Wisdom And Nonsense

I broke all the rules that my dad gave me. It was he who had given me, in part, the confidence to think of my life as being worthy to mix with those of the geniuses. —Heather O’Neill With generosity and wry humour, novelist Heather O’Neill recalls several key lessons she learned in childhood from her father: memories and stories about how crime does pay, why one should never keep a diary, and that it is good to beware of clowns, among other things. Her father and his eccentric friends—ex-bank robbers and homeless men—taught her that everything she did was important, a belief that she has carried through her life. O’Neill’s intimate recollections make Wisdom in Nonsense the perfect companion to her widely praised debut novel, Lullabies for Little Criminals (HarperCollins).

In 1979 at the age of 30, Julianna Porrazzo gave herself the hobo moniker of "Minneapolis Jewel" and hopped her first freight train to ride to Britt, Iowa, to attend the National Hobo Convention. She would take this trip every year for the next 40 years, becoming fully part of the hobo family, meeting gritty, one-of-a kind individuals (one she even married) and being elected Queen of the Hobos five times. Wisdom and Nonsense is the story of her train rides, hobo friendships, adventures, and tragedy.

This is a book for managers who know that their organisations are stuck in a mindset that thrives on fashionable business theories that are no more than folk wisdom, and whose so-called strategies that are little more than banal wish lists. It puts forward the notion that the application of uncommon sense - thinking or acting differently from other organisations in a way that makes unusual sense - is the secret to competitive success. For those who want to succeed and stand out from the herd this book is a beacon of uncommon sense and a timely antidote to managerial humbug.

Throughout history, going back as far as 3,000 years, great thinkers have shared their words of wisdom. Today, many more people are involved in producing quotes that inspire and repulse. We hold on to many of these bits of wisdom and we let some of them guide our lives. At the same time there are people who have an audience but produce nothing but nonsense. We may be inspired to know that Albert Einstein had deep convictions about a supreme power. We might also enlightened to know that our some of our founding fathers who created One Nation under God, actually did not have deep convictions about a supreme being, and that they had little use for the church. Then again some quotes are simply quips to ponder or amuse. At the same time it is interesting to note that Michelangelo, Hemingway, and Freud loved cats, or that Tom Brokaw and Tiger Woods love their time fishing. Claude Monet was inspired by his garden, and Thomas Jefferson and Viggo Mortensen cherished their time digging in their gardens. We can learn all kinds of things from and about people if we just take the time to look. That's what Wisdom and Nonsense teaches: the diversity of what they said about subjects they either were expert at, or that surprise us to know they had any interest at all. And then sometimes we just need a boost to our intellectual curiosity or a moment of light entertainment without having to think too much.

An illuminating look at the surprising upside of ambiguity—and how, properly harnessed, it can inspire learning, creativity, even empathy Life today feels more overwhelming and chaotic than ever. Whether it’s a confounding work problem or a faltering relationship or an unclear medical diagnosis, we face constant uncertainty. And we’re continually bombarded with information, much of it contradictory. Managing ambiguity—in our jobs, our relationships, and daily lives—is quickly becoming an essential skill. Yet most of us don’t know where to begin. As Jamie Holmes shows in Nonsense, being confused is unpleasant, so we tend to shutter our minds as we grasp for meaning and stability, especially in stressful circumstances. We’re hard-wired to resolve contradictions quickly and extinguish anomalies. This can be useful, of course. When a tiger is chasing you, you can’t be indecisive. But as Nonsense reveals, our need for closure has its own dangers. It makes us stick to our first answer, which is not always the best, and it makes us search for meaning in the wrong places. When we latch onto fast and easy truths, we lose a vital opportunity to learn something new, solve a hard problem, or see the world from another perspective. In other words, confusion—that uncomfortable mental place—has a hidden upside. We just need to know how to use it. This lively and original book points the way. Over the last few years, new insights from social psychology and cognitive science have deepened our understanding of the role of ambiguity in our lives and Holmes brings this research together for the first time, showing how we can use uncertainty to our advantage. Filled with illuminating stories—from spy games and doomsday cults to Absolut Vodka’s ad campaign and the creation of Mad Libs—Nonsense promises to transform the way we conduct business, educate our children, and make decisions. In an increasingly unpredictable, complex world, it turns out that what matters most isn’t IQ, willpower, or confidence in what we know. It’s how we deal with what we don’t understand.

"Religion" is a term that the media often use without any clarification. But it is a loaded word that encompasses hundreds of different beliefs. Religion can be seen as a source of war and peace, love and hate, dialogue and narrow-mindedness. The globalization of communications has raised awareness of religious conversion, with more people than ever before belonging to a different religious community than their parents. The No-Nonsense Guide to Religion considers how religion has shaped our culture, and how our culture is shaping religion today.

In an irresistible invitation to lighten up, look around, and live an unscripted life, a master of the art of improvisation explains how to adopt the attitudes and techniques used by generations of musicians and actors. Let’s face it: Life is something we all make up as we go along. No matter how carefully we formulate a “script,” it is bound to change when we interact with people with scripts of their own. Improv Wisdom shows how to apply the maxims of improvisational theater to real-life challenges—whether it’s dealing with a demanding boss, a tired child, or one of life’s never-ending surprises. Patricia Madson distills thirty years of experience into thirteen simple strategies, including “Say Yes,” “Start Anywhere,” “Face the Facts,” and “Make Mistakes, Please,” helping readers to loosen up, think on their feet, and take on everything life has to offer with skill, chutzpah, and a sense of humor.