Selflessness - Playing for the Team

[Originally written on 09-Feb-2009]

Coach Dan Herr and '08 Truckee JV Boys Basketball

Don’t think about winning, don’t think about the score…play for the moment…play in the now…the rest will follow

Every member of a team has a job, a role…you may not always like your role, but you have to play it. If you are in the game, you have a role, if you are the 6^th man, you have a role, if you are riding the bench you have a role (cheer the team on…help the coaches out). If you play your role, giving up the selfish ego, we will win as a team…and everyone likes winning

Its not about winning…its about being

Personal Reflections when Steve Jobs Passed

We are all going to be dead a really long time and we only have this short while to be so free and interact with the world so willingly.

Why, if this is the case, would we do anything other than make the most of every moment, pursue our dreams and visions that are our own to the fullest, and listen, love and live with intensity, integrity, and ingenuity; experiencing what is, dreaming of what can be; and making what will be with the now.

Fundamental Change

Change... How hackneyed, overdone, overused, rhetoricized, Obama-ized, falsely sold, over-promised and under-delivered.

I won't get into politics as the leaders of our government are in offices with responsibilities far beyond conception of most of us, with unreasonable expectations set by us, and millions if moat billions of voices to answer to. And for full disclosure I believe that the Obama administration is doing the best job that they know how to given the situation and set of circumstances that all by the eldest and wisest of us have not seen. But I digress to the point...

We all signed on for "change" because we believe

You go... go now...

I believe in inspiration through action, creativity and analysis in design, and experience by jumping into the fire. What about you?

Life in real life the world around

Many people will say this country has issues and most I'll treat it as some unquantifiable, incomprehensible force that controls other people, but somehow does not affect them. The fact that this country has issues deep rooted is termed a problem for the scholars of yesteryears and something our forefathers would be ashamed of.

But what really is this problem? It's definitely not something beyond our capabilities if we just care to take a few moments to give them notice. It's one of those tasks like listening to the stories of our grandparents... It's something you've always said you should do, but you keep pushing it off year after year assuming the time will come at some point. Or even that vacation, or even more that epic adventure you always said you'd have... That time to get away from everything and buy a one-way ticket to the other side of the world. Or even just that sports event of your kids'... It's just one game, he'll live. I'll. Make it next time.
Next thing you know those aspirations of your youth are not but dreams suppressed and hidden away as we call them former immature and childish ambitions.

The building of a my Modus Operandi

In an effort to explain what I know and believe in business, to put forward what is at heart the fore of what I want my company to do, I define the following in speaking for we the people of of the company:
"We are not hired sales men; we are Engineers. We are not here to sell the latest fad; we believe in designed solutions. We will not sell you what is not right for you; we hold ourselves to a higher standard, a strict code of ethics, and a belief in a brighter and better land. We believe in providing solutions to our community of friends, not sales to unfamiliar constituents. We believe our customers should become our friends, not pathways to dollar bills. We believe a company’s method of operating, their Modus Operandi, should not simply be the way business has always been done, but the way it should be done. Not a status quo, but a constant aspiration for improvement and betterment of our business, our community, and our environment. We believe in the “Why” behind what we do, the future of generations untold, the prosperity of the planet as a whole, and ultimately, we believe in helping you."

How Green?

The fact of the matter is that “Green-Washing” is prevalent the world around. Green Building here, Green Energy There, Go Green, we say, as if it is a switching of a light from evil to sublime environmental utopia; but the truth is that there are shades of Green. Yes we all want to “Go Green”, we all want to make a difference and be eco-conscious in our ways. If we are given the choice for free, or course we will “Go Green.” The real question is how green? Does replacing one light-bulb with Compact-Fluorescents have the same impact as riding your bike to work every day? Sure, we would say these are both “Green”, but how green? Is reducing the nation’s waste by 10% more “Green” than cleaning up the Plastic Flotilla in the Pacific Ocean? Is using Photovoltaics, Solar-heating, and recycled water irrigation systems more “Green” than building a Cob or Rammed-Earth House? Is LEED Certification more “Green” than an Earthship? Is “Green” an on-or-off claim? Are you saving the earth or killing it? Are you good or bad? Are you a shade of green?

