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How to Enjoy a Recession
Archetype Discoveries Worldwide
Let me be the first to say it: The time to panic is NOW.
The mad cow has replaced the French poodle; swine flu has become the H1N1 virus (so we can keep the pork industry political correct); and "foot in mouth" disease has run rampant worldwide, creating an unstoppable global pandemic that has crossed all social and economic boundaries… global warming has become the next ice age… and poverty has become the national past time… and the list goes on and on…
So is it time to buy or to sell in such a repressed market? Or maybe it's time to relax in the Caribbean (take advantage of all this global warming)? How about taking a moment for yourself and enjoy a peaceful moment of Zen meditation… or learn to play the piano or violin (if you don't already)… how about another language (Spanish or Chinese would be a good start)?
Or, maybe you should be like everyone else worldwide and do nothing for a while.
Take your time before you buy or invest. Make sure that the stock market and real estate is at an all time low, scraping the bottom of the government's "pork barrel" before doing anything. Wait and see… and then take advantage of all the hardships your neighbors are suffering through.
This is the American Archetype in action. The financial and political bubble lasted far too long for our liking. Those times became boring and tedious… everyone was becoming millionaires so quickly and easily that we forgot that only the paranoid (those who kept looking to the future, saving for that "rainy day") could survive.
We needed a recession to put everything back in perspective, to become "real" again… to learn from our mistakes.
During the "naughty" decade (sticking with the 0's theme of 2000, it seems appropriate to refer to this decade as the Naught - zero - decade, which is a clever witticism on the "Not" decade, which is appropriate considering how badly the decade will be remembered) it looked like we could not make any mistakes. We were getting spoiled; we could not learn anymore because we knew it all already. How dare someone try and teach us something new (unless it consisted of handheld technology that could only push us all further away from actual human contact, providing us the opportunity to never have to be face-to-face with anyone).
But, in actuality, it has become clear that we needed the pain of a recession more than the gain to wake us from our dream and return us back to reality.
We needed a good recession (like the Europeans used to say that they needed a good war). This is the American collective unconscious in action. Let's get our priorities straight. This is not the end, this is the real beginning. Until now we were only playing, like children enjoying a game… but, now that we have touched bottom, we are serious.
For example: we needed the Russians to be first in space, so we could be first to the moon… we needed Pearl Harbor to win World War II… we love a crisis, a catastrophe, and even a natural disaster to make us feel alive. These tragic incidents pull us together. They unite us around our archetypal forces and thanks to them we become one hell of a nation again.
During the last decade, we forgot that we were the last best hope for mankind and not just another big money machine without a soul.
So, with the American financial crisis in full swing, we have to go on a retreat for a while to reconnect with what made us the biggest, most powerful country in the history of modern times. We have to look at the problem through a new set of eyes, a new set of glasses and start all over again… as the true American archetype is coded to do.
Let's take time to enjoy the recession.
It is a fantastic opportunity for Americans to move further up the spiral of growth toward their next identity… their next GREAT challenge.
It is time to reconnect with the American archetype because this is what people do in a time of crisis. They go back to the basics… to familiar brands, to safe buying behaviors and moving back to the "logic of life."
Countries, governments, and companies with archetypal knowledge will thrive.
So it is time to remember and understand the codes for quality, loyalty, teams and leadership and to put them back in action.
And remember these obvious, but forgotten, words of wisdom…
Never sell when it's low and never buy when it's high.
© 2010 Dr. G.C. Rapaille
John Joyce's Odyssey to Banff
On Saturday 21 June 2008 I started cycling with about 40 other cyclists to Banff to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis. Nine days later after cycling 1164.64km and climbing some 1773 metres I cycled into Banff. It was a brutal ride; I am grateful I did it but not sure I would want to do it again.
I will keep this article short and as most things in life it will have a beginning, a middle and an ending. Just like life, it is some time difficult to know where the middle is. I started this piece Thursday 19 June and thought I might release it before I left. Some of you suspect I wrote all of it before I left. Well I had thought of that, just like many travel articles are done that way.
The week before departing was memorable for the wrong reasons. I was going to miss the Jazz Festival plus I had a cold, probably caught after kayak racing and my back and neck were in a bad way. The chiropractor worked on my neck and back twice that week and assured me my back would be fine but the neck would haunt me due to nine days of protracted usage. He also imparted some wisdom to me that I should forgo kayak racing and singles tennis for that week. Diane, my wife had also been entreating me to do the same. This course of action was particularly mournful for me since I wanted to flaunt my new wing kayak paddle.
