Categories
Uncategorized

Could bad advice give you a lesson in life?

Remember that advice, good or bad, can be your lesson in life.

In the words of the immortal Mark Twain, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so”. That means that we often believe in things we were told. Bad advice from people we trusted. We’re all gullible. 

First, let me tell you about how gullible I was.

When I was a kid, I was super gullible. In the third grade someone told me to pull the fire alarm, so I did! Then I got in all kinds of trouble. I actually blame the teacher because I had to idea what that little red thing on the wall did. I feel she should have explained that to the third graders before bad advice and curiosity made me do it. Boy, was she upset! Then when the elementary principal asked me why I did it, I told him I wondered what would happen and now I know. He just looked at me blankly, as did my teacher. I still got in a lot of trouble, but it seems that’s something they should explain to little kids in the first grade. We may be young but we’re not as stupid as they thought we were. They’re teachers, they should teach you life lessons. 

As I got older, I got beat up by older kids, in trouble at school, yelled at by my parents, and more. Usually because I took bad advice or got curious. While you’re probably laughing at my stupidity, it also taught me to be cautious and careful. Maybe cynical. Something that most kids today don’t learn because they’re, (in my opinion), over protected. We have to make our own mistakes to avoid future mistakes. That is what I call learning. Mistakes make great teachers. My mother also told me that at a young age. Usually after I did something stupid. 

You see, while older kid gags were somewhat cruel, they were also teachers. I got lessons in what not to do. Lessons in how to treat people.  Mainly because my mom would tell me, “how did you like it when they did that to you?” as I got older. That taught me to be a little more honest. On the other hand, honesty got me in trouble too, sometimes I look like an asshole no matter what. Not intentionally. 

Sure, we still make mistakes, but learn based on new information. We have to constantly be learning, even into our old age. I am holding on to that theory. We may have to change our opinion, side, and loyalty. That’s just how it is.

Today’s kids are overprotected and gullible, in my opinion. That’s probably why they believe complete strangers on YouTube or Tik-Tok without looking into any background. They do dumb things and their parents react by yelling at Mark Zuckerberg, poor guy. Parents won’t take responsibility and yet when a school shooting happens the courts say the parents are responsible for the shooting. Are parents also responsible for their kids killing themselves for reading cruel posts on Tik-Tok? Will they be persecuted for that?

Do you remember the days when we only got bad advice from people we knew? Think about that, we only listened to people in our family, our friends, teachers, government officials, and possibly someone on TV. 

TV was an influence because we listened to the news or watched some show that seemed intelligent, like Star Trek. They were from the future so they knew more than me, right? Especially Mr. Spock, he was a Vulcan. I mean, he sounds really smart and logical. 

Our government wouldn’t lie, would they? I mean, they want what’s best for us. The food pyramid comes to mind. Oh wait, they got that wrong, didn’t they? All the vaccines, which are still open for debate. 

What about the news? When I was young we all trusted Walter Cronkite. He was the poster boy for trust. I think he still is, may he rest in peace.

We believed in friends. In school we tended to believe older kids, who often lied just to see us get in trouble. It worked, yet, we had to fall for it 2 or 3 times before we learned our lessons. We either got in trouble or got beat up. Those are lessons learned the hard way. 

Sure, they all gave us bad advice, like when your parents would say, “eat it, it’s good for you”. They said that about everything from broccoli to donuts. How can donuts be good for you? 

That used to bother me but when I think about what my parents lived through, they thought all food was good. They lived through the depression when they literally survived on the food they grew and raised on the farm. For all of you that think it’s cruel to kill cows and chickens, it’s better than starving. Honestly, it was do that or starve. 

All of the above is who we trusted growing up. Today, we get on Facebook, Twitter, Tik-Tok, LinkedIn, or any other online community and trust someone we have never met. This is crazy.

We watch the news, which is no longer unbiased or trustworthy. Who do we trust in the news? That’s up to you. Honestly, I don’t know.

We listen to politicians whom we used to trust. Today we pick the person who lies the least, the lesser of the two evils. How did our political system get so corrupt? We no longer have trustworthy public servants They have been replaced with self serving career gold diggers who become politicians for life. Think about how many hold on to that job well into their 80s. They are all multi millionaires with a job that pays a modest salary. They all have amazing side gigs that are clearly conflicts of interest. 

Sorry, I digress.

Why is it we trust people online who we not only never met, but really don’t know much more than us? It’s crazy. Yet, we do. 

I do all kinds of research to learn things. I also read a lot of papers, articles, and research papers. I found out that a lot of research is sponsored by larger companies. In tech, this is all too common. 

So, let’s review some simple lessons.

  • If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
  • If what they say is too terrible to be true, it probably is.
  • If it doesn’t make sense, ask yourself why not.
  • If you read an article, look at who wrote it, look to see if it was sponsored, and which publication put it out. Think about their agenda before you believe it. 
  • It pays to listen to both sides, even if you feel one side is a liar, at least see what they have to say. 
  • Trust but verify. 

I think I would like you to walk away with this thought in mind, skepticism is healthy. In fact, it’s needed for critical thinking, for you to reason things out in a logical way. Please, seek to understand then be understood. Verify the trust and agenda of others. 

Remember that advice, good or bad, can be your lesson in life.

The Private Wireless Networks Handbook!

More:

Offers available:

  • All my older Deployment books and SOW training can be bought here!
  • Need unlimited mobile service for a good price? I use Visible and I like them. Think about Visible. Check out this deal https://www.visible.com/get/?ZHfvq, not too shabby.
  • Looking for a new credit card? I have an Amazon Prime card because I get 5% on Amazon purchases along with 2% on restaurants and gas and 1% on everything else. I love it! Use this link to get one.

Small business owners: Looking to sell or merge? I have partners looking to partner with small tech & IT businesses. Details:

  • Looking for companies in IT, Fiber (indoor or outdoor), wireless, Wi-Fi, FWA, Venue or DAS.
  • Looking for owners ready to sell or retire.
  • Smaller companies, maybe 4 to 15 employees.
  • Concentrating on the East coast, but open to US based businesses,
  • Email me at wade@techfecta.com.

Looking for financing to grow, expand, or purchase a business? I have a partner who can help:

  • Who they can help:
    • US based,
    • Someone looking for $10M and up,
    • Needing to grow, consolidate, or merge,
    • Email me at wade@techfecta.com.
  • About the Investor;
    •  Made 155+ completed transactions,
    • $2.4B+ deployed,
    • $1.4B of assets,
    • Focused on Technology, IT, and Wireless,
    • Been around over 15 years.

Leave a Reply