Advices

I read a lot. I always read.

I come from a family of simple people. I had no parents with a lot of instruction. As I grew older, I learn more from books than by the teachings of others. Of course, the books are written by people, so I learned things with people, but not directly.

The books are then as my advisors. And I am a dedicated student. Always have been.

But giving advice is one thing. Following a advice is another.

Someone saying that you must do this or that is correct, but does not mean it will be easy for one who accepts the advice. Being disciplined with our learning is a hard work.

A lot of work.

Now, for exemple, I am struggling with my backup. This is the third or fourth time I talk about backups in this blog. This backup bothers me and scares me.

It is not simply a matter of paranoia. It's a safety issue. Preserving our data is a security issue. As I said in previous post, we can not live without our computers, and if they lose, we lose part of our lives together.

Moreover, how can I do anything productive today that does not involve the computer? Try to think in something that is a task and does not involve internet, technology, computers?

It's hard.

So how can I venture to do something knowing that I can not finish it and see everything lost for any problem? This is unacceptable. I've been through this before and I know that when it comes to computing, it is better to do nothing than to do something and then lose everything by not having a copy of what was done. This blog is  evidence that even a simple post that is lost while typing is an inestimable loss. There is no contesting the urgency of saving volatile digital data.

In any case, this awareness that I need digital security is a awareness that is part of a greater consciousness that tells me I have security not only digital, but in all aspects of my life. Physical security, financial security, emotional security, all sorts of security.

No, I'm not a coward. Not so. It is that I am too old to ignore the risks of the world. I do not fear losing my safety, but even so I stand waiting my security go, in any aspect of my life. Living is just this: keep yourself whole until  we can, until our last breath.

Then there is another problem. In so far as I know I need to take care of my safety and do not care, I can not fool me. Here is not the story of self-deception. I know I'm being careless with something in my life and it is foolish to think that I'm lucky and nothing will happen to me. If I careless of my safety, I worry.

But I can not worry. Worry does not solve anything. Worry is like fever we feel when we are deseased. It signals something wrong with us. The solution is then not continue worrying, but to uproot the causes of our worry.

But back to the advices. How do I know that any advice is useless and counterproductive?

I know because I read, I studied Dale Carnegie and his book "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living."

That's the problem. I am a disciplined student. I read, I learned and now I apply what I learned in my life.

Coincidentally, I read a sentence in those days, a Chinese saying: "Think of the best, prepare for the worst and move on."

It is the same teaching, the same lesson, the same warning.

Then I have a degree in business administration. Get a common manual of administration and will see the famous SWOT method. What says the method? Go, get out your strengths, leverage them. Take your weaknesses, minimize them. Analyze opportunities and external threats and it is ready, you already have a diagnosis for their strategic planning. SWOT is easy to recommend. Minimize weaknesses, not so.

But things only happen to others.

Two days ago landed the last American space shuttle, Atlantis, on his last trip, and last of all U.S. space shuttle project. It was with relief that we saw a big project end well with a soft landing and no explosions. Who does not remember the Challenger and Columbia?

Now, Norway account their dead, just the quiet, peaceful and rich Norway. Not that we are alarmists. Is that bad things happen to everyone, even to good people, even with the peaceful people.

So, it is best to follow some advice and minimize our risk to we can maximize our potential? Yes, of course, except that everything is too much work, too much work to be taken seriously. We run the risk of fail, because there are too many threats, vulnerabilities and other risks too. Is it really worth all this effort?

I do not know, but I feel that there is something that still does not fit. Is missing a balance in all these advices. I smell something missing but I can not define.

I have thought about moving amoebae, but it is still early to draw conclusions.

Wait ...