Author: simplebender

William C. Barron is a published author of Joy in Alzheimer's, Lap Around the Sun, numerous technical articles and a regular guest columnist in regional news outlets. This blog (simplebender.com) has garnered an international readership across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Graduating from The University of Texas and now a retired petroleum engineer, William brings decades of global experience, having worked professionally on three continents—above the Arctic Circle and below the Equator. His career has spanned roles from offshore roustabout to engineer, operations manager, and senior corporate executive. He also served as Director of the Oil and Gas Division for the State of Alaska. Currently, he is the Principal of Trispectrum Consulting. He is a co-holder of several patents and has provided expert testimony before state legislatures and at numerous public forums. Outside of his professional achievements, William is a seasoned endurance athlete. He has represented Team USA at multiple ITU Duathlon World Championships, completed the Boston Marathon, and finished numerous half-Ironman and Ironman events. ....always seeking... always learning.... Be Bold.....Never Fear the Dream.....Stand for Truth
Posted in Philosophy

The Cosmic Treadmill: Time, Energy, and the Great Solar Lap

Posted on by simplebender

Imagine the Earth as a cosmic runner on a celestial treadmill, circling the Sun in its annual marathon. This cosmic racetrack spans about 940 million kilometers, and whether you are a newborn or a centenarian, the finish line arrives in precisely 365.25 days. Time, in its relentless march, does not care about the state of the runner – it is an impartial timekeeper in our universal stadium. Unless we drop out of the race, we all finish at precisely the same time every year.

Here’s where things get interesting: while the track remains constant, we, the runners, the individuals in the human race, change dramatically over time. The real mind-bender is that while we struggle to keep up with basic life, time keeps marching at the same relentless pace. The Earth does not slow down its cosmic dance just because your back hurts or your busted knees do not work either. Deadlines still loom, birthdays still sneak up on you, and somehow, it is always tax season again.

It is almost like the universe is playing some sick resource management game. “Here’s your annual allotment of time,” it says, “but we’re going to keep decreasing your energy levels. Good luck with that.” And we are left scrambling, trying to cram more into less, wondering how we ever had time for hobbies or, you know, a social life.

Imagine you are a shiny new car, fresh off the assembly line. Your engine purrs, your gears shift smoothly, and your fuel efficiency is at its peak. You zoom around the solar racetrack, accomplishing multiple tasks with minimal effort. This is you in your prime, a well-oiled machine capable of incredible feats within that 365-day lap.

Now, a few decades later. You are still making the same lap, but something is changed. Your once-pristine engine is now coughing and sputtering. Your gears grind a bit, and your fuel efficiency has taken a nosedive. This is the essence of aging – increasing entropy in our biological systems.

In terms of physics, we are dealing with the concept of mechanical efficiency. Our body’s ability to convert chemical energy (food) into mechanical work (actions) decreases as we age. It is like trying to power a Tesla with a steam engine – you will still move, but it won’t be pretty, and it certainly won’t be efficient.

Let’s quantify this with some napkin physics. Suppose you were young and could do 100 tasks per solar lap, requiring 1,000 units of energy. Your efficiency rating would be a respectable 0.1 tasks per energy unit. You can get several workouts in a day, along with your work, and raise your rambunctious young family.

Fast-forward 60 years. You’re lucky to manage 50 tasks with the same energy input. Your efficiency has halved to 0.05 tasks per energy unit. Now you are happy with one workout, a little reading time, and a little time of playing with the grandkids before your early bedtime.

This deterioration is akin to mechanical wear and tear. Just as a car’s engine loses compression over time, our cellular machinery accumulates damage. Mitochondria, our body’s power plants, become less efficient at producing ATP, the energy currency of cells. It is like trying to run a modern smartphone on a battery from the 1990s – technically possible, but woefully inadequate.

The cruel irony is that as our energy efficiency plummets, our energy demands often increase. Maintaining basic biological functions – the equivalent of a car’s idle speed – requires more fuel as we age. It is as if our personal gravitational field intensifies, making every movement an uphill battle against an invisible force.

