Open-Mindedness – Smart Solutions

Servant & Master: Tale of 2 People

There Should Be Many Shades of Gray

The other night, I watched The White Tiger on Netflix. It highlighted the stark contrast between servants and masters in India. Entertaining and thought-provoking.

While the class system is much less extreme here in the United States, too often we view things in white or black. Left or Right; Environmentalist or Capitalist; Saint or the Devil; Underachiever or Overachiever.

How would you characterize Person A and Person B? Which person can you most relate to?

Person A	Person B
Walked to public elementary school.	I nnovative elementary school whose alumni include Leonardo di Caprio and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti
Walked and took bus to Jr. High	Private Jr High/HS with many L.A. Celebrity Families
Failed 9th grade Chorus, 33% on Chemistry Exam	Logistician and Gifted Mathematician
Caddied at private Country Club, servicing the wealthy.	Family membership at private Country Club
Real world education as Caddy, Bartender, Waiter, Salesman in teens/early 20s	Finance degree from Georgetown, Law degree from U.C.L.A.
Spent hours in casinos playing blackjack and video games in 20s & 30s.	At age 30, Founded Strategic Investment Analysis, Inc.
Ski Coach & Instructor	Multi-Millionaire by 32.
Humble, Open Minded	Self-Confident, Stubborn
Years without owning a car	Porsche & BMWs
Daughter walked/rode bike to same public elementary school for 5 years and Jr High/HS for 7 years.	Daughter was world traveler before age 2, attending 9+ schools in 5 countries by age 18.
Attended Democratic Senator Michael Bennet’s Townhall	Participated in Republican Senator Corey Gardner’s Virtual Townhall

A Tale of Two People

Are you the guy hitting the ball or carrying the clubs?

Can A and B ever see eye to eye? Whose perspectives and point of view are you most likely to share?

Too often, we tend to categorize people in a way that doesn’t acknowledge or take into account that they may be a combination of A and B or have the ability to transform themselves. The next time you make a snap judgement about a blue-collar worker, politician, business executive, or even yourself, consider that they have a variety of skills, experiences, accomplishments and perspectives. In fact, A and B could turn out to be the same person and share a lot in common with you.

Why Environmentalists Should Think About Money

Appealing to Greed and Good:

So where does philanthropy and environmental activism fit into Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Sean Stannard-Stockton proposed that giving is motivated by humans’ deeply held need to find meaning in life which is part of self actualization. Assuming Maslow and Stannard-Stockton are correct, then as environmentalists, we must remember that people must first have their physiological and safety needs met, before they worry too much about the environment.

Why didn’t I also include love/belonging and esteem? I would argue that group environmental action can help fulfil the need to belong and also bring respect, recognition and self-esteem. Regardless, the important thing to remember is that people won’t care about saving the planet (or more accurately put, keeping the planet habitable for humans) until they have water, food, a place to live and a job (or income).

Are We Fooling Ourselves?

Are we fooling ourselves?

According to a 2010 Consumer Reports survey (http://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-living/diet-nutrition/diets-dieting/healthy-diet/overview/index.htm) , ~90% of Americans considered their diet to be “somewhat” to “extremely” healthy with only ~11% saying their diet was “not very” or “not at all” healthy.

Based on self-reported heights and weights, 57% of this same survey group was overweight or obese with only 35% being considered an appropriate weight. Assuming all 35% of the appropriate weight group ate a “somewhat” to “extremely” healthy diet, then close to 85% of the people who were considered to be at an inappropriate weight reported that they too ate a ““somewhat” to “extremely” healthy diet with only about 16% of this group saying their diet was “not very” or “not at all” healthy.

It is assumed that many of these same people voted in the last election.