Blog Action Day is on October 15th. On this day bloggers from all around the world will post articles on a single topic which will be the Environment. The point is to get people thinking and discussing about one topic on one day that effects all of us. Be sure to read your favorite blogs that are involved and if you have a blog yourself, please commit to joining this revolutionary movement that is being done for the first time ever.

For more information go to BlogActionDay.org

I have loved doing this blog over the past couple of months but I have to move to more pressing issues in my life and career. In trying to Change the World I need to begin taking more action which is what I plan to do.

I am going to have this post up for a few days with a final message.

Look outside yourself. I have written many posts on being introverted or extroverted and various charities, groups and organizations; about character and humanity; about people and the way the world interacts with you and you the world.

My idea I want to present to you now is to see the extroversion inside of you (isn’t that a contradictory statement). I have said before that there are people who can travel the world and be in incredible places and experiences and not even look outside themselves.

The reason I love to stare up at the stars or watch the sun rise and set is because it reminds me of my place in the universe. I am nothing without those around me as far reaching as the other side of the world. A person is nothing without other people. To look only within yourself is to not except the power and importance of those who you may not even know.

To live solely for yourself is vain but to live for yourself and the world is empowering. Helping those outside your own comfort zone actually has benefits for all, including yourself. The Golden Rule is called golden for a reason.

As I sit here outside by a fire, after having a long-and-great conversation with an old friend who just left (came to keep me company while I am sick), I remember the most important aspect of my life is other people. Without them life would be meaningless so to devote myself to others brings me great and fulfilling Life Meaning.

I say tomorrow, you wake up and do your usual routine. Drink your coffee; tread mill for fifteen minutes; whatever. But then during that day I want you to try something. Try following an old rule of the Boy Scouts and do a good deed for someone else in that day. A good turn for someone else in the long run is a good turn for the world and yourself.

It does not have to be a great and powerful showing to your fellow man but a simple gesture of selflessness can bring a great change if done enough by enough people. It could even Change the World.

To keep up with me in the future head over to my personal blog WarrenGreeley.com/Blog to read my future posts. They are on topics of business, writing, and generally trying to change the world.

Thank you for reading. Thanks for caring.

Six years ago today my world came tumbling down. I, like the rest of Americans and many around the world were devastated at the live images of a terror attack on American soil. Today I do not want to discuss everything that has happened since. My views on this day are not important. The semantics and politics mean nothing on this day.

Today I want to send a message of peace. On this day I want people from all over the world to stop what they are doing for just a moment and thing about it. No matter your side, your views, your politics, your faith; remember that we are all people and all need each other.

Today is the day to honor and cherish the memories of those lost on September 11th, 2001. Today is a time to honor all of those who have died afterwards and the heros who have saved so many lives. Now is the time to pray for the families of all these people. Today is the time to pray that peace will come in the world and people will realize that we all are wrong and we all are right and that understanding this can save lives.

For today we are all united in a cause of peace. This day can symbolize what has happened and what will happen again if change is not made. Take today to reflect on our mistakes of the past and use them to make a better tomorrow.

In my post “the audacity of introversion” I write the following…

You are not the center of the universe and must realize that in a world of six billion people you have to wait in line like everyone else. Especially to the full grown adults, why do you throw fits in public when you do not get your way? You are not above the people around you and especially are not above those you are yelling at. Most likely they are working harder than you at that moment. Maybe you should take that into consideration.

I want to spotlight the group of people today that inspired me to write these words. They are the restaurant and fast food workers who are constantly harassed, ridiculed, and disrespected by the people they are trying to serve.

Here are some very interesting things you may not know about these people. Take them into consideration next time you are at one of these places.

One Uniform. Emloyees on average because of franchise budget get only one uniform to work in (two if at Portillo’s) but are scheduled to work five to six days a week. The math on that is pretty gross.

Minimum wage. The average employee, even full time get very little over minimum wage and after months or years of hard work their best bet for a raise will be less that a quarter. (normally between 10 cents)

Labor Costs. Managers are forced to cut labor at all corners which means sending home employees early so they make less money. Yes, even the full timers.