Yet, the Earth keeps spinning, completing its solar lap with unwavering precision. The cosmic treadmill does not slow down or offer a gentler incline for its aging runners. This disconnect between our internal time – measured in declining energy and capability – and the unyielding external time creates the illusion of time speeding up as we age.

In essence, we are dealing with a fundamental mismatch between biological and astronomical timescales. Our personal energy graphs slope downward while the Earth’s orbital period stays stubbornly constant. It is a cosmic joke played on a universal scale – a reminder that while we may be star stuff, we are also subject to the unforgiving laws of thermodynamics.

As we continue our laps around the sun, remember: the race does not get longer, but the runner certainly gets slower. It is up to us to make each lap count, efficiency be damned. The Earth’s going to keep on spinning, and time is going to keep on flying, which we cannot change. We can change how we use the energy we have left. Maybe it is time to say “screw it” to the things that don’t matter and double down on what does. After all, even if you double down you are only going to achieve a tenth of what you want to….#NeverFearTheDream

Posted in Favoites

Life’s Continuance

Posted on by simplebender

We all look at life, and death, differently. Some differences are subtle, others dramatic. Some lean heavily upon religious practices and beliefs to understand and cope with the unknown. Others seek solitude and find solace in nature’s quiet while they calm their minds to calm their souls. Neither approach is right nor wrong, inferior, or superior. They are simply different means to reconcile life, life’s end, and the unknown nature of life after death.

What if there was no death but only a continuance? What if there is an ‘after-life’ of soul and body? Indeed, there is an end to our physical manifestation, but is that the entirety of existence? Or do we continue through our families and the generations to follow? A never-ending continuing sequence in humankind.

Look at your hand, what do you see? Do you only see your hand, your skin, your blood vessels, your skin cells? Is that all you, see? Look closer, I see all those but also, I see my parents, and their parents, and theirs before them and farther still. I see a continuum of life. A never ending always building continuance. Every cell in my body has the genetic sequence of my family past. While unique, I am not new. I am a product of the infinite interactions of all my forebears and theirs.

Look at your child’s hand and the hands of their children. Look closely. There it is. There you are. And there is your family’s past. You are a part of them. You always have been and always will be. You will always be a part of the future generations to come as well.

While you are part of them forever, they are also part of you. You cannot separate yourself from a part of something of which you are integral. They will continue after your physical form is gone. They will carry your memories and your teachings, good and bad, and pass them on to others. More importantly, you will always be with them, a part of every cell within them.

Look at your children holding their children’s hands and know you are holding their hands as well. Even if you are not there physically, you are there and always will be. There is no passing, only a continuance. No death; as life goes on.

NeverFearTheDream

Posted in Philosophy

Assessing Leadership: The Search for Quality

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How do you assess a leader, or maybe just maybe even yourself? What are the qualities which make any person a good leader or a good person? For each of us the criteria for determination will vary but have similar threads. These are critical times for each of us to evaluate and assess our leaders, want-to-be leaders, and frankly ourselves. A recent Marquette Law School survey showed fifty-seven percent of us have little to no confidence in Congress*. These are our elected representatives and leaders. We should assess them differently.

Think about a few characteristics which can be used to understand if they are making progress in pursuit of being better leaders. Characteristics which we can use to figure out if there is improvement rather than feeling good or feeling satisfied. Decisions on who should be a leader should not be about good feelings, but on tangible qualities.

Ask a few simple questions, these ten might be a good start:

  • Are they criticizing anybody?
  • Are they blaming anybody?
  • Are they accusing anybody?
  • Do they react to criticism and complements the same?
  • When they face obstacles do they find solutions or find fault?
  • When wrong, are they contrite or vengeful?
  • Do they demand loyalty over honesty?
  • Do they say the ‘right things’ or do the right things?
  • Do they look toward the future or dwell on the past?
  • Do they lead through hope or fear?

These are questions we should be asking about those who want to lead. We should be asking ourselves if they are more interested in promoting themselves or our county, state, and country. Are they leaders who bring out the best in all of us, or the worst?

Interestingly, the Greek stoic philosopher Epictetus during his life (50-185 AD) routinely asked many of these questions. He asked them to assess whether he and his students were making progress simply in becoming better people. We can still use them to assess the quality of ourselves and our future leaders.

