Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 50

Cyber Security, Password Paranoia and Albino Monkeys

Hmmm, isn’t technology supposed to save us time and make us more productive?

I’m starting to question that concept. With all the cyber security doors I have to pass through, password paranoia and the unrelenting barrage of e-mails, I think we have crossed a threshold where the law of diminishing returns kicked in. A typical morning at work for me.

Michael: (Yawn) Hope the system doesn’t fubar today.

Cyber Security Guard: Enter encryption user name and password.

Michael: Yeah, I know. I can’t be trusted to be who I say I am. tap tap tap tap tap tap, tap

Cyber Security Guard: Authorized to use this device. You may proceed.

Michael: No strip search? Guess I got off lucky today.

Cyber Security Guard Enter system user name and password. Password must be different than encryption password.

Michael: Yeah, tell me something I don’t know. tap tap tap tap tap tap, tap, tap

Cyber Security Guard: Authorized to access the system. You may proceed.

Michael: Damn right I’m authorized. I was here before you even existed, cyber mall cop.

Cyber Security Guard: Enter Call Pilot password. Must be different from system password.

Michael: Bite me. tap tap tap tap tap tap, tap, tap.

Cyber Security Guard: You may now access telephone messages through Outlook.

Michael: Yeah, like I would ever want to do that.

Cyber Security Guard: Your password will expire in 10 days. Create new password.

Michael: (Groan) Have three months gone by already? Not today. I’ll do it tomorrow. Maybe. Better check to see if anything important was posted on web portal XYZ.

Cyber Security Guard: Enter user name and password.

Michael: (Expletive deleted) tap tap tap tap tap tap, tap, tap.

Cyber Security Guard: Answer security question. What planet are you from?

Michael: (Double expletive deleted) tap tap tap tap tap tap, tap, tap.

Cyber Security Guard Pluto is the right answer. View the image below. How many of the squares contain albino monkeys that look like Lady Gaga?

 Michael: Seriously? What’s next? Retain scans? tap tap tap tap tap tap, tap, tap

 Cyber Security Guard Five is the right answer. You may enter web portal XYZ.

 Michael: Oh joy, oh bliss. I can enter the hallowed kingdom. So what’s new? Not much, it seems. Let’s log off and get to work… Crap! How did 15 e-mail messages arrive while I was checking that site? Better go through them and respond. tap tap tap tap tap tap, tap, tap. Crap! How did 12 more e-mail messages arrive while I was responding to the first 15? tap tap tap tap tap tap, tap, tap. Oh, come on! Now you’re going to freeze on me? Stupid #$&@?$ thing. Screw it, its lunch time anyway.

Enter the metaphor contest. Make up your own technology metaphor. The most ironic metaphor earns you the right to bash your laptop with a Louisville Slugger.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Road Rage: The Illusion of Power and a Short Fuse

Hmmm, if you’re mad at the world, does that mean the rest of us should get out of your way so you can do what you please when you please?

Most of us have seen examples of road rage. I found out recently that it is not exclusive to roads and highways. It can happen in someplace as innocuous as a plaza parking lot.

Last Saturday morning, in a relaxed weekend state of mind, I pulled into a local plaza for a quick stop at the pharmacy. As I turned down a row to find a parking spot, a black SUV reversed out of a spot rather recklessly and clearly without checking to see if the way was clear.

My weekend state of mind quickly dissolved. I had only a few seconds to react. I hit the horn to alert the driver and quickly swerved. Fortune smiled on me as I managed to avert the collision. I muttered a few obscenities, continued down the row and found a parking spot.

As I stepped out of my car, the SUV accelerated up the row and swung into the spot beside me. A woman jumped out, came around her vehicle and began to shout at me.

Her: What’s the matter with you!? You didn’t see me backing out!

Me: You didn’t see me coming? I had the right of way.

Her: I had the right of way! I was backing out!

I quickly concluded there was nothing to be gained from arguing with her. I waved her off and continued walking. Her parting remark: Fucking white people! I did not mention the race of the driver because to me it was irrelevant. Regrettably, the same could not be said of her.

It occurred to me that she was lucky that I was the target of her ire. I am a pacifist and chose to turn the other cheek. If the person she lashed out at was someone with the same short fuse as her, she would probably have awakened in the hospital a few hours later – her last recollection being the moment a fist connected with her jaw.

As I gained some perspective later in the day, I realized that I should feel sorry for the woman rather than harbour resentment. Clearly, she is in a bad place in her life as anger is her default emotion. She is also living with a false sense of entitlement that people should get out of her way so she can do as she pleases.

There is also the race issue. Perhaps she has faced discrimination and has festering resentment. But it may also be that she is just mad at the world and everyone in it and that influences how she interprets what happens to her.

Unfortunately, this woman is an accident waiting to happen, literally and figuratively. She is the proverbial mad bull in a china shop. Eventually everything will come crashing down around her as hell breaks loose.

The morale of the story: Road rage is more a symptom than a condition. Being in a rolling hunk of metal gives the illusion of power which brings out the worst in people who are already living on the edge. Hopefully my encounter is the closest I will ever come to being a victim of it.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhnced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Chatbots: Conversations with the Almighty Algorithm

Hmmm, are baby boomers like me in danger of losing our jobs to overgrown algorithms?

If you follow my blog regularly, you will know I am a self-proclaimed technology grinch. For the record, I am not opposed to all technological innovation. My hit list is made of up tech innovations in three categories: 1) Tech that make someone’s job obsolete 2) Tech that crosses ethical lines of privacy 3) Tech of the “just because we can” variety.

My current gripe is the tech trend known as chatbots. First a definition: A chatbot is an artificial intelligence powered application designed to simulate a conversation with another human.

The experts proclaim that chatbots enable a two-way, personalized interaction between consumers and a brand. Personalized? It seems to me that they have bastardized the term. If the person is missing from the interaction, it really is not personalized.

The almighty algorithm is the power behind chatbots. Algorithms enable bots to become smarter. They learn from the exchange with a live person and improve themselves. In theory, they get better at conversing the more they learn.

The technology is far from perfected. Microsoft created a chatbot called Tay which was apparently designed to mimic the language patterns of a 19 year old girl. Mischievous Twitter users took on the challenge and were able to trick the bot into making sexist and racist remarks. Microsoft had to deep six the bot shortly after its debut.

It is not a surprise that this technology appeals to the younger, more tech-savvy generation who were raised in the internet world. Many Millennials are happy to interact with chatbots, I, however, am a Baby Boomer. I find the idea of conversing with an algorithm that is using me to get smarter a bit disconcerting.

But the main reason chatbots make my hit list because they can and sometimes do replace customer service representatives. Live chats with service reps are being replaced with virtual chats with bots. Some airlines and hotels are starting to use bots to handle the booking of flights or rooms and fast food chains use them to take food orders.

On a personal note, I am frustrated to no end by voice mail systems that force me to find way my way three or four levels deep in a hierarchy of options designed to prevent me from ever speaking with a live person. I can only imagine how exasperated I will become trying to get an algorithm powered chatbot to help me.

As your official technology grinch, I declare that chatbots are a metaphor for the ever accelerating depersonalization of our world. As an introvert, I am not big on chatting in general. But when I do, I want it to be with a living breathing person – not an overgrown algorithm on virtual steroids.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

 

Spirits of Summers Past: The Exuberant Goddess, the Intrepid Traveler and the Gossamer Angel

Hmmm, can I escape from the bitter winds of January by communing with the spirits of summers past?

We are square in the middle of the first January deep freeze of 2017. It is the perfect time to close the blinds, turn a blind eye to the icy sidewalks and dive into my collection of photographs of the inspiring inhabitants of summers gone by.

Nothing recalls the glory days of summer better than a Great Spangled Fritillary like the one at the top of this post. The sun-blushed, metallic gold flash of this spectacular butterfly always catches my eye and incites a stirring in my heart.

This newly emerged and flawless specimen, showing off scalloped white wing edges, had the good sense to perch on a purple wildflower and nestle into a background of verdant undergrowth. I think of it as the exuberant goddess of summer at the peak of its bloom.

This Variegated Fritillary is a cousin to the Great-Spangled although not quite as dramatic as its relative. Yet, it is still elegance personified in its own right with subtle hues of orange bordered by waving black lines, curls and sprays.

Part of the appeal of this species is the fact that it does not usually occur this far north. I found this one a few days after an epic rain storm a few summers back. Most likely it got caught in the storm and perilously rode the wind to arrive here. I think of the Variegated Fritillary as the intrepid traveler in the spirit of Bilbo Baggins trekking through the Misty Mountains.

I return often to this photograph of a female Hallowe’en Pennant dragonfly dangling from thread-like legs on the top of a bowing host weed. It was cooperative enough to open wide and give me the full effect of its translucent yellow wings with smoky black bands

Each time I examine this photo, it seems to me that those oversized wings are much too big to be supported by the slender body. I think of the Hallowe’en Pennant as the gossamer angel bringing the gospel of summer to those fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of it.

Each of these delicate beauties is its own metaphor for the many faces, graces and often undiscovered, quiet places of summer. January winds may blow bitter. But I am basking in the heat waves of summers past – at least for a few stolen moments.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Anti-New Years Resolutions: The Donald, Dumbass Drivers and Voracious Vampires

Hmmm, will this be the year I finally settle on New Year’s resolutions I can keep?

I am not by and large inclined to make New Year’s resolutions. I have tried to do so a few times in the past and pretty much always flamed out on them before the calendar turned on January.

This year, I’ve decided to make some anti-resolutions on the premise that I am more likely to be able to keep them. Record them if you choose so you can keep me honest.

I resolve not to engage in any discussions, ethical debates or oh-my-God-did-he-really conversations about The Donald as he assumes the reins of power in the United States. No matter how outrageous, alarming or downright mind-boggling his actions prove to be, I will refrain from expressing an opinion on them.

Except in months with an “r” in the name and between 6:00 and 8:00 pm.

I resolve not to rant, rave or utter strings of four letter words at dumbass and brain-dead drivers who believe they own the road and the rest of us should get out of their way.

Except when those dumbasses are driving blue, green, black, white, silver or red vehicles.

I resolve not to bitch and complain about the Leafs, or Mike Babcock’s big-ass salary, or overpaid and pampered NHL players who cannot hit a 6’ x 4’ target on a breakaway, when the Leafs fail to make the playoffs again this season.

Except on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday and every other Thursday.

I resolve not to roll my eyes and mute the sound button on my television when a commercial, the cost of which could feed a family of five for an entire year, insults my intelligence or just plain annoys the crap out of me.

Except for commercials advertising cars, electronics, clothing, fast food or television series about werewolves, zombies or voracious vampires.

I resolve not to be exasperated by the bickering of overpaid, self-absorbed politicians who disagree on principle with everything the other party members say, do, might have done, might possibly do or allegedly said under the influence of pharmaceuticals.

Except for the ones that really, really, really annoy me or show their face on the evening news too often or misuse Twitter for their own ends.

And finally, I resolve not to waste metaphors on any of the above at any time under any circumstances whatsoever so help me God.

Except for The Donald. I get to have at least one bad habit, don’t I?

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

 

Through the Eyes of a Child: My Frankie-inspired Christmas Wish

Hmmm, can we recapture the true spirit of Christmas by seeing through the eyes of a child?

Apple believes we can and they may just be right. Their current television commercial, a classic take on the season, is compelling. A Frankenstein-like man trudges through the city streets and approaches a crowd. Gasps and murmurs rise from the people when they see him.

Frankie proceeds to plug a Christmas light into each side of his neck. The lights illuminate. Frankie then calls up There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays on his iPhone and begins to sing. But his voice fades as the crowd continues to stare at him with hostile expressions.

The tide turns when a young girl cracks a smile and sings the next line. Frankie starts singing again and others in the crowd join in as their revulsion turns to acceptance. The true spirit of the season finds its way into their hearts and minds.

Apple’s commercial got me thinking about what my Christmas wish would be this year. It is not anything as grand as world peace, an end to poverty or the overthrow of terrorism. It involves three comparatively small but transformational behaviours. All of them should be a natural reflex. But they are behaviours we have managed to unlearn.

Part One: The Gift of Willing Forbearance.

We live in a world with myriad ideologies that all too often conflict with one another. The proponents of each one are wedded to their belief system and willingly draw battle lines to defend it. Part One of my Christmas Wish is that all of us find it within ourselves to give gift of willing forbearance – agree to politely disagree where our beliefs conflict and do so peacefully.

Part Two: The Gift of Heartfelt Forgiveness.

Every day each and every one of us makes mistakes or misjudgements. These missteps cause us to hurt the people around us without intending to do so. Part Two of my Christmas Wish is that each of us gives the gift of heartfelt forgiveness when we are the wounded party. Be merciful and chose to believe in the best in each other rather than assume the worst.

Part Three: The Gift of Gracious Pardon

Occasionally, each and every one of us, under conditions of stress or duress, lets the worst of ourself rise to the surface. We lash out, cross the line in the sand of polite behaviour and instantly, but a heartbeat too late, regret it.

Part Three of my Christmas Wish is that when we are on the receiving end of this harm, we give the gift of gracious pardon. By all means, hold the offender accountable for their behaviour. But then pardon them as we hope they will do when the roles are reversed as they inevitably will be.

Apple has cast Frankie as a metaphor for the true spirit of Christmas. There is a lesson for us in the fact that it takes a child to see past his frightening appearance to the warm heart that lies within him. This Christmas, let us pause, refocus and see through the eyes of a child. For when we do so, we find our own true hearts where the best of us lays waiting to be revealed.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Save It to The Cloud: Computing the Rules of Engagement

“Nobody understands the cloud. It’s a f***ing mystery!”

Jason Segel in the movie Sex Tape

Hmmm, did you know that the admission to The Cloud is through a one-way door?

Save it to The Cloud. We hear that term on a regular basis now. Like Jason Segel’s character, I more or less get the basic concept but having difficulty grasping its complexity

The term itself is arguably an oxymoron. It conjures up an image of a giant, amorphous blob hanging in the sky that is packed full of data. Millions of bits and bytes of information free-floating over our heads.

There is something rather dreamy about that idea that appeals to the romantic in me. I visualize an environment where at any given time I can reach up and pluck a byte of data from The Cloud like picking a peach from a tree. How delightfully poetic and communal.

Alas, it is not quite so starry-eyed. In fact, The Cloud is a physical infrastructure – myriad computers in huge warehouses across the globe. It is about sharing resources to optimize performance through cloud computing.

When did the idea emerge? In the early 90’s, cyber visionaries began to visualize a way to use the whole world to share data resources. Apparently, engineers around that time began drawing a cloud to illustrate the concept in patent drawings.

Compaq engineers are credited with coining the phrase cloud computing in 1996. You will not be surprised to hear that the visionary Steve Jobs was among the early adopters. He talked about an iCloud at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference a year later.

The root concept, assuming I am grasping it correctly, is centered on two big ideas. Big idea #1 is about storage – storing data in a shared, central space rather than on your local computer. This leads to big idea #2 which is the ability to access this shared, stored data from any internet connected device wherever you happen to be.

All things grand in the technology world have strings attached. Storing your virtual property in The Cloud means it is now in the possession of a megacorporation to whom you must pay a monthly fee. Depending on the megacorp’s terms of service, you may or may not actually own or control that virtual property once you allow it to live in The Cloud.

