Thanks Giving

We ate, we drank. We hugged, we kissed. We enjoyed family and friends (or, at least, tried hard to). We watched a little football or maybe tossed one around. We strolled the neighborhood. And we ate and drank some more.

We took a break from the race, slept in, and celebrated the quintessential American holiday.

But did we do what the holiday is designed for? And, no, we're not talking about being thankful. That's too inwardly focused; far too passive.

Instead, we ask whether we gave thanks? Truly gave thanks? You know, that heartfelt, soulful, unabashed, eyeball-to-eyeball, really-mean-it thank you? The thank you that is followed by a handshake, kiss and/or warm hug? An emotional thank you for health, support, and guidance. To those who give us work. To those who make us laugh. To those who help us listen. To those who cause us to think. To those who inspire. To those who make us better. To those we love.

No, you say? Somehow you made it through the day without stopping to give real thanks? Join the party, because you're apparently not alone.

We're here to tell you that it's not too late. The holiday may be behind us, but the opportunity to give thanks abounds. Seize it! Reach out and thank someone. Truly thank someone for his or her influence on your life. Make a call, write an e-mail, give that hug -- the form isn't nearly as important as the heartfelt gesture (though it's hard to beat a hug).

And then do it again. And again. Until you've thanked everyone significant in your life. You know who they are -- but do they know how important they are to you? Tell them. Tell them all. In the process, you'll make hearts soar. Yours included.

As we urged a few weeks ago in honor of 11/11/11 (November 13 blog), live loud. This is how.

Disorders for a New Century

Have you noticed how we've been overrun, suddenly, with trained psychologists and psychiatrists? How just about everyone can diagnose a behavioral or emotional disorder without the benefit of education, training, testing or, for that matter, any interaction with the individual? And do so on the spot with little -- or any -- real evidence? With complete confidence?

What skill! What insight! What brilliant powers of observation!

What a crock.

Hear of a child who keeps his room very neat? Must be OCD. (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for the few non-psychologists/psychiatrists among us.) Because, after all, what other kind of kid is tidy?

Or someone who is highly organized and prides him or herself on being punctual? OCD, again. Being organized -- once a prized attribute -- is now, according to many, the symptom of a serious emotional problem.

Or what about a student who daydreams and bores easily in class? A clear case of Attention Deficit Disorder, the dreaded ADD. I mean, really. What type of student could possibly allow his or her mind to wander while in class? Or get bored in school? Couldn't possibly be because school might be dull, could it? No way. Must be ADD.

Or a 'bright' child who doesn't do her homework and would rather play video games. Without doubt, the famed ADD. Indeed, it could only be a serious disorder that would drive a 'bright' child to avoid homework in favor of video games. Couldn't possibly be that the child may not be quite so 'bright' or that playing video games is more fun than doing homework? No, it's simply not possible. Not today. Must be a disorder. Must be ADD.

Or an overweight person who eats when not hungry? Of course, an eating disorder. Because only someone with an eating disorder eats when he or she is not hungry. At least now we understand why obesity runs rampant in our country: Eating disorders abound. Can't be because many of us aren't able control the hand-to-mouth-with-soda-or-cookies-in-it action, could it? No. It's much easier to blame a disorder than ourselves. It's not me, it's this damned disorder!

Actually, this quick-to-diagnose reflex may be a disorder unto itself. Ah, a topic for another day.

In response to the uneducated, untrained, unlicensed among us who are eager to diagnose serious emotional and behavioral disorders -- and OCD, ADD and eater disorders are certainly in that category, especially when they inhibit normal, healthy behavior -- I say this: Cease and desist! For two substantial reasons:

1. It's irresponsible.

2. You are likely wrong.

You don't go around diagnosing cancer whenever you see a mole, do you? Or any other medical malady whenever you hear of a pain. So why do you so readily and wantonly ascribe a disorder to what might be a normal set of behaviors or, in the very least, a set of behaviors that can be attributed to something other than a disorder?

Might that kid who's highly organized be just that: Highly organized. (By the way, remember when that a good thing?)

Or what about the student who bores easily in class? Maybe the teach is dull, or the subject matter is uninteresting, or the student has other things on his or her mind?