Every election is an opportunity for each of us to look at the candidates, and ourselves, and ask some hard, yet basic, questions. Elections have consequences. There will not ever be a candidate who will satisfy all of us, on every subject. But there can be candidates who have standards of decency which most of us can appreciate and support. There are those who do lead with vision and recognize to be a world leader you must be an active player in world events and not an isolationist. There are those who do not parse and spin the words and facts for their personal gain or quest to retain power. There are those. We need to find them, support them, and dispose of those who do not genuinely satisfy, at least most of, our expectations of a leader. Never fear the dream of a better political and social system. Face the issues and constructively correct deficiencies, one at a time. #NeverFearTheDream

*MLSPSC18ToplinesRV.knit (marquette.edu)

This was first published in the Bend Bulletin 3/7/24

Posted in Political

Escape America’s Scaphism—WE CAN

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America is suffering its own self-inflicted Scaphism torture. The body America is restrained and sandwiched between unyielding aspects of our political system. Our head, arms, and legs extended out of our encasement as misinformation is feed to us like milk and honey. We eagerly engorge ourselves on unfiltered and uncorroborated statements and political propaganda vilifying our opponents without ever clearly stating our own direction. As we, the body America are trapped, encased in our vessel the maggots, flies and birds begin to find our filth inviting and our defenselessness exciting. We, the greater populous are trapped and dying because of special self-interests, single issues, and greed.

This is an unusually cruel form of torture, humiliation, and death. The greater body trapped, unable to move as our extremities flail. Slowly succumbing to the attacks from the vermin outside and knowing it is our own fault that we cannot escape. Our enemies celebrate and make wagers on how long we can survive. Our allies look on as our great democratic republic, once the envy of the world, is reduced to a heap of rotting flesh. Able only to scream, curse, and cast blame on everyone else. It’s the extreme right, the progressives, the immigrants, it’s misinformation, it’s the mainstream media; it’s everything’s fault but ours. In factuality, we are the problem and our own cause for our pain and demise.

We listen to the attacks on our national institutions and the steady drumbeat of lies, steals, dishonor, witch-hunts, scapegoats, all of those believing they are being persecuted, and all the victims. Lies and propaganda are espoused to deflect blame and avoid accountability and responsibility. The once moral majority has lost its moral compass. Our elected representatives succumb to the threats of violence and the greed of self-interest for re-election. We have allowed ourselves to be imprisoned in our own horrific Scaphism.

Can we escape our own torture? Yes, we can. We must be willing to work toward the greater good and move forward not backwards. A nation of sons and daughters of immigrants shouldn’t belittle and vilify new immigrants, regardless of skin tone or religious background. Our religious communities should follow their own teachings and be accepting and supportive of those who are different and downtrodden. We should, without hesitation, embrace our unvarnished national history and acknowledge what we did right and what we’ve done wrong. We need to be unabashedly proud and uncomfortably ashamed at the same time.  We should welcome challenging ideas and ideals while respecting our neighbor’s individual preferences and orientations just like you want yours respected. Check and double check everything we see, read, and/or hear on the internet or media.

We don’t have to live in an all or nothing social and political system. If we don’t start listening and understanding all perspectives and compromising; our representative democratic republic we will perish a very public, humiliating, painfully slow, grotesque death and fall into a tyrannical autocracy. Unfortunately, there are a lot among us those who want nothing more. #NeverFearTheDream simplebender.com

This article was first published in the Bend Bulletin 1/24/24

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Posted in Philosophy

Tribalism: Once Saved Us; Now Threatens Us

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Tribalism, the mutual agreement to join for the collective good, may have been the deciding act which saved humankind from extinction. We are weaker, slower, and mature at a retarded pace as compared to other top tier predators. Our intelligence and communication skills allowed us to recognize we are stronger together than we were apart. Tribalism saved us as a species. Tribalism is now about the control of thought and dictating morality. It threatens the wellbeing of our communal lives and wellbeing.

