Book Reviews and Why You Should Turn Off Your TV

While growing up, I was certainly captivated by watching television as most kids, however, I never got into the habit of making sitting in front of the TV as my first choice for leisure activities.? Like many things…people, places, events, material goods, etc., and for me…TV has been a source of entertainment, however, I primarily spent time with friends and family in terms of watching movies or a specific event or show.? The older I got as a kid and the more mobile I got with permissions to walk longer distances away from the house, riding my bike, getting an ATV, and eventually owning a car…the less time I chose to spend in front of a TV…or rather stated…the less time I wasted in front of a TV.? I never got into the habit of wasting countless hours in front of a TV.? Instead, I preferred being outside exploring the vast…1000s of acres of fields, forests, ponds, streams, and rivers within my “backyard”…all broken down into nice little “territories” to be explored…as outlined by the roads, power line right aways, farmland access roads…and my personal favorite…vernal pools.? Having access to such a learning environment that I affectionately refer to as my “backyard”…really wasn’t my backyard….it was my playground…it was my University of Mother Nature upon which there was endless opportunities for exploration, learning, and understanding of the organization of natural things.? My parents only owned about a quarter of an acre in the house I grew up in.? However, their postage stamp piece of property, and others within this hamlet of the town I grew up in…was conveniently located near all of this state land and farmland owned by my friends relatives…or more than likely for people who I used to work for throughout the years on their properties.? All of which meant permission to explore.? Throw in a 4-wheel drive ATV and the stage was set for what would become a lifelong passion for exploration and learning.? I’ll save the rest of that story for another day…

Having access to that big of a playground…truly a living and learning environment for a mind that was thirsty…parched with a desire to learn, explore, observe, and interact with this beautiful and stimulating environment that was and forever will be…my childhood heaven that I affectionately referred to as my “backyard”.? In reality, it was the combined backyard of neighbors, farmers, large corporations, and New York State.? After traversing miles of woods, water, and fields…while heading roughly in a northernly direction…my playground adjoined the boundaries of the St. Lawrence Seaway…specifically the Snell and Eisenhower Locks and the Moses-Saunders Power Dam.? These are better known as the St. Lawrence – FDR Power Project..by those people who are not from the North Country.? There is an excellent documentary on Modern Marvels called the “St. Lawrence Seaway” that discusses this amazing engineering project and its significance to the United States, Canada, and the rest of maritime commerce connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean…affectionately known to us expats as “The Pond”.? One of my bucket list items someday is to rent a houseboat and cruise from Clayton, NY all the way down to my hometown of Massena, NY…that would be pretty cool.? Please note, my hometown of Massena, NY should not be confused with Messina, NY – which is a city that does not exist in New York State…other than on my marriage certificate…and a city in Italy which I have never visited…let alone identify with as my place of birth…but that’s for another article someday as well.

As with many people, where I grew up and the experiences I had early…had a huge impact in shaping my life and laying the foundation for who I am today.? That point alone always stays in the forefront of my mind when I travel…both domestically and internationally.? I know it has become cliché’ about how powerful the influences parents, friends, childhood locations, etc. have on a child’s early development…but I think this is something that cannot be understated…and this is coming from someone who never had children.? When I go to different places…as a general rule of thumb about what type of community is a particular area…you don’t have to look too far other than going into a few big stores, driving around and noticing what communities choose or not choose to showcase and at the end of the day…if the area does not appear to be conducive to raising a family…just on those initial appearances...then I am willing to bet there is a strong correlation to services and support that are specifically aimed at helping families.? In addition to the negative correlation in terms of the types of crimes, level of crimes, prosecution rates and the like.? For example…if during the course of driving around a new area and you don’t see many parks, or the ones present are full of druggies or similar…or you see bars on the windows of schools…or even just observing how the majority of people in stores treat their children.? Are they encouraging their kids to do the right thing, engaging them to help with the shopping…etc….or do you see a bunch of parents yelling at screaming kids running amok down the aisles, etc?? It's not a perfect correlation, but a good rule of thumb because ultimately the children are the future of those communities and should be supported, protected, and encouraged to be the person who they are and achieve their potential.? How a community treats its children is a hallmark sign of that community and its not too hard to see through the smoke and mirrors of reality by doing simple Google searches on news articles about those communities….like Cayuga County, NY.

