“Only losers crave equality.”

"... Equality is the real-life equivalent of the Maple Leafs playing for a tie. It’s what happens when, as one wag put it, 'Women have won equal rights, but they gave up a lot to get there.' The fight for equality is an unending quest for mediocrity..."

Ken Gallinger © Copyright Toronto Star

The Toronto Star's Ethics Columnist, Ken Gallinger, gives us something you don't hear much these days - a different slant on 'equality' issues. I suggest a read is in order. It's not a long column:
and it just may give you pause for thought.

"... We enter this world unequal in almost every way. We slide down the chute with a unique blend of talents and limitations, disabilities and abilities. We’re taller than some folks, shorter than others. I’m colour blind, but fiendishly good-looking. There’s someone better than me at everything I do. And someone worse..."

Here's the link: Equality is a compromise, not a virtue - thestar.com

Mr. Gallinger's comments © Copyright Toronto Star

A Fresh Look at HPV

"With many essential questions still unanswered, there is good reason to be cautious about introducing large-scale HPV vaccination programmes. Instead, we should concentrate on getting answers."

Charlotte Haug, editor-in-chief of The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association.
From issue 2832 of New Scientist magazine, page 28-29.

© Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a hot issue in some circles today. A broader awareness of HPV and its health effects is needed. This is a very interesting and concise article that provides a deeper view.

It may also cause a rethink.

Here's the link: We need to talk about HPV vaccination – seriously.

Raising Youngsters? Read This!

"Commendable as it is for children to have high self-esteem, many of the practices advocated in the service of this goal may inadvertently develop narcissism in the form of excessive preoccupation with oneself instead of a deep and meaningful sense of self-confidence and self- worth."
Dr. Lilian G. Katz **

Here's the introduction:

Distinctions between Self-Esteem and Narcissism: Implications for Practice 

Introduction

A solitary poster in the cafeteria of a small northeastern school recently caught my attention. The top line of the poster, written in large letters, read,

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR

with the word "yourself" highlighted as above. Just below the top line was written,

COMPLIMENT SOMEONE TODAY!

The center of the poster featured a cartoon depicting a smiling rabbit closely resembling Bugs Bunny, wielding a paint brush and dripping yellow paint on itself while painting a large sunburst. The words issuing from the rabbit's mouth said,

IT'S HARD TO SPREAD SUNSHINE WITHOUT

SPILLING A LITTLE ON YOURSELF!

The feature of this poster that provoked this discussion is that its message specifically urges readers to compliment others as a favor to oneself, rather than as an act of kindness and charity toward others. The message implies that a major motive for "doing good" is that such acts spill onto oneself, thus making the person paying the compliment feel good. The poster explicitly turns the attention of cafeteria users inward toward their own feelings, rather than outward to concern for others. Yet the latter would be a more appropriate message, urging altruism rather than narcissism. In this way, the poster exemplifies a wider trend in early childhood and elementary school practices that seem to confuse narcissism and the important goal of strengthening children's self-esteem.

l argument of this essay is that a characteristic of current early childhood education practices which is exemplified by the poster provides environments for young children that are at best unreal and at worst phony rather than authentic, fanciful rather than imaginative, and more amusing and entertaining than interesting and intellectually challenging. Commendable as it is for children to have high self-esteem, many of the practices advocated in the service of this goal may inadvertently develop narcissism in the form of excessive preoccupation with oneself instead of a deep and meaningful sense of self-confidence and self- worth. The fact that the poster's message is issued by a cartoon animal character, another common feature of early childhood practices, further undermines the intellectual vitality of early childhood environments.

The major purpose of this essay is to explore contemporary early childhood educational practices related to self-esteem and narcissism. I begin with examples of the practices in question, continue with a discussion of definitional problems associated with self-esteem and their implications for practice, then consider specific practices, and close with some examples of the uses and misuses of enchantment and their implications for practice.

But first, brief working definitions of self-esteem and narcissism are offered. Self-esteem refers to feelings derived from evaluations of the self. Narcissism is a preoccupation with oneself and how one is seen by others. These terms are discussed in greater detail in a later section.

