Monday, January 30, 2017

Finding the Middle

            This week I stepped into the middle of a dispute between friends on Facebook. I don’t like to harp on a similar topic two weeks in a row, but such are the times. I’ll tell you what I saw.

            It started with a democrat friend, outraged by recent events, making a blanket statement about republicans. A republican friend of both of us objected to the statement. What followed was a back-and-forth (not too heated, but clearly emotional on both sides) where each stated their opinions on the ideals of those with the opposing viewpoint.

            Normally I don’t say much on Facebook (or elsewhere – I really am a very quiet person), but this time I had to step in. Here was a pair of people, friends, arguing, all the while saying absolutely nothing – communicating no actual information.

            I pointed out to them that this was the exact problem in politics. It isn’t that the opposing side is unwilling to listen (although that plays a part), it’s that when people have differing viewpoints no one bothers to look at or explain why they hold that specific opinion.

            The sad truth of the matter is that most people can’t truly understand something outside their own experience. The most generous people in the world are the poor – people who know what it is to have little, so they share as much as they can with those who need help. People who have never had close experiences with people with mental illnesses (or had one themselves) don’t understand why mental illness is such a problem – and often think people with mental illnesses are just weak or lazy. People who haven’t experienced something don’t have the same frame of reference as those who have – and, as such, they form different opinions.

            But no one bothers to explain; all people do is shout their already formed opinions at each other. Then they dislike each other and go their separate ways, choosing to only spend time with those who agree with them. Then there become two large groups, isolated from each others’ frames of reference. Their own ideals are amplified by sharing them with people who agree, and the two groups grow further apart as their disputes grow bigger. The world gets divided into “us” and “them”.

            On the other hand, if both sides are willing to listen – to question, to explain – then there is truly some hope. Opinions are formed based on our experiences (or just taken from a source we trust), making an opinion on its own meaningless. When two people take the time to figure out why they have opposing opinions, they have a chance of finding common ground or swaying each others’ views. Or they might find they still disagree, but at least they’ll understand why they disagree. That might not seem important, but it is – it’s the difference between thing someone is a stupid, mindless sheep, and understanding that they reasoned out their opinion – even if they did end up with different results.

            When it comes down to it, there are very few people in the world that genuinely want to cause harm. Everyone wants what they think is best. Often they value the same things – they just see things from a perspective so different that it’s hard to relate. But if the two sides come together to share how they reached their views, they might very well find some middle ground – and that middle ground will be all the more solid because of the work it took to find it.


            The dispute between my two friends? Diffused, with both agreeing with the points I made. I suspect they would have gotten there without me anyway, but I like to think I helped to get them (and others viewing the thread) thinking about resolutions. That’s what we need more than anything right now – mended fences and common ground, because the United States are falling apart and there’s only so much the rest of the world can do to pick up the pieces.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.



Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her life coaching website.


If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Just Be Nice

            There’s been a whole lot of negativity flying around the world lately. Not that it’s a surprise. There are a lot of people angry about a lot of things right now – and many of them have good reason. Unfortunately, this is leading a lot of people to be uncivil.

            The trouble is that when everyone believes they are right (and who wouldn’t? Why would anyone bother holding an opinion they believe is wrong?), ideas that go against theirs tend to result in raised hackles. People get upset, and when people are upset they tend to stop listening. They will argue their point until all they can do to sway their similarly upset opponent is to insult them and claim they know nothing (I’m sure we can all think of a very prominent public figure who demonstrates this perfectly).

            Once a conflict devolves into this, there’s really no hope of resolution. The argument becomes a back-and-forth about nothing in particular and all it manages to achieve is to widen the divide.

            The gap is too big already.

            So, right now, more than ever, it is important to not spout negativity at others – no matter how right you are. Feel free to try to persuade people of your views, but keep it civil. If emotions are getting high, turn around and walk away.

            Because, no matter how right you are, if you make the choice to hurt someone, you are in the wrong. What’s more, every time you hurt someone, it becomes a weapon for the people opposing you in the future. It reflects poorly not only on you, but on everyone who shares in your beliefs. You may even inadvertently become a bully, without even noticing that’s what you’ve become.


            There are a lot of problems in the world right now. More than enough. Don’t become another one. Just be nice to people. You can still stand up for your beliefs without becoming belligerent, and you’ll be far more effective that way.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.



Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her life coaching website.


If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Language and Code

            So, back in the fall I decided I wanted to learn programming. It wasn’t the first time I decided this – I’ve long had an interest in making my own video games and such – but this time I actually went ahead and did it.

            I started with a few free phone apps, but quickly came across a slight problem – most of the apps were teaching me a programming language without really explain how to code. It all seemed to assume I had a pre-existing knowledge of coding and programming terminology and, as such, I had to extrapolate a lot of information from context.

