Life at a Low Ebb (Erich Fromm)

Today, our love of life has sunk to a low ebb. Any behaviour that does not serve a person's growth, his progress towards complete self realisation, takes it's toll. The exploiter fears the exploited. The murderer fears the isolation his deeds condemns him to. The destroyer fears his conscience. The joyless consumer fears living without being truely alive.

Erich Fromm

On Faith in Oneself (Erich Fromm)

You have to have faith in yourself, to be able to think critically, to be an independant human being, a human being and not a sheep. To achieve that, to learn "the art of living and of dying" takes a lot of effort, practise and patience. Like any other skill, it has to be learned. Anyone whose growth takes this direction will also develop the ability to know what is good - or bad - for himself and others, good or bad for him as a human being, not good or bad for his success, his acquisition of power or of goods.

Erich Fromm

On Talking (Erich Fromm)

If two people talk together and both of them remain the same people they were before, then they haven't really talked at all. They have simply engaged in an exchange of words.

Erich Fromm

The Art and Joy of Conversation (Erich Fromm)

...these things [the art and joy of conversation] will become possible again only if we can rid ourselves of our monomaniacal, goal-oriented way of life. We need to cultivate attitudes that recognise the expression and full realisation of human potential [his emphasis] as the only worthwhile goals in life. To put it in the simplest possible terms: What matters is being as opposed to having; to just using and consuming and getting ahead.

Erich Fromm

Forgetting the Self (Erich Fromm)

Once we can forget the self as the prime focus of our interest and once we experience ourselves as acting, feeling, non-alienated human beings, then the world becomes the prime focus of our interest, our concern, our creative energies.

...We can best practise self-analysis the first thing each morning, combining it with the kind of breathing and concentration exercises used in Buddhist meditation. The important thing is to step back from the bustle of life, to come to ourselves, to stop reacting constantly to stimuli, to make ourselves "empty" so that we can become active within ourselves.

Anyone who attempts this will, I think, experience a deepening of his capacity to feel; he will experience "healing", a recovery of health, not in the medical sense but in a profound human sense. But this process requires patience, and patience is certainly not a commodity we have in great abundance. To any and all who want to make the attempt, though, I wish the best of luck.

Erich Fromm

On Effort (Erich Fromm)

Anyone who fears effort, anyone who backs off from frustration and possibly even pain will never get anywhere.

Erich Fromm

On Evil (Erich Fromm)

Evil is a human thing. Arising from intelligence, greed and a lack of empathy.

Erich Fromm, For The Love of Life

Monotonous and Boring Work (Erich Fromm)

...That is why work has to stop being monotonous and boring. And the central problem we face in organising our work: How can we make work interesting, exciting, lively?

...The whole point of life is to become increasingly vital, more full of life

...I agree with thinkers like Marx and Disraeli, who were convinced that luxury is no less an evil than poverty.

...I think that the changes can be effected only if people feel a deep need for more life and less routine, only if they reject boredom and respond to needs that make them more vital and spontaneous, freer and happier.

Erich Fromm, For The Love of Life

The Delight of Function (Erich Fromm)

The German psychologist Karl Buehler has coined the very apt phrase "The delight of function" to suggest the joy that activity can bring with it.

I believe a human being is fully himself only when he expresses himself, when he makes use of the powers within him. If he cannot do that, if his life consists only of possessing and using rather than being, then he degenerates; he becomes a thing; his life becomes pointless. It becomes a form of suffering.

Erich Fromm, For The Love of Life

Time (Erich Fromm)

Another remarkable thing about our culture is that we will go to any lengths to save time, but once we have saved it we kill it because we can't think of anything better to do with it.

Erich Fromm, For The Love of Life

Humility (Erich Fromm)

The faculty to think objectively is [called] reason; the emotional attitude behind reason is that of humility.

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Live Fully (Erich Fromm)

• Art
• Discipline
• Concentration
• Patience
• Supreme Concern

Learn and practice these things in all areas and aspects of life. To be concentrated, to apply oneself fully to each and every thing one does. To live fully in the present.

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Proof of Love (Erich Fromm)

There is only one proof for the presence of love: the depth of the relationship, and the aliveness and strength in each person concerned; this is the fruit by which love is recognised.

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

To Love Somebody (Erich Fromm)

To love somebody is not just a strong feeling - it is a decision, it is a judgement, it is a promise.

