Principles of Principals

That people make up afterwards. I hear people say this all the time, and it just makes my moral and ethical skin crawl. Everything happens for a reason. Everything? Really? Bullcrap.  What reason would that be? Folks who say this have no idea what they are saying. However, when an event confirms their belief in that statement, the verbal diarrhea resumes. "See! I told you there was a reason. It is/isn't meant to be! Things happen for a reason." No they do not.  Things happen.  The reasons that get propped up happen after and do not relate except in your feeble mind. Stop saying this to people. Stop saying it to yourself.   Child abuse doesn't "happen for a reason". Genocide doesn't "happen for a reason". I lost my wallet because I'm an idiot. Good and evil are real. They exist in my heart, and in the hearts of us all. We do dumb things, for no reason. We do great things for no reason. We are humans BEING.  Attributing some random illogical ...

(image courtesy of fineartamerica.com) Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) comes in waves that distract and confuse me. I don't think much of myself, but when I do, I think that I should not be so afraid based on my life's experiences, my education, and my beliefs. But, I am, afraid. Sometimes. A lot. In the epic sci-fi novel, Dune, by Frank Herbert, we witness Paul Atreides enduring a mental test at the hands of a Bene-Gesserit as he chants to himself, "Fear is the mind-killer, I shall not fear." He passes, shattering the expectations of his teachers. I believe that we all share varying levels of VUCA in our daily lives. I was talking with my daughter yesterday, and in the past 72 hours her start date for school has been moved twice. Moreover, her district has cancelled Band and Football, and may cancel her Badminton season (no joke, they have Badminton and are a state-wide competitive team). She's frustrated and afraid. Online lear...