Wednesday

A mix of original thoughts I couldn’t get out of my head and ideas that keep everything moving. Turn your 4th quarter into your new year, reframe your learning, and know mercy.

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🤘We are here every day, and every minute you spend with us sends ripples of gratitude through our souls! 🤘

I recently heard the phrase ‘Know Mercy’ vs. No Mercy while listening to a podcast. The podcast was about sports and sports talk shows, but the contrast between the phrases has stuck with me for weeks. The visual I see is a warrior or fighter in the ring, a player on the field, blood, sweat, and tears running down their face with the focus of blind rage on one side and a monk on the other. The monk has nothing but the clothes on his back and a sense of peace that surrounds him. The difference between a punch in the face and a good night's sleep.

ChatGPT helped me put the concept into a poem that expands on some of the streets we find ourselves.

In a world awash with might and fury,

Where "No Mercy" pretends to stands proud,

The clamor of battles awaits,

Echoes unceasing, thunderous, loud.

"No Mercy" with fists clenched tight,

Promises power, fear, and command,

But in its wake, it leaves only blight,

Scorched earth and boiling seas trail.

Yet, from a quiet corner does rise,

A whisper, a thought, a silent look,

"Know Mercy," it softly cries,

The antidote to a world in chaos.

To "Know Mercy" is to accept,

The power of compassion and love's embrace,

The absence of a need to control,

But about finding grace in the human race.

When obnoxious power clouds the view,

Blinding us to our higher selves,

"Know Mercy" shines its light anew,

Guiding us to a wealth beyond wealth.

For in the end, when all is said and done,

It's not power that will save our soul,

But the mercy we've shown,

With love, compassion, and a whole heart.

So, while "No Mercy" burns hot,

Remember always,

"Know Mercy" is the true strength,

For in its embrace, we are free.

-        JC

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Another

We The Urban

You will do great things if you are energized by your mistakes and excited by non-stop trial and error; the steps and levels are part of your path. Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer turned YouTuber and science teacher, talks about reframing how we learn. The clip below is from Rober's TEDx Talk, and he asks why people can die a thousand times in a game, only to smile and return to it again. What if we treated more of our challenges, learning, and big ideas with the same sense of wonder, enjoyment, and determination we used to do when figuring out the levels in Super Mario Brothers. Every move that ended our digital plumber was another step we had to take to learn and remember to get to the next level.

During the TEDx Talk, Rober highlights some of the inventions he's developed over the years. A Nerf gun for the ages, a semi-automatic snowball machine gun made from a leaf blower, and even a bulls-eye-only dartboard. Rober has found his calling and, like many successful engineers (and gamers), has figured out how to solve problems by hitting them repeatedly until the next level appears.

Twenty years ago Tom DeLonge’s Aliens were a song off the album Enema Of The State. Next came a stint with the government and now a movie…

smile today.

Feel the sound.

Click on the Apple Music image to listen to the song on Apple Music or on the Spotify Image to listen to Spotify.

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🤘We are here every day, and every minute you spend with us sends ripples of gratitude through our souls! 🤘

With A Shout newsletter is written by Johnny Christian with the support of a thousand idea bits and the help of many people.

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