            When I came to the end of the free lessons in the best of these apps (it didn’t even tell me which programming language I was learning – I believe it was either Java or Javascript), I decided to look for something that taught a bit better. To refine my search, I decided to look for a specific language tutorial rather than casting my line out and seeing what I caught – my thought being that if I could find something that taught well enough, the terminology and skills could transfer to other programming languages.

            I decided to lean C programming, as my research revealed it to be one of the core programming languages. My search soon popped up with this site for C++, an upgraded form of C. Within the first few lessons, I knew I’d come to the right place. Rather than just telling me how to code, it goes into detail about how programming works, so I actually understand what I’m being taught to do. There’s even a review from a university professor saying this free online textbook is the best programming textbook he’s ever seen.

            So, now I’m buzzing along, learning to code and loving it – it comes naturally to me and feels like one of the things my brain was designed for. I’m not very advanced yet, mind you, but I’m getting there and making a list of programs to write once I have the skill.

            For now, though, I thought I’d share with you one of the things I find the most interesting about programming. It’s one of the things that inspired the thought process of, oh, three blog posts ago – how everything is broken into smaller pieces.

            You see, a programming language is just that – a language. It has certain words you use to combine together that tell the computer to do something. A line of code is like a sentence – only it ends with a semi-colon rather than a period. Code is broken into paragraphs called functions that look something like this:

Type of function and its name()
{
            Lines of code that give the computer its instructions;
            Just for appearances, we should have multiple lines;
            After all, a single sentence paragraph is boring;
            Also, there are usually more numbers;
}

            A program as made up of a bunch of functions (among other things) and they work together through logical progressions to make whatever the program is for happen. Just like how words, sentences and paragraphs fit together to tell a story.


            It makes so much sense, yet it never occurred to me that that was how it would work. When you think about it, the familiar structure makes it easier for programmers learn the new language. Plus, as with everything else in life, it means that if something is too big to accomplish, it can be done by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable, pieces.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.




Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her life coaching website.


If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, January 09, 2017

Writers and their Characters

            Writers, by necessity, must have a very complicated relationship with their characters. It’s not as simple as creating them and then throwing them in the story. No, you have to care about them and hate them at the same time.

            You see, it’s essential for a writer to care about their characters. If the writer doesn’t care about the character, neither will the reader. It shows in the writing. Oh, there are ways to make it look like you care about a character when you don’t, but they are contrived and lessen the reader’s connection to the story. Actually caring is the only way to organically transfer the feeling into the writing.

            That said, if the writer cares too much, it creates another problem. It makes the plot fall short, because the writer isn’t willing to have (as) bad things happen to their characters. The character also tends to have less flaws. The result is that the character strolls through their trials with ease, never truly losing anything, never being forced to make a difficult decision.

            The solution is that the writer must hate their character with a fiery burning passion. Feeding on that hatred, the writer can throw obstacle after obstacle at their character, laughing maniacally all the way. The character will make mistakes and lose friends, precious possessions, limbs, or even their lives. And the story will be interesting.

            However, if the writer hates the character too much, then the character will lose their depth and the reader won’t be able to connect. If the character becomes nothing more than a bland punching bag, waiting for the next blow to fall, the reader will lose interest and likely walk away. So, the writer must care deeply about the character.

            It’s all about balance. You need to be able to care about the character so much that is shows through in the writing, while hating them so much that you can put them through the worst ordeals of their lives. You must be able to cry as their souls are crushed, even as you’re squeezing tighter.


            A writer must have a relationship with their characters worthy of writing a story about.





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.



Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her life coaching website.


If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Monday, January 02, 2017

2016

            I feel like the end of 2016 was a combination of “Woah, it’s over already?” and “Finally, it’s over!” On a global scale, the year has been quite the circus with rather a lot of tragedy – but hey, why talk about that? We’re going into the new year with plenty of hope and motivation to make it better than the last.

            For myself, I find that 2016 was measured in my wife’s achievements. Any time someone asked me what was happening in my life, my response went something like this:

            Well, you know. I’ve been writing – I’m quite happy with my latest book and I have very high hopes for it. And I’ve made some chainmaille, that too. Oh, but Colleen...!

            Colleen got her driver’s licence. She finished her coach training and started her own business! She’s got clients! She’s going off to talk at events. Colleen’s working hard to build her business while still working with me on Ringcrafts and helping me edit, isn’t she amazing!? Oh, and we just hired this marketing company and....

            Yes, this was definitely Colleen’s year. It’s been thrilling to take a backseat (‘cause she can drive now so I don’t have to) and watch her rocket towards her dream, helping others all along the way.

            Overall, I feel like 2016 was a transitional year, laying a lot of groundwork for the future. Now it’s time for us to step out into 2017 and see what we can achieve during this trip around the sun.


            Happy New Year!





Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.



Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her life coaching website.


If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.