Or the person who eats to excess? Maybe, just maybe, that person isn't afflicted with a disorder at all. Maybe that person just likes to eat. A lot.

If this sounds a bit emotional, forgive me. It's just that labeling people, without the benefit of a rigorous process, is potentially harmful in itself.

But I understand the need many of us have to attribute behavior to a psychological disorder. (It's one of the reasons I chose this profession.) To that end, I offer two new disorders. Both have yet to be fully documented, so we, together, are on the leading edge of understanding, recognizing and diagnosing each of them. Join me in welcoming two new disorders for the 21st century, currently running rampant throughout our society.

Smartphone Dependence Disorder (SDD). This significant and debilitating behavioral and emotional disorder manifests itself in a continuous and ceaseless connection to and interaction with a PDA. Symptoms of SDD include:

• Frequent holding, fondling, caressing and/or cleaning of the device
• On-going, surreptitious reference to the device, often in one's lap, just below table or desk level
• A belief that the interaction with the PDA is, indeed, secret and not observable by anyone (Hey, if no eye contact is made, how can anyone see what I'm doing?)
• The continuous, invasive thought that some new, exciting, and/or time-critical e-mail may have just been received that requires instant response; and,
• That life as we know it is simply not worth living without constant access to e-mail, texting, Facebook or the Internet.

Therapies to deal with SDD are typically unsuccessful. To date, the only actions seen to be effective in preventing the behaviors associated with the disorder, at least temporarily, include:

1. Physical separation of the device from the owner. A minimum of 5 miles is required.

2. Destruction of the device. Throwing the phone into a large body of water, preferably from a substantial height, has proven to be the most successful approach, although tossing the device onto rocks is also effective. In both cases, it is essential that the person suffering from SDD witness the device's complete destruction. (Note: Mere breakage is not sufficient.)

While the brand of PDA is irrelevant, SDD is more often seen in owners of iPhones. For obvious reasons. That said, they don't call it a Crackberry for nothing.

Bloodless Heart Syndrome. This serious malady appears to be abundant early in the 21st century and, as a result, can be observed widely. It manifests itself with the following fervent beliefs:

• That the poor and others without substantial means/resources should be left to their own devices
• That the poor are poor because they choose to be
• That leaving poverty is within everyone's grasp, requiring only an effort to find a well-paying job
• That taking care of oneself is just that: The need to take care of oneself -- and not rely on government to do so
• That taxing everyone fairly is an outdated, inappropriate concept that's so last century
• That if 2/3 of the world's billionaires are self-made, anyone can do it; and,
• That the best healthcare insurance is to stay healthy.

BHS -- not to be confused with Berkeley High School (Go Jackets!) -- strikes Republicans and Tea Party members with high frequency. Actually, BHS may be a requirement for party membership.

To date, only one treatment has proven effective: Becoming poor. Losing one's home accelerates recovery, especially if that home was bought with a subprime loan.

So, as we head into Thanksgiving, I ask two things:

1. Enough already with the knee-jerk diagnoses of what are serious behavioral and emotional disorders. Leave that to trained professionals.

2. Instead, focus on two readily observable disorders for the 21st century. They have yet to find their way into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, so both are fair game. Go at it! Find the sufferers of SDD and BHS among us.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving. Leave your PDAs at home and eat too much. And don't let anyone accuse you of having a bloodless heart.

Living Loud

In honor of Veteran's Day, this year falling on the perfectly symmetrical date of November 11, 2011 -- you know, 11/11/11 -- we at The Job of Work, along with many of you, can't help but be reminded of that precious scene from Rob Reiner's brilliant 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap in which band member Nigel Tufnel explains to Rob why his amp has the ability to play louder than any others. Check it out.



Hey, if you want your band to be the loudest, you better have amps that go beyond what was previously thought possible, right? Makes sense to us. In a kind of a Nigel Tufnel way, that is.

But maybe Nigel was trying to tell us something. Something important.

Maybe we should all try to live loud, louder than others.

No, we don't mean at the top of our lungs. Not that kind of loud. We mean living loud: With honesty, immediacy, excitement. Authentically. Being truly present. In the moment, in every moment. With awe. With joy.

