Hello Timo, I do agree with his ideas that learning is a process, and it never be ended. All we can do is being positive, and hope for the best to come. Dream is keeping all of us alive :)) and expression is to share story about our goals and ambitious in life.
Have a great morning, everyone !! Gorby not Groby:)) On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 11:57 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > Groby, > > Some of us think really hard until we have become hairless. Others, think > until all hair turned white or gray. The last time I tried to think, I > thought that I have thought too much and my brain refused to let my think > again. Then, I borrowed some thoughts from son which turned out to be the > thoughts that I used to think years ago. However, my son thought that the > thoughts that I used to think belonged to him. I don't think so. > > My new year's resolution last year was to organize myself and become a > better person. My daughter, the smartest one, bought me a book called "how > to organize yourself". I took the book and intended to read it, but I lost > the book before I started to organize myself. > > Then I changed my resolution to become a better person by stop > procrastinating and got a book called "how to stop procrastinating." It > still sits on a shelf in my home library because I keep telling myself that > I will read that book tomorrow. > > This year, I will set my new " new year's resolution" again. I will become > a courageous man and not to become a pessimist bout Cambodian politics. I > want to believe that everything will be okay with Cambodia and all bad guys > will become good, ...but I am "afraid" that they won't. > > Have a thoughtful day. > > ========== > > In a message dated 12/1/2009 1:48:53 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Gaffar Peang-Meth <[email protected]> > Date: Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 10:24 AM > Subject: In the new year, 'think better to do better' > To: > > > *PACIFIC DAILY NEWS* > > December 2, 2009 > > In the new year, 'think better to do better' > > *A Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D.*ge > > In four weeks, the New Year will be upon us. Usually, around this time of > the year, I dust off reading material from my library shelf, looking for > something that will energize me for the new year ahead. > > A Christmas present from my wife, given several years ago as I settled into > my retirement from teaching, "Think Better," by Tim Hurson, a specialist of > a firm that provides training, facilitation and consultation in productive > thinking and innovation, is, again, what I read: "Your future will depend > less on what you know and more on what you think." > > A lifelong student, I try to learn something new every day. Since my > retirement, each day seems extra special and precious -- for which I give > much thanks. I smile as I read what Winston Churchill, who led Britain to > victory against the Axis powers in World War II, said: "It is a good thing > for an uneducated man to read books of quotations." > > My regular readers know I am a real quotations buff. Some may see them as > platitudes, but I find a kernel of truth in those I share in this column. As > each presents a way of looking at the world, I learn from them. As 19th > century American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Our best thoughts come > from others." > > So I find this time is a good time to remind, and reconnect with Hurson, > who has a pragmatic, readable style: "It's not what you know but how you > think" that determines your future and your life. His philosophy may be > summarized in five words: "Think better to do better." > Quality of thought > > Surely each of us thinks. That ability separates us from animals, which > operate on instinct. But some people confuse opinion -- an idea > unsubstantiated by knowledge -- with thought -- which involves careful > analysis. This careful, reasoned thought can be characterized as critical > thinking. > > The Foundation of Critical Thinking posits, "all thinking is not of the > same quality. ... Much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, > distorted, partial, uninformed, or downright prejudiced." High-quality > thinking improves our quality of life and the quality of everything we do. > > The Foundation's publications describe the pitfalls of "aimless thinking" > -- the "monkey mind," as Hurson calls it. Rather, we should engage our mind > in generating further questions -- the foundation sees this process as a > "substantive learning" -- "A mind with no question is a mind that is not > intellectually alive." > 'Essential questions' > > Without further questions, a mind does not know how to proceed or to > process. Recall Aung San Suu Kyi's call on her compatriots to maintain a > "questing mind." > > Hurson, an optimist, assures us that whatever intelligence quotient, IQ, or > creative quotient, CQ, your brain may have, "every brain ... can be taught > to think better: to understand more clearly, think more creatively, and plan > more effectively." > > Thus, any person can develop and grow. > > Like the foundation, Hurson urges us to "keep asking new questions," even > if it seems clear and obvious what the answers are, because to stop asking > questions is to stop productive thinking and deny ourselves new > possibilities. We need to ask "essential questions" in order for us to deal > with "what is necessary, relevant, and indispensable to a matter at hand," > whether in reading, writing, speaking, or doing anything. > > Recently, I logged on to a Web site and spent time dissecting a former > Cambodian professor's call for a "progressive and systematic overhaul" of > Cambodian society to enable the country to gradually resolve its current > economic, institutional, legal, political and social problems. As I found > Dr. Tith's explanations of the main causes of the inertia and the failure of > new ideas, capable leadership and entrepreneurial spirit to grow in > Cambodia, to emanate from a dearth of quality thinking, I wrote about his > call in my columns. > > I also wrote in this space of my thinking about how it is desirable to have > a hundred different thoughts bloom in the garden of ideas to enable us to > choose from the best, to develop and improve society. My recent columns deal > with ideas, commitment and change. Change upsets some people as their world > is disturbed. > > Yet, as we are the product of thoughts, what then do we become when ideas > and thoughts are seen as damaging to progress and development? I dread what > authoritarianism can do to mankind. > > Last week, I wrote about Thomas Friedman's "The Power in 11/9" when people > power brought down the Berlin Wall in 1989 without firing a shot. Friedman's > thoughts: "Where there is people power wedded to progressive ideas, there is > hope -- and American power can help. Where there is people power harnessed > to bad ideas, there is danger. Where there is no people power and only bad > ideas, there will be no happy endings." > Imagination > > On Nov. 22, Friedman's "Advice From Grandma" says most seem to agree that > "it's all but certain that China will own the 21st century." But Friedman is > "not ready to cede the 21st century to China just yet," because America > still has important things that can't be commoditized -- one is > "imagination," and Americans still have the ability to "imagine and spin off > new ideas" to thrive. The other is "good governance, which can harness > creativity." > > Friedman is worried about America's ability to forge "optimal" solutions to > her biggest challenges, and suggests America "need(s) better citizens." > > As we're prepared to leave the old year behind, I look to renewing "Think > better to do better" for myself, and wish the same for my readers in the New > Year 2010! > > ** > > *A Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where > he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at [email protected] > .* > > > http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200912020300/OPINION02/912020319 > > > > > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. > This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. > Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc > Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. > This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. > Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc > Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org > -- "There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." ~ Aldous Huxley -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org
