Community, United We Stand.
With all the polarization these days, is this still true?
Unity is literally built into Comm-unity.
Divided, we tear each other apart.
Instead, we could accomplish so much together. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Showing posts with label Diversity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diversity. Show all posts
August 6, 2020
We Are Comm-unity!
With all the polarization these days, is this still true?
Unity is literally built into Comm-unity.
Divided, we tear each other apart.
Instead, we could accomplish so much together. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
July 21, 2020
Short Man Tall Man, What Do You Say
May 27, 2020
The Nail That Stands Out
It gets hammered down!
Deviation from the norm or the groupthink is met with a resounding klop on the head.
You conform or you face the guillotine.
Way too dystopian.
Freedom, individuality, diversity, self-expression—these are the engines of innovation and growth.
If every nail gets hammered down, you have a society that implodes with inbreeders and Stone Age stale ideas.
Tradition is one thing, a closed mind is something that is an extinction level event. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
November 21, 2019
Not WHO They Seem
But they are not all the same.
It's NOT a matter of race, religion, color, sexual orientation, etc. that is important.
But rather it's what is inside people's hearts.
Some hearts are pure in intent (even if not in every deed).
Others are sullied with hate and abuse of others just because they can.
But why hurt others when you can help them?
People are not all the same.
Inside they are different.
Luckily G-d looks at the inside; the outside is just the packaging. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
November 2, 2019
Pyramid of Emotional Intelligence
It starts at the bottom with your own personal self-awareness--knowing who you are, including your beliefs, values, priorities, needs, and dreams, and being able to express this.
Next level is your personal self-control--being able to manage your feelings, control your actions, and cope with challenges and adversity.
Moving to the social level is then social awareness--having a consciousness and respect of others, their feelings, thoughts, motivations, needs, desires, and rights.
Finally, at the top is relationship management--the ability to actively listen and empathize, assert and influence, be patience and unconditionally accept differences, develop trust, give and take, collaborate, and manage conflict.
Most people work on developing these areas of the EI their whole life, and it is definitely a pyramid worthy of the climb. ;-)
(Credit Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
August 14, 2019
Goals Vs. Tactics
Be "flexible in tactics, but stay fixed on the goals!"
There are many ways to accomplish the same thing.
And different people have their own approaches.
As in the lyrics: "You take the high road and I'll take the low road."
That's absolutely okay.
In fact, that's one of the strengths and benefits of diversity.
We bring different ways of looking at the world to the table.
Hence, we can bounce fresh ideas off each other and come to a great way forward.
The main thing is that we focus on our goals and progress to achieve them.
Be rigid on goals and flexible in tactics. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
August 1, 2019
Being Jewish and Proud
With roughly 15 million Jews in a world of 7.7 billion people, we make up less than .2% of the world population. However, despite our small size, we’ve been recognized with over 20% of the Nobel Prizes for contributions to the sciences, medicine, literature, economics, and peace. Most Jews tend to believe not only in a strong core religious education, but in higher education and lifelong learning, and others excel even when starting out and innovating from their garages. From Abraham and Moses to Einstein and Freud, and even to today’s Jews leading the Technology revolution–such as Steve Ballmer, Sergey Brin, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg–the Jewish contribution is truly unparalleled.
Until Mashiach, there will always be some people that hate on us and want to destroy us–perhaps and unfortunately, that’s just who they are. But we choose not be anyone else but Jews, because that’s who we are–and there is every reason to be ourselves, maintain our faith of thousands of years, continue to make awesome contributions that benefit mankind, and be forever proud to be a Jew.
(Photo Credit: Andy Blumenthal)
June 15, 2019
Don't Call Me Sir!
In a split second, the officer zeros in on me and admonishingly says: "I’m not a Sir!" I’m taken aback, as I watch the officer speak, their face hardened and angular and their full mustache rising and falling with their words.
It's Pride Month, and I learned a valuable lesson in sensitivity, respect, and diversity and that in short:
Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, Jewish Lives Matter, All Lives Matter! We are all children of G-d. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
January 21, 2019
August 19, 2018
East Meets West In The Holy Land
The modern State of Israel is truly the embodiment of this oneness and this diversity. The Jewish Nation-State Law embodies this concept where Israel is defined as the national homeland for the Jewish People, yet it is democratic, open and welcoming to everyone. For Jewish people, there are Ashkenazi Jews and there are Sephardi Jews. And at the same time, there are people of faith, Christians, Muslims, Druze, and others from all over the globe.Hope you enjoy.
(Photo credit: Andy Blumenthal)
July 6, 2018
The Diversity Tapestry
"We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value, no matter what their color [or race, or origin, or religion, or age, or gender, or sexual orientation, or disability]."
Ok, I added the "or" statements at the end.
But the point is the same and important.
Discrimination, bigotry, prejudice, and bias are stupid.
They are a function of ignorance.
- We learn from diversity.
- Life is richer with diversity.
If everything was in monocolor...if life was homogeneous...if there was only one type of everything, then what type of humdrum, monotonous, and boring place would this be?
Value the variety. Value the diversity. Value the differences.
They make us better and stronger than we could ever otherwise be. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 25, 2018
Left Handshake Is Right
Occasionally, when someone tries to shake my hand, instead of shaking with my right hand, I will take their hand in my left.
I'll do this for various reasons such as arthritic pain or from dirt (like ink or cleaning ) from some prior work I was doing.
But always when I extend my hand it is with warmth and friendship.
However, I learned that one person took this handshake as a serious personal affront.
They thought that I was "disrespecting" them intentionally.
So I learned that even the most everyday, mundane gestures like a handshake, but done differently, can be taken out of context and misinterpreted.
Why do we judge others for the bad?
Maybe because we don't trust, don't want to ask, don't want to know, or have had bad experiences in life that jade us.