Flexible, Ha! Flexible hours does not mean the employee chooses times. They can say when they cannot work but the rest of the time is up to the managers and almost always alters from week to week. Schedules are made only days prior to working in some cases and cannot be altered in most.

Management Wages. An assistant manager will work on average between 50 to 60 hours a week. No, I’m not kidding. And what do they bring home with that hard work? Around 25-30K a year. I’ll let you do the math hourly for that.

Cashiers Responsibilities. The cashier does not just take orders for their minimum wage. They also in their job duties must do the following. Take out trash; clean spills including water, pop, and the occational vomit; wash the interior and exterior windows; sweep the floors and parking lot; mop; clean the mop and bucket when done; unclog the toilet; other bathroom duties I will not mention (use your imagination); scrub the walls; and on and on and on. And that is daily. One cashier will be cleaning up after anywhere from 200 to 400 men, woman, children, and babies every day.

Customers. The cashier especially gets the majority of the riticule for incorrect food. Besides the fact that the food is really cheap and is demanded to be made insanely fast, it is also normally not the cashier’s fault for mistakes made. Yet because of their positioning in the restaurant all the blame goes on them. They have to be peace keepers more than most united nations workers and rarely have any training provided in doing so.

Students and More. Most workers are one of three things. 1. Immigrants. They have very little schooling and do not speak much english. The name on their pay checks is normally not the one people call them. I think you know why. 2. Students. Most of the english speakers are student and they make up the majority of the front cashiers and drive through workers. They get the most ridicule for mistakes made and that gets added onto their stress with homework, paying for college, and the other job they are likely working after dealing with your s**t. 3. 30 and still living at home. These are the types that never finished high school or gave up on college and could not get ahead due to lack of motivation and education. Don’t feel sorry for them but do not get mad at them either. They have done nothing. Literally, they do nothing.

Insurance. The previously mentioned group of students, on top of paying off student loans and trying to sustain the few youthful years they have left, also have the highest rates for insurance which is required to drive (car insurance) and go to most schools (health insurance). Men of college age can pay anywhere from 200 to 300 a month for full coverage. Get a quote yourself if you don’t believe me.

No Respect. They get no respect. (Ode to the late great Rodney Dangerfield). Employees at these establishments are consider the lowliest of all lowlifes by the majority of those in society even though they work harder and longer than most people and get more ridicule than any other type.

No Stability. Besides the risk of getting fired at any point for no reason (change the law Illinois!) employees are subject to a very unstable lifestyle. They work nights and days, have no reasonable sleep schedules, and in most cases have homework and other jobs stacked on top of it all. They do not enjoy the luxuries most complain about like a nine to five job.

These are just a few things. I could go on much longer but I’ll spare you cause it may be too much for you to handle. Next time you are yelling at a cashier, complaining that they put tomatoes on your burrito, or thinking you don’t have to clean up because it is not your house, please think about these things.

The workers at these establisments are rairly lazy. If it seems this way it is probably because they are over worked and just really need someone to put a smile on their face. So who is really the lowliest type of people? The overworked restaurant worker or the whining customer who complains and then leaves a nice big mess to clean up?

Anything else you would like to add? Personal stories? Let me know by leaving a comment.

There is not a person on earth who has been right about everything in their entire lives. If this were true it would imply that they know everything which of course is not a reach of human capability. Yet people in certain positions in society are put on pedestals of truth and whatever is uttered from their mouth is taken at truth.

Here are a couple examples. (I will probably write about more groups in the future).

Teachers

A group that has been put into a place of assumed truth is the teachers, especially at a college level. (They even get their own title: Professor). Unfortunately these teachers are human beings that incorporate their own ideas and concepts into their lecture. This is not a bad thing in most cases because teachers in specific fields have expertise within that field. The problem is that students, or learners are then subjected to that opinion without seeing the other points of view or alternatives. One in a learning position is the most susceptible to falsehood simply because their objective is to absorb knowledge and have little or no prior understanding to argue with the teacher’s point of view on a subject.

Now just so I don’t get emails from all my old teachers I want to add something to this. In my experience, teachers are some of the greatest sources of understanding topics and much of my knowledge comes from teachers. But, like in any other group they are still not infallible. What they know is the best of their knowledge but knowledge is limited so what they speak is only the beginning of the journey.