The irony is breathtaking. We eagerly join our ‘tribe’ at a sporting event and cheer for our team. We collectively jeer the opponent and their supporters. We don’t ask if the tribesman next to us is of any specific religious or political persuasion. We don’t care, they are part of our team’s tribe, yelling as loud as us. We will part ways and then subdivide into alternate tribes for religious service or a political rally. We will hear how ‘we’ are right, and ‘they’ are wrong. Even though just a few hours before we were high-fiving and hugging ‘them’ at every score. As our tribes shrink, differences magnify. Pride in heritage warps into fear of the unfamiliar and righteousness crowds out nuance. And so, the walls arise. Brick by brick dividing neighbor from neighbor, hands once joined now curled into fists or spread in contempt. Religion is not supposed to be divisive. It is an individual’s path to spiritual enlightenment and salvation. Don’t question their chosen path; be glad they are on one. Politics is a blood sport and all about power. Setting policy and governing is supposed to be an opportunity to politely voice our opinion about the community direction. Expressing one’s opinion, in a democratic republic, was never supposed to succumb to violent yelling or physical threats. But rather, thoughtful debates and exchange of ideas and ideals. Building from our differences for our betterment. True strength springs not from might over another but the robustness within. Creating societies where all parties thrive, not in spite of diversity but because of it. Where our shared hopes eclipse artificial difference. Remember, the opponent’s supporters are neither deplorables nor vermin, they are people. People who have different experiences and beliefs which we can learn from and not fear.

It’s hard to lead when you won’t listen to opposing ideas. Opinions and politics are partisan, the truth isn’t. The whole truth is just the truth, and sometimes it’s hard to hear. Unwillingness to listen leads to authoritarianism. The tribes we are now so closely aligning ourselves to aren’t working for our general well-being but for division. Divisions, initially narrow and arbitrary, will widen and bring general pain and suffering. There is more we can do by being cooperative than being repressive and judgmental. It will not be easy to transcend tribal instincts wired over eons of struggle. The tendency to sort people into “us” versus “them” arises innately. Still, humanity has forged bonds across divides before. We as a country have done this so many times. We must execute that legacy now when tribal lines harden once more. Keep sight not just of our group’s glory but those waiting in the gaps longing to contribute their verse. Our joint chorus will achieve symphonic resonance if we let it. Distinctive voices yet harmonizing ones.

Perhaps new generations will look back at this era of ossified tribalism as the last gasp rather than the death knell of our inclusive society. We must nurture change over panic; patience over prejudice; conscience over convenience; country over party; acceptance over judgment; and truth over fear. The effort is constant and hard. The effort yields a better world and a better country. A community, a grander tribe, where we all belong. #NeverFearTheDream simplebender.com

This article was first published in the Bend Bulletin as a Guest Column 12/14/23

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Posted in Philosophy

Choosing Mitfreude over Schadenfreude

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Are you deriving more pleasure from someone else’s good fortune (mitfreude) or malicious enjoyment from their misfortune (schadenfreude)? It’s your choice. Is it my imagination, or are more people hoping for and relishing in the misfortune of others? Gleeful when a rival fails so they might rise. Hoping for and gloating at their misfortune. You know people like this. You deal with them every day at work and to some degree in your private life. The ones who plot and scheme to gain by your misfortune and even set the stage for your failure. Spending time setting traps rather than focusing on enhancing their own capabilities. Theirs is the way to the spiral death of society. There is a better alternative, and we see it every day.

The news would make it seem the world has become less tolerant with those who disagree with them. We see and hear so many people pursuing revenge or retribution. Leaders and influencers do anything, say anything, and imply anything which will bring misfortune to those ideologically different. Their followers, rather than asking inconvenient, uncomfortable, questions, trail along, clinging to every word as if gospel, and propagate the incendiary actions. They don’t strive to understand and refuse to yield on any position.

Don’t be misled or disillusioned. These are an unfortunate, disgruntled, minority in the fabric of our social system. The majority wish people well and celebrate their accomplishments. Yes, even if those accomplishments are counter to our desired goal.

