Just Plain Bill

The Law of Unintended Consequences

I had the occasion to drive on the road east of Bakersfield, on the way to Barstow, where over six feet of mud had recently engulfed more than 30 cars. The incidents of flash floods and mudslides are not uncommon in that area, resulting from short but concentrated rains that come from time to time.

What was unusual about this storm and resulting trapping (and probably totaling) of many vehicles falls into the category of what I'd call the “Law of Unintended Consequences” based on the following: Cal Trans took four-foot high dividers and built a dividing wall, intending to make safer the windy highway with its serious down grade, by preventing cars from head-on crashes on the curves.

While traveling this road a day after it re-opened (after experiencing an 80 mile detour a week prior), I noticed the stain line caused by the collected mud on those concrete dividers. It was apparent the dividers compounded the damage from the collected mud, since they prevented the flow of the rainwater and mud to dissipate across the road. Without the dividers, the mudslides most likely would not have trapped, stopped, and engulfed the eastward traveling vehicles.

Hindsight as they say is 20-20, but it was interesting to observe this particular case of the unintended results of action purposefully taken with the intent to make things better.

Just Plain Bill

 Intrigued by Celestial Bodies and Time

We recently had a celestial event when we experienced a rare, “red moon” or “blood moon” eclipse; the moon was at its closest distance to Earth and in the Earth’s shadow. It’s a remarkable combination that hadn’t occurred since 1982 and won’t be viewed again for 18 years. 

As a youngster, I suppose like most people, I took the daily rising and setting of the sun for granted, as a matter of routine or simply as the natural order of things. However, it wasn’t too long before I experienced intrigue when something out of the ordinary would occur, whether it was a lunar or solar eclipse, or even a northern California earthquake.

Even daylight savings time was intriguing to me. It changed my usual pattern between sunup and sundown, which I thought was cool, as it gave me more time to play during the day. In fact, I’m of the age to have experienced double daylight savings time and year-round daylight savings time during World War II, when it stayed light until after 10 o’clock in the evening.

As an adult, I have to admit I’ve come to dislike the changing of the clock twice a year. My body is too used to “regular” time. But my mind? Far less so. Concerning the expected patterns of time, books and movies have presented radically different ideas of how time and the heavenly events are changed in various fictional ways. I’ve become enamored with the concept of time travel, and the possibilities of going backward and forward in time.

In fact, I think I just noticed movement out of the corner of my eye that I’m sure is coming from a different dimension.

Did you see it too?

Just Plain Bill

Did anybody notice?

The recent celebration of Halloween, the change from Daylight Savings back to standard time, and the later celebration of the Day of the Dead made it a long and intense weekend, plus a day or so. Did anyone notice that I missed posting my weekly blog for only the second time in nearly three years?

Regrettably, I did, and I have no dramatic reason or excuse except that I got really, really busy.

Admittedly, I primarily write my blog for my own purposes – to juggle my creative writing stuff, to see if I can maintain a certain level of discipline, and to see if there's an occasional comment from a follower. I know I need to add some icons to my blog to allow my readers the ability to forward my blog for others to read. I must do that as a New Year's resolution - once someone can show me how to do it in Blog Spot!

So, trust you're Halloween, your time change, and your celebration of the Day of the Dead were all enjoyable, or at least memorable!

Just Plain Bill

True or False: Competition is Natural

to the Human Condition

Throughout my life, I’ve always felt that competition, while persuasive, was not necessarily conducive to producing the best results. That feeling probably came from the reality that I was not very good at games. My lack of coordination was quite evident on the playground, resulting in my consistently being picked last on playground teams my entire grade school career. In short, I just wasn’t very coordinated, strong, or fast. (Yet, in spite of that unfortunate beginning, I became the leader in physical fitness in Marine Corps boot camp, earned my brown belt in Judo in Japan, and was a college wrestling champion.)

In academics, I was lazy, but got by on my innate intelligence, not really studying because I didn’t sense any value coming from being “smart.” Case in point: I underwent a psychological exam upon being hired by the YMCA in the early 60s, scoring 138 on an IQ test. The doctor asked why I hadn’t done better in school, or been a natural leader of some type.

While I’ve been teaching school - after a 37-year break – I first noticed the surprising impact of offering a “reward” for performance to students working on a computer typing game. This steered me back to a book I’d read almost 30 years ago, No Contest, by Alfie Kohn.  Amazon describes the focus of the book as follows: “No Contest stands as the definitive critique of competition. Contrary to accepted wisdom, competition is not basic to human nature; it poisons our relationships and holds us back from doing our best.”  Kohn “…argues that the race to win turns all of us into losers.” (This book followed another by Kohn, one that also generated a great deal of controversy in the public schools: Punished by Rewards.)

One of the most striking statements Kohn makes is the following:

“That most of us consistently fail to consider the alternatives to competition is a testament to the effectiveness of our socialization.” (7-8)

Is Kohn saying that my socialization, the influences of my surroundings, the impact of media, the expectations of my parents and other adults, those things that shape my perception create a reality that is beyond my control?

So to make any progress in combating the pressure to compete, I’d have to address all the factors that go into our socialization process? That’s a heady thought – and one to be pursued in a later post.

In the meantime, what do you think about the role that competition has played in your life?