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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Are you a tree, grass or cloud? Planting roots vs. Free flowing like the wind

Hi all,
Earlier today while I was on the treadmill, thinking of something interesting to pass the time while watching the timer in front of me lol, I realized something: Most people aren't like me, are they? We all tend to assume and hold the fallacy that others are like us and want the same things we do, but they don't.

One of my advisors, Momopi, said this before:

"Quoting one of my lady friends, there are 3 types of people: grass, tree, and cloud.
Grass types are happy when they find a nice sunny field to plant their roots.
Cloud types are more fickle, they change shape and move with the wind. They're happy when they're moving to new and exciting places.
Tree types plant their roots, but can grow tall into the sky. They can understand grass and cloud, but belong to neither.
If you find yourself in the sky as a cloud, looking down and wondering how all the grass can stand being rooted down, you should probably consider that they're looking up and wondering how you could stand being blown around by the wind."

I think he's right. I'm definitely a cloud type, which why I built an online residual income operation. But most people are like trees in that they seek to plant roots, become tied down, and live a safe solid routine. Have you noticed this? I think there are three types of people in this regard:

1. Tree: The first type seeks to plant roots in their home town where they grew up, even if they live a bad place with more cons than pros. They are uncomfortable with other places and see no other choice. Adventure and freedom is just an amusing fantasy to them that they see on TV or read about. They don't really need it. They prefer stability, predictability and routine. They are more than willing to be tied down in exchange for a safe stable home, job, family, marriage, regular friends, etc.

2. Grass: The second type seeks greener pastures to plant their roots and settle. They see freedom as the "freedom to choose where to plant their roots". They don't mind settling down as long as they are happy with their environment, living conditions, and people around them. Thus they are willing to move or relocate for a better life. A classic example of this were the settlers in 18th and 19th Century America who moved westward in search of new lands to settle in.

3. Cloud: The third type (like me) are the freedom junkies. These types live for adventure, new experiences, and meeting new people. They don't like to settle down into monotonous boring routines involving responsibility, obligation, servitude and burden. They dislike all forms of external control, long term obligations, permanent attachments, etc. To them, settling down is like binding yourself to a prison with a ball and chain. It's ok for a while, but becomes suffocating eventually. They need to feel free to roam and eject burdens from their mind. Every commitment or obligation feels like a threat to them. They can endure short term commitments, but long term ones scare them and threaten to imprison them. 

To them, everything gets old after a while. They don't like seeing the same place, same environment or same people everyday. They even get tired of their own lovers and partners eventually. This is because they are wanderlust types who thrive on new experiences. They are perpetual travelers and nomads at heart. Unless they have a job doing something they really love, they become job hoppers, self-employed or unemployed hippies and bohemian artists. They can never give up their freedom, which is their most cherished thing, not even for a significant other. To them, freedom is like air - they can't live without it. They'd rather be poor and free than have money and be un-free.

I think most people are type 1 or 2, but I am a type 3. Society only acknowledges the existence of type 1 and 2, but not 3, because types 1 and 2 cater to stability and structure (which is the function of society) but type 3 does not. The thing is, only type 3's can understand me. But type 1's will never understand or relate to me. Society is built around type 1 and 2, but type 3 types have to find their own way and learn to think and live outside the box to accommodate their lifestyle.

What do you think? Which type are all of you?

Winston

7 comments:

  1. Overseas Job Seekers Beware!

    Does the Philosophy "It is easier to ask Forgiveness, than Permission!" have any business in the way Insurance Carries service their Claimants accounts? If you insure the disabled from our war efforts, under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, 33 U.S.C. § 901–950 (The Act), I say NO!

    ESIS Incorporated, a division of ACE Insurance Company does this as Standard Operating Procedure. They will either drop your benefits at their leisure, without notice, or explanation, or drastically reduce your benefits. Then when you finally get the forms they provided to the Department of Labor(DOL), "Information Copy," it is weeks after the benefits were affected. If your benefits are terminated, it is over a frivolous unverifiable assumption. Do they have to provide evidence first and get approval before the termination of benefits? NO, they just do it! If you prove their assumption wrong, they won't change it. ESIS Inc. makes you take them to court, through Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Review Process. My ALJ review took three years!

    Then when you win your ALJ case, they use another entity to conduct a job survey to find the average wage for positions you qualify for in your area. ESIS Inc. takes this survey to fix your wage-earning capacity in the same way they terminate your benefits, behind closed doors, in secrecy, and without approval. They determine that you could have performed positions that you may never have seen your entire life and never would have qualified for, let alone have been able to perform. But they said you could do it—that's that—and as a result they only have to pay two thirds the difference, drastically reducing your benefits. In my case my benefits dropped almost two thirds.

    Even though the DBA specifically allows for the introduction of evidence by the claimant, ESIS doesn't provide you the opportunity. They make the changes and provide the DOL an Information Copy. The Act, 33 U.S.C § 908(h) places the responsibility of the establishment of the Claimants wage-earning capacity in the hands of the Deputy Commissioner, not the insurance carrier, "[T]he deputy commissioner may, in the interest of justice, fix such wage-earning capacity as shall be reasonable." NOTE: Is there any Justice in what ESIS Inc, their law firm, or ACE insurance companies are doing?

    Regarding your benefits, the Regional office of the DOL does not feel they have the authority to order them back—so along comes yet another ALJ Review. All along, who is expected to pay for all these legal fees? The claimant, because the DOL doesn't compensate Lawyers enough to make it worth their while. If you live in an area with no Harbors or Longshoremen, there are no lawyers in your area to help. So, you either don't fight or do it Pro Se (Represent Yourself).

    If you agree with me, then send a resounding statement by not using ESIS Incorporated or any ACE Insurance Company subsidiary, when looking for an oversea position. Check to see who your prospective employer uses for their Disability Insurance Carrier. If they use an ACE Insurance Family carrier, ask if there is another option. Let them know that the Disability Carrier is in your decision process. If they don't, then think twice before accepting the position. For when you are injured in the line of work, you don't deserve to be continually harmed and harassed by the very insurance company who is financially responsible for your care.


    FREDERICK C. HOWARD, JR.
    MAJ, OD, USAR (Retired)
    Defense Intelligence Agency Contractor

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great Post Winston,

    I wonder if I am a cloud or grass? Well its an interesting idea.

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    ReplyDelete
  3. Then when you win your ALJ case, they use another entity to conduct a job survey to find the average wage for positions you qualify for in your area. ESIS Inc. takes this survey to fix your wage-earning capacity in the same way they terminate your benefits, behind closed doors, in secrecy, and without approval. They determine that you could have performed positions that you may never have seen your entire life and never would have qualified for, let alone have been able to perform. But they said you could do it—that's that—and as a result they only have to pay two thirds the difference, drastically reducing your benefits. In my case my benefits dropped almost two thirds.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post! I really enjoyed what you had to say. Keep going because you definitely bring a new voice to this subject.

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  5. We can all relate ourselves to either a tree, grass, or cloud. This blog explains why and helps us to compare ourselves to each one.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Keep going! You're doing very well!

    ReplyDelete

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