____________

Here's the link to the the paper. It's not terribly long and it's quite enlightening!

Distinctions between Self-Esteem and Narcissism: Implications for Practice 

 Don't miss the short section on 'Uses and Misuses of Enchantment'! It's precious.

(** Dr. Katz is professor emerita at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and lectures and consults around the world.)

Cenosillicaphobia ...

"... the fear of an empty glass"

A brief bit of wisdom courtesy of

Jack Astor's Bar & Grill

Dundas Square

Toronto, Canada

Food's no longer great, but they give good patio...

The Comparing Trap

A very short and satisfying article from The Harvard Business Review.

"Comparing is a trap that permeates our lives, especially if we're high-need-for-achievement professionals. No matter how successful we are and how many goals we achieve, this trap causes us to recalibrate our accomplishments and reset the bar for how we define success."

The author, Thomas J. DeLong, is the Philip J. Stomberg Professor of Management Practice in the Organizational Behavior area at Harvard Business School and the author of Flying Without a Net. His research focuses on the challenges facing individuals and organizations in the process of change.
Copyright © 2010 Harvard Business School Publishing.

Thanks to Douglas Reid of the Queen's University School of Business for the lead. Here's a poignant section of his review: "Measure if you must, but not against others. Invidious comparisons rot the soul and make us feel (wrongly) unworthy."

Here's the link:

The Comparing Trap - Thomas J. DeLong - HBS Faculty - Harvard Business Review:

Riots in Britain: Anarchy in the UK | The Economist

This week's Economist Magazine editorial provides a thorough look at the possible 'whys' while comparing similar historical events. It's worth the read. (Link below.)

"This week’s multiplying riots had some common features—looting, arson, attacks on the police—but they spanned different places, races, ages and sexes. Race was not the defining issue, as it was in many of the disturbances of the 1980s. One of the first to appear in court for looting was a 31-year-old teaching assistant: hardly an identikit hooligan. That left politicians free to project their own rationales on the carnage."

Riots in Britain: Anarchy in the UK | The Economist: 

Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2011. All rights reserved.

Big Bang Theory Made Easy

This from a recent issue of New Scientist Magazine.

"It's lucky you're here...

... 13.7 billion years ago, the universe was born in a cosmic fireball. Roughly 10 billion years later, the planet we call Earth gave birth to life, which eventually led to you. The probability of that sequence of events is absolutely minuscule, and yet it still happened.

Take a step back from the unlikeliness of your own personal existence and things get even more mind-boggling. Why does the universe exist at all? Why is it fine-tuned to human life? Why does it seem to be telling us that there are other universes out there, even other yous?"

Being no longer subscribed to certain substances, I seldom spend time on such existentialist thoughts these days. This short article, however, is impressive in it's concise simplicity. It updates the entire cosmic conundrum (where did everything come from?) into a couple of easy-to-understand pages.

I think you'll find it worth the read -- even if you're not really here. Here's the link::

Existence: Why is there a universe? - 26 July 2011 - New Scientist

"Taleb's Ten Principles for a Black Swan Robust World"

Slightly amusing? Yes: But note how many of these 'wisdoms' are appropriate to todays business arena -- and life in general...

Insights from Nassim Nicholas Taleb
(Thank you to Douglas Reid of Queens University School of Business.)

1. What is fragile should break early while it is still small. Nothing should ever become too big to fail.
2. No socialisation of losses and privatisation of gains.
3. People who were driving a school bus blindfolded (and crashed it) should never be given a new bus.
4. Do not let someone making an 'incentive' bonus manage a nuclear plant – or your financial risks. Counter-balance complexity with simplicity.
5. Do not give children sticks of dynamite, even if they come with a warning.
6. Only Ponzi schemes should depend on confidence. Governments should never need to 'restore confidence'.
7. Do not give an addict more drugs if he has withdrawal pains.
8. Citizens should not depend on financial assets or fallible 'expert' advice for their retirement.
9.  Make an omelette with the broken eggs."

Black swan theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: