Brene Brown and Vulnerability

This is a very interesting talk. Brene Brown is a researcher in social work who wanted to find out things like what allows people to be loved. She found that they must allow themselves to be vulnerable. She refers to something she called wholeheartedness. The idea seems to be that without being vulnerable we are holding back from our lives and not being true to what we really are. We can avoid vulnerability by effectively hiding, but then we eliminate the good things like being loved. She mentions how various forms of hiding such as overeating, drinking too much and taking pain killers are at epidemic proportions in the developed world (she talks mainly about the US, but I reckon we can safely extend this to Europe). As long as we hide like this we will never be happy and will not live full lives.
Reading, understanding and internalizing this type of material is not easy, but is worth the effort. This is potentially life changing information in a way that many self help pieces are not.

Benjamin Franklin's Virtues modernised

These are the Virtues of Ben Franklin. I am reading his autobiography at the moment, so I have developed a bit of an interest. The virtues are looking a bit old at this stage, so I figured I would try to put a more modern line to them.

• Temperance: Don't make a pig of yourself with food or drink. This is still good advice. It works as it is.
• Silence: This seems to say that small talk is a bad idea. I don't think so. Sure getting to the point when there is business to be done is good, but chatting is underestimated as a social glue.
• Order: Keep your stuff tidy. This is fine too, but it is worth keeping in mind that this needs to be applied to digital artefacts now as well as the 'tidy your room variety'. This seems like a good way to tackle this in general. Albeit it with a bit more detail that Franklin put in there.
• Resolution: Make and keep promises to do the stuff that matters. This man has plenty to say about that too. 
• Frugality: I am on board with this. Today this also serves the environment by cutting down unnecessary consumption.
• Industry: Work hard. Fine as it is. I could probably do this a bit more.
• Sincerity: I think this one can be bundled in with Resolution. Not to lessen either of them. But be a fair dealer is the point of both of them.
• Justice: Same again. 
• Moderation: This is like temperance. In fact temperance could go and this one could be broadened to apply to all things. 
• Cleanliness: Goes with order.
• Tranquility: Sounds nice, but I am not sure I would place it as a virtue.
• Chastity: He takes this one a bit far - only for making babies? 
• Humility: Imitating Jesus sounds like a fine idea, but his current representatives have ruined this for me. Or maybe I just became an atheist and can't go for this any more. Either way, I can leave this one out and not be bothered. 

So:
Don't be a glutton, deal fairly with people, work hard, keep your stuff tidy and don't be wasteful are the main take aways from this.

Combating global warming with renewables

I watched this video on TED and found myself switching stuff off. Previously I have not worried about vampire power as I thought the big impacts in global warming were to be made by eating less meat , using the car less and cutting down on international travel, but this has made me think twice.
I like his assertion that using less power can be fun. I have always thought that a focus on less consumerist activities can make us happier. Cycling to the shops is a lot more fun than taking the car. Assuming you don't have too much stuff to lug back and you live reasonably close to the shop. Brewing your own beer is nicer than buying imported stuff and growing a small vegetable garden is good for your heart as well as the environment. It is rare to hear energy consumption reduction referred to as fun, but this should be a key driver for us in our fight to protect the environment.