Viruses

There is a clear and definitive paradox in human existence:

While our intellectual brain loathes killing, our animal brain aches to kill, and we must kill to live.

So, in the many conversations that could emerge from such a subject, I choose viruses. Initially, the real ones- we try to get rid of them if they effect us badly. People spend their lives researching how to be rid of them. Millions of dollars are spent trying to get rid of them. the viruses themselves aren't ACTIVELY fighting this, they just exist, and pervasively so.

Now we click over to other viruses. The kind people make on purpose. I'll include in this malware, spyware, crapware, e-mail spam, junk mail, flyers under your car's windshield wiper, etc.

We do not have people devoting their lives and industries spending fortunes to ensure the eradication of these viruses. Certainly, there are companies combatting spam, viruses, etc. But as we all know: in war you go after the factories where the tanks are made, and not nearly as much, the tanks themselves.

There is no industry devoted to killing off the makers of these viruses.

The message should be clear: hey you schmucks, we'd really kind of like to see you strung up. knock it off, hey? you know, before you make me pull this car over, and then you'll really regret it.

And it's our dumb humanity getting in the way again. These viruses are legitimized by their makers being human. And thus we are forced to put up with them.

...and to put to rest the plural of virus: "The word virus never had a plural form in Latin. In antiquity the word had not yet acquired its current meaning. It denoted something like toxicity; venom; a poisonous, deleterious, or unpleasant agent