When I was growing up in my hometown, I was essentially just going with the flow and doing what is without question an inherent and immovable piece of my DNA that defines not just me…but my family…at least on my father’s side…which is that of being an explorer and adventurer.? I’ll save the discussion of explaining what having this specific characteristic ingrained into my very existence means and how it has not only influenced my life in so many ways and on so many levels…but also as one of the core elements that helps to define who I am today...and what that means for my future.? I’ll save the discussion on how this characteristic has played a central role in how I have lived my life and in particular, how this specific characteristic has also influenced how I view and am dealing with my health journey…for another day.?

One of the big impacts to having this genetic predisposition of being an explorer…bordering on becoming Pavlov dog-like when friends and family start talking about traveling or going on some new adventure…somewhere in the world….literally…is a default autonomic response. ?I was never meant to sit in front of a TV for endless hours wasting time.? That is to say…it is not in my genes to waste my precious time sitting in front of a TV running commercial filled ads with someone else telling me what their interpretation of what life’s experiences are like...or could be like…if only I listened to them and bought the products they were being paid to promote.? While some of my most memorable times and conversations with my father involved watching and discussing his favorite shows with him…like Nova, Jacques Cousteau’s Undersea World, This Old House, and similar…we were not necessarily just watching TV inasmuch as using it to initiate conversations that we may otherwise not have had.? These types of shows are now commonplace and there exists entire channels dedicated to their programming.? Back then, these types of shows were truly viewed as treats for the mind and ironically, have stood the test of time and still are just as relevant today.

I did not learn how to live my life sitting in front of a television or spending endless hours in classrooms reading books…that’s just how I got “polished” in my education and knowledge.? I learned how to live my life and became the person I am today…by experiencing life and not letting other people telling me how to live it.? These articles I am sharing are simply a way to describe the lifestyle I have chosen…with the hope that perhaps it may give some inspiration, comfort, strength, and hope to other people.? Somewhere along the line there was a noticeable shift in how we as a society…and as a species…changed how we obtain, receive, and process information…which can lead to knowledge…or stupidity depending on your viewpoint.? This shift did not specifically happen with the invention of one technological device or another.? Something else took hold within the psyche of our society and has maintained and ever tightening grip veering us and our planet off course…of living within harmony with Mother Nature…and not against as we see so often these days.? This exact same situation has happened in the past with all great societies and civilizations and there will be a natural correction at some point again….such as what has happened for millennia.? There is an excellent book called “A Green History of the World” by Clive Ponting that is readily available, as well as an updated edition that I have not had the chance to read yet.? Having read this book for one of my environmental science classes in college…I find it ironic how a book like that published 30 years ago may actually have more relevance today…or at least as much relevance…as it did when it was published in 1993.? It’s a very good and informative read that provides excellent insight into societal and culture aspects that I think tend to get overlooked in the current dog eat dog culture and disregard for the impacts such actions have on our planet.

It would be easy to give a three minute YouTube explanation that blames TV or other modern communication devices as the cause of the problems within society and this shift that occurred…and which has helped propagate the festering ills that we see today in society…but I do not believe that is the root cause of this very complex topic.? Ultimately for me, it continues to boil down to individual responsibility and the choices that people make of their own free will.? For myself, I have lived in numerous locations over the years and most had TVs and many even had cable included as part of the rent.? Even in those cases, I made the conscious decision to not waste precious time watching and listening to a one-way conversation broken up by people trying to sell me things that I have no interest in buying and don’t particularly want to sit there and let them convince why I should make a purchase of such an unwanted item.? But that’s just me.

