Peacemakers war…

Something that I have found very common when working as a volunteer is the subliminal silent internal war over everyday activities within any particular organisation.

Veterans vs. Cadets

People with more experience are very protective over their positions and about the “way that things must be”.

Most veterans got their “medals” doing hard jobs at a time when no specialization was available or even necessary, all they had was the rule book and they did very well at that time.

Today we are living in an era of the most explosive scientific discoveries and it is pushing the more conservative approach to review positions.

Daily and sometimes hourly science reviews mean that people are constantly having to change their positions. There is no longer just one possibility and there is no more space for inflexibility.

The tactical and strategic attack and defence of the veterans is maintained by “how things must be done” and “how to follow the rules”.

Doing it they are absolutely shielded. It means that communication only flows if everything is perfect, and by “seeking the perfection”.  Mainly it is a contradiction; there is no perfection in a sea of variables.

The tactic of newcomers is to reduce the work of the veterans by exposing them to their lack of specialization and new knowledge of resources by spreading rumours and gossip or trying to ensure the veterans are unable to form polarized groups which in turn could affect the unity of the organization. 

The only conversation allowed at the veterans HQ will be the selfish overconfident like: “I do it by the book, so, you must do the same”. Then it gets sick by promoting the conversation to the level of “look how wrong people do it”. The gas grenades of patronizing people are a tactical action to ensure that the veterans’ positions are safe, so the attachment to the book becomes powerful and can be continually used against the cadets.

The other powerful weapon on both sides of this war is that of gossip, the low voices tingling at environment corners, the silent criticism of the body language disapproving things as they are not in the “perfect order” or if they are not in the way that both sides wants to see things done.

Gossips are a clear sign of lack of professionalism and maturity. Each side needs to consider that devaluing each other spreading rumours causes damage to the entire system.  Devaluation devaluates everything. Both sides are reducing each other powers by devaluation and the end result will be a much devaluated organization with no confidence in itself and it will be spread to the public knowledge and concept of it.

The only way to the centre of a blank is the mistake, if you don’t experience the acceptance of the mistake you are never going to correct the position to the centre. If you agree with this logic, that means that you will need to put a stop to criticism of others’ mistakes. We all mistaken.

Veterans are important, they are the living experience and columns of everything, they did suffer things unimaginable today and they kept the name of their organization at the top.

Learning is a fantastic process, there is nothing better than learning from someone who has experience, people that have a wealth of information at their fingertips because they have lived and breathed it. They are masters of transferable skills.

Again, if new cadets look at the veterans only as something that need to be replaced it will again show lack of intelligence, respect, professionalism etc. Again, it will bring contradiction to the level of the helpers, volunteers that don’t understand their first priority.  Helpers must think about what they are…

… “We are helpers, people who understand situations and deal with it so we can make things better, more peaceful, etc. we bring a solution.”

New cadets are not at the level of replacing everything, and the idea of complete replacement is never achievable.

Nevertheless, there are new techniques, new materials, technologies, new concepts of leadership, new knowledge, new devices to teach better, something new every day. Veterans must know that if they do not allow new things and new people to do better it will discourage them and those people who have the potential to bring enthusiasm and bring new life into the organisation will be gone forever as they will find a different organization to empower. By stopping these very people,  the organization will lose expertise and specialists within their field. Protectionism damages powerful organizations.

When an organization that is in dire need of a changeover for a new generation, it is essential this is done using the wisdom of discipleship. If you gain respect it will be appreciated by others. It is much better to be an empathic teacher than a commander.

Cadets are Veterans of the past; remember that it wasn’t easy on you, so how do you make their path easier today? Friendliness is much more likely to go down well than bossiness.

So, veterans who are on duty need to respect the new generations and vice-versa, otherwise it will lead to dispute.

Voluntary jobs are services, so we are servants of others by free will. Volunteers do things freely, with generous hearts for helping others. So if volunteers do not help and do not highly value their colleagues there is no point in serving anybody else. The best training in an organization that offers services is first of all to be internally-minded, the first motivation is that staff, whether they are volunteers or not, should be the highlight of team attitude.

The anti-war weapons are still super effective.

Things like:

“Would you mind helping me with this?”

“Could you please?”

“Thank you”

“You are VERY welcome”

“Let me show you how it could be better”

“Please, show me how you could do better than me”

“I do appreciate that”

“Could I?”

