Off to enjoy the moment!

I will be out of the country for the next two weeks, visiting a remote village to meet my partner's family. What a perfect opportunity to cherish the moment and live technology free! What more can I ask for from a vacation?

See you in dos semanas!
-Twisted Composure

Generational tension in the workplace

The results from my most recent poll not only validated my frustrations with communicating with older colleagues but also persuaded me to think about the different approaches to conflict at work. Of the four categories for " Which is your greatest source of frustration at work", the majority of respondents picked: " Communicating with colleagues at least 10 years older or younger." Interesting.... and NOT at all surprising!

It appears that generational difference in the workplace is an increasingly important source of tension and conflict and I don't see employers doing enough to address it. Approaches to conflict can also differ by generation and I believe that generational influence should be understood and respected just as much as we accommodate and support diverse personalities in the workplace.

After all, I'm pretty certain that I just had a 20-minute conversation with you about how to create a table in Microsoft Word because of your age, not your eccentric personality:)

"That which seems the height of absurdity in one generation often becomes the height of wisdom in another." ~Adlai Stevenson

Stillness

Have you ever attempted to sit completely still? Stood up while waiting and focused on one focal point?

I like to people watch and as an observer I find myself in awe of how the 21st century person is always in motion. Whether you're playing on your blackberry, or biting your nails-people seem to experience a growing absence of stillness in their lives and a constant drive to move. This absence is somewhat media/technology related (ipod games, texts, etc) but it's also driven by our " do it all" and " maximize every minute" cultural psyche.

I like to imagine my day as a combination of movement and stillness. This requires constant awareness and concern for the positioning of the body, but I find that the moments where I am able to be still are the most simple and rewarding. I also surprisingly find that my still moments don't detract from my productivity, but rather enhance the moments when I do need to be active.

Until the next...
-Twisted Composure


"It is the stillness that will save and transform the world."

-Eckhart Tolle

Privacy

It appears that privacy is the new hot topic within online social media and networking spheres so being that I'm devoting this blog to discussion around the 21st century dilemmas we face around media and technology, I had to start exploring this topic.

One of the first online privacy scares took place when Google implemented Google Earth. Remember that? Consumers realized that anyone could identify and locate the street view of any location, even homes. At first, this seemed scary. But like most societal-influenced trends that lead to fear, they are short lived. Today, the Google "street view" is a common map function. I even sometimes print out the street view for driving directions.

Privacy concerns today seem much more evasive and integrated into all online interactions. Social networking sites and retailers are becoming more and more subtle about consumers' privacy while there is a growing lack of consumer awareness around how the information that you share online is used. Not only are there numerous sites like Spokeo where you can find personal information such as someones' credit score, address, occupation, but there are also social networking platforms such as Facebook that have new privacy features and ways of sharing your information that is almost too much to keep up with. (Doesn't it seem like Facebook changes this on a weekly basis?)

We'll see what happens!

To be continued.....
-T.C.