Today…whenever that started…our society as a whole…regardless of any and all labels that get commonly thrown out there as justification for not doing GOOD things…like instead of treating other people how you would like to be treated…our society has created and continues to reinforce…treating other people like another stray dog looking for a free meal and a meal that will be taken from you…even though you are not hungry…but you still treat the other human being like a stray dog…because that’s what were are taught to do it seems these days…in order to get ahead in life…which is the biggest lie and joke on the planet.? Unfortunately, this type of thinking has become part of our society as a normal and standard mode of operation.? Our society has created a culture where other people who shallowly judge other people based on material goods, economic wealth, the type of car you drive, or the clothes you wear…all of the things that define our society today.? A society where it seems the minority who are still trying to experience life by actually getting out there and living it…as opposed to those trying to live vicariously through television and mobile phones…and how other people tell them how to live their life.? I am just as guilty at having a reliance on my mobile phone…and at times does indeed drive me crazy.? It very much seems that our phones are no longer just communication devices…they have changed our entire culture and society to the point that these pieces of electronic equipment have gotten to the point of almost becoming another appendage on the human body and an appendage that too many people use much more than the head attached to their own bodies.? People have made conscious decisions to live and define their lives and the understanding of the world through solving all problems in 3 to 9 minute sound bites with continued diminishing returns on the quality and depth of knowledge and wisdom that is obtained by living that type of lifestyle…as the far reaching effects it has on our society and culture.

Perhaps by now you may be asking yourself…”What does all of this have to do with book reviews?”? My response to that question is simply…exactly and thank you very much for understanding my point about our society today.? Relax, take a deep breath, and keep reading.? The concept I am trying to get across is to provide examples of what I am referring to within The Lifestyle Document.? Rather than gaining life experiences and therefore other people’s interpretations of how to live your life…as delivered through TV or mobile devices, I personally prefer to obtain information in a way that still provides creative freedom and interpretation.? The two closest things I can think of that meet these criteria are music and books.? I will not deny that I thoroughly enjoy attending classes, lectures, and in-person educational events…because of the interactions with classmates but especially because of the professors.? Some of the people who have been some of the biggest influences in my life…have been my teachers and professors.? A segment on a news channel on TV or a YouTube channel video is for the most part a one-way conversation, interaction, and flow of information…which is the intent…in addition to purchasing whatever product is being sold before or after the sound bite.? Our society has fallen into this trap…because it’s the path of least resistance…which is a double-edged natural law.? This type of information flow certainly has its place and I have taken full advantage of seeking out “How To” information on YouTube as much as anyone else.? However, that does not define the level of knowledge that I seek…that knowledge can only be truly attained through life experiences and then supplemented or validated.? Even better, such life experiences can trigger a lifelong cycle of continuous self-improvement one baby step at a time.? It's not a big secret that we must first understand before we are understood…and for that matter…we must understand ourselves before expecting other people to understand us.? It sounds simple but there is not a day that goes by where examples of this fly in our faces wherever there is human to human interactions.? Whatever happened to seeking knowledge for the sake of having knowledge and then trying to use that knowledge to do GOOD things?

As society slowly, but continuously veers off course, which we all see examples of every day...and the resulting negative impacts this has on our society...people sit back watching, knowing, and tolerating things that are not right nor GOOD…and allow them to continue to take front and center stage within our culture.? All of the HATE that continues to get spewed out there and the CHAOS that results…is very successfully drowning out GOOD that definitely still exists.? Because people continue to rely on the 3 to 9 minute sound bites without seeking the level of depth of knowledge that supports society…our world and civilization of today is simply forgetting the mistakes of past civilizations… all of which have come before us and all have come to an end in the sense of how we know it existed at the time.? However, there is still hope and time to make a brighter future if people simply wake up and start living life and trying to do GOOD things for each other.? That is a topic that is much too deep for this article…

