Smile to Save the World. It can't hurt.

Life is madness, and anger and incivility are about the nicest things a person will see these days. Go shopping and it becomes a game of dodging speeding shopping carts, and moving stealthily past hostile customers, and bitter, aggressive employees. Almost an arcade style movement and avoidance game. Christmas cheer fills the air.

Turn on the TV, heart breaking tragedy, and loss. Which inspires vitriolic, stump climbing presidential hopefuls to swing their purses vengefully at each other. Where have the great orators of the past gone. Why is there no message of hope.

Would it hurt to hear one person with a microphone and a television camera say "things are not going well, but working together we can overcome the hate, and the fear. We can learn to live together."

I have lived a long time, and it seems like things have not gotten noticeably worse, only different, and more televised. And the people who can blame, and find fault are the most rewarded with the trophy of attention from the news outlets.

+Trina Emmerson and I have decided to start a movement. Smile To Save the World. So far she has done most of the work, (thank you, Trina) and probably most of the smiling. She provided this wonderful picture.  I am going to try to catch up. #smiletosavetheworld.



I am going to try to do a nice thing for somebody every day. And I may try more than one. There are plenty of ideas on this website. In fact a quick search provides hundreds of sites like this.

And, when I hear about someone doing something nice I am going to write a blog post about it. If you hear about something let, or Trina know and we will make sure it gets mentioned.

Please join us, Smile, be polite and Save the World.

Yes, it is probably futile, and a waste of time, but it can't hurt. And nobody else seems to be trying anything.

Thank you,

The Smile To Save the World foundation.

Pre-breakfast television, not a good idea.

Since I am "working from home" (also known as not working) I had time to research an idea for a new blog post (yes, I do "research," somethings, sometimes).  Most of this research involved watching a show on The History Channel that dealt with doomsday prophesies.  According to this show, there have been a surprising number of people have predicted that world would end, horrifically.  Moreover, again, according to the show, most of those people felt it would be right about now.

Well, historically speaking right about now, about now being sometime in the next several years.
Don't worry, you should have time to finish your coffee.

In "preparation" for this several people have decided to join a society called "Doomsday Preppers."  Feeling that the end is near, these people have taken the initiative to plan for the worst.  They stockpile food, and supplies, often in remote locations.  Occasionally, they have purchased land and began constructing what they call "Bug Out Shelters."   When the whole place melts down they will rush to these places and hide away. Taking their families and whatever possessions they have time to grab.

It is a good plan.  Built, though it is from desperation, and fear.  These people take these precautions very seriously.  Spending a great deal of time, and money.  Sacrificing greatly for the eventual survival of their loved ones.  It is noble, and I admire their determination in the face of such a dire future.

This show offered a very graphic depiction of what these long dead prophets foresaw.  And, anybody who has ever lost a minute of sleep needlessly worrying about pointless things can tell you about "the end of days." Most predictions seemed, according to the show, some variation of this.   Rivers of blood, the unleashing of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, sores, fire scorpion like locusts, and it gets worse.  It would be very bad.

What we have here is the typical cycle of irresistible force meeting immovable object. People holding out against an end so terrible nobody can survive.  On one side we have people are preparing for the eventual collapse of society (which many people felt happened with the arrival of humanity some few years ago).   On the other we have predictions of Armageddon, and the apocalypse.  An inescapable cataclysm, from which there is no escape.

Armed with this sort of knowledge my decision was simple, I think I will have raisin toast for breakfast and change the channel.  I hope the Ninja Turtles are on, they are so cool.

The Results Are In.

Today, I have good news and bad news.  the good news is, the results of the Facebook Psychological Tests are in and according to the reports I am completely normal, well adjusted, and average in almost every way.

The bad news is, you may have a few problems.  I don't want to go into any details, but according to Facebook you might be full goose bozo, and they would like me to ask if you are still taking your medication.

According to preliminary reports, and these are still being collated, and analyzed, you are not dangerous, at least not too dangerous, but if you could give a responsible person all of your knives, letter openers, scissors, and your shoelaces, and the drawstrings from your sweatpants that might be a good idea.

Also, they wanted you to know that a haircut might not be a bad idea, and maybe a new shirt or two.  Plus, you might be a little too old to be eating Cap'n Crunch for dinner, and lunch, and a snack.

Facebook does want you to know they do love you, and are only telling you these things to help, feeling it is so much better to hear it from an old friend than some new kid, like Pinterest, or Yelp, who may not care about your feelings.

Facebook would like me to tell you, together we can get through this, stronger, better, and a lot less crazy, if you are willing to put forth just a little effort.  They did their part, right?