Psycho Logics (was Wabbit Batteries)

[XURQ03A@prodigy.com ( LEE A HART)]

I started playing with EVs over 20 years ago. At first, I enthusiastically
showed off to anybody that would listen. In almost every case, I was shouted
down. "It'll never work, it can't be done, you're crazy..." You know all the arguments.

I realized that they were arguing psychology, and I was debating logically.
For them, their minds were already made up. They had a solution, and would
defend their position against any change. It was more important for them to
win the argument than to be right.

I simply gave up talking to other people about it. I could not maintain my
enthusiasm in the presence of overwhelming negative criticism. I kept working
on EVs, but decided to let actual results be my reward, not the praise or
approval of others.

There is a tremendous joy and thrill of accomplishment when you make something
yourself, and it WORKS! You don't need the approval of others; there is clear,
physical, objective evidence of your success. This is ego insulation against
the harshest critic!

The discovery of this EV list was a godsend to me. For the first time, I found
people who were not uniformly critical. Instead of spouting misinformation and
uninformed theory, there were those who had also done it themselves, and KNEW
what worked. At last, I had a source of POSITIVE encouragement!

When you find something that works, there is a need to share this hard-won
knowledge. The EV list is a great way to do it. You may want to (figuratively)
stand on the roof, pound your chest and shout, "Don't go that way, follow me!"

But if you do, recognize that to listeners, you sound exactly like all the
other boorish oafs standing on their high opinions and shouting their
particular version of the Way To Go. For each person who follows, a dozen more
are confused and discouraged by all the competing directions. They wind up not
doing anything.

So I wouuld encourage you all: Provide a map of the territory; don't tell
people where to go!

Lee Hart                     If you would not be forgotten
4209 France Ave. N.          Soon as you are dead and rotten
Robbinsdale, MN 55422 USA    Either write things worth the reading
phone (612) 533-3226         Or do things worthy of the writing
e-mail XURQ03A@prodigy.com   (Ben Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac)