Dear Journal

Many people suffer from feeling alone. Thousands of people walking the streets and hundreds walking the office, and still we often feel so alone. It seems that the very things that make us feel alone are the same things that would undoubtedly give us the support and communication that is so vital. They are those horrible situations that have happened to us, those unthinkable grievances that we all suppress into the darkest recesses of our memory—deep enough not to affect the way others see us, but still present enough to create the cold feeling of being terribly and utterly alone. It seems that we have furnished our comfortable lives with so many masks of control, stability, and independence that we have become professional life-realtors: we can show our lives to each other, convincing one another of the perfect emotional or financial status that we pretend to all enjoy. If we were to swallow our desire to control the uncontrollable and stabilize that which is already unstable and just open up to one another, throwing out our pathological phobia of being vulnerable, we would see that we have more in common with each other than we may understand. Every situation is different, but the feelings that we feel are often shared.

The first step that is needed cannot realistically be finding someone and telling him or her of your deepest, darkest secrets—maybe in a perfect, idealistic world you could. What is needed is to tell yourself what you feel. Is it possible that one of the main reasons that we feel alone is that we don’t understand why we feel the way we feel—feeling lost in the crowd, alone in this isolation. Self-awareness is important for self-development. The best way to mature and grow is to find, realize, and admit where maturity and growth is needed. This may seem so obvious and over-generalized, and admittedly, it is. But that does not make it any less true.

There must be a way to fight the greatest enemy posing a threat to our emotional security: ourselves. Journaling is certainly one way. Journaling is perhaps the most effective and direct way to get a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you. By putting your thoughts in writing, you trigger some unique mental processes that often lead to invaluable new insights. Even still, directing your words onto paper is not easy for many people; the difference between the idea that is in your mind and words that come out attempting to describe it sometimes just don’t match up… and it gets frustrating. But the truest aspect about journaling is that it the best place for introspection and growth that is available.

However, do not let your words become a stage to try and find pity, affirmation, or attention. Only when you write with the knowledge that no one will ever read the words that you are writing—when there is truly no other audience but yourself—only then will your words come out in the honesty that is necessary to understand the feelings that create the heavy burden that weighs on all of our minds, individually.

Polymaths such as, Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison, were firm believers in using notebooks and journals as tools to record their ideas and feelings, much like modern creatives use pda's, netbooks, blackberries, etc. Try to write several statements a day that start with "I wonder,why, how, etc...”

If you're pressed for time you might consider mind mapping. Mind Mapping, is a great way to save space and time when you journal.

A mind map is a design used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.

The elements of a given mind map are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts, and are classified into groupings, branches, or areas, with the goal of representing semantic or other connections between portions of information. Mind maps may also aid recall of existing memories.

If you choose to mind map remember that "everything connects" (e.g. Imagine a flower. Draw a picture of the sun). Making connections between things that are dissimilar is an asset when it comes to creative thinking. Practice thinking about how different things relate to each other, and how different things can be combined to make something completely different.

Basic Rules for Mind Mapping:

1. Sheet sideways.

2. Pen or computer

3. Select topic, problem or subject and purpose.

4. Start in the center of the page.

5. Use color to trigger memory. Each separate main branch
has a different color and each sub-branches for that main
branch stays with that branch's color.

6. Branches closest to the center are thicker.

7. Each idea starts a new branch.

8. Use images to express ideas whenever possible.

9. The image or word needs to sit on the line and in print.

10. The line needs to be the same length as the image or
word.

These are your memoirs and are only a few methods on how to keep a journal. Not all journals will change history, but they will enhance your creativity, reduce stress, help focus, etc. if used properly.

Wondering how to achieve a small measure of immortality? Keep a journal.

Adam T. Wamack (A Young Influence)
Ruben Harris

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Clearly, You Must Not Know Our Women

Equality, in all its forms, has been a topic of intense debate. Yet, even though fantastic steps have been made in the right direction, we live in a world that still espouses inequality. Gender equality—women’s rights, empowerment of women—has been one of the areas that has made some of the greatest leaps towards this goal of equal rights, treatment, and opportunity; however, deep-rooted cultural beliefs sustain gender inequality. Yet women are still much more powerful than they let themselves be. What is needed is a continuation of what has been started. Simply because great strides have been made in the right direction does not mean that it has ceased to be a direction still worth heading towards, a goal still worth achieving, a necessity still worth fighting for.

Even if men were, in our future, to be the only leaders, the fact of the matter is that nearly every man was raised by a woman. Again, hypothetically, even if women never become the leaders in our world, they historically have a responsibility to our world—the responsibility to raise those leaders of our future into the type of men they want to lead. The future of our world belongs to the youth—man and woman—and it is up to them to lead our countries, feed the world, and to fight for peace when we are gone. Who is it that will teach them to be moral or immoral, just or unjust, steadfast or corruptible? It is they who raised them: most of the time, a woman.

“As the bearers of the lives that foster the growth of society, it is therefore evident that society itself is dependent upon those same women.” –T. Hoffman

In the past it has been the right to vote, the right to equal treatment before employers, the right to never have these rights denied them because of their gender. In 1920 the XIX Amendment was ratified becoming part of our Constitution affirming that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex;” and in 1972 the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) was passed by Congress affirming “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on the basis of sex” (**see note at end of article). The women’s movement, spearheaded by organizations such as NOW (National Organization for Women), has certainly been one marked by success—and rightly so.

However, what is to be done now—where have all the feminine soldiers gone? The answer is: absolutely nowhere! They are all around us, make up over 50% of our country’s (and world’s) population, they are in our workplaces and in our houses, they are teaching our children and they are deciding our futures, they may even be reading this blog. Whoever and wherever you are, my beautiful “Feminine Mystiques” (check out Betty Friedan, 1963), my loving demonstrators of tenderness, my powerful female soldiers, understand that you are the ones who hold our future in your able and ready hands. Get up; stand up! Be what you were born to be; be the woman that you should be!

**As a side note, it should be kept in mind that the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) that was previously mentioned, although it was passed by Congress, was never fully ratified by the necessary 38 states and is, as of today, not a part of our Constitution. As of now, 35 states have ratified it, but until another three states do… it will not become the XXVIII Amendment. If you are a woman looking for a place to put your fight, don’t become a rebel without a cause (like James Dean in 1955), call you neighbors, write your senator, find out what can and should be done, and above all remember: the only one who can change your universe is you; do NOT let that which you cannot do interfere with what you know that you can do.
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
--Edward Everett (1794-1865)

For more information on gender equality and the empowerment of women, check out these sites:

Promoting gender equality
Equal rights amendment

The Spartan Woman: Strong

Xerxes: You Greeks take pride in your logic. I suggest you employ it. Consider the beautiful land you so vigorously defend. Picture it reduced to ash at my whim! Consider the fate of your women!

Leonidas: Clearly you don't know our women. I might as well have marched them up here, judging by what I've seen.

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What Are You Afraid Of?

If one’s goal is reformation, revolution, or renewal, one is most often faced with many dilemmas—many mountains needed to be climbed, proverbial rivers that need to be forged. Any great journey is beset on all sides by any number of deterrents, distractions, and obstacles. It is ambition that gets one through, ambition that keeps one’s mind on task. Without ambition, the journey would sooner or later come to a slow, dilapidated, out-of-gas end.

The truth of the matter is that many people are afraid of ambition. It is not failure that scares people; it is not failure that stays the hand where work needs to be done; it is not failure that keeps the feet from moving when walking is needed; it is not failure that terrifies the mind to keep one’s ideas to one’s self. It is success; it is the idea that you are powerful beyond perception, capable beyond comparison, and able beyond measure that fuels the icy claw of fear that grips the hearts and kills the ambition of so many.

Success is a story riddled with trial, and in so being is often avoided. It is never easy to purposefully put one’s self in harm’s way, even if there is a great goal at the end. That is where ambition comes into play—where ambition is needed. Ambition is that equipment needed to climb the mountain; it is the bridge needed to cross the river; it is the purpose needed to convince one’s self to continue on, to persevere, and to never give up.

