe it still smells like that and my sense of smell just gave up.

An employee at the pet store recommended we feed Bear chicken and rice to settle her stomach and while I know Bear didn't feel well, she certainly felt well enough to scarf that down within five seconds. Here is a picture of her eagerly awaiting the preparation of her food, which took about half an hour.

Who couldn't love a face like that? Anyway, we are very happy she is feeling better. Hopefully the rest of the summer will contain less diarrhea scrubbing and more of the fun kid stuff.

Heading In The Right Direction

In my last post I wrote about the book I was reading and since then I have been thinking a lot about a line from that book that really gave me some insight. It goes something like this - "There is no point in running if you don't know what direction to run." As you may know by now, I have quite a few fears and anxieties. But lately, when I start to get scared I think of that sentence. I think to myself, "Is this something I can run from, and if so, do I know which way to run?" This thought process almost always calms me down because it allows me to accept what is, rather than plotting all the possible escape routes. I am better able to stand up to my fears rather than constantly running and hiding and getting nowhere.

This coping mechanism doesn't always work. For example, when you think you know which way to run, but it turns out to be the completely wrong way, or when the fear is too big for you to fight and you crumple under the pressure. But for the most part, it has been a handy tool for making me feel better. God knows I need it with all the scary things out there. Maybe you need it too, which is why I am sharing.

All Natural

I am in the middle of reading a book that I got from the library called All Natural by Nathanael Johnson. The description on the cover reads as follows - "A skeptic's quest to discover if the natural approach to diet, childbirth, healing, and the environment really keeps us healthier and happier." I was intrigued when I saw this because I am always wondering if natural is better, as so many people think. As I started reading, I quickly learned that there are no solid conclusions about this matter. (Like just about everything in life.) The answers usually lie somewhere in the middle ground between natural and unnatural. (Johnson even points out that we can sometime confuse the natural and unnatural.) But he does do a lot of research that can help people make more informed (and hopefully better) decisions. I like his writing style because this could easily turn into one of those books where the author spouts off about what he believes and you are left wondering what is true. But this author actually did the investigating and, in the end, leaves you to decide what you believe.

In one chapter, Johnson sets out to find out if sugar is really as bad for us as everyone claims. What he found is that eating sugar produces dopamine, which causes compulsion without pleasure. He goes on to say - "The sales pitch that promises everything and delivers nothing - that tickles our wanting neurons while making sure we can't get no satisfaction - relies wholly on confusing pleasure with desire. Perhaps it could be defeated by simply learning to distinguish the one from the other. For food, this would mean learning to truly taste - slowing down enough to take pleasure in the flavors and textures in each bite. Food corporations have learned to cater to what they call 'the lazy American palate,' which basically means lots of sugar, fat, and salt. They don't waste subtle flavors on us because, in the grip of a dopamine-driven desire, people stop tasting. When I ate this way I was trying to muffle craving, not produce pleasure. The problem of gluttony is not too much love of food, but too little." This was a revelation to me be because I always had a feeling that people would become more healthy if they didn't only change WHAT they eat, but HOW they eat.

I added the quote from the book as an example of one of the things I have learned from reading it. But truthfully, I couldn't add every quote that enlightened and inspired me because they were on almost every page of the book. I am considering buying my own copy, just so I can highlight the things I find interesting and refer back to them from time to time. I can not recommend this book highly enough, and I don't do it justice in my writing, so you might as well just go get it right now. GO ON! GET OUT OF HERE!