“May I?”

“Nice job, well done”

“I am sure that you can do this better, is there anything I can do to help?”

“Is there someone better than me that I could ask to help?”

Sure there are many other phrases that you may know.

Let me finish this blog page with one of my quotes and a better famous one.

“When your knowledge makes you proud there are no more spaces to fulfil. It is a feeling of completeness.

When your knowledge makes you humble it shows that no matter how much you know,

You already had learned that you are going to find space to learn something new, different or better.”   Paul McCullough

“You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one” John Lennon

By Paul McCullough

There is no supermarket for emotions…

There is no supermarket for emotions…

Something about our brain is that when we talk about it looks like we are talking about a different entity living inside of us.

True, but not completely true.  Brain thinks by it self and it self is you... Looks like a paradox but it isn’t.

Let’s just assume that your brain is kind of a living entity that controls you even when you don’t realise it.

Our brain is very selfish and never cares about irrelevant things such quality, almost never.

Brain likes to be completed, if brain needs something it goes for it.

For example food, if your brain needs proteins, you are going to be compelled to find the proteins, but your brain will not tell you where or what it the best source, your brain will tell you: “go, and find it.”

If your brain needs water it will push you to drink, brain doesn’t really cares where you are going to find water; the only think that it cares is that you obey the command “go, find water now”.

That is why people get over weighted. Brain needs to make sure that lipids and proteins, glucoses etc are always available; it will store loads of metabolised food on your body, the reason is that food should be there “just in case” your brain needs more. As your brain is selfish and it wants really to make sure of things… you going to get more than you need.

Your brain doesn’t really cares about your beauty, or the quality of the food that you are eating.  Everything that a matter is you has to supply your brain needs and that is it.

Your part on the process is your conscientiousness, you have to think, where is the good water, what is the best food, what is the right amount of this and that.

That is why supermarket exists, we classify and organize things to better supply our brain needs.

At the supermarket every thing should have excellent quality, validations dates that helps us to select the best elements that supply our needs. Supermarkets are the brain heaven, everything is nice and fine over there, helps you to find the needs, but again, you have to do your part, understanding how to use the goods that your brain needs.

Emotions are also something that your brain does for you.  Brain produces feelings that help you to deal with your life, for ex:  if you are in pain you cry, if you need hug and kiss you are in love, if you hammer your finger with something, you are going to swear nice words with anger. Again and again your brain are behind the feelings saying what is the need and commanding you “go and get It.” or   “careful, it hurts.” or “hey that is fun I want more.” Etc…

But the difference between emotions and food supply are huge, there is no feelings supermarket on real life for build a good diet or to ensure the quality of goods related to feelings.

Your brain will command very selfishly you to “go and get it and do it now.” You the responsible to find good quality and good balance to supply your brain as best as you can, because your brain is quiet blind about quality and so and so. You have to find the good ones, the balance ones, and up to date ones.

Remember your brain likes to store things “just in case…”  Brain never likes to be uncovered. The process with emotions will be the same as food is. You going to buy things that you don’t really need. But your brain likes it because of the “just in case” effect.

Dealing with emotions is really difficult, you have to hunt for the best ones, and there are no markets that supply you with the best.  The best ones are  very difficult to find, and you have to put a great effort to find them.  Your brain doesn’t like to wait, brain time is something that you have to learn how to control.  Your brain will push you to do it now but you have to be responsible to offer good quality.  

Do not pay attention to your brain when it is compelling you to do something, tell it... “Hey you up there… wait a bit, I will find you good things, and so be patient.”

Search for good relationships, it will supply the “store it” effect.

Deal with your bad feelings, they are not good for your brain, don’t buy it or don’t use it. If something does not smell good don’t take it.  Trash it.

If you feel that feelings inside of you are constantly painful or depressing it is very certain that you ate some emotional products with questionable quality. Through out it, because it is going to inflame your emotional system and you going to need help and medicine to cure the inflamed thing.

If you are storing things that you don’t need, you are going to be emotionally fat. It means that to get back to ideal good shape you are going to work it out a lot, or at the contrary it will make you emotionally lazy slow.

As there is no supermarket that preselects things for you, you have to build your own pattern of what is good and healthy.

So, when something new comes to your life… smells it, touch it and shake it. 

Make sure that it supplies you best.