At face value, The Cloud sounds like a happy, we’re-all-in-this-together place where everyone who participates benefits equally. But behind the fuzzy, cumulus, virtual coating, it is all about big business and big money with major players like Google and Amazon jockeying for position.

The Cloud has become in broad terms a metaphor for the internet as a whole in this digital, technology-driven era. But it is also a metaphor for the veil that covertly falls around us as we give up control of our virtual property to the megacorps.

Buyers beware: In this new virtual space, the term “delete” has become obsolete. Once you are in the The Cloud, you can never really get out of it.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

 

The Speed of Light, Donal Trump and PFLOPS

Hmmm, can the speed of light squared help me escape the splatter zone of the Donald Trump coronation?

Earlier this week, the Google doodle celebrated the 340th anniversary of the determination of the speed of light. In case you did not know, Danish astronomer Ole Romer made the discovery while working at the Royal Observatory in Paris in 1667.

For the record, light travels at 186,000 miles per second. Tough to grasp that concept, so a bit of perspective is needed. If I could travel at the speed of light, I could circle the equator 7-1/2 times in one second. I’m skeptical so let me give it a try… Oh, crap, I blinked and missed it! On the plus side, I did lap Donald Trump 7-1/2 times. But it doesn’t make him any less disturbing.

It does get me to thinking. Is there such a thing as the speed of sound? Turns out there is, although hearing is the tortoise in the light and hearing match race. Sound plods along at a mind-numbing 761 miles per second.

That assumes that the air temperature is 59º Fahrenheit. Why? Because sounds moves slower at colder temperatures. Why is 59º Fahrenheit the threshold? That’s just one of the great mysteries of life.

I wonder. If I yell “Donald Trump is a nutbag!” while travelling at the speed of light, how long will it take for that phrase to catch up with me? I think I need a supercomputer for that calculation.

The Sunway Taihulight, the fastest supercomputer in the world, should do the trick. But hold on. It seems the performance of supercomputers is measured in floating-point operations per second aka FLOPS. That sounds like a Trumpism! But let’s overlook that for the moment.

The Sunway set the new benchmark of 93 PFLOPS. PFLOPS? Seriously? You must be yanking my cyber chain. Oh wait, P=Peta, so that clears things up. I had one of those for lunch today. Didn’t make me any faster, though.

Has “Donald Trump is a nutbag!” caught up with me? Not yet, apparently. Okay, while we wait, let’s go for ride in the world’s fastest car. The Hennessey Venom GT maxes out at 270 miles per hour and goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds.

Got to get me one of those. But I’ll need to travel at least at the speed of sound to earn the money since they go for a cool $1,000,000. Or maybe I could get a loan from Donald.

All these hyper accelerations are giving me a huge headache. Let’s slow things down. How many PLFOPs does it take the Sunway to decipher a metaphor at 53º Fahrenheit while being transported in a Hennessey Venom GT traveling at 270 mph to try and get out of the splatter zone before the Trump coronation takes place?

Hint: You have to divide by the speed of light squared every 2.5 seconds while clicking your heels together and chanting Oh Hillary, Hillary, Hillary.

Ready – Set – Go! Are we there yet?

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

 

The Ultimate Act of Desperation: Taming the Wolf

Hmmm, do we need think in broader terms to wrestle the disease of suicide into submission?

I am hesitant to blog on this disturbing subject. Understandably, most of us are not comfortable talking about it. But there has been a Facebook post circulating lately which advocates for understanding and support on the issue.

Close to 4,000 Canadians each year die of suicide. It is an understatement to say this is a worrisome figure. Equally disconcerting is the fact that hospitalization for self-harm has increased exponentially since 2009 for Canadians aged 10 to 17.

I wonder how many people reading this post know someone who has taken their own life. Sad to say, I do. It was not someone I knew well, but rather a person employed by the same organization and working in a different location. Nonetheless, it was a reality check to have it occur in my circle of acquaintance.

