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How Things Works?


We all know those people who live in Home Goods or Marshall's, buying every gadget one could possibly imagine to clean. Most of us find many of them superfluous, knowing a little elbow grease works a lot better than the As-Seen-On-TV Swiffer or vacuum. I always find great irony when one goes to use one of these items and needs to wipe the dust off first. I realize, we're a lazy society and being that we never need to fear a malaria outbreak or some other insect involved disease, but how do people reach adulthood without the common knowledge of how things work. How does someone not know that mosquito netting only works if it's closed? How does someone not know the garbage and recycling doesn't magically disappear every few days? How does someone not know that welcome mats actually serve the purpose of wiping dirt off, so you can then take your shoes off before entering the house? Drains: They aren't self-cleaning! Washing dirty hands often requires cleaning a dirty sink. Brooms can stand up, but they can also sweep food, hair, dust, and dirt off the floor. The whisk broom and dustpan work so much better when held in each hand and bent over picking them up. Recycling bins are not returned to their spot inside or outside the home by the sanitation workers. I know, it's weird. When it's early morning, sound tends to appear louder. This is usually a good time to be aware of metal or hard plastic objects slamming down on counters or doors slamming. It's also important to understand how chairs and doors work. Despite universal ignorance, there is a proper and polite was to open and close, pull out and push in. Cell phones are much quieter when not on speaker. It's just a fact. Also, the is a little lesser-known tidbit of information: Nobody cares what you or the person on the other line have to say. Nobody! Especially when you have the same conversation every day. Also, unless someone has a sincere connection with you, nobody really wants to hear about your day, when it does not differ in any way, shape, or form from every other day you've complained about (I'm guilty of this in spurts). Getting to know someone's interests is a good barometer of what to chat with them about. If, for instance, you know I wake up at 5 AM every morning and sleep about 4 hours a night, possibly, just possibly, don't choose me as the recipient of your woe-is-me rant about getting "only" six hours of sleep and not the usual 8-9 hours. I also think it's a good rule of thumb to read the room at all times. If you think you're the smartest one in it, you're probably not. If you think you're speaking over people's heads, you should probably shift the conversation where it can promote discussion, not simply a seminar nobody wants to hear. Also, if you're speaking of something only you would know, you're a scientist, otherwise, and I know this hurts, people probably already know about it and you're the one who just found out. Boasting excellence is fine, if you have a lifetime of experience, education, and a commitment to the subject. Just be sure you're not preaching to the choir. Finally, and this is something I've discussed many times in blogs, private conversations, and group discussions; self-efficacy is achieved after an entire host of other levels of self are achieved. You don't just get to state it and have it be so. Knowledge of self is a slippery slope. It is not actually something we gain, so much as something we realize, by giving up. Knowing who you are, takes a lot of discipline, because the second you are comfortable to the point where you stop acknowledging it, you've probably changed. 

On a side note: The current state of society and the ongoing debate over the causes of racism and individuals' refusal in accepting a life of privilege, all play into this part of self. I'm sure those who denounce any responsibility, simply by benefiting, probably share a whole host of commonalities with people I'm describing at the beginning of this mini-rant. If you can't clean up after your own mess and keep it clean, how could you possibly envision yourself being part of a systemic problem?

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