the world of ideas and words
i live and operate in an infinite "world of ideas and words." the notion of being in such an environment was brought to the forefront of my psyche yesterday at the 229th marine corp birthday celebration at the council. the president asked that we not forget those on the front lines, as we live and operate "in a world of ideas and words."
as i sipped on rum punch, i had a conversation with a co-worker of mine. she expressed sentiments of feeling bad because she had no inclination to delve into the world of "action"... more specifically, the branches of service that protect this great (albeit DUMB) nation. i ardently agreed with her. perhaps i take some of the liberties that are bestowed upon me from living in this nation for granted. i'll concede that. i know what is at stake for those that do not operate within the "world of ideas and words". we (and i use that term extremely loosely), are the ones that theoretically plan out what goes on in the world of "action". i guess i would liken it to the human body... the "world of ideas and words" is quite naturally, the brain; hence, the body would be the world of "action". while the two cannot exist without the other... the body needs the brain, moreso than the brain needs the body. while the brain makes the decisions for the body; it doesn't directly feel the ramifications of the directions it gives...
let's look at our government. i think most would agree that they belong more to the "world of ideas and words", yes? let's look at a poor decision...ummm, how about iraq? poor decision? definitely. now, in the "world of ideas and words" not everyone thinks out and carefully plans their words and ideas (see incumbent). in theory, say that the war was mandatory (just for the sake of argument)... it still was not carefully planned...
sidebar: what's the difference between the vietnam war and the war in iraq?
george dubbya had a plan for getting out of vietnam...
if you don't get it... keep reading, perhaps it'll it you later. that was told to my by a co-worker. the long and short of that analogy is that things in theory don't always add up properly on paper. this nation was founded upon ideas... true. actions were taken up by those who believed in these ideas. true... therein lies the problem. the ideas are being pushed forward without any regard for those that have to carry them out or the ramifications that will be felt...
another thought that stems from the the concept is that the "world of ideas and words" is freakin' infinite!!! it reminds me of something my grandfather used to say, "jack of all trades, master of none". while both masters and jacks exist within the WOIAW, i definitely think i am more of a jack. for one, i haven't accumulated enough knowledge about any ONE particular thing to be a master. secondly, i think being a master would be boring (then again, i'm only stating this now... my mind has already changed). it isn't that ought to be labeled a flip-flopper; it's the fact that so much out there is exciting. it is akin to a child being in the willy wonka chocolate factory. i may go in and like chocolate, but that'll get old, then i'd move on to gummy drops, then something else... i like to diversify... i realized recently, how little i really knew about the world around me. i found it quite ironic that i was working for an esteemed international affairs/foreign policy publication... and i didn't even possess the most basic knowledge of what is/was going on. it is almost like discovering an oasis of knowledge... i'd heard it existed, but never partook. now, i'm slowly partaking... i've been exposed to some of the most influential world leaders in my 5 month stint... how's this for a line up (if you don't know who they are, look them up)...
Emir of Qatar, Foreign Minister of Qatar
Managing Director, IMF
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arab Republic of Egypt
President, Republic of Georgia
President and Chief Executive, Pakistan
President, Republic of Cyprus
Prime Minister, India
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense
these are some of the influential folks that i've been exposed to at council. a lot of these individual also operate within the WOIAW... although their ideas and words shape the world. aside from attending "meetings" where they share their ideas and words... i've actually developed an interest in foreign policy, national security, and a plethora of other topics that were practically irrelevant to me a year ago.
aside from the more worldly state of mine that i've adopted due to my job. i've also increased my responsibilities and i'm finding web development and programming interesting. how does this apply to what i do? well, i'm in charge of all marketing through the internet... hence, the programming. i'll be takin' an HTML class down at nyu after the new year...
i guess it all goes back to the fact that, as a nerd, i fully embrace knowledge and learning. i have no inclination to be static in my learning. i also have no inclination to be a master of anything... i think a jack of all trades isn't so bad... i think there too many individuals that are self-proclaimed masters anyway... besides, those individuals that change the world exist, more often than not, in the WOIAW...next step, is makin' it happen... merging ideas and action... such a groovy concept... i think i'll ponder how to do that next...
