Questions & Calling

"A new factor, that of rapid change, has come into the world. We have not yet learned how to adjust ourselves to its economic and social consequences."

This was a quote used by Steven S. Little during his presentation at our Staff Development day yesterday.  He talked about sustainable growth in a business involving making changes, taking chances, excelling with customers, and just overall being a more productive business.  Even though libraries are non-profit, it still applies.

That quote is from the Harvard Business Review.  In 1932.  It was from the article, The Attack on Depressions, by Wallace B. Donham.  Why do I know this?  Well, Mr. Little told us where it was from initially.  He did not tell us the context though.  I saw and heard that quote and was instantly (or is it instantaneously?) curious about the context of such a quote.  What is it that posed such a change in 1932?  Common sense obviously led me to the depression, so I assumed it was something governmental.  However, it wasn't governmental at all:

Engineers working at Columbia University estimate that, before machinery, no nation ever succeeded in producing and using over 2,000 calories or units of energy per capita per day. This is little if any more than the amount required to feed, clothe and shelter a people living under rigorous conditions.  They contrast this with our present consumption of 150,000 units, or 75 times as much per capita as were used in George Washington's time. I expect their final results to show that at least 90% of this increase has taken place in the last 25 years.

The statements following that quote are startling.  The context of the statement was machinery.  Donham was talking about machinery and the incredible increase in production because of it.  In 1999, 12 exabytes encompassed the amount of information in the world.  In 2006, it was 161 exabytes.  In 2010, in was 988 exabytes.  Soon, we'll be in zettabyte range.  An exabyte is 1 BILLION GIGABYTES.  That's a lot of freaking information.  In roughly a decade, information has increased by over 8000%!  I think that's pretty astounding.

Why am I boring everyone but myself?  Because this is a presentation that solidified my desire in life.  As I sat (and stood) listening to everything that Little had to say, I realized that I was not only listening but I was also asking my own questions about things he said.  He opened by saying that he wasn't a motivational speaker, and he would leave us with questions.  The questions I was left with involved things not exactly related to his presentation:  What was the context for that quote?  Was that thing about the flag's stars and presidents true?  What's the ASL sign for "download?"  Why do they put oats on the crust of bread?  Why doesn't MCPL have video games?

All of these inquiries left me with the feeling that I did find my calling and that I made the right choice.  I really love what I do, and I like finding adventure in the mundane.  I can't tell you how many times that adventure has sprung from the mundane.  So, a presentation that was supposed to raise questions did raise questions.  They were questions that were really off the mark, but they were still raised!

P.S.  I found that article by combing the database Business Source Premier.
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Restless Exhaustion

On a night during which I should have no trouble sleeping, I am kept awake by thoughts.  Earlier, my body was amped up, but my mind was mush.  Now, I find the opposite is true.

What keeps me up?  Introspection.  I always seem to have these conversations with a certain friend that spark further discussion within me.  I don't usually do a lot of self-reflection in a personal capacity.

It's amazing how complicated answers are to simple questions in life.
What makes us happy?
Who are we?
Who do we want to be?
Why do we dream?
Why does the word "green" refer to the color green?
Ok, that last may not be what I think about in a restless state, but nonetheless, someone might.

Self-reflection sucks, and though it's taken me a while, I feel like I know who I am (again).  I also know who and where I want to be, at least professionally.  Privately, I think I'm still trying to figure that out.  Maybe we all are, but I feel like I'm behind.

I'm only thumbs tonight so I can't spew a stream of consciousness onto the screen (they get tired), but there are a lot of thoughts inside this gigantic head of mine.  It's a scary place, and sometimes it amazes me how I cram more stuff in there every day.

A good way to describe my mentality with my personal life?  Laissez-fear.  That's not to say that I am motivated by fear; I firmly believe I am motivated more by love.  Besides the fact that fear just makes the combination of words better, I operate a lot on the notion that something may happen, hindering my happiness.  It's kind of ironic though because I like going on adventures and usually don't have issues with those consequences.  Only when they affect me emotionally do my decisions cause me grief.  Stuff to think about in my delirious half-sleep stuper.

Well, I know that "green" comes from Old English and/or German, and is closely related to "grown", "growing", or "to grow."  It also was used in reference to plants?  Sadly none of those tidbits tell us why "green", in any language, refers to the color green or any of that.

Enough rambling?