Writing Boots

On communication, professional and otherwise.

Seen on Facebook …

10.20.2011 by David Murray // 15 Comments

An otherwise intelligent woman posts: "Slow down and the thing 
you are chasing will come 
around and catch you."

First: What compels someone to post such a message in a bottle?

Second: The damn thing is false. I prefer Satchel Paige: "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you."

Nevertheless, two numbnuts reply:

"YES!! GREAT advice!!"

And.

"So incredibly true. Thanks for sharing that."

So I wrote:

"Give me an example from your own life."

No response from the original poster, but a third commenter chimed in:

This morning, I walked around my neighborhood reflecting. I just surrendered all OUTCOMES TO A HIGHER POWER. I was in the moment. Took off and played hookey with my husband and saw a movie. Came home and 2 more people filled my upcoming… workshop to capacity, got a check in the mail and received a VERY positive phone call. No hustling, no bustling, just slowing down, and all I wanted for this week has already come through today with no effort. Happens all the time WHEN I remember to . . . SLOW DOWN. I saw [the Facebook] quote and thought . . . OH YEAH– ANOTHER SIGN!!!

While you're at the movies, God is putting butts in your workshop seats, and then letting you know what he's up to by speaking cryptically through your Facebook friends.

I'm not identifying this magical thinker, but if you signed up for any workshops in the past couple of days, I'd cancel immediately. The seminar leader is a nut.

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Comments

  1. james green says

    October 20, 2011 at 9:05 am

    Surrendering outcomes to a higher power is not the same thing as surrendering action. You still have to do the work. That being said, slowing down is often an effective strategy. Have you ever tried to thread a needle when you were rushing?

    Reply
  2. Suki says

    October 20, 2011 at 11:48 am

    David.

    Reply
  3. David Murray says

    October 20, 2011 at 11:55 am

    @JG: Yes, slowing is good for sewing.
    @Suki: I’d think it must be particularly obnoxious for religious people when other religious people practice (and preach) such narcissistic theology.

    Reply
  4. Suki says

    October 20, 2011 at 12:11 pm

    Actually, I’m with Einstein on this. Lucky you. More narcissistic theology:
    “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
    (You asked for an elaboration on a “theology” that already annoys you. She delivered. Surely you knew that your request only guaranteed further chafing.)

    Reply
  5. Suki says

    October 20, 2011 at 12:19 pm

    (In fairness, the Einstein quote is part of a larger essay on community and connection. Not a good example of narcissism. But I don’t think hers is either.)

    Reply
  6. David Murray says

    October 20, 2011 at 12:28 pm

    I’m agnostic–insert smiley fuckface–on the Einstein quote, which mostly just bores me because without context it seems meaningless.
    It’s the nutty seminar attender who thinks God faxes her registrations and generates “VERY positive phone calls” whose theology is so narcissistic. (And so common.)

    Reply
  7. Suki says

    October 20, 2011 at 12:39 pm

    Fair enough (no context).
    I still can’t come down on this person as hard as you are.
    She isn’t saying, “You won’t get that dreaded ‘death in the family’ phone call if you just SLOW DOWN.”
    She’s just saying, “I slowed down and re-experienced the rewards of that theme throughout the day.”

    Reply
  8. David Murray says

    October 20, 2011 at 12:43 pm

    Well I say she’s nuts.

    Reply
  9. Suki says

    October 20, 2011 at 12:43 pm

    David.

    Reply
  10. Rueben says

    October 20, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    I think we’ve all gone a little nuts with our enthusiasm to use social media as some sort of source of truth and wisdom. People are always posting this or that allegedly deep thought or oh-so-compelling-but-completely-out-of-context quote(I’ll admit even I’ve been led into this temptation from time to time). It’s all getting a little tiresome. Twitter and Facebook are like the new magic 8 ball. Or even worse, some people treat them like some sort of new bible where they turn for guidance. We ask them for advice and a response always comes back from God knows who.
    In particular, I’m getting tired of so many people lately blogging/tweeting that “I give you permission to” make this or that life choice. What the hell? I’m a big boy. I don’t need some random blogger’s permission to do something. And if I do, then what I really need is someone’s permission to stop waiting for complete strangers to give me permission. But maybe I’m getting too worked up about it. I should probably just slow down…

    Reply
  11. David Murray says

    October 20, 2011 at 3:21 pm

    Rueben! My Curmudgeon pills have gone missing, and now I know who’s been taking them!
    And say, Hoss: When were you going to tell us you are GETTING OUT OF THE COMMUNICATION BUSINESS?!
    http://pointsofrue.posterous.com/a-farewell-to-comms-we-have-a-blogger-down-i
    (And when are you going to tell us what business you’re going into?)
    For cripe’s sake.

    Reply
  12. Rueben says

    October 20, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    I did tell you. I posted it on my blog for the world to see for cripe’s sake! It’s not my fault if you don’t read it in a timely fashion 🙂
    I’m sticking with government but moving to the Ministry of Education here. The job is called “Executive Director of Innovation” – splendidly nebulous, don’t you think?
    But not to worry – I won’t be giving up my addiction to The Murr. I’ll just weigh in now as a recovering communicator and you can dismiss me as someone who is out of the loop and no longer knows what he’s talking about (if I ever did).

    Reply
  13. David Murray says

    October 20, 2011 at 9:19 pm

    You’ll be back, Rueben. You’ll be back.

    Reply
  14. Suki says

    October 20, 2011 at 10:13 pm

    The thing about FB is that different things make different people insane. I love thoughtful quotes and post them myself.
    What I can’t handle are posts about how far someone has run.
    Me: “Nobody cares that you just ran 7 miles!”
    Me: “Nobody cares that you’re training for the marathon!”
    Me: “Nobody cares that you just beat your last running record!”
    Me: “Nobody wants your daily running updates!”
    And then I remind myself that my thoughtful quotes make people insane. And that this online community is something we all opted into. And that all of humanity is annoying.

    Reply
  15. Rueben says

    October 21, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    “All of humanity is annoying.” Suki, I don’t know you but I think I like you just for that.

    Reply

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