Keep your ambition and you will be successful. It may not be overnight, it may not be overmonth, but keep your ambition to go forward, to take the next step, and to push past the obstacles that will be in your way. Even when blinded, move forward. Even without a map, keep your feet moving; never ever give up and stay stagnant—awaiting the end of your future and the beginning of nothing. Let your blood flow through your veins with vigor.

A society with ambitious people, coupled with morality and good causes, can overthrow the dilapidated system that has yoked us into submission. A social reformation will spark and easily go out like tinder trying to light a wet fire; but with ambition as the kindling, the fire with slowly, yet surely ablaze!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Or deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, nor our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be…Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do…As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Martin Luther King Jr. Read more...

I'll Give You A Million Dollars...

Almost any person can be persuaded to do something for a cash reward. Another person might be persuaded to do something based on emotions or feelings. Others, however, accomplish things simply because whatever they wanted to do is something that needs to be done. There are so many legitimate goals (personal, scholastic, work-oriented, etc…) that are often cast to the side because we have no independent motivation and/or no dependent, external motivation driving them. Let’s put this into perspective. A well-dressed, legitimate, man walks into your living room, unlatches his briefcase that he has placed on the table, and, upon opening the lid, allows you to look longingly upon $1,000,000 in cash. He looks at you and says “All of this money is yours if you finish your goal by the date that you said you would.” The deal would be over—case closed—whatever goal you had so little (if any) motivation for, all of a sudden is the sole purpose of life, motivated externally by money.


There are hundreds of things that lie dormant on our to-do lists like little reminders to ourselves that we will “one day get around to it”, “become more mature one day and drop this habit”, or just so that we can say that we do have goals, even if they never get worked on, let alone accomplished. These may be resolutionesque or they may be work related, but their existence is the one universal constant with the vast majority of people in our society and is therefore not today’s order of debate; on the other hand, it would do well for us to all, individually, look objectively at our lives and find what we are putting on the permanent backburners—find those goals that, since they never get done, define our procrastination (what irony that our procrastination is defined by our goals…just the goals we never do). Before one can move into working on a problem, the problem must be first understood to exist.

“I had decided to stop smoking,” my friend Tim was telling me the other afternoon, “and I was for sure going to stop this weekend, but there was a party that I had to go to, and I knew that I was going to want to smoke, so I decided to wait till next weekend, but I think there is another party…” And the story went on like this for a few more minutes of haggard head nodding and the complete depreciation of all the, to me, obvious advice I could give. I realized while my friend began describing the logistics of one of the parties that Tim was not unmotivated but was, actually, devoid of any positive motivation. The motivating factors were present (in this case: healthy mouth, lungs, teeth; save money; feel better/accomplished), but the motivation itself had completely vacated his life leaving accepted stagnation to fill the place it had once graced with eloquence and vivacity.

Tim’s problem may not be my problem, but then again, my problems may not be his; however, one thing is for certain: motivation, as a general norm in our society, is rarely found in an independent nature. Many times one will find motivation dependant on the ends that the initial means of motivation will procure (ie. Tim may not have had independent motivation to stop smoking, but when, for example, his girlfriend says she will leave him if he does not stop, Tim will immediately find dependent motivation to stop smoking: motivation found perhaps in love or in sex).

This is not to say that all dependent motivation is unhealthy. On the contrary, some of the most important motivators (means to an end) are dependent upon ends that are entirely different than the initial. But we must separate rules, theory, and quantification from principles, realism, and qualification. There may not be a specific philosophy to control motivation, although one could be complexly defined, but we all know that there are many, many things that we say we will do or that we know we should do that never end up getting done.

Everybody stalls. "Whats in it for me?", "I'm working on it!", or "These things take time, you know..." are common things we have all probably said at some point in our lives. Procrastination happens to the best of us. Why? Because we don't feel like doing it or because we haven't overcome our fear of doing whatever it is that needs to be done. Professor Piers Steel used mathematics to quantify and better understand the desire to complete any given task (Utility) that one may have; using expectations, levels of importance, sensitivity of time, and the such, he gives us a more scientific explanation for our procrastination.

