It could be a reflection of the level of education a person achieves as well.  Obviously as a person’s education level increases, their communication skills also tend to increase along with it.  The two items are somewhat correlated even though they are different.

The thing that brought this to my attention was the fact that you see search engine results improving based on quality.  For Google at least, it is becoming apparent that they are actually figuring out ways of using filters to determine some level of quality about any given website.  Although they obviously aren’t 100% accurate, they are certainly much better than they used to be.

This is a trend that is bound to continue.  Not only will you see it continue online, but you will also see it happen in many other areas in life.  The salesman with the best communication skills will sell more product than his counterparts.  The politician with the best communication skills will quickly rise to power as is evident with president Obama.  The business man with the best communication skills will climb the corporate ladder much faster than others.

Doesn’t this just make perfect sense?

Shouldn’t we then encourage our children as much as possible to better their communication skills on every level?  Shouldn’t we discourage them from writing to each other using abbreviations for words instead of writing complete sentences with proper grammar?   Shouldn’t we try to make ourselves good examples for the children around us to learn these habits?  Shouldn’t we demand that our schools deny diplomas to students who cannot write in complete sentences using reasonable grammar?

Parents and educators alike are accepting sub-par performance from children and young adults when it comes to communication skills.  Students, regardless of age, should be expected to speak English and write English very well.  Neglecting this basic and fundamental prerequisite to a better life is truly a disservice to that child.  We should not let them down.

I love learning about World War II on there.  It reminds me of all of the cool war stories I heard from veterans that frequent the VFW post that my dad used to hang out at.  Dad is a Korean War vet.  I have uncles who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  So, I can relate to the stuff they talk about on these shows.  I have heard stories about Iwo Jima, sinking Jap submarines, the invasion of Okinawa, dancing with Betty Grable at a USO event and getting drunk all over the world.  This one Vietnam vet told me about how intense it was to be a door gunner flying over a hundred miles an hour skimming the tree tops in Vietnam in a Huey.  Cool shit huh?

The other day I was watching this debate about whether or not the Jewish people were actually militaristic when they fled Egypt.  The theory is that maybe they weren’t actual slaves but instead were kind of employed by the Egyptians to help them build their massive stone projects.  It is hard to tell how much validity there is behind that theory, but it is interesting to think about. Then they went on to speculate about how the Jewish people actually escaped the Egyptian Army.  They made more sense of it than the legend in the Bible does.

I also really like watching the show about Abraham Lincoln’s presidency.  There are so many fascinating things about that era.  Back then, you could actually walk up to the White House, knock on the door and ask to see the president.  How weird is that?  Can you imagine what would happen to presidents in this era if that was still the policy?  Pretty much every one of them since Dwight Eisenhower would probably have been whacked.  Now you can’t even send a letter to the president that will actually be read by him.  My, how times have changed.

What are your favorite shows?

I have come to the conclusion that it is primarily the person’s genetics.  How else could you possibly explain a baby dying from cancer at age 3 when they have done nothing wrong and only been fed healthy foods?  Pick any of these childhood diseases.  How can you explain them other than faulty genetics? 

How else can you explain the guy who lives into his 90’s and still smokes?  How else can you explain the physically fit jogger who dies of a heart attack at age 50?  What about the fat slob who is still alive in his eighties that has been 80lbs overweight for as long as you’ve known him.

I am willing to admit that certain lifestyle habits would certainly trump good genetics.  Take for instance the habitual narcotics user.  He is destined for a short life because of the things that some drug users do like share needles or become homeless or commit crimes to pay for their drugs.  Consider the homosexual man who decides to engage in unprotected sex with multiple partners.  His lifestyle choice is almost certain to land him some kind of STD in a relatively short period of time.

But, as far as the more minor things that people do to affect their lives like smoke cigarettes, drinking alcohol and not exercising, it appears that genetics will overpower those types of vices to some degree.  Thank God for small favors.

I rationalized this way of thinking as being the reason why I need to not worry so much about poor lifestyle decisions that I have engaged in over the years.  Instead I should just worry about living healthier now.  Hopefully genetics will forgive me to some extent for the various ways I have punished my organs over the years.

Are you worried about your health?  Think about how I rationalized this concept.  Maybe you can find some solace in it as well.