But sometimes a handshake is just a handshake whether with the right or left hand.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
February 12, 2018
The Culture Key To Organizational Success
I believe this is especially the case in terms of three critical competency areas:
- Communication - needs to be timely, constructive, multi-directional, and with emotional intelligence.
- Trust - must be be based on honesty and integrity including consistently supporting the success of everyone professionally and as a organization.
- Collaboration - must be be anchored in respecting, valuing, empowering, and rewarding each and every person for their views and the contributions, both individually and as team members, and in treating diversity and collaboration, as a true force-multiplier.
If any of these elements are missing or broken then it does not seem to me that the organization will be able to be successful for the long term.
Organizational success is built on ingredients that strengthen the ties of leadership and individuals and that foster contribution as individuals and as team members.
No amount of smart, innovative, and even hard work, in my mind, will make up for shortfalls in these critical organizational success factors.
So when planning for organizational success, make sure to build these in from the get-go.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
November 8, 2017
It's All In The Interpretation
A guy calls up the car service hotline and asks for help with his car.
What's the matter?
Well the car works perfectly in the daytime, but it refuses to drive at night.
The lady on the customer service line is baffled.
Then he explains:
- During the daytime, I just put the car into "daytime" (D) mode, and it drives fine.
- But then at night, I put it into the "nighttime" (N) mode, and it doesn't move.
- What's worse yet, when another car tried to jump ahead of him, he puts the transmission into "race" (R) mode, and he ends up hitting the car behind him!
At this point, the customer service representative is completely cracking up laughing.
Apparently not everyone has the same notion of "drive" (D), "neutral" (N), and "reverse" (R)--and frankly, maybe we shouldn't take so much in life for granted. ;-)
(Source Photo: here with attribution to AliExpress)
September 1, 2017
From My Cats To Yours
Whether you're an orange, red, or green cat.
It doesn't matter--you are a cat!
All cats gotta get along.
Might does not make a right in any catfight.
But brotherhood of cats does us all good.
Does every cat need to stand up for it's daily food?
Sure, but there is more than enough catfood and nip to go around.
I like to be in a great cat sea purring and frolicking all day long.
Live and let live--and love--all cats and dogs and people and others!
And from the great Martin Luther King Jr.
"We must learn to live together as brothers
or
perish together as fools."
Shabbat shalom and happy Labor Day holiday weekend!
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
August 17, 2017
Ok To Be Ourselves!
While perhaps normally I wouldn't just post this to my blog...
I thought that in light of the report that came out of 917 hate groups operating right now in the United States, that I would take this as an opportunity to be me.
To hell with all the haters out there!
- The more they hate us, the more I will love my Jewishness.
- The more they try to stamp out our religious freedom, the more I will relish in it.
- The more they try to kill us, the more I will live as a Jew.
No more Holocausts...no more bigotry...no more hate--it is enough! ;-)
August 13, 2017
Derangement Of Conscience
They represent the worst of what human beings have to offer--hate, bigotry, and violence.
The event was culminated when a car driven by one of these hate-mongers apparently intentionally slammed into a crowd of anti-protester and killed a 32-year old woman and injured 19 others--what a sick, sick soul!
This miserable event just 2 days shy of 2-months from when Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA) and 4 others were shot at a baseball field in Alexandria, VA by another nut job from the alt-left.
Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) said it right when he stated on national TV last evening:
"The hate and division must stop, and it must stop right now."
But as we face large, looming enemies on the international scene -- like dangerous Axis of Evil, North Korea and Iran -- with weapons of mass destruction aimed at our shores and cities, all we can do is hate and fight internally.
What is wrong with this country now -- when so many seem to have abandoned personal integrity and national unity -- and shoot verbally and physically at each other instead of at the real enemies that seek to lay waste to our beloved homeland of the free and the brave?
Soon the missiles will reign down and the hate will smelter in the derangement of conscience.
(Source Photo: Twitter)
July 22, 2017
Hate Proliferates
Identity Evropa is yet another hate group--this one focuses on people of European ancestry and their website claims, "We are the future."
But whether you come from Europe or Asia, the Middle East or Africa, America or the moon, aren't we all just people at the end of the day.
Who cares whether your black or white or yellow or brown, or what religion you practice, or your gender, or sexual orientation, or whether you lean left or right.
At the end of the day, are we all not flesh, do we all not bleed, have we all not hopes and fears, do we all not answer to the one G-d Above.
Hate proliferates from our farm belts to our inner cities, from our universities to our board rooms, from the gazillionaire to the guy who has to shovel shit for a living, from our nasty national politics to the United Nations, there is plenty of hate and bias and bigotry to go around.
Look to the Heavens, cry a bitter tear, your hatred is your self-destruction.
You will pray with an evil and hate-filled heart and none will answer you.
The living G-d of Hosts who created us and loves all his children will not stand idly as hate and supremacy of one over another presides.
The chains of our affliction, the bullet to the back of the head, the noose and the death camps, the whip, the gas, and the ovens, the hunger, the sick experiments, and the slave labor.
Only G-d is supreme over all and those that seek an advantage on the backs of their brethren will find themselves a fiery hell to contend with.
From just a little gnat to a growing tumor--that is all that it takes to bring justice and re-level the supremacy playing field and teach who is the King of Kings and there is no other. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
July 13, 2017
Folks Hating Folks
And hating on each other...
Someone told a funny story the other day about this:
"She don't like her.
He don't like him.
And the supervisor says, I don't like none of y'all, now get back to work!"
At the end of the day, we're all different, and we're all sort of the same.
Maybe we have to look past the petty stuff, and learn to get along and get things done!
At the end of the day, we're all better off loving and getting it reciprocated--and so on and so on. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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