U = EV/ID

The 'U' stands for Utility, or the desire to complete a given task. It is equal to the product of 'E', the expectation of success, and 'V', the value of completion, divided by the product of I, the immediacy of the task, and D, the personal sensitivity to delay.

If I said, "Ill give you a million dollars if you do said activity", I can guarantee you that for more than 90 percent of us, there would be a desire to complete the given task, you would make sure that it is successful, there would be value for completion, and it would be done immediately with little to no delays.

Without beating a dead horse, the point is this: there is always motivation of some sort; it may be legitimate motivation or it may be a “million-dollar” motivator, but it is there. The only factor that keeps anyone from doing their duties or accomplishing their goals is self (apart the obvious, innumerable, external circumstances that often arise). It is sad that with the offer of one million dollars to everyone one in the country, our society would see so many accomplished people arise from nothing but the grease from their elbows and the straps of their boots. Motivation is what stops you from doing what you’ve always wanted to do; from being what you’ve always wanted to be. Don’t wait for the million-dollar motivator that is unlikely to ever come; instead, tap into the same pool of motivation using just the goal in and of itself to push you with confidence and security. You will be surprised at the results. In order to change your world you must first change yourself.

Adam T. Wamack - A Young Influence
Ruben Harris (twitter.com/redstarvip)
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The Values On Which Our Success Depends

Today, President Obama spoke to a nation about change, responsibility, and the use of old virtues to correct new problems: conservative words from the mouth of a liberal party-representative. We saw the distinct and fought-over lines of party separation crossed today in a leap of joint involvement and the peaceful transfer of power into the hands of a man bearing the evidence of our country’s final conquest of a haunting past of enslavement and inequality through the victory of maturation and growth. The great impact of his words were not like those of Kennedy’s inauguration speech—full of beauty and eloquence (although it was moving), but perhaps they were meant not to be; perhaps emotional highs are not in the best interest of our country’s future; perhaps realism and dedication are worth more than eloquence in this country’s current situation; perhaps a man as eloquent and well learned as Obama realized this.

If the change of the whole starts with the change of the individual, then there is a certain responsibility that falls on each one of us. However, positions of power carry with them the responsibility of leading by action; one could argue that the purpose of government is to direct, correct, and lead, and—in times where change be necessary—be the first to change.

A bi-partisan government has done well for our country (‘well’ being as relative as having-been-the-leading-world’s-nation-for-many-decades can be) for a long time. It should be stated that change does not mean a discard of the entirety of the old; it is not a signifier of “starting from scratch”. Marx’s communism (one of the best-known philosophies of change) was based in the idea of two opposing economic forces (thesis and antithesis) clashing and creating a new thesis out of the recently revolutionized thesis (synthesis). Not that an advocation of communism is our goal; on the contrary, it is not. But where has there ever been a good idea, even a GREAT idea, that was not riddled with the ever-present holes of human imperfection, that did not have spun into the fibers of its rug the threads of doubt, uncertainty, and our inability to tell the future not only of happenings but of other’s interpretations.

The Constitution of the United States of America is not omniscient nor all encompassing—it was never meant to be. The entire idea of “due process of the law”, defined by the Supreme Court’s decision in Hurtado v. California (1884) as “the gradual process of judicial inclusion and exclusion, as the cases presented for decision shall require, with the reasoning on which such decisions may be founded” as delivered by Mr. Justice Matthews, is that the Constitution be malleable, changeable, and adaptable. We are well aware of the fact that change may be necessary—that the current state in which we are in may not be the perfect option, and the state into which we change may also one day be changed for the better. The philosopher T. Hoffman said it best in that “the existence of our absolute imperfections is our only perfect absolute.”

But this is not a discourse of cynicism or of depression; nor is it one of malintent. This is a discourse of hope! Not the blinded, unprepared, and unrealistic notions to which a discourse of hope is often espoused, but rather one of realistic optimism; one of a country where “men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall;” one of a country where “a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before [us] to take a most sacred oath;” one of “a new era of responsibility—a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.”