With a nine day cycling trip through British Columbia. One needs an appropriate book so I visited the local library and searched for a Pierre Berton. No luck as the library was under going renovations for some impending disaster: locusts attacks, library fines indexed to petroleum prices or paragliders crashing into to the upstairs reference section and disobeying the three large 'silence please', signs. After much screen gazing the assistant asked.
"Which Pierre Berton would you like? There are 34 titles here, but all are in storage except one which is located in 945.23.24.3 "
"The lightest one please."
Well, Pierre Berton can keep for the Christmas holiday, I thought.
The night before leaving presented many problems what to bring and of course what not to bring. The wing paddle was an easy decision and also my snow shoes even if they are light weight. I felt bad leaving my tennis racket behind but I bought many of my sweat bands. The small chess set and two harmonicas made it along with the Swiss knife, flashlight, green ipod. The latter topped up with Charles Mingus, Cream, the Shadows, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. Well there is also a lot of Phillip Glass and for conversational purposes only, Massive Attack. Now I ran the calculation several times. Nine days, cycling socks (four pairs recently purchased) and evening socks. Cycling shorts and tops for nine days? What about laundry? I tried to pack and unpacked the suitcase five times each time removing some precious piece of clothing - hey it might snow!. The suitcase was fine for business trips on which I might surreptitiously pass off my laundry on expenses but for this cycling trek it was too small. I finally packed it making a vow that I would never open it until I reached Banff.
So I departed White Rock with the other colourfully dressed cyclists destined for the first overnight at Harrison Hot Springs. My worries were simple: laundry, hearing a "you're looking good" and possibly a "thataboy" after cycling to the top of one of those colossal mountains.
Here is the route:
- Day 1. June 21 - White Rock to Harrison Hot Springs
- Day 2. June 22 - Harrison Hot Springs to Manning Park
- Day 3. June 23 - Manning Park to Osoyoos
- Day 4. June 24 - Osoyoos to Grand Forks
- Day 5. June 25 - Grand Forks to Trail
- Day 6. June 26 - Trail to Creston
- Day 7. June 27 - Creston to Cranbrook
- Day 8. June 28 - Cranbrook to Radium
- Day 9. June 29- Radium to Banff
So there is a lot of route 3's here.
The first surprise of the journey was the road to Manning Park. It is much steeper than I imagined. The next time I drive or sit on Siggie's bus for a day of Nordic skiing I will fondly relive the gradients. The big hills in and out of Osoyoos are obvious but the Iberian scenery together with lake Osoyoos almost compensates.
Grand Forks is the confluence of the Granby and Kettle Rivers. The Granby flowed past our hotel and was cold and brash with no hint of the fresh water Nymphs. By know I was thinking more and more of Greek Mythology and had forgotten about Pierre Berton Books. At Grand Forks I managed to get my washing done, a replacement suitcase and chocolate. The last two items thanks to my good wife. I used the chocolate wisely.
1535 and 1774 are not calendar years but the elevations in metres of Paulson Summit and Kootnay Pass. At the top of Kootnay Pass, after two hours of grinding at 8km/hr I gave myself a "thataboy" and had warm memories of the chess club and promised to make peace with the Hungarian members and gladly pay the annual dues. Now, a non cyclist might think that us cyclists love to glide down hills. Not true! The concentration is enormous plus the arms begin to hurt with the strain and did I mention neck problems?
How was the weather on this trip? Good. No rain except a sprinkle in Osoyoos. It was cold at the top of the mudslide area entering Manning and with the body hot from excursion it was no place to enter into a conversation about blues guitarists or whether the ideal bicycle is made of steel or carbon. Heat is the big worry but fortunately on most of the steep climbs there were clouds to shield us. The one exception was 40km outside Banff when the temperature reached 37C on a nasty climb that had us enter Alberta and cross the Great Divide. While drinking water at the bottom, some one pointed out Castle Mountain and Eisnenhower Tower.
I probably drank 8 to 10 bottles of water each day and wondered if by Christmas my metabolism would accept beer and wine without first diluting it.
How was the bottom? Not too bad. There were complaints about backs, knees and necks but with me it was my neck, just like the good chiropractor had said. The question arises with any such complaint could a different bicycle fitting alleviate the problem?
