Lab work:
In this section I would like to outlay some thoughts which coincide with the above text. This is not an assignment or random exercise to fill text on this white screen. My hope is to allow your brain to reach for creativity in a new way, new path, new light, new person. You may need to put music on, shut the door of your room, office or even break out your mobile device to think. Think of it as a 4-way stop sign. Let the other cars around you pass before you proceed. In this case, let those loud thoughts exit your brain, then proceed.

Over the next 2 days, engage in conversation with someone you know. This exercise will work better for you with someone you already know. Once you have trained your mind to think this way you can advance to individuals you do not know as well.

During this exercise you will focus on listening and asking questions. Our main objective is to acquire life stories from those you think you know most.  80% of individuals – after completing this exercise – are amazed concerning the information they gather from people they have known most of their life. Ask questions concerning their workplace, ie. first job, or favorite hobbies. The key for you is to not treat this as an assignment, but in unearthing life in those around you.

iPhone, facebook, twitter, OHMY! The world is home to over 6 billion people according to world census statistics. Check out this nerdy link to view minute updates of US census and world census updates http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html.

While we are able to micro-connect in more places than ever, thank you, facebook, twitter, myspace, youspace, dumbspace, blackspace, asianspace etc. We seem to be just that, micro. We hold micro conversations, micro friends, micro thoughts and the coined phrase becomes: “Oh sorry, I’m just ADD.”

Attention deficit disorder, in my estimation, is simply the inability to manage distractions. We create more distractions than we imagine and then when distractions overwhelm us we build a label for it. If you are one who classify yourself, or a doctor has labeled you as ADD, I challenge you to eliminate all distractions and retrain your brain. Start small. Eliminate noise, television, mobile phone and then begin to create your workflow. There is much more to this strategy so if you are one who suffers in this area, please feel free to email me to discuss a plan of action. email here

Let’s get a quick definition of the word tool: instrument: the means, whereby, some act is accomplished.

What is our goal for the multiple tools we have? How are we effectively using our mobile phone to enhance our communication barriers? Is our mobile enhancing our relationships? Is our mobile phone allowing us to become more effective communicators?

Here is an interesting report concerning loneliness and its many faces. Loneliness statistics report.

Facebook was originally created to network students at Harvard university – thank you, Mark Zuckerberg. While its initial creation was locally targeted, Facebook now consumes most countries and households. Facebook continues to thrive on the notion of connectivity. While millions are utilizing, how many are truly connecting with eachother?

Fact: Facebook has more than 250 million users as of September 1, 2009

Are humans utilizing tools of communication or are we slaves?  Are we micro-communicating and training our brains to believe we are effectively communicating? What type of friendships are we cultivating with all of these tools?

INSERT YOUR THOUGHTS HERE :: CUSS IF NEEDED

Proverbs 18:24: A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (NIV)

Our world is exponentially exploding with friends or followers, thanks to Facebook and Twitter.  My concern, which caused me to engage in major communication shifts, was based on this passage in Proverbs. Is my life becoming a micro-everything, causing me to become a master at nothing?

In closing, as this weekend is Labor Day in the United States, please read concerning the history of this great day in our nation.

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September (September 7 in 2009).
The holiday originated in Canada out of labor disputes (“Nine-Hour Movement”) first in Hamilton, then in Toronto, Canada in the 1870s, which resulted in a Trade Union Act which legalized and protected union activity in 1872 in Canada. The parades held in support of the Nine-Hour Movement and the printers’ strike led to an annual celebration in Canada. In 1882, American labor leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labor festivals in Toronto. Inspired from Canadian events in Toronto, he returned to New York and organized the first American “labor day” on September 5 of the same year.

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.[1] In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[2] Cleveland was also concerned that aligning a US labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair.[3] All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,” followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parades. Speeches or political demonstrations are more low-key than May 1 Labour Day celebrations in most countries, although events held by labor organizations often feature political themes and appearances by candidates for office, especially in election years. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer recess. Similarly, some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school. However, start dates for schools vary widely, beginning as early as July 24 in urban districts such as Atlanta, Miami, and Los Angeles. In addition, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. The NCAA usually plays their first games the week before Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day.

May God help us in all we do.