This country may hang by a thread, but where each of us sees our own, personal lives in this country as that thread we MUST realize that that means there are over 300,000,000 threads that hold this country from falling into the abyss of self-deterioration, apathy, and remorse. Those millions of threads, when worked together with the braiding spirits of truth, responsibility, action, and coalescence, form the rope that is strong enough and willing to pull this country back from the slippery slope into which it has been sinking.

Led by our new president, and watching his party-crossing search for truth, change, and new leadership of our great nation, then “we can join hands together and sing in the words of the old negro spiritual: free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last” (MLKJ): words that hold as much relevance to a young, black preacher from Atlanta, Georgia in the 60’s Civil Rights Movement as they do for a young, African-American Senator from Illinois leading the modern world into a new era.

Senator Oba—I’m sorry, President-Elect Oba—I’m sorry again, Mr. President of the United States of America Barak Hussein Obama: we at thesocialreformer.com thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and we salute you with all the dedication that your cries of “change” and “yes we can” have inspired. Lead us into a brighter future, with our minds aware of the hardships that will have to be passed in order to get there, but with our eyes constantly on the prize at the end of the race—on the light at the end of this long, dark tunnel of stagnation and sameness.

“What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government”

*All unsited quotes from Obama’s Inaugural Address: 01/20/2009.

Adam T. Wamack—A Young Influence
Rubén Harris (co-author)
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Please Help Us Help Daniela's Family

The forces that accompany, and often drive, change are based in ideas. Without thought, study, and reason, actions would be whimsical and, more likely than not, detrimental to society… regardless of motive. It is through ideas that actions inherit their relevance and meaning. However, there is a time when ideas no longer suffice—when ideas do not complete that which needs be completed nor incur the effect that needs to be incurred.

A social reformer by definition is an actor. Not one who plays a part in a play, but one who puts ideas into action, that bring them from the world of ideas to make them real: physical proof of dedication to words spoken and promises made. There may be many ideas, and there may even be many GREAT ideas, but they remain nothing more until actions bring them to life.

Everyone has a part to play, and not every part is the same—nor should they be. One may have financial blessings and the ability to use money to incur a social good, whereas another, none less devoted to social reform but far less financially secure, may have different strengths with which to develop a better world; but the principle of acting on words (and not sitting on them) remains deeply imbedded in the hearts of both.

A recent story was brought to our attention, here at The Social Reformer (.com), of a man who has done what many overlook in gazing at the vast diversity of ability to contribute to a GREAT idea: he used modern technology, Web 2.0 fundamentals, and Humanity 2.0 characteristics to include in his quest for social betterment any and everyone who desired. Some gave a little and others more, but all gave what they could and, that which is infinitely more important, they all showed that their words would not go unsupported.

What follows is a story of a man who saved the life of not only a bunch of family members, but the life of the family as well. What follows is a story of a man who did not cast a blind eye at injustice. What follows is the story of a man who used technology to change the future of three little children… and with just the stroke of a pen.

What follows is a story of David Armano.

Adam T. Wamack--A Young Influence
Rubén Harris (co-author)


-Steve Hall of Ad Rants - Digital Neighborhood Comes to the Aid of Abused Woman

-BusinessWeek's Helen Walters - "The Collective Power of Individuals"

Repost: I've been at this blog for nearly 3 years now and have never asked for something like this—I hope I've earned enough trust to be able to ask something back from you. Above is a picture of Daniela and her family. Brandon, age 6, Daniela, age 9 and little Evelyn age 4. Daniela is divorcing her spouse after years of abuse. In recent years her mortgage went unpaid and she's lost her house.

As of this moment, Daniela's family is staying at our house and we are trying to help her find a one bedroom apartment for her family to live in. With Evelyn, her youngest having Down's Syndrome and Daniela herself being a Romanian immigrant with very little family support she literally has no one to turn to. Except us (all of us).

Daniela cleans houses when she can leave her family. I'm not even going to tell you what she gets paid—it's obscene. Right now her options are pretty limited, aside from an apartment, there is only a group shelter. Not very pretty.

