Self-described change agent Seth Godin has put together a free e-book that I’d like to share with you. What Matters Now is a compilation of one page essays by over seventy notable authors.

One of my favorites was titled “Gumption” by novelist J.C. Hutchins. His message, like many contained in the book, is well-timed and thought provoking end-of-the-year reading.

Most of us settle in, and settle for what we have. Rather than pursue, we accept. Our lives become unwitting celebrations of passivity: we undervalue our work and perceive ourselves as wage slaves (and so we phone it in at the day gig), we consume compulsively (but not create), we pine for better lives (but live vicariously through our televisions).

These corners we paint ourselves into, it’s no way to live. There’s no adventure here, no passion, no hunger for change. Remember that relentless optimism you once had? The goals you wished to achieve, before settling in? They’re still there. You need a nudge to find them; a little gumption.

You can start that business. You can lose that weight. You can quit smoking, and learn to garden, and write that book, and be a better parent, and be all the things you want to be … the thing this world needs you to be. It requires courage and faith, both of which you can muster. It requires effort — but this effortless life isn’t as satisfying as it seems, is it?

Declare war on passivity. Hush the inner voice that insists you’re over the hill, past your prime, unworthy of attaining those dreams. Disbelief is now the enemy, as is the notion of settling. Get hungry — hyena hungry. Get fired up. Find your backbone, and your wings.

Flap ‘em. It’s the only way you’ll be able to fly.

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As it turns out, life is a journey, and the secret is to keep going… onward.

Onwards from AKQA on Vimeo.

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The article suggests that the drug could be used to treat persistent, debilitating fears–including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to some studies, as many as 1 in 8 soldiers returning from Iraq have reported PTSD symptoms, and the National Center for PTSD reports that about eight percent of the population will have PTSD symptoms at some point in their lives.

Certainly for people paralyzed by fear such a drug could transform their lives. And what about the average Joe or Joesephine, with their average fears? Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of change. Could this drug turn us all into fearless, bold, empowered beings?

On the surface, this sounds very promising.  But there’s something about the casual use, misuse and potential abuse troubles me. At the root of my problem is this simple question: Is fear a bad thing?

A toddler learns to fear the flame from the gas range in the kitchen. It’s hot, and it can hurt if you touch it–so be careful (a parent’s euphemism for “fear this”). Fears are learned; some purposefully, others through accident or incident. Most fears are rooted in a self-preservation instinct, but as we grow, some no longer serve us. Yes, if I put my hand in the fire, it will burn me. No, public speaking will not turn me into a laughing stock or pariah (there are exceptions to every rule).

As adults, fear becomes our servant. Like the speedometer in my Mustang GT, I can monitor my “fear level” and decide to back off the accelerator (or not). Fear is a tool used to help us navigate life.

Imagine if I didn’t have a speedometer, or in fact, any perception of how fast I was actually travelling in my GT.  Best case, I’d rack up a few more speeding tickets than I already have. Worst case? I’d be dead in a hellacious accident. Hmm… not an option I like.

My speedometer is a tool that helps me determine how fast to drive (usually a few miles just over the speed limit). My fears help protect me from risks that may or not be worth taking. Fear isn’t something that controls me — it’s just a guide.

I recognize that some people are gripped by fear. It controls them, rather than the other way around. I suspect that these are the people that the MIT scientists had in mind as they were testing this drug, and hope it can help them overcome what may be biophysiological causes of fear in those people.  But I fear the potential abuse. Imagine the miltary removing all fear of combat from soldiers.

I laughed at one of the more poignant comments at Slashdot, in which the respondant writes “maybe this drug will help me overcome my fear of driving headlong into oncoming traffic.” Right.

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We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar

Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom
Remember us — if at all — not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The stuffed men.

II

Eyes I dare not meet in dreams
In death’s dream kingdom
These do not appear:
There, the eyes are
Sunlight on a broken column
There, is a tree swinging
And voices are
In the wind’s singing
More distant and more solemn
Than a fading star.

Let me be no nearer
In death’s dream kingdom
Let me also wear
Such deliberate disguises
Rat’s coat, crowskin, crossed staves
In a field
Behaving as the wind behaves
No nearer –

Not that final meeting
In the twilight kingdom

III

This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man’s hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.

Is it like this
In death’s other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.

IV

The eyes are not here
There are no eyes here
In this valley of dying stars
In this hollow valley
This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms

In this last of meeting places
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river

Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death’s twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.

V

Here we go round the prickly pear
Prickly pear prickly pear
Here we go round the prickly pear
At five o’clock in the morning.

Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow

For Thine is the Kingdom

Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow

Life is very long

Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the Kingdom

For Thine is
Life is
For Thine is the

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

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But I digress. Here are the seven questions…

1. You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?
What else but Fahrenheit 451 itself? First, it serves as a warning to anyone who reads it. Second, I love the irony of being the book-within-the-book. Thirdly, I have a lot of respect for Ray Bradbury, who I met at small book signing in Temecula a few years back. Side note: His favorite movie adaptation of one of his stories is the charming but obscure film called The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit.

2. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
Uh, no. Is this a “girl” question?

3. The last book you bought is:
The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks by Rachel Andrew. I am not a web geek. I am not a web geek. I am not a web geek. Really.

4. The last book you read:
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Worth reading in spite of the hurried final chapter.

5. What are you currently reading?
Dan Brown’s prequel to The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, because everyone else has (another meme?).

6. Five books you would take to a deserted island:
First, the Bible. But not just any Bible — a really rare one. This serves two purposes. First, it’s rich with reading and inspiration. Second, it serves a practical purpose, having a resale value that would soften my landing should God see purpose for me to be rescued.

The Practice of the Presence of God written in the 1600′s by Brother Lawrence. This small book opened my eyes to the possibility of worship through every small action we take. Being stranded on a deserted island, that sort of patience and spiritual harmony would be a real plus, and I’d have plenty of time to practice.

On a practical note, SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea would come in handy. I love backpacking and can handle myself pretty well outdoors, but I suck at fishing (or more accurately, catching fish) and have little experience in the typical deserted island activities (water desalinization, sun protection, etc.).

I’d like the complete Lord of the Rings trilogy. When I first read these books back in high school I was struck by the depth Tolkien put into the backstory–languages, history, mythology and so much more that is barely hinted at in the books. I would love to exercise my imagination and fill out that history, taking it further and weaving it into something larger still.

Finally, give me an unabridged copy of the Oxford Dictionary of English. It’s interesting, and as I work my way through the entries, I can crumple the pages and use them to help start my beach-front signal fire.

7. Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?
Xerraire, because she kindly links to me and strikes a good balance between pragmatism and surprise. Steve, because he likes to be challenged almost as much as he likes to challenge. And Marcus because I don’t know him well enough yet.

If you didn’t get the stick, leave a comment and tell me what your choices would be.

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Politics

I am a registered and unrepentant Republican. Does that make you squirm? I know it does many of my friends. Sir Winston Churchill once said “Anyone who is not a liberal in his youth has no heart. Anyone who remains so as he matures has no brain!”

The policies of Democratic party have never resonated with me. On the other hand, many of the social policies of the Republican party make my hair bristle. I’m more of a fiscal conservative and a social moderate, with Libertarian leanings. I believe that thinking people do not vote along party lines, and so I remain a Republican with a clear conscience.

But sometimes the liberal voices drive me crazy. Michael Moore is one such voice. Regardless of what you think of his political views, its easy to agree that he is a pompous asshole. He lives for the media frenzy, and does his best to stir it up, even if it means contorting facts to fit his point of view. In spite of my distaste for his style of communication, I believe we need people like Mr. Moore.

Michael Moore’s new film Fahrenheit 9/11 is a bona-fide box office bonanza. The documentary grossed more in the opening weekend than his previous film Bowling for Columbine made in it’s entire run. I’ve yet to see the film (I plan to as time allows), but it’s well known that Moore blasts Bush for everything from the election, family ties to the Bin Laden clan, and of course, the war in Iraq.

Before Moore, I looked at documentaries as scholarly works based on fact. He clearly demolished that objectivity with “Bowling,” taking liberties with facts and showing clips out of context merely to build a case for his political views. He raises good points worthy of thoughtful discussion, but if you accept his views without question, you’ll be duped.

So what have we learned, kids? Question authority, certainly. But also question those that pit themselves against authority. Be a skeptic.

Sex

I was watching William Gibson’s agonizing long No Maps for these Territories last night, and he reiterated a statement you’ve probably heard before: pornography has repeatedly been a catalyst for technological advancement. Why? Because sex sells. It led to VCRs, digital cameras, DVDs, advancements in web security, streaming media and many other technologies now commonly applied to more mainstream pursuits. Some folks even use sex to sell the Good Word (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

A commonly held misconception is that men think about sex once every seven seconds. In reality, who knows? If I thought about it every seven seconds, I’d never be able to complete this blog entry (let alone get any real work done).

We are wired for sex. Designed to procreate; to “…be fruitful and multiply…” So why is sex a taboo subject? I’m not entirely sure. Who cares? I’m in favor of sex. More sex for everyone and there’d be a helluva lot less wars.

Religion

Many people kill and maim in the name of God. Others deny the possibility of of a creator for that very reason.

I believe in God. I’ll be the first to admit that I can’t fully grasp God, nor do I fully comprehend they why’s and how’s of the world. Can the finite comprehend the infinite?

Cyberspace creates the technological possibility of alternate dimensions — virtual reality. Scientists believe that there are as many as ten dimensions of space and time that we do not participate in. These constructs may or not help explain how God moves or acts in time. But they do allow my mortal mind to concede that there’s much more to this universe than meets the eye.

If you choose to put your faith in something else — technology, humanism, or yourself — that’s your business. I’ll be happy to discuss religion and faith with you, but only if you promise not to shoot me where we disagree.

Politics, sex and religion. Why was it we can’t discuss them?

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