The trip was well organized with appropriate rest stops and food Our luggage was transported(hey see my new suitcase?) to the next hotel. Often we rode in groups and some times alone. The former requires being able to ride at a steady pace in a straight line keeping the wheel in front just a few cms away. Riders take turns breaking the wind. Riding like this requires concentration but is an expeditious way of covering distance. There is no time for contemplative thought or savouring the passing vistas. Riding alone can be lonely but also relaxing . Suddenly one is aware of the many shades of green that constitute a landscape and the sound scape. I use my ipod on bus trips to Manning, flights from Calgary to Vancouver and on the Sea Bus to North Vancouver but never cycling. I don't want to miss out on any "thataboys" or "you're looking good"
So what does a cyclist think about besides where is the next rest stop? He thinks of music and wonders why he packed two harmonicas. He muses about the rock formations and flora yearning for a greater knowledge of Greek Mythology. Weeks later he would read;
"THE NYMPHAI (or Nymphs) were female spirits of the natural world, minor goddesses of the forests, rivers, springs, meadows, mountains and seas. They were responsible for the crafting of nature's wild beauty, from the arrangement and growth of the plants, flowers and trees, to the nurture of wild birds and animals, and the formation of rocky caverns, springs, wetlands and brooks. The Naiades were fresh-water Nymphs who inhabited the rivers, streams, lakes, marshes, fountains and springs of the earth. They were immortal, minor divinities who were invited to attend the assemblies of the gods on Mount Olympos."
On my return to Vancouver I was not invited to Mount Olympos but the Peak of Grouse Mountain for the Seek the Peak event. 16km trail race from Ambleside Ocean up the Grouse Grind to the 1250 metre peak of Grouse Mountain, in support of Rethink Breast Cancer. My body had not fully recovered but I enjoyed the event. It was Strawberry Sunday at Wimbledon so my indolent tennis buddies watched Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on television instead of getting close to nature or meeting a downed paraglider.
I am no longer drinking as much water and have resumed cycling and tennis. I like my wing paddle but am giving more thought to rejoining the chess club.
© John Joyce, 11 August 2008
Create a Corporate Myth
Archetype Discoveries Worldwide
Your corporate culture is built around a series of concepts. Every corporation has its own heroes, villains, rituals, symbols, and myths built within the structure of its corporate culture.
In changing a corporate culture, it helps to create new myths (a myth is a story that works by itself to establish cultural norms).
Several years ago, I was helping a company in Madrid, Spain that wanted to change their corporate culture - which was to be based on quality and "right on time."
My observation was that the executives were giving the wrong signals to themselves and their employees. The executives were preaching "right on time," yet they always started their daily morning meetings late. No one ever offered an excuse for the lateness - it was just accepted and left unchallenged.
After observing this practice, I told the president: "You need to create a myth by staging a powerful, memorable event." I told him to announce during a cocktail party, where all the executives and employees were present, that "starting tomorrow, the executive meeting will start on time, at 9:00am. If you are not there at precisely 9:00, we will lock the door and begin the meeting without you."
When the president made the announcement, everyone was drinking and having fun and nobody paid much attention to him.
The next day at exactly at 9:00, with no one in the boardroom but the president and myself, I told him: "Lock the door."
"We never do that," he said.
"I know, but you need to do it now to create a powerful, memorable experience for everyone who is late. This will prove that you mean business."
"Okay, if you think so." He replied with a confused shrug.
After locking the door, the president and I started the executive meeting - without the executives.
Around 9:30a.m, the first vice-president arrived. He tried to enter, but the door was locked. He knocked, hearing our voices from inside, but we ignored his questions and pleas. After several attempts, he went and spoke with the president's secretary.
"What's going in there?"
"They're having the 9:00 meeting."
"Without me?"
"Yes sir. The president announced that the meeting would be precisely at 9:00am and, at exactly that time, they locked the door and started the meeting"
The second vice-president arrived about 9:45a.m, followed closely by the third and the fourth. Soon the corridor was filled with all the vice-presidents and executives who usually attended the morning meeting, all standing awkwardly in front of the locked door.
When the secretary saw what was happening, she immediately started calling the other secretaries.
"You know what happened? They locked the door! Yes, at 9:00, just as the president announced last night… Yes, he did what he said he would do. Can you believe that?"