A solid rating system needs to be developed to give a quantitative value for the relative sustainability of products, services, businesses and styles of living. The idea is to say, if everyone in the world were living as you are living, using the given product as you are using it, performing business day in and day out as you are, what is the potential lifespan of your actions and effects upon the world around you. Businesses and People alike should have Sustainability Audits.

My initial impression of the rating system would be the inverse of a logarithmic function where the high end sustainability numbers (say 100%) are extremely hard to achieve. Ultimately if you wish to achieve the 100% Sustainable Mark, you must be able to perform your actions as you do now into infinity without any substantial change. In between we should be considering:

Alternative two seems most appropriate for getting individuals and businesses to buy into the idea of being “Green” as it is easy to take the initial steps with minimal effort; whereas, Alternative one would likely create a better bell-shaped distribution of lifetimes with a median just up-hill of the inflection point allowing you to effectively establish a standard by precedent.

All facets of the rating system are relative, interrelated, and dynamic, though based upon present values. For example, if we were to calculate the Percentage of Sustainability of a Bottle of Water, we would consider the consumption of Petroleum Products at Current Levels and solely change the Bottled Water Market’s contribution to new petroleum and recycled bottle consumption.

Requirements:

Product, service, or practice audit of resources required for finished product.

Share of global market of each individual resource required

Estimated amount of resource potentially available for each required resource

Current Average Consumption of product, service, or practice

Global Population

Some Limitations:

Based upon the concept of rating for this system (based upon timeline of depletion of resources), levels of sustainability are subject to change due to other industries. For example, petroleum was no longer the preferred fuel for transportation, water bottle consumption would suddenly become more sustainable.

Every day you live you die a little more. Only so many days left on the clock.
If every day you're dying tomorrow why not live in the fullest today?
- Daniel Herr 31-May-2010

[Updated 16-Nov-2011]
I just read Steve Jobs' quote a few weeks ago... Kinda neat to compare his to mine:

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap
 of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.
There is no reason not to follow your heart."

Dollars = Devil?

Hope

People need to know that they can always be deeper, that life can always get worse…people need to live the stories firsthand…know, see, hear people that have been there and are back… people long for hope… to see that they can make it where they want to go and show them a baby step that you help them achieve… make that difference a reality in their life… make it happen and show them that change is real…change can and does happen… people are capable of doing more than they would admit, accept, or realize

Praise-free action

Something I have firmly learned in my travels is that you feel so much better about life when you do something for someone else expecting nothing in return. Helping someone beyond what they expected and receiving praise for simple actions above and beyond. By taking initiative and doing what is needed and never asked; what is appreciated more than you know but hidden with all but the slightest hints.

Existence Beyond Us

What is the existence beyond us? Why are we convinced that there is more than just the physical? What is the world beyond the rational, the logical, the predictable rule-filled world we live in? What else are we a part of? How do I explain the happening that I have seen before, the occurrences that I knew would come? How do I explain vivid dreams that come to life before my very eyes? How do I explain the connection with more than just myself, occurrences that must be more than just coincidence… coincidences that are so predictably expected, though illogical and devoid of mere hap-and-circumstance? How do you explain being guided at exactly the moment you need it? How do you explain finding the answers before you have the questions? Why do we have the propensity for looking for spiritual company, divine explanation, and deeper-rooted connection regardless of background, culture, or location? Does that mean there must be something else? Does that mean we are part of something greater? Is it just our escape and explanation for that which we do not understand?

Where does life take you without reason? Where do you take yourself? Who else and what else plays a factor? What makes the golden rule/ karma/reaction so very real and true? How much does our own state of mind affect our entire being?

Cradle to Grave Design and Sustainability

As with television where the argument has become that children need better programs to aid in their development and ensure their head are not filled with violence…The issue is they are watching too much TV…Don’t address the symptoms…oh, you’re sick, whats wrong?...ok here are some drugs to make you not feel bad and fool your body into thinking you are okay…what about addressing the underlying issue…for example, your back hurts because you have a leg shorter than the other; you are sick all the time because you are mal-nutritional and stressed; you aren’t sleeping at night because you don’t feel fulfilled and you don’t get any exercise during the day…instead we say, ok here are some pain killers for the back, some flu vaccinations and anxiety med to keep you from getting sick and stressed, and take these sleeping pills before you go to bed at night…Oh yeah, and here are some more pills to treat the side effects from what we have you before…Really? REALLY?! WAKE UP!...Oh that’s right, you don’t care to look at the problem or the root of the problem…work consistently as hard as you can…buy lots of crap…that’s how you get through life…isn’t it?...