Preachers

Scholars have spent all of human time seeking the truth about what is in text of faith and whether that faith is even valid. This alone shows the unlikelihood that your personal preacher knows the truth about your particular faith or even if that faith is entirely true in the first place. What he or she knows and believes is most likely a slight alteration of what they were taught themselves. When listening to a preacher it is good to absorb the words said because in many cases it is insightful but that cannot be the end of the journey. To find what is most true you must look past just that one source or several sources who influence each-other and instead find alternatives to that point and then make an assessment for yourself what is most likely truth.

In traveling to many churches, (at this point only limited to within the U.S.) I have found that particularly in the Christian faith, even from church to church, that the interpretation of the the same text is very different. The only way to find what is really the truth, or closest to it is to listen, question, ponder, and then decide what is your truth.

People, by nature, are compelled to turn ideas into belief even if it is lacking warrant to take such a great leap. Doing so is far more dangerous than any other act that a person can commit in his or her mind.

When you have an idea it is a concept that can be molded like clay if more information or thought come about. But a belief is like a rock that cannot be cracked unless forced upon by another. If your beliefs are without full warrant then they may not be correct and if it cannot be molded in your mind then you are living your life on a false truth.

This can lead to great and terrible things. Look in history at people who have believed without warrant to back those beliefs up. Observe the leaders who have brought their people down with them off of a belief like Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Hussein. Look at religious fanatics who do ungodly things in the name of God like bombing buildings, killing people, attacking others for not sharing their beliefs, even if their beliefs dictate that they not do those things. Look at your fellow Americans who get so caught up in standing for their beliefs that they forget the great ideas behind them in the first place.

Your belief can turn against itself because it is your own interpretation of it. The idea turned to stone through your eyes alone make it not a truth but instead your personal truth with may not be valid at all. If you keep an open mind to the possibility that your idea, however great it is, may be incorrect you are able to move beyond belief to a place where you live your life by great ideas and change course when better ideas come into view. Living inside a belief traps you from seeing a greater idea than the one you already reside in.

Update: I found a really cool quote that goes along with this…

“It is far easier to fight for principles than to live up to them.”
~ Adlai Stevenson

This is not necessarily an out of the ordinary thought or post but it is something that needs to be addressed. It’s hard for me to write about being so close a topic to me but I must speak my mind.

It seems that a lot of people in our country focus on a particular problem and try to fix it in their own ways. This has many benefits but also some downfalls. There seems to be a great disturbance in our society that is forgotten about with many people. What I am talking about is domestic violence.

All through out history women and children have been treated as inferior or lowly compared to the man of the house. When this happens, some men take advantage of their family and loved ones like they are property instead of the equals as they should be. This trend has to stop. Now.

My family has been torn apart by this. It has been a trend that has gone on for generations. My grandmother’s mother, my grandmother, my mom and her sister have all been mistreated and abused by the ones who claimed to love them. This is wrong. I lived my childhood experiencing things no child should like so many others have. I was never physically hurt myself but the pain my family felt was almost more than I could bare.

This is not something we as humans should be doing to eachother. The statistics show over 80% of men who abuse came from an abusive household. That means that I, statistically am 80% likely to be abusive myself. That is scary.

Now, anyone who knows me knows I am a very peaceful person and know I am not like that but so many are and it needs to stop now. This is the generation to do it. We are breaking new ground on equality, finding cures for diseases among so much else and we need to show we are intelligent enough to not lower ourselves to the level of a brute animal.

To the woman or children in this situation. I beg you to leave it. Any one who treats you like this does not respect you or see you as equal. They most likely will not change. That is just how it is. You need to care more about yourself than the person who treats you that way. You deserve love without pain.

To the men of the world. Now is your time to end it. This is our generation and our world now. What we do will define what happens in the next generation. I want you to promise yourself, promise your loved ones, promise God if you have to that you will not abuse, demean, or mistreat the women and children that make this world so beautiful.

I want to here your stories. If you have one related to this topic please leave a comment or if you do not want it to be public, contact me with the form on this site in the contact section. Any submissions requested to keep private will never be read or spoken of to any other person besides me. I promise that. (It’s up to you if you want to trust me).

Stop the chain. Now is the time.