Instantly, everyone within the company started talking, repeating to anyone who had not heard about the strange event occurring in the boardroom.
Suddenly the whole company was aware that the president meant business.
At 10:00, the president opened the door and said "hello" to everyone waiting in the corridor. He then told them, "Next meeting is tomorrow at 9:00a.m. I'll see everyone tomorrow morning".
Nothing else was said.
The next morning, the employees were wondering what would happen. Some of them were on the phone, ready to tell the ones who were not there what was going on. Everyone was abuzz… discussing what would happen at 9:00.
At 8:50a.m, the president and I arrived at the boardroom.
At 8:55 all the vice-presidents and other executives arrived.
The secretaries and other employees could not believe what was happening. Immediately, the whole company knew about it and a "myth" was created.
Today, they tell the story to the new employees as an example that the president means what he says. Over time, like most myths, the story has been amplified and exaggerated. The president became a hero, a man of his word.
The myth was now one of the building blocks for the company's new culture.
© 2010 Dr. G.C. Rapaille
Introduction of Metaphysical/Metaphor Poetry
Invoking the Essence of Multiplying Concepts of Language Metaphors
Using metaphors in my own way
After so many years of writing important things I feel I cannot express myself just by actions or explanation, I decided to try and place few of my writings online to see what comments I would receive. Before making such a decision, I decided a year back to search online results of different types of poetry hoping that some will match the same or similar content to mine, but they turned out to be very different when compared.
When I placed some of poems online this year, I was so excited. But most of the comments I received were more negative than positive perhaps because of the difference of using English as my second language. I felt very guilty not knowing how to change, correct and explain my writing in a way that readers may understand what I was trying to say. Results gave more confusion and great disappointment on my part. I even had the thought that I should stop writing.
As I was passing through these difficulties, what troubled me a little bit was that nobody knew what my writing was called or able to understand why and how I write that way and use so many hackneying phrases/ supposedly incorrect words that don't seems to make any sense to some people, until I found out about Metaphor language.
Metaphor is a very complex topic because not many people understand it or will agree about all its terms and its definition. Explanations are very tricky as well but most importantly is trying to explain THE DIFFERENCE of how I use metaphors and what metaphor is all about to me.
What is Metaphor as a definition and in writing?
- Wikipedia: Is a figure of speech concisely expressed by comparing two things, saying that one is the other.
- Oxford dictionary: Application of a name or description to which it is not literally applicable eg:- garring error.
- Color Library Direct Dictionary: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used for another of which it is an image - metaphoric, metaphorical.
Is a figure of speech in which a name or a descriptive word or phrase is transferred to an object or action different from but similar to its original referent.
A picture that goes deeper into memory and communicates ideas faster.
Types of metaphors:
There are metaphor in Literature/Rhetoric and use outside of rhetoric.
Metaphors that I use in Literature/Rhetoric consist of:
- Traditional Metaphor
- Grammatical Metaphor
- Dead Metaphor
- Absolute or Paralogical Metaphor
Metaphor category:
- Allegory
- Catachresis
- Parable (eg)
Metaphor I use outside of Rhetoric form
- Cognitive metaphor
- Conceptual metaphor
- Root Metaphor
- Therapeutic metaphor
- Visual metaphor
My metaphor is seeking to describe the reality that exists beyond the message itself. Most of my writing is based on the things that I feel rather than what I think or see. (Not necessarily or only based on personal experience in my life)
Unfortunately, most people mistakenly believe that the use of metaphors is restricted to special forms of languages only; such as idioms, prepositions, and verbs of movement.
It is also sad to learn that people don't want to accept that language is changing and do not want to adapt to any other forms of communication rather by their own means of learning systems.
Metaphor is a mystery; it differs itself depending on the way people use it in daily life.
© 2010 Ann Brigitte
I take this opportunity to thank Mr Albert Ray Oliver, Retired Hypnotherapist, Mental Health Professional, Complimentary Therapist, and Stress Management Specialist, for all his help and support.
I hereby also include that any information on this site could be subject to agreements and disagreements on the relative topic. In Regards to the whole explanation and comparison, this is based entirely on the writer's and Mr Ray Oliver own personal views only. Any suggestions and help are welcome.
Double Exposure
A personal chronicle of the years 1956-1960,
his teen years, growing up in Mexico.