Architects, Designers, Land Planners, and Governments need to perform the same self evaluations and rethinking as Modern Medicine Doctor. No more can we go, okay lets build a box that is completely impractical and simple and throw some other boxes on the side. We’ll keep out all the evil sunshine, air, heat, weather out then add lots of lights and heat in it..Oh, but wait we don’t want to have a huge power bill, so how do me make it more energy efficient?...That’s working backwards! How about designing buildings intelligently, practically, useful, naturally integrated, spiritually significant, unique (but not at the loss of practicality), from what is locally available, and that uses what is naturally given in the surrounding environment….and how about this, no turf farms in the desert where they won’t grow, no palm trees in alpine ranges, no swimming pools right next to a lake, natural light, collection of rain water… I mean, come on people…seriously.

But we in and of ourselves cannot sit and say, you are wrong…what the hell. We need to go back and look at why nations and populous simply look at the overlying issues, the symptoms. Somewhere in our lives there has been something that stimulated us to ensure that we took action. People that come together to stimulate change in policy, in environment, in living conditions, in design, in our future; we have all had some calling card; some series of events that has led us here, some certain experiences that have proved in our own minds that:

·         This world is worth saving/preserving/conserving for the benefits of ourselves and others

·         The changes in effect now present a viable threat to the non-existence of what we cherish in the foreseeable future

·         We have the ability to influence and the control the way in which we change our environment

·         For one reason or another most people (or a sufficient amount) are not aware of their impacts and how they are making or can make a difference

Sustainability?

What is the root of sustainability? Why do we look to be sustainable? Why has this become a keyword?

I took a course in college called Engineers for a Sustainable world in which I was highly disappointed. The topics of the course included:

 More concentrated on the effects of engineering and technological development on society. Having sustainable practices in engineering and development procedures in the stead of

Not so much concentrated on sustainability as much as something simple that will keep working for you for a fair amount of time…?

My question that was never answered: can sustainability be sustainable without consideration for environmental impacts? Is simply saying that something is more sustainable or better than what we currently have worth raving about? Can you say you are a sustainable builder because you produce something that is relatively more sustainable? Can you claim that you are all-knowing simply because you know more than everyone else? To do so is conniving, false, illusionary, deceptive, and fundamentally flawed.

Start from the beginning, go back and design/build from the ground up with purpose, consideration, and multiple revisions…develop a revolutionarily original design, not a most improvement upon the design…innovation is not enough!

The lists of projects for the semester included Cayuga Lake Watershed, Aqua para el Pueblo, and Solar Cooking

Design

Even more important in design is undersign…. We need to understand that in creation of something we are also responsible for the “uncreation”, for the degradation, and non-existence of our creation…understanding that our creation will cease to exist at some point and we must understand (with a frame of mind that it is already dead) what will be the aftermath of what we have created? How are we designing in the end of the lifecycle of our creation? What will be done with the various components when they are to be removed from the house? Will they be destroyed? Will they be reusable? Will they be recyclable? What components of the creation will have to be disposed of? How does their decomposition/reuse time compare to their useful time? Are we throwing that 1000-year plastic bottle in the landfill when it only has a useful life of a month in the average use? Are we creating something toxic to be disposed of only in a landfill? Consider the fact that 43% (from Sustainable Wanaka figure) of landfill waste comes from construction and demolition combined.

Consideration for construction practices, materials and implementation is crucial! We cannot design a building, structure, etc and simply say here is what you are to make, now order the materials and make it happen; I don’t care how you do it just get it done. The fact of the matter is you must include in the design the planning for construction, how pieces are assembled, what materials are readily available and best suited for the project, what sizes we can use to reduce waste (and decrease construction costs).