Back to book reviews…since my health journey started, as well as my living nightmare continued to intensify…I reached out to my close friends…a select, small circle of people with whom I felt obligated to start filling them in on some of what was going on in my life and health.? These are not easy conversations to have because many people, including those who know me well…do not necessarily have the same beliefs about life and death, and challenging situations like I do.? I originally kept people informed at a high level of what was going on an got the all too familiar deer in the headlight look…just staring at me.? I also let these very close friends know about that August 7, 2023 letter mentioned in an earlier article…that was sent around to various people and officials with completely false statements about my health and how I was managing my conditions.? This letter continues to be used against me in any attempt to discredit and defame my character and reputation….as was stated to me what would happen to me….so no one would believe me when I brought the very disturbing news to them about what is going on in Cayuga County, NY.? Then the dumbfounded looks got even bigger, especially when they heard that certain organizations they are very familiar with…continue to fully supporting what is being done to me in addition to the supporting documentation that was provided…but ignored because of false statements put in legal documents and signed off by attorneys…and therefore no ACTION.? My point in meeting with these close friends and sharing parts of this story was so the TRUTH could be reestablished…and I was really to just trying to let my friends know that despite the Netflix Fargo-like series treatment that has been my life for the past few years…I was still alive and kicking and actively trying to get back to basics and I was doing ok given the circumstances.? This included getting back to my passions in life, reconnecting with friends and family, and start to write about the things people have continued to encourage me to write about…not for me necessarily as some sort of therapeutic exercise…but I think in some cases…also for them…and other people.? Not so much in the sense I have anything that special to say…but I continue to believe it's because they want me to describe just “How am I dealing with all of this?”?

In an effort to support me and encourage me to start writing The Lifestyle Document…some of these friends started sharing books with me to read.? I either made the mistake or fell into what I chose to consider - good fortune - of making the decision to write a book review for one of my very close friends.? He passed a book set along to me that had very special meaning to him personally, as these were books he was encouraging his daughter to read…but who did read them.? I decided that in a sign of appreciation for sharing these books with me…I would not only read them as I promised…but I would also provide him with my review…so he knew that I took the time to study these books and understand why they meant so much to him that he wanted his daughter to read them.? I read the two-book set in a fairly short amount of time as it was pretty easy reading…and I made it a priority in my life during that time.? I am always amazed…but not really…how much you can get accomplished by simple making decisions along the line of choosing how to spend limited time and simply prioritizing things and taking action…as opposed to procrastination. ?When I hear that excuse…and it is just an excuse…I don’t ask but do wonder…how much time is being spent watching TV…or on the phone…or on social media…etc., and how does prioritizing those activities over things like working toward goals, following your passions, connecting with friends and family…volunteering and trying to do GOOD things….match up?? What is your quick and dirty cost benefit analysis for making these decisions of the how to spend your limited time?? It's not about working yourself into the ground…which I have had a very successful at doing so to myself for decades.? However, over the years this has changed to some degree, but not really as I fully admit I am a driven person and forever will be.? I have a tendency to keep the long term in mind and work towards achieving those long term goals…by prioritizing short term goals at every level while always trying to keep in mind and staying focused on prioritizing and achieving goals that do the most GOOD whenever possible.? It doesn’t always work but at the very least…I will have earned an “E” for effort.? The point is not that I am able to do this all the time…the KEY point here is that over the course of my life…I have worked hard to train myself to think in this way, which in turn has translated into achieving the goals I have set…for better or worse.? I even came up with a name for this approach in my life that I refer to as “The Jelly Bean Theory”…which I may share with you some day in another article.

So in the case of my friend sharing this book with me…that had such special meaning to him….I prioritized reading the books and then woke up one morning and handwrote the book review….and sent it to him.? There is also a story around why I like to handwrite notes to people despite having handwriting that looks like something my dog wrote with a pen in her paw.? That is a simple example of...me being me…and how I try to go about living my life.? In an of itself that may not seem like a big deal…however…it is a big deal as there are numerous examples of the lifestyle that I am talking about and how I view things…that fit that model. ?There is no question about the correlation in how you view things and the corresponding actions you take.? For me personally, it's more about keeping the bigger picture in mind, while trying to do the most GOOD.? Sometimes I think our society tends to look at statements like that and then there is procrastination because people think everything has to be a big production in order to achieve a really big thing…and therefore is going to require too big of an effort on their part…and so no action is taken…other than to turn on the TV or let your social media friends know when you last used the restroom.? This is the big paradox and something I have tried figuring out a way to change people’s attitudes, but haven’t come up with a good system yet.? Perhaps writing this Lifestyle Document will achieve those goals.? The fact is that several small acts of kindness as the saying go…added up each and every day…over the course of a lifetime…do in fact add up to be a big deal.? Not necessary the result of each individual action…but the sum of the actions and more importantly, the self-training, discipline, and habit forming thoughts and actions that generate results.? All of this is especially true when the time comes to face what some people believe to be the end of their time on this planet…and by then it feels too late or too overwhelming or you are no longer in a position to do what you what to do.? This is another example of how our world and society has ended up where we are today and something that is essential to turn around and change for a brighter future.? This type of thought process of taking the action…of inaction or no action…or worse yet…waiting for someone else to do it for you…is not part of my lifestyle and I’ll reserve that discussion for another day.