As if today was our very first day. That's living loud.

(Not as if it were our last day, as many urge. I don't know about you, but if I were to live each day as if it was my last, I'd be watching the clock constantly, concerned with each passing second. I'd also be wondering what I would get for my last meal and whether I should have the curly fries or the mashed potatoes. Pie or cake? I'd also be thinking that there's no need to attend to work since I won't be around tomorrow to deal with the repercussions. No, living each day as if it were our last seems shortsighted, in more ways than one.)

Instead, we hope you live each day as if it's your first. With unbridled curiosity. Like that first day when everything was new. When everything was interesting, full of color and complexity. When you didn't know where the roads led or the planes landed. Where everything was a wide-eyed wonder. Where there was splendor at every turn. When each new day was truly that: Utterly, completely new.

When you asked questions, many questions, most beginning with 'Why?' When each answer led to another question. And another. So open you were to learning, so hungry you were for information, for reason.

When mysteries abounded. When being smart meant you sought answers rather than having them. Where being inquisitive was the ideal. When you could go out and play and, indeed, play. For hours.

That's what we mean by living loud.

So, in honor of 11/11/11 and Nigel, turn it up to 11. Don't hesitate and don't be afraid. You already know how to do it. Give it a try. And here's a thought: Take someone along with you. It might take some 'splainin', as Ricky might say, but it will be worth it. And when you make it, when you're living loud, write to us to tell us what it's like. About how brilliant the images, how wonderful the sounds, how fragrant the aromas, how each new encounter is a universe unto itself.

And after you've been living loud, after you've turned it up to 11, ask yourself this:

Is there any better way to live?

Thanks, Nigel.

Getting America Back to Work, One Person At a Time

The job search we'd love to see:

Wanted:

• Leader of Occupy Wall St., an Emerging Class Revolution. (Exact job title, if there is to be one, to be negotiated with the successful candidate.)

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Create a successful, sustainable socio-political-economic movement
• Provide overall strategic and tactical direction for Occupy Wall St. movement
• Define tangible goals for the movement and gain widespread support for them
  
• Organize efforts in 25+ cities domestically and 30+ cities worldwide
• Generate press coverage (i.e., print, television, digital) to communicate/market movement's agenda and accomplishments
• Capture the hearts and minds of current participants
• Attract a significant number of new participants from both the 99% and 1% population segment, growing the movement significantly to achieve the movement's goals
• Additional duties and responsibilities to be set following the successful incumbent's first year on the job

Skills/Abilities:

• Unparalleled leadership/motivational skills
  
• Outstanding strategic planning and execution skills
  
• Thorough knowledge of the current economic climate, U.S. tax codes, unemployment trends, and both U.S. and global politics
  
• Strong verbal and writing skills
  
• Compelling media presence (i.e., strong on-camera persona, ability to converse fluidly with Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Michael Moore, CNN, the BBC, and NPR)
• Ability to converse fluidly with Fox News optional, given that coverage 0n that network likely won't occur
  
• Excellent marketing/sales abilities
  
• Must be able to distinguish clearly the movement's 99% reference from Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan
  
• Negotiating skills are desired but may not required (unsure if negotiating will occur)
  
• Conversational Spanish highly desired
  
• Must possess thick skin, mind of a successful business leader, soul of a revolutionary (though no requirement to wear a beret)
  
• Ability to work afternoons and nights, as little happens in the morning in a revolution
  
• Willingness to live and sleep outdoors for extended periods
  
• Proven track record of leading a diverse population in a revolutionary cause desired but not required

Extensive travel is anticipated.

Compensation:

The position pays $0 and does not include health benefits or personal time off. All living and travel expenses are the responsibility of the successful applicant. Book deal certain to follow the achievement of the movement's objectives. Television mini-series and/or full-length motion picture also possible. Political office is a distinct possibility (where special interest lobbyists will keep you very well cared for).

Applicant beware: Becoming a member of the 1%, while likely, is to be avoided (or, at least, denied publicly).

To apply:

Send cover letter, bio and photo to this blog. Reference 'occupywallst leader'. Materials must be received by November 30, 2011.

Occupy Wall St. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.