• INCREASING POLITICAL & SOCIAL CONFLICT STRONGLY SUGGESTS THAT AMERICA IS AGAIN ON PATH TOWARDS A CULTURAL ‘RESET.’ “At the core of modern history lies a remarkable pattern: Over the past five centuries, our society has entered a new Era every generation or so (a ‘Turning’) where younger generations change how they feel about themselves, the culture, nation and future.” And every four Turnings – roughly every century – the cycle goes full circle: The 1st Turning is when prior chaos subsides and society sort of gets on a same page; In America this was after WWII with general acceptance of national institutions; 2nd Turning becomes an era of passionate upheaval, when civic order comes under attack from new ‘values’ with aggressive moralism and culture wars raging (the 60s Hippies); 3rd Turn evolves to a period of weakening institutions, with young adults becoming hostile toward the corruption of civic life (Millennials); the 4th Turning becomes a decisive era of secular upheaval, when a new values regime propels replacement of old civic order toward a complete Reset. Today’s Activist Progressive views have been shaped predominantly from texts/ tweets/ blurbs/ & banners published by extremely biased media and by the uncertainties of economic crises (newest being AI) – on gender & racial diversity, social consciousness, marriage & religious irrelevance, corporate avarice & income inequality, environmental concerns, and world order. Historical patterns suggest the likelihood that America is now “passing through a great gate in history, commensurate with the American Revolution, Civil War, and twin emergencies of the Great Depression & WWII.” [THE FOURTH TURNING – Strauss & Howe]
• AS ELECTION SEASON APPROACHES, CONCERNS OF ILLEGAL & PHONY BALLOT VOTING will increasingly be taking headlines and debate on the fairness of ‘equal’ voting based on simple majority results from each (qualified) person residing in the country – where people with one way of life determine the rules for all others. “The majority of Americans now live in dense urban & suburban environments where life is shaped by proximity, services and systems that impact immediate consequences, while the much smaller population live on land, run small businesses, or produce things that sustain the rest. Many believe (especially with voting age being lowered in several states) that the right to vote should not be tied to age or background but to “demonstrated stake and having something tangible within the system to maintain, protect and carry forward, whether through property, business ownership, or some other long term contribution aligning decision-making with responsibility.” [EPOCH TIMES]
• LATEST RESEARCH CORRELATES WHAT MOST CONSIDER ‘BAD HABITS’ WITH HIGHER INTELLIGENCE, especially: (1) Swearing, using off-color or slang words or phrases presumed to be a sign of laziness, rudeness and/or lower intellect, even by those who are not personally offended by profanity, while research now finds that fluency with taboo language “lands with more force than a carefully constructed sentence, requires reading social context, understanding register, and exercising nuanced linguistic judgement – skills of someone with a larger and sophisticated vocabulary and higher cognitive ability;” and (2) Talking to oneself, which is considered eccentric and often annoying, but where research finds that verbal labels actually provide a “perceptual cue that tunes attention, sharpens focus, and primes the brain for what it’s looking for – using language as a cognitive advantage on tasks that require holding info in mind, serving as one of the most reliable ways to keep thinking on track.” [PSYCHOLOGY TODAY]
• THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK: STRUGGLING WITH TIME MANAGEMENT? For many, the trouble is situational – like having simply overcommitted to too many tasks, double booked or just running late from unavoidable personal delays. But a few strategies that can often help are: (1) Remembering to allow a cushion for transition time it takes to move from one project to another, including cleanup & setup; (2) Setting a several minute ‘alarm’ reminders; and/or (3) Budgeting deadlines closer than actual to create a sense of immediacy with wiggle room for completion on time. These take some discipline, but can generally help relieve daily stress.
• MOST OF US PROCRASTINATE, limiting achievement of intentions and optimizing results. Chief reasons are absence of prioritization and discipline, but another factor is absence of giving ourselves ‘permission’ to take the steps we’re capable of – to dream, to plan, and to do it. “Dreamers get stuck in dreaming; Perfectionists get stuck planning; Hustlers get stuck doing; Analysts get stuck reviewing.” Getting past those four blockades can truly get you Procrastination Proof.
• HUMANOID ROBOTS CONTEMPLATED AVAILABLE BY END OF 2026 – hard to imagine, but they’re coming! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjokTDha_vs