OK maybe my previous RANT was a bit over the top, but...

I am so sick of being bullied, watching kids get bullied, and watching as the world acts as if the victims of such attacks were asking for it, as if they provoked others with their quirkiness, as if their uniqueness was the ultimate catalyst. Why must the world be so cruel? Does everything have to be survival of the fittest? The sad part is that this trait continues on. It doesn't end with childhood. Misconceptions about behavioral norms often let the bullying play out well into adulthood before it is looked at as poor behavior.

I listened to this podcast yesterday on the the 7th Avenue Project . The episode was called Planet Walker the Pilgrimage of John Francis (August 22). John Francis is someone who gave up riding in motorized vehicles and took a 17 year vow of silence in the name of the environment. I shared this podcast with 3 groups of students, all but one, were glued to the essence of the message that was being delivered. We can learn a great deal from listening. Not talking also gives us fewer opportunities to boast about ourselves, which in turn allows others to get to know the "real" person. In response to the podcast I ordered a copy of John Francis's book Planet Walker. I will let you know more after I read.

What if we all took turns and stoped talking, even for a few days. Would we change our views about the persons we feel compelled to attack?

Then again, self promotion has its merits in the line of persistent determination. Today on Fresh Air, Terence Winter explained how his efforts of self promotion actually got him noticed. He talked about what he needed to do to get noticed, which included opening his own agency, backed by a lawyer friend who by a fluke in a previous case was bonded as an agent. Terence Winter promised him 10% of any signings and basically did all the leg work, including playing delivery boy himself. My roomate Linda and I did this once when we were living in Bayside trying to find work in the city. We would dress as bike messengers and deliver each other's CV's to prospective companies. I was amazed at how important documents became when they were hand delievered.

What if we had a friend hand deliver communication to the people who otherwise pay us no mind? Would we open up an opportunity? Maybe give things a fresh outlook?

I write this as I am about to embark on communication with a pretty mouthy bunch. If I stop talking for the next hour will they hear me?