as i sipped on rum punch, i had a conversation with a co-worker of mine. she expressed sentiments of feeling bad because she had no inclination to delve into the world of "action"... more specifically, the branches of service that protect this great (albeit DUMB) nation. i ardently agreed with her. perhaps i take some of the liberties that are bestowed upon me from living in this nation for granted. i'll concede that. i know what is at stake for those that do not operate within the "world of ideas and words". we (and i use that term extremely loosely), are the ones that theoretically plan out what goes on in the world of "action". i guess i would liken it to the human body... the "world of ideas and words" is quite naturally, the brain; hence, the body would be the world of "action". while the two cannot exist without the other... the body needs the brain, moreso than the brain needs the body. while the brain makes the decisions for the body; it doesn't directly feel the ramifications of the directions it gives...
let's look at our government. i think most would agree that they belong more to the "world of ideas and words", yes? let's look at a poor decision...ummm, how about iraq? poor decision? definitely. now, in the "world of ideas and words" not everyone thinks out and carefully plans their words and ideas (see incumbent). in theory, say that the war was mandatory (just for the sake of argument)... it still was not carefully planned...
sidebar: what's the difference between the vietnam war and the war in iraq?
george dubbya had a plan for getting out of vietnam...
if you don't get it... keep reading, perhaps it'll it you later. that was told to my by a co-worker. the long and short of that analogy is that things in theory don't always add up properly on paper. this nation was founded upon ideas... true. actions were taken up by those who believed in these ideas. true... therein lies the problem. the ideas are being pushed forward without any regard for those that have to carry them out or the ramifications that will be felt...
another thought that stems from the the concept is that the "world of ideas and words" is freakin' infinite!!! it reminds me of something my grandfather used to say, "jack of all trades, master of none". while both masters and jacks exist within the WOIAW, i definitely think i am more of a jack. for one, i haven't accumulated enough knowledge about any ONE particular thing to be a master. secondly, i think being a master would be boring (then again, i'm only stating this now... my mind has already changed). it isn't that ought to be labeled a flip-flopper; it's the fact that so much out there is exciting. it is akin to a child being in the willy wonka chocolate factory. i may go in and like chocolate, but that'll get old, then i'd move on to gummy drops, then something else... i like to diversify... i realized recently, how little i really knew about the world around me. i found it quite ironic that i was working for an esteemed international affairs/foreign policy publication... and i didn't even possess the most basic knowledge of what is/was going on. it is almost like discovering an oasis of knowledge... i'd heard it existed, but never partook. now, i'm slowly partaking... i've been exposed to some of the most influential world leaders in my 5 month stint... how's this for a line up (if you don't know who they are, look them up)...
Emir of Qatar, Foreign Minister of Qatar
Managing Director, IMF
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arab Republic of Egypt
President, Republic of Georgia
President and Chief Executive, Pakistan
President, Republic of Cyprus
Prime Minister, India
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense
these are some of the influential folks that i've been exposed to at council. a lot of these individual also operate within the WOIAW... although their ideas and words shape the world. aside from attending "meetings" where they share their ideas and words... i've actually developed an interest in foreign policy, national security, and a plethora of other topics that were practically irrelevant to me a year ago.
aside from the more worldly state of mine that i've adopted due to my job. i've also increased my responsibilities and i'm finding web development and programming interesting. how does this apply to what i do? well, i'm in charge of all marketing through the internet... hence, the programming. i'll be takin' an HTML class down at nyu after the new year...
i guess it all goes back to the fact that, as a nerd, i fully embrace knowledge and learning. i have no inclination to be static in my learning. i also have no inclination to be a master of anything... i think a jack of all trades isn't so bad... i think there too many individuals that are self-proclaimed masters anyway... besides, those individuals that change the world exist, more often than not, in the WOIAW...next step, is makin' it happen... merging ideas and action... such a groovy concept... i think i'll ponder how to do that next...
posted by natty nerd at 10:25 PM
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