Fast forward to more of these difficult conversations with my close friends which included discussions on this book review…because of the impact that book set had on me at the time…which was only a few months ago. ?The next thing I know…more of my close friends start providing me with book suggestions…not just books they enjoyed, but I believe books that felt were very relevant to what I was going through.? There is also a piece of me that cannot help but think they suggested those specific books hoping it would help me do a better job at explaining to them…”How am I dealing with all of this?”.? My friends were correct and the books they recommended did in fact provide me with ideas on how to put together this Lifestyle Document.? Of course I set myself up for a mini-trap by letting my friends know about this book review…and while not implied by them for me to write a book review for the books they shared with me…but of course I convinced myself that I should also do that for them on the books they suggested…aye carumba.? I think it’s either a personal flaw of mine or my Catholic upbringing that caused me to feel compelled and even obligated to write a book review for them…even though not one of them expected it nor asked.? They were simply trying to support their friend…and they have been very successful at helping me get through my personal living nightmare.? I decided to ahead and write some more reviews on these other books…not because this was going to be a “new thing” for me…it was because the books these friends were suggesting…all hit me in a way as I read them that was so impactful.? I thought it would only be fair of me to write these thoughts down in the form of a book review, the impact the book had on me, and how it tied into my philosophy of how I chose to live my life.? The next thing I know…now with a few more book reviews to share…and all the while trying to help answer the ever burning question... ”How are you dealing with all of this?”…I started sharing some of those reviews with other friends.? The next thing is all of a sudden these friends are telling me to start writing more in depth about what I was covering in these book reviews.? It got to the point where casual suggestions like “have you been writing anything lately?” and similar “passive pushes” started coming my way.? Then when I started sharing some of the other things I have been working on as part of this Lifestyle Document…I experienced a different reaction from them.? I cannot really describe in this article what I saw in the faces of some of these friends, but will cover it in another article…but what started out as “passive pushing”…became more vocal…with more encouragement and support…to not only keep writing and working on this Lifestyle Document...but to get it into the public forum…that was a big change in my thought process for writing down this philosophy.? The wave of support and encouragement had a crescendo when the other close friend who I consider to be my other brother…had the opportunity to read a section that I had been working on over some time but had not shared with anyone else to read up until that point.

