Silhouette

Silhouetted against the Atlantic one might wonder at the immensity of "it" and the insignificance of "myself." OR

One might laugh at the same thought, feeling the freedom of the "all."

Foot loose and fancy free

Forms of Thinking (A Special Case)

A Special Case – Obsessive voice
Persevering on the same line of thought, indeed the same thoughts over and over again is a form of obsession and thus not truly thinking at all. Because of its repetitive and mechanical nature it is the biggest energy drain of all. “He didn’t answer my email. He said he’d respond right away. Well, saying isn’t the same as doing. Why didn’t he do it right away? Of course, I understand he is busy and I forgive him. But he never emails when he says he will. I send him several emails a week. I answer his emails right away, all the time. He said he do it right away.”

Forms of Thinking (Vitalizing forms)

Forms of thinking that provide energy
• Innovative – (creativity) “What if I tried this…” “How can I make this lesson fresh?” “What can I do today to surprise and delight everyone?”
• Decisive – (intentionality) “ I will finish this letter and then have lunch.” “I´ll tell her how I feel about that issue.” “I will help Joe finish his paper.”
• Useful - (Compassion) “What can I do to make this easier for her?” “I´ll tell him the truth.” “He must be tired after all that, I’ll ask him for help tomorrow.”
• Reflective - (self-awareness) “Why did I do that?” What does that mean to me?” “How professional do I appear to him?”
• Observational – (reality grounding) “That is a book” “She is a human being” “I am sitting on the couch”
• Critical/Analytical – (objectivity) “What is the result of that action?” “Will this process actually improve the situation?” “What words did she actually say?” “Is that still true?” “What value does this have?”

Summer Soldier (2008)

These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.
~~~
Thomas Paine, 1776

Today, all Americans have become sunshine patriots.
We shrink from service to our country.
We know the crisis. We know the enemy:
The tyranny of the corporate fascists,
The betrayal of the congressional quislings,
The crimes of an immoral White House.
We know and we shrink.

We shrink when we do not vote.
We shrink when we say we are powerless,
We shrink when we listen to Fox news,
We shrink when we shop for distraction.
We shrink when we soldier for corporate profits
And call it freedom.

What love can we expect for one another,
What thanks can we hope from our children,
What hope can we hold for a decent future?
When the winter of a collapsing nation
Is upon us, what love can we ask
When we did so little?

“Give me your tired, your poor”
and I will use them to fight for oil in Iraq.
“Give me your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”
And I will sell them all the imports they can afford.
“Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me”
And I will suffocate them in my inner city slums

These are, indeed, the times that try our souls.
This is the summer of our spirit’s discontent
As it weeps in the face of the enemy
And excuses its absence on the field of battle.
In what triumph can we expect glory?

Fountain

Nothing like a cool drink on a hot day.

Joining this blog

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Ted

Forms of Thinking (depleting forms)

Forms of thinking that drain energy

• Comparative (envy) –“He is better student”, “Why wasn´t I given that room?” “Some of these teachers work harder than others”
• Fantastic (imagination, day-dreaming) – “If I were Director I would treat everyone as equals.” “I could tell him what I think and he wouldn´t be able to handle it.”” I´ll bet she never studies at night.”
• Associative (stream of consciousness, gossip) – “I see Joe and Mary are working together on that project. I think he likes her. I remember when she was dating Larry. That Larry was a smart guy. He reminded me of Roger Daltry. What a band that was. ”
• Judgmental (false regret, accusation, excuses) –“He shouldn´t smoke.” “I would have finished the curriculum if she didn´t bug me so much.” “He is a typical math teacher.” ” He could have been an A student.” “I wish I had taken that other job.”
• Lustful (desire, greed, jealousy)- “I need lunch now, I am starving” “ I need a new computer” “Why was she spending time with him?” “I´d like to have his students”
• Manipulative (power and control) – “If they cared they would…” “He needs a reality check” “I’ll give them as much work as I want” “It all your fault that you can´t keep up.” “Why is he so stupid?” “She thinks she´s so good, we´ll see.” “We´ll put an end to his complaining.”
• Globalizing - (prejudice, excess) “Everyone knows that year 11 is lazy.” “No one listens to my directions” “half the teachers here can´t read!”

Forms of Thinking (Explanation)

Over the next few days (weeks?) I will be adding to this subject as I work my way through it. I am attempting to produce a proposal for a change to a negative, complaining climate at the school where I currently work. Any thoughts, suggestions you might have would be most appreciated.
Thanks Lil, for your comments.
Ted

Spring in Portugal

And the flowers are everywhere.

Introduction to Forms of Thinking

Forms of Thinking (rewritten)
All thinking takes energy, however some forms of thinking take vital energy from us without creating more energy to replace what has been used. This is primarily because these forms do not lead to action, resolution, expression, or outcome – thus the energy they take results in no feedback. This leaves individuals feeling drained, unhappy, misunderstood, frustrated and so on. Other forms of thinking provide at least as much energy as they use and thus leave individuals with feelings of well-being.