This is our individual choice. We can relish in the good fortune of others, or we can choose to wallow in venomous, sadistic, pleasure of their suffering. Choosing to enjoy the good fortune or the pain of others is up to each of us. And by such a choice you clearly show the world what kind of person you are. A society which dwells upon the misfortune of their rivals is destined to fail. It fails because hate isn’t sustainable. Hate breed’s hate. It doesn’t encourage collaboration or competition. We need to collectively find the best solutions. We need to celebrate the accomplishments of others and build upon them. Every day, we get to choose to celebrate other’s joy. We’ve not lost the capacity of compassion. We see it every day in so many ways. We routinely choose compassion over oppression. We choose charity over fraud. We find ways to help those who are less fortunate. We are better than the schadenfreudians. We choose mitfreude. Be the best you can be on your own merit and support those around you, even if you don’t wholly agree with them. And for those others, we must work harder, think deeper, care more, and communicate our position better. #NeverFearTheDream simplebender.com

Mitfreude: Enjoyment derived from observing someone else’s fortune or luck. Schadenfreude: Malicious enjoyment derived from observing someone else’s misfortune.

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Posted in Philosophy

A Bungalow Fall

Posted on by simplebender

Wishing everyone a wonderful Fall and Thanksgiving……Stay well

You can see more photos and gardening topics at Jan’s Instagram account #GardeningAtTheBungalow

Posted in Philosophy

Be in the Moment, Not Captured by It

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There is something really special about living in the moment. Being present for those you love or embracing a euphoric moment. There is also something bad about being so consumed by it you are captured and lose your perspective. Animals live only in the moment. Those without a future live only in the past. Those who can’t face reality live in their delusional dreams of the future.

By viewing life from a Janusian perspective you can reflect on your past, be in the moment, and see where your actions are taking you. Look at your past with a dispassionate eye, neither overly positive nor negative. The future won’t surprise you if you take time to see where you are going based upon what you are doing. Doing so will give you a better perspective of moment and your future.

It is so easy to be immersed in the moment. To be enveloped by the experience, good or bad. To be wrapped up in the euphoria of quick gain or titillating emotions. Or you are thrown into despair by sudden loss or penetrating grief. The moment is precariously, and precisely, set between your past and your future. Your actions now are based on what you’ve done and are putting future events into action. Recognize the risks and opportunities as you are enveloped by the present moment. Find something in the moment you enjoy, regardless of how distasteful or unpleasant. You get to choose how you respond to the events and people. But remember how you react sets tomorrow’s stage.

Learn from your past and then let go, you cannot change it. Don’t dream of a future, make one. Relish the moment. It only happens once and is fleeting. But be wary of losing yourself in its allure and possible evil seduction. #NeverFearTheDream

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Posted in Favoites

Fix America’s Broken Windows

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When you own a factory, you don’t tear it down when you have a few broken windows. You fix the windows. But if you don’t fix them, your neighbors and passersby know you are in trouble. You appear not to care or are incapable of fixing your problems. Soon there will be more broken windows, as your factory falls further and further into disrepair.

America is like a factory. A sprawling dynamic complex with many buildings and a lot of windows. Unfortunately, the American Factory has a few broken windows, and a very few really want to fix them. The majority want to spend a lot of time, money, and energy yelling and pointing fingers at issues which might not really be of much value. They focus on hate generated topics like ‘woke’, transgender, and LGBTQ. These are issues reflecting differences of opinion and personal preference. The vocal body focuses on the fabrication of election rigging conspiracies and the undercutting of our election and judicial systems. Why do we find the time to breed hate but not understanding?

We don’t make time to prioritize fixing the broken windows of fentanyl, mental health, or the homeless. Others may see other broken windows, yet if we can fix these the other windows might not be broken, just cracked and chipped and much easier to repair.

Annually, tens of thousands of Americans are dying by overdose and their families broken because of it. The addiction is fueling our homelessness crisis and filling our streets with refuse and discarded, broken, human beings, as well as our morgues. The mental health crisis feeds drug abuse and is disproportionately impacting minorities and under-educated. These are our broken windows. We seem only interested in sweeping up the glass off the factory floor and not willing to focus upon fixing the windows. It doesn’t matter who broke the window, or maybe not even how; but we must fix them lest more are broken.