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Conditional Fatherly Love (Erich Fromm)

In conditional fatherly love, we find, as with conditional motherly love, a negative and a positive aspect. The negative aspect is the very fact that fatherly love has to be deserved, that it can be lost if one does not do what is expected. In the nature of fatherly love lies the fact that obedience becomes the main virtue, that disobedience is the main sin - and it's punishment the withdrawal of fatherly love. The positive side is equally important. Since his love is conditional, I can do something to acquire it, I can work for it; his love is not outside of my control as motherly love is.

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Love's Levels (Erich Fromm)

Infantile love follows the principle: "I love because I am loved"
Mature love follows the principle: "I am loved because I love"

Immature love says: "I love you because I need you"
Mature love says: "I need you because I love you".

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

The Essense of Love (Erich Fromm)

The essence of love is to labour for something and to make something grow, that love and labour are inseparable. One loves that for which one labours, and one labours for that which one loves.

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Love (Erich Fromm)

The basic elements common to all forms of love:

• Care
• Responsibility
• Respect
• Knowledge

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Material Things (Erich Fromm)

In the sphere of material things giving means being rich. Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much. The hoarder who is anxiously worried about losing something is, psychologically speaking, the poor impoverished man, regardless of how much he has.

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Giving (Erich Fromm)

Giving is more joyous than receiving, not because it is a deprevation, but because in the act of giving is the expression of my aliveness.

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Spinoza (Erich Fromm)

Thus Spinoza arrives at the statement that virtue and power are one in the same.

Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Antibacterial Soap More Trouble than Bubble?

With this article: Freaky Clean: Chemical in Antibacterial Soap Weakens Muscle Function I will be rethinking what soaps will find residence in our house.

A common chemical in antibacterial products, triclosan — which can be found soaps, toothpastes and mouthwashes — was found to impair muscle function in lab and animal tests.

...effects of triclosan may not be entirely beneficial

The FDA notes further that there’s no evidence suggesting that antibacterial soaps containing triclosan offer any additional health benefits over regular soap.

Can Overuse of Antibacterial Soap Promote Allergies in Kids?

This is backed up again here: The Dirt on Anti-Bacterial Soaps and here: Ingredient Widely Used in Antibacterial Soap May Impair Muscle Function

It's a message that is repeated as far as the google can see: lmgtfy: antibacterial soaps are bad

The Eternal Quest for Productivity

I thought this article (What's the big deal about being productive) was a good read. Which finished on two interesting points:

• Productive people simply love the thought of being productive
• “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters…”

Plenty of interesting articles where that came from.

Another site I stumbled upon in my never ending quest to find the truth about productivy and motivation: Mind Tools

Some interesting stuff there on topics such as:

• Leadership Skills
• Team Management
• Time Management

Though I did find it all a bit generic, it seemed nevertheless quite thorough and professional. And some of their skill assessment quizzes were fun.

The Science Behind What Motivates Us

An excellent follow up on what next after this

The Science Behind What Motivates Us To Get Up For Work Every Day

The main takeaway probably summed best with this extract about ... three main actions [which] have proven the best results for keeping our emotions and positive thinking the highest

1. Exercise: We’ve discussed before in detail how exercise makes us happier. Any work-out will automatically release mood-enhancing chemicals and endorphin into your blood. This can immediately lift your mood and lowering stress. Exercise and maintenance of our physical health boosts our emotional health. The hard part here is of course how to get started with an exercise habit. Whatever it is you want to get into, the key is to start with easier task than you could actually do. Yes, that’s right. If you feel comfortable lifting 10kg, make it five. The art is in the start.

2. Set yourself up for success: Amabile and Kramer’s most important finding is that making progress at work is the main way to fuel positive inner work life. Making progress is easier said than done but breaking it down to ask what will facilitate progress can be helpful. Identify barriers and remove them, whether it’s too many meetings or micromanagement. Identify facilitators and implement or improve them, such as better communication or increased autonomy. The feeling of progress triggers the emotions and brain activity that result in creativity and your best work.

3. Reflect and review: Pay careful attention to your inner work life by writing down thoughts and feelings about your workday in a work diary by yourself or with your team using a tool like iDoneThis. A regular practice of reflection helps you recognise patterns, gain insight about your work and work relationships, celebrate and appreciate achievements and gestures, and puzzle out what helps and hinders progress. Journaling itself will improve your inner work life, lifting your emotions and aiding cognitive processing and adaptation. Take 10 minutes out of your day to reflect, vent and celebrate.

Programming is like...

Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning. ~Rich Cook

Plenty more where that came from

[Update 24/9/2012]

More quotegarden quotes that we at FOE liked:

• Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand. ~Martin Fowler
• What I mean is that if you really want to understand something, the best way is to try and explain it to someone else. That forces you to sort it out in your own mind. And the more slow and dim-witted your pupil, the more you have to break things down into more and more simple ideas. And that's really the essence of programming. By the time you've sorted out a complicated idea into little steps that even a stupid machine can deal with, you've certainly learned something about it yourself. ~Douglas Adams
• Good code is its own best documentation. As you're about to add a comment, ask yourself, "How can I improve the code so that this comment isn't needed?" ~Steve McConnell
• It should be noted that no ethically-trained software engineer would ever consent to write a DestroyBaghdad procedure. Basic professional ethics would instead require him to write a DestroyCity procedure, to which Baghdad could be given as a parameter. ~Nathaniel S. Borenstein

10-minute break

Personally, I have always had the habit of taking a short break whenever I've been presented with something new, especially something challenging, such as when a colleague gives me 20-minute mind dump on some new topic.

I can usually tell when I need to do so, because my brain will reach a saturation point and demand a cessation to the input! I never thought about it very much. It just seemed like the right thing to do, even if I did feel a little lazy doing it.

PsyBlog to the rescue:

They found that even after 7 days people's memory was enhanced when they took a 10-minute break after reading the story. In fact, 7 days later people who'd taken a break were as good as those trying to recall the story just 15-30 minutes later, but without the break.

RSA Animate - Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

I think The video speaks for itself! ;)

Nevertheless, here's a quick summary for those who don't have a spare 10 minutes.


When a task gets more complicated. eg requires some conceptual creative thinking, more money does not lead to better performance. In fact, the opposite occurs: performances deteriorates.

The best use of money as a motivator is to pay people *enough* to take the issue of money off the table.

3 Factors lead to better performance and personal satisfaction

• Autonomy
• Mastery 
• Purpose

Autonomy - desire to be self-directed (often contrary to management directives/controls).
Master - the urge to get better at stuff
Purpose - the desire to be involved with something we think can make a difference in the world

Challenge, Mastery & Making a contribution

The big takeaway: If we start treating people like people, and not assuming that they are just smaller, cleaner smelling horses (tools), we can actually build organisations and work lives that not only make us better off, but also have the promise to make the world a better place.

Capitalism (Erich Fromm)

Capitalism ... permits the making of profits without personal effort and productive function.

Capitalism ... is the conflict between two principles on value: that between

the world of things and their amassment

and

the world of life and it's productivity.

Erich Fromm, The Sane Society

Walk (Erich Fromm)

A man taking a walk every morning tends to look on it as a good investment for his health, rather than a pleasurable activity which does not need any justification.

Erich Fromm, The Sane Society

Outgoing (Erich Fromm)

The word which is used for alienated conformity and sociability is of course one which expresses the phenomenon in terms of a very positive value. Indiscriminating sociability and lack of individuality is called being outgoing.

Erich Fromm, The Sane Society

The Aim of Life (revisited) (Erich Fromm)

..the aim of life is to unfold man's love and reason and that every other human activity has to subordinate to this aim.

Erich Fromm, The Sane Society

Work (Erich Fromm)

Work, instead of being an activity satisfying in itself and pleasurable, became a duty and an obsession.

Erich Fromm, The Sane Society

Aspirations v. Reality (Erich Fromm)

Since we are living beings, we must be sadly aware of the necessary gap between our aspirations and what can be achieved in our short and troubled life.

Erich Fromm, The Sane Society

Political Liberty (Erich Fromm)

Political liberty by itself is, in fact, always illusory. A man who lives in economic subjection six days, if not seven, a week, does not become free merely by making a cross on a ballot-paper once every five years.

Erich Fromm, The Sane Society

Man-made Realms (Erich Fromm)

Man hardly ever gets out of the realm of man-made conventions and things, and hardly ever breaks through the surface of his routine, aside from grotesque attempts to satisfy the need for a ritual as we see it practiced in lodges and fraternities. The only phenomenon approaching the meaning of a ritual, is the participation of the spectator in competitive sports; here at least, one fundamental problem of human existence is dealt with: the fight between men and the vicarious experience of victory and defeat. But what a primitive and restricted aspect of human existence, reducing the richness of human life to one partial aspect!

Erich Fromm - The Sane Society