Why does it require a lack of self reflection to deal with being hated, or to deal with being repetitive? How does it help? I mean, surely being zen about the whole thing, which is best achieved with a lot of reflection would help too.

I don't understand the ways of zen.

For the others, someone who is reflective would be like, "He hates me. What did I do wrong?" and would open the door to doubt. Somebody who doesn't reflect would me like, "He hates me. Asshole." and never think of that guy again. The latter strategy, while indicative of a person I would like less, tends to sell better on TV.

(Personally, I'm a big fan of doubt, in any kind of leader you can name, because doubt is what keeps the finger off the red button of doom. But, a lot of people see doubt as "waffly" or lame.)

More fun:

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, President Bush and Republicans in Congress have refused to consider rolling back the $336 billion in new tax cuts that the richest 1 percent are slated to get over the next five years. They say we need to pay for reconstruction not by asking the wealthiest to sacrifice just a little bit, but by massive cuts to spending. And now we see what that means: The Navy Times today reports that those cuts "include trimming military quality-of-life programs, including health care." This, while troops are in battle.

The Republicans have put their cutting efforts in military terms, calling it "Operation Offset" - a further insult to the men and women in uniform they are now trying to screw over. The specifics are ugly. They are, for instance, asking troops to "accept reduced health care benefits for their families." Additionally, "the stateside system of elementary and secondary schools for military family members could be closed." In the past, this idea "has faced strong opposition from parents of children attending the schools because public schools [in and around bases] are seen as offering lower-quality education."

Support the troops! Unless it costs money. In fact, we're gonna take some of that money away.

[link]

And ION, the NeoCons have used control of Iraq's oil reserves as one of their justifications for invasion. They also said that we could easily double Iraq's oil production, and that this would pay for the war.

Well, guess what? The invasion made things worse. Possibly a lot worse.

As a result of such attacks, which continue to occur on a near-daily basis, Iraqi oil output has actually declined since the United States invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein. According to the DoE, total production stood at 1.9 million barrels per day in May 2005, compared to 2.6 million barrels in January 2003, just before the American invasion.

That's the "worse" part. The "a lot worse" part?

The corruption and mismanagement has had another serious consequence for Iraq's long-term oil potential: in order to maximize output now, and thereby keep the dollars rolling in, Iraqi oil executives are employing faulty pumping methods, thus risking permanent damage to underground reservoirs. For example, managers are continuing to pump oil from Iraq's main Rumailia oilfield, one of the world's largest, even though water injection systems (used to maintain underground pressure) have failed; in so doing, they are thought by experts to be causing irreversible damage to the field. "The problem is that [underground] pressure problems could lead to a permanent decline in production," observed one European buyer of Iraqi oil quoted in the Financial Times last June. Even if U.S. companies later were to gain access to Iraqi fields, therefore, they might find yields to be disappointing.

[link]

lactation support tea

So how does that work?

God, I'm out of Coke. I hope I don't crash before lunch.

I'm totally crashing before lunch.

oh, poor plei. you deserve bacon and eggs. maybe after pumping?

I'm totally crashing before lunch.

Can't hold altitude. She's breaking up! She's breaking up!

So how does that work?

Either hippie woowoo or hormone stimulation. Take your pick.

For the others, someone who is reflective would be like, "He hates me. What did I do wrong?" and would open the door to doubt.

Huh. I don't want to be led by either of your examples. I want to be led by "He hates me. I continuously examine my actions, their effects and their motivations. Does this add new data? Aha."

Sometimes people hate you for a reason, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they may even hate you for a good reason, but your course shouldn't be altered. Self-reflection shouldn't break that, or it's a piss poor kind of reflection.

oh, poor plei. you deserve bacon and eggs. maybe after pumping?

I will have bacon and eggs tomorrow. That way, I don't have to be the one cooking them.

You know...is there something after clusterfuck? What other words are available?

I want to be led by "He hates me. I continuously examine my actions, their effects and their motivations. Does this add new data? Aha."

Pass the word: ita wants Sabermetricians to rule the world!

Huh. I don't want to be led by either of your examples.

Well, I was describing extremes on purpose. The "What did I do wrong?" kind of reflection is sort of what is called depressive rumination, where stewing on a mistake magnifies it to global "I suck" proportions. Whereas, "He hates me. Asshole." is the thought-process of a sociopath.