We don’t want to solve the problem, nor face it. We want to blame someone. It’s easy to cast blame and harder to fix the problems. It’s easy to blame the southern border immigrants for breaking the window. But, have you looked at the immigrants; really looked. They are carrying a few clothes in shoddy backpacks and their children, not pounds and pounds of drugs. Stop blaming them and start looking for and solving the real cause; us. Consider, information from DEA, ICE, and DHS (1);

  • 90% of fentanyl seizures are at legal border ports of entry, not immigration routes;
  • Over 90% of those seizures are from U.S. Citizens, not immigrants;
  • Less than 0.02% of arrested immigrants possessed any fentanyl;
  • U.S. citizens exceed 85% of the convicted drug traffickers, ten times greater than convictions of undocumented immigrants.

Ultimately, fentanyl smuggling is funded by us, U.S. citizens, the consumers. If we want to stop the fentanyl problem, let’s start asking why so many of us are becoming addicted. Why are so many taking these opioid drugs in the first place? What pain, emotionally or physically, what desperation, is so great they require these intoxicants to cope? Answering, ‘How did we get here?’ might help us fix the window before more lives are destroyed.

If we have time to focus on hate and festering ego issues, with legislators paralyzed by radical party extremes we have time to fix windows. These are shining examples of why the American Factory windows are being broken faster and faster. Our neighbors see us as a decaying, broken factory which cannot address our own real problems mired in dysfunctionality. Put partisan rhetoric aside, face the big problems, and at least be seen trying to fix the windows rather than trying to tear down the factory. #NeverFearTheDream

(1) www.cato.org/blog/fentanyl-smuggled-us-citizens-us-citizens-not-asylum-seekers

This article was first published in the Bend Bulletin 10/24/23

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Posted in Favoites

Joy In Alzheimer’s

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Prologue

Let’s just be honest; there is no joy in Alzheimer’s; however, Joy, my mom, is in the middle of it….so ‘Joy In Alzheimer’s’ is where we are. This is an attempt to follow her through this unwinnable battle. To open-up about how the mental disease affects her and those who care and love her. So, how did her long journey down a narrowing path come to this point. A path which no longer has a safety net. Where every stumble, on her old uncertain legs and weakened mind, can lead to uncontrolled dementia and deep dark recesses.

Joy’s road, like most with Alzheimer’s, started long before anyone really knew. My dad passed away over 15 years ago and since then Joy has lived alone. My nephew and his family lived nearby for several years. To their credit they reported subtle changes in her mental abilities. Being remote, the rest of the family dismissed the observations as ‘she’s just getting older’. Six years ago, we moved her from her west Texas home of over 50 years to an independent living facility in central Oregon. Now closer, we could see some subtle changes which age alone couldn’t explain. Three falls, with head injury, just compounded the problem. She began to lose the ability to pay bills and her ‘book-keeping’ went from taking a few hours to taking a few weeks.

We took her to a neurologist under the pretext of getting a baseline assessment after her third fall. The appointment went well. The neurologist wasn’t overly concerned with her cognitive test results. The diagnosis changed at the next appointment six months later. The doctor was concerned with the delusional episodes, the money management deterioration, but the illustration below sort of tipped the scales.

Within six months we had moved her to an assisted living facility, before the independent one was forced to ask us to move her. That’s where she is now and has been for over a year and a half; even though she’ll tell you she just moved in and has changed apartments five or six times, and the entire complex has been rotated around several times.

This was the start of our journey with her down that long narrowing path. We have found humor, character, courage, and sadness along the way. I’m sure we will find more as we continue. These will be the stories I tell, and I’m always interested in comments and support as we try to help each other. We are all on journeys and we shouldn’t judge the paths we are all on. We should just extend a hand and help. You never know, you might be the safety net so many of those with Alzheimer’s and those who are their care partners really need.

The Full story of Joy in Alzheimer’s can be found at:

Joy in Alzheimer’s: My Mom’s Brave walk into dymentia’s abyss

NeverFearTheDream simplebender.com @simplebender.bsky.social Stand For Truth

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