Surrogates

Last night I went with a few friends to see the movie Surrogates. For those who havent seen it the basis of the movie is this: In the near future, almost every person has a robot that they control using their thoughts. Instead of going out (and risking danger) the person controls the robot to do life for them out of the safety of their own home. So instead of seeing people walk around throughout the day, you see robots. A person can customize their robot to look as they please. You can never really know what the true person looks like, only what the decide to create their robot to look like.

This idea is not unlike today. How can we truly know the people around us, but only what they choose to show us? Everybody has an idea of themselves that want people to see, and this may not always be who they really are. I can pretend to be great guitar player/hippie. If I show that successfully, then people will perceive that I am just that. It doesn't even to be that dramatic. If a person has a personality trait that they don't necessarily like, they can choose to not show it. How do we know if the personalities of the people around are the true ones or the ones they want us to see? Are they real or just the "surrogates?"

The Oars Of Leadership

Too much can be bad, but too little is also bad. We have heard this all the time through our lives. Too much salt in our diet can harm us, but too little will also. Drinking too much water can be dangerous, but drinking too little can certainly be just as bad. There has to be a good balance.

This is true in leadership. There is two types of leading: postional leadership and relational leadership. Postional is where one leads just out of his/her postion. As a boss in his factory is given power because of his postion over his employees. Relational is just that, the relationship between leaders and followers.

This is where the idea of the oars come. If any one has been out on a lake in a boat, there needs to be the right mix of the left oar and the right oar to get in the direction you need to go. Think of the left oar is positional leadership, and the right oar is relational. If you focus only on postional side of leadership (telling people what to do just because your postion gives you the power to do so) the boat will be going around in circles in the middle of the lake. If you use too much of the relational side of leadership (trying to be best friends with every one who is under you) once again you will be spinning in circles. A person needs to use both oars in the right amount to of each to have the most effective leadership. Use the resources your postion gives you bust alos get to know the people around you.

Meaning of Words

So here's the deal... Everyday we are surrounded by words. Even now as you are reading this, you are experiencing word usage. Teachers, all throughout grade school, pound the meaning of words into us. The SAT's are a prime example of how education system is based around how many words we know (according to that test I dont know enough).

What fails to get explained to all of us is the opposite meaning of words, the dark side if you will. By this I don't mean the opposite of up is down and the opposite of the left is right. What I mean is if I tell someone they look beautiful today, am I not also delcaring what is not beautiful? When i say a person is smart, I am also saying what is dumb. There is no such thing as nothing. Nothing in it of itself is something.

Words are finite. They can only describe so much, and cannot go beyond it. When we say something, we are always leaving something else out. Think about it. Why is the quote "I Am who I Am," the perfect answer?