A long-time friend of mine had it hit even closer to home. A friend he had known for several years took his own life. There was no warning that the person was at risk. It was a terrible shock that took no small amount of time to come to terms with.

I was surprised to learn that there is now an official scientific field of study known as suicidology. Practitioners of this research are known as suicidologists. I have not yet made up my mind whether I consider this to be a good thing or a necessary evil.

Our understanding of the act of suicide has thankfully evolved. For too long, society thought of it as a choice – an act of will. It was spoken of as something that was committed and even considered criminal. Now we understand that it is a response to extreme psychological pain. People do not commit suicide. They succumb to it.

What troubles me most deeply is my entirely unscientific perception that the ever intensifying, survival of the fittest landscape of modern society is a breeding ground for this disease.

Yes, mental disorders are a decisive factor in the vast majority of cases. But no matter how much effort we put into prevention – we can never do enough in that respect – I fear that we will continue to lose ground.

Succeeding in our society too often means that one person must win and another must lose. It is not just about bragging rights. It is about (here comes the metaphor) keeping the wolf from our door at someone else’s expense. We do not want it to be that way. We wish there was a viable alternative. But all too often it is out of our control.

Until and unless we find a way to tame the wolf, I fear we will not entirely wrestle the disease of suicide into submission. I am by no means saying we should stop all the vital work that is being done on understanding and treating mental disorders. I am saying that we need to cast a wider net in our prevention efforts.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to “Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm” at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribing are provided in the “Subscribe to this Blog: How To” instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

 

 

Learn to Dance: Metaphorical Wisdom for the Enigma of Life

Hmm, can we bend the course of our life in the direction we want it to go?

I have been reflecting lately on the haphazard course our lives seem to take. We hope that our life path will stay on an even keel with spikes of joy on a regular basis. But the reality is that life is a bumpy road and occasionally takes us places we do not want to go.

There have been times when I have looked resentfully at people who seem to be leading a charmed life and asked the fates: Why are they so fortunate? But with age and the wisdom that comes with it, sometimes hard-earned, I have come to realize that life tests everyone. No one gets away without a few scars. Scars are our badge of honour.

Some of our misfortunes are of our own making. We fail to look before we leap or spend too much time mustering the courage to jump and lose the opportunity. We are too careful or not careful enough, overestimate our ability or sell ourselves short.

Conventional wisdom tells us the key is to learn from our mistakes. In most cases we do, although sometimes we have to repeat the mistake before we see the light. But that knowledge does not make deciphering the path ahead any easier.

What about the circumstances, outside the realm of our control, that alter our lives? We get downsized out of a job. (Been there) Our marriage unravels and breaks apart. (Been there) Death strikes close to home for the first time and wounds us. (Been there) Our life diverts in an unexpected direction and we have no choice but to adapt.

Then there are the apocalyptic events that happen to society as a whole and leave us all adrift. The defining event of this nature in our generation was 9-11. The world fundamentally changed that day and all of us had to recalibrate.

Although not on the same scale (at least so far), the election of Donald Trump as president of the U.S. also qualifies in this category. Many are still in a state of disbelief and frightened at what the next four years may hold. We fear seismic disruptions in the world economy and escalation of hostilities on a global scale.

In the final analysis, we cannot be certain of anything beyond today. So how do we deal with this uncertainty? Can we bend the course of our life in the direction we want it to go? Live for today is good advice in some respects, but too simplistic for the long term. The answer may lie in the often quoted metaphor:

Life is a dance. Sometimes we lead, sometimes we follow. Don’t worry about what we don’t know, what’s important is we learn new steps as we go.

No one seems to know the author of these wise words although a couple of songwriters have borrowed them. Perhaps that is the way it should be. Metaphorical wisdom from a mysterious source for the enigma of life in an ever changing world. Embrace the uncertainty and learn to dance.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog

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