This is the start of a new series: Squares of Quotations. Every posting will focus on the balance between two good things and on their respective exaggerations (see info box below).

Today's topic: Destiny or Self-Determination?

Lots of attitudes we find annoying (in others as well as in ourselves) are maybe just exaggerations of an element of truth. When we give such an attitude a closer look, we feel that there is simply a need for a counterbalancing attitude.

As soon as we feel annoyed by how another person behaves, we might as well look for the element of truth in it and show our appreciation for it. That will make it easier to suggest a counterbalancing behavior, in order to highlight a path of improvement.

Of course one can also exaggerate the counterbalancing element of truth, possibly in an attempt to compensate for what was found to be too extreme, in the first place. Obviously, such an overcompensation isn't helpful either.

Two elements of truth plus their respective exaggerations form a square of values, describing paths of positive development. The concept of a Square of Values was first described by Paul Helwig (unfortunately, link in German only). Later, Friedemann Schulz von Thun extended it to include paths of positive developments, too. Only the form of a Square of Quotations is my own invention.

Self-Determination versus Destiny

«If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.» Henry Ford (1863-1947)		«God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.» Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
«What the mind of man can conceive and believe, It can achieve.» Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)		«Fate rules the affairs of mankind with no recognizable order.» Seneca (5 v. Chr. - 65 n. Chr.)

What are your thoughts on this? Please leave a comment!

«Opening Gifts» © Omer Ziv

Holidays and birthdays always come as such a surprise, don't they... ;-) ?

From secular occasions like wedding anniversaries, to Valentine's Day, to New Year, to religious events like Christmas, Layla tul Mehraj, Vesak, Holi or Passover - all around the globe, many people ask themselves every year: how can I make a friend or loved one happy and make or find a special present for her or him?

There are gifts to avoid, gifts you can do yourself (DIY) and appropriate times to start.  »

«Vieanna» © Ian WoodsHere's a disclaimer: I wrote this posting because I'm fed up with spammers, telemarketers and nosy companies that try to squeeze out each and every bit of information they can get from me, be it for resale, preparing unsolicited phone calls or mailing me their boring newsletters.

This article is for you if you feel the same. If you're looking for support in becoming Mr Fraud, please go away. And when you've read this posting, stay aware that everything mentioned here is available to everybody, and there is always somebody who may or even will try to use it against you. I recommend visiting the Digital Identity Forum for more thorough discussions of identity issues that go beyond practical aspects.

The fifth part of this mini series on protecting your inbox shows you how to maintain temporary inboxes that yo can dispose of at any time, whenever they start getting abused.  »

«Rabbit Bread» © swruler, «Feld1» © carlsonimkellerJust kidding...

But please consider what Al wrote on his blog (saw this first as a guest posting on Stephen's great HD Biz Blog):

it is now commonplace to have hundreds of emails in the inbox daily. There are 120,000 blogs created every day. Clearly, there exists information overload, and the only way to rise above the noise is the ability to add true knowledge. Information still needs to make an impact at the knowledge level, but the management of information is getting harder. This is evolution of the Information Age, not revolution.
(Al)

Knowledge is to information as bread is to grain. So - do you need to make bread from grain yourself if all you want is to eat bread? No. Why, then, would you want to pick all the news grains from all RSS fields across the world, when all you want is the big picture?

The third part of this mini series on protecting your inbox shows you how to stay up-to-date in the blogosphere without tracking each and every RSS feed out there yourself.  »

The Great Wall, by Herbert Ponting (1907)

The Great Wall concept was revived again during the Ming Dynasty following the Ming army's defeat by the Mongols in the Battle of Tumu in 1449. The Ming had failed to gain a clear upper-hand over the Mongols after successive battles, and the long-drawn conflict was taking a toll on the empire. The Ming adopted a new strategy to keep the Mongols out by constructing walls along the northern border of China. Acknowledging the Mongol control established in the Ordos Desert, the wall followed the desert's southern edge instead of incorporating the bend of the Huang He.

Unlike the earlier Qin fortifications, the Ming construction was stronger and more elaborate due to the use of bricks and stone instead of rammed earth.

As Mongol raids continued periodically over the years, the Ming devoted considerable resources to repair and reinforce the walls.

(from: Wikipedia article on The Great Wall)

Are you devoting considerable resources, too, to protect your time? Are you getting more and more sophisticated in your fight for an empty inbox?

And does it turn out to be as futile as the Great Wall ultimately proved to be? Do you have to retreat, step by step? Too many hordes of spammers and other time wasters raiding your northern schedule territories, establishing strongholds in regions that belong to you, at least in theory?

Well - what if actually they aren't raiders, but came at your invitation?

In this mini-series on inbox protection, I'll describe how you possibly opened the gates to some time-wasting scourges - and how you can close the gates again.

The series

So far, there are the following postings:

• Protect your inbox (1): RSS feed frenzy and blog carnivals
• Protect your inbox (2): Scrub your RSS subscriptions
• Protect your inbox (3): Goodbye RSS
• Protect your inbox (4): Go async!
• Protect your inbox (5): Dispose yourself