I cannot exactly come up with the correct words to describe the interaction I had with my friend…one that just happened a few months ago this year.? We had a discussion on some of these philosophical discussions and he was giving me the same deer in the headlight look and then after more discussion…he simply looked at me and said that I had completely changed his view on the particular topic we were discussing…related to my health and what that meant in the big picture.? Then the next day, I handed him this notebook with this one section in it and took a walk along the beach to give him time to read it.? When I returned to him as I was walking along a beach…he picked his head up and gave me a stare and a look that I have never seen him give me before...nor will I ever forget.? This was a man who I have known for over 45 years and have had more near-death / just having fun experiences with than any other human being alive.? In all of the time I have known him, I never once saw him give me the type of look he gave me that day.? I was just smiling as I walked up to him and asked if he read the section and he gave a quiet nod with this stare still on his face.? I said to him…”What do you think?? Did it make sense from what we discussed yesterday?”? With the same stare on his face as he looked at me…he simply said…”You are going to keep writing about this…right?…and you are going to publish this stuff so other people can read it…right?”? I replied that I hadn’t really thought about it and I had started this writing project as something I could leave for my friends and family once Mothe Nature gave me a new assignment…and as a way to help explain why I’ve made some of the decisions in my life – like why I chose not to have children, and about my overall philosophy in life…from start to finish and back again.? A big piece for me to write such a Lifestyle Document was really as a way to let my friends and family know when my time comes…that everything is going to be alright, I am and always will be a survivor, and that I am actually really looking forward to whatever comes next after my time on this planet has concluded….whenever Mother Nature makes that decision for me.? We ended the conversation there as I was a bit taken aback...mainly from the standpoint that the words on those pages of that partial section resulted in me seeing the impact those words had on my very close friend.? It's hard to describe because I never experienced something like that before from him.? The following day he started back up on me again about that section and the things we had been discussing the previous day.? During that short car ride to our next destination…he wasn’t just encouraging me…he was being insistent about telling me that I had to keep writing and that I get it published…so I agreed to at least continue working on it given my limitations with my current personal nightmare and the substantial negative effect that situation was having on my time and resources…but not my spriit or drive...my spirit will never be broken over such things as my faith and belief in things that are GOOD are too strong to be broken…at whatever costs, pain and suffering that must be endured.? My spirit will never be broken and then is also a core element of my philosophy of how I live my life.

I have since that time continued reading various books and writing some books reviews, as well as continued working on this Lifestyle Document which focuses on the body, mind, and spirit…as well as describing my philosophy in life in order to answer the question…”How are you dealing with all of this?”? It is my hope and personal goal to continue to moving forward with this writing project, despite the external forces that seem hellbent on consuming my life, time, resources, and my spirit…because that is what happens when you make a personal commitment to try to do as much GOOD as possible in the time you given on this planet. ?Unfortunately, not everyone in this world…has GOOD intentions…and in fact can have not only bad intentions…but also truly malicious intentions…meant to prevent as much GOOD from being shared as possible.? These are conscious acts that are coming to define the society we live in today and are further compounded when other people stop for a minute and pick up their heads from their phone or away from their TVs momentarily to look around to see what is happening…and then just ignore the situation, wait for someone else to take care of the problem…and go back to looking at their phone and ignoring the world around them.? Because of this type of attitude and associated behaviors…there should be no surprise of the condition of our society, of our culture, and value system that we are surrounded by today.? Such attitudes breed and fester…like a malignancy with no treatment…which slowly decays from the inside out….and everyone knows how that story ends.? It's unfortunate this is where we are, but there is still a lot of GOOD work that remains to be done…regardless of the negativity and CHAOS is willfully created in order to prevent doing more GOOD.? It’s a nice plan in theory…but anyone who is familiar with the natural laws…full well knows that at the end of the day…GOOD will and does prevail over CHAOS…it’s a simple fact.?

Along the lines of trying to force GOOD out of even the most challenging of situations and while trying to be creative in using different modes and styles of communication…and of course for entertainment value…I have decided to share some slightly edited versions of some of these book reviews for your consumption and hopefully enjoyment. ?The reality is that I did not simply just write these letters just for the sake of giving my review of a book.? I wrote them to my friends in appreciation for sharing such wisdom and knowledge with me and used the opportunity to sprinkle some of my personal philosophy throughout those reviews.? They were also meant to continue to drive home a message that is positive and filled with hope…and one that seeks to encourage other people to take action and do some GOOD.? For those professional students out there like me, if you would like to take a sneak peek at the book I will be sharing this first review…this excellent literary work….and one that matches well with my style…the book is titled “The Tao of Pooh & The Te of Piglet” by Benjamin Hoff.? It's an incredible read and personally hit home for me in ways that I completed did not expect.? It is my hope as I move forward writing this Lifestyle Document that my words can have a similar positive impact on you.? This book review will be posted soon for your reading pleasure should you decide to continue to humor yourself and stay connected with these articles that I am writing….for you.?

Here is some good music to help describe where I am at right now…for better or worse...but I will force some GOOD to come out of it…and hopefully send some positive energy your way to brighten up you're evening too...enjoy! https://youtu.be/iM4LzEcaTK0