- Netherlands, Italy, Hungary and Poland have seen a rise in far-right extremist beliefs.
- Germany is facing similar problems with the rise of the AfD political party.
- In Canada, the conservative leader seems to be using similar strategies as Trump did during his campaign.
Ripencil
Listen to those that have the fruit from the tree.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
What Happened in the USA can Happen Everywhere...
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Nature Documentaries Have Changed
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Never Stop Learning!
“There is a theory of human behavior that says people subconsciously retard their own intellectual growth. They come to rely on clichés and habits. Once they reach the age of their own personal comfort with the world, they stop learning and their mind runs on idle for the rest of their days. They may progress organizationally, they may be ambitious and eager, and they may even work night and day. But they learn no more. The bigoted, the narrow-minded, the stubborn, and the perpetually optimistic have all stopped learning.”
-Philip Crosby
Almost 20 years ago now, I was approached by a successful business owner who told me that I was worth minimum wage from the neck down and it was what I knew that would ultimately determine how successful I was going to be in life. He then proceeded to mentor me for the next 5 years.
This changed my life and I'm fully aware it isn't the sort of experience most people go through which is why most people don't prioritize learning at all. For me, learning has been a companion all those years. I saw, first hands, the benefits of reading good books and listening to self-improvement materials.
This blog has been used for various purposes over the years including to help with my mission. Hopefully, you see value in it and I've helped, in a small way, instil a desire for you to learn.
Never stop learning!
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The Majority Can Be Wrong
-Richard Dawkins
Having the majority believe in something without facts doesn't make it true but the opposition, being so great, may make it difficult for any competing ideas to take flight. Scientists of the middle ages were censored when they made discoveries that were against the popular religious beliefs of the day. Time has proven them right regardless but sometimes I wished we lived in a world where we would be more opened to challenge our own beliefs rather than discourage who ever is doing it. Let's constantly improve both ourselves and the society that we live in.
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Friends Grow Apart
As a kid, I was told that would have different groups of friends as I would grow up. I couldn't understand how it could happen to me but as I grew up my interest changed and so did my friends.
What I didn't realize, in my younger years, is that a lot of what we had in common was the experiences we shared in school. We attended the same classes, we partnered up for projects, we liked the same sort of things.
Once school was over, and we went our separate ways, we all grew into new people that slowly left our past behind including our relationships.
We're all busy doing other things and over a period of 15 years we slowly drifted apart to the point that I don't think we would recognize each other. They surely wouldn't recognize me as not much remain of the person that I was - I've grown just from a year ago.
I just kind of accepted this as a part of life. Have you been able to keep up with your friends after 20 some years out of school?