Here's what we are asking. Right now, Belinda and I are opening our home, but it's tight as we have no basement. We've committed to giving as much as we can spare, diverting funds from other places. I'm asking if you could think about doing the same. Or at the very least, helping get the word out about this. We are looking to raise 5k for Daniela and her family. Enough so that she doesn't have to worry about a deposit or rent for a while.

I know this is the worst possible time to ask for anything. But would you consider the following:

1. Giving whatever you can ("Chip in" uses Pay Pal and it's very easy to donate and it's secure)
2. Spread the word. Please, please blog this, tweet this, re-tweet this.
3. Help find a donor (maybe a generous company or individual)

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Glory: Mortal Reward Worthy of Pursuit

Mortal rewards for the mortal actions of a mortal man makes sense; however, the idea that a mortal man may do mortal actions and yet receive eternal rewards is a fundamental belief of Anno Domini (AD) religions, e.g. Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, etc. However, glory has often been looked down upon as being inherently full of pride and corruption. Yet glory, as an eternal concern on this temporal world worthy to be striven for, can be used to influence others in a positive way, rendering all the more people eligible to receive eternal rewards for mortal actions.

Treating those things that are mortal with only mortal concern would be to live aesthetically, forgetting faith, and to live without bothering to concern one’s self with eternal things. This however is impossible; forgetting faith would render life unlivable. Faith is taken into account in every aspect of life: evolution takes faith, atheism takes faith, religion takes faith. Fundamentally, we trust that chairs will hold us and that mirrors reflect us accurately, yes; but this is on a day-to-day level, often seen as of lower significance in comparison to grander, broader ideas. Science is the study of fact—empirical, calculable, and quantifiable data—and is therefore devoid of faith in study. Yet the moment it is incorporated to practice, faith becomes the underlying (and yet, overseeing) principle that guides the entire study. Faith is not religion based; religion is faith based. Faith is on a higher categorization than religion, evolution, creationism, science, or atheism. To not concern one’s self with eternal concerns is to take faith out of the equation, and since faith cannot realistically be taken out, one must always concern one’s self with eternal concerns, for every mortal thing has eternal concerns attached to it through faith, at least, if not through other attachments as well. Glory is an example of such an eternal concern—a concern that supersedes this world, this time, and this life in that it will be remembered at least by God, if not by history.


Glory, according to a believing Christian, on this Earth is meaningless; it will not be carried on into the afterlife. But I, and as asserts the philosopher and historian, Petrarch, believe that it does have its place. To advise one to “live without glory” is not based on doctrine, nor is it based on tradition even. This type of belief comes from fear—misplaced fear that makes the heart and soul feel that grace is not sufficient. Searching for glory may have problems, but glory itself is of no harm directly. I will admit, as does Petrarch, that glory can be a poison to the soul of a Christian, but it is not inherently evil as many would have it be. The good in glory is that once glorified, influence is gained. If the glory was won through ethical and moral merit, then that influence can be used to an extreme level—to being able to carry more to God with less pride. To be stripped of glory is to be humbled, but to be given glory is not necessarily to be prideful. Was not King David glorified; was not Paul glorified; was not Peter glorified?

The difference between glory for personal acquirement, and glory for reflected vision from one’s self to a greater good (e.g. God, morals, freedom, etc.) is that the glory is used as a stepping-stone or as a soapbox, respectively. Whereas Augustinus implores Fransicus to “forget your own advantage in trying to bring advantage to others, and this in the vain hope of glory you waste unwitting this brief span of life,” I would rather say that remembering our advantages in trying to bring advantage to others, through a valid hope of glory, will unwittingly bring meaning and hope to, not only our own brief span of life, but to that of many, many others, too. Influencism requires influence to be able to bring about change in a larger group. This change may be good or it may be bad, but one should never forget the advantage of striving to gain it in order to give it back to the people once more—to be able to “give yourself back to yourself” truly, and not just keep one’s self private in the glory sense. In other words, if you have been given the gift (advantage) of attaining glory (and subsequently, influence), to keep one’s self only in one’s self would be burying the talent in the ground when the master leaves; on the other hand, using this gift to give back to yourself so that you can give back to the people (lead the people correctly through influence) is multiplying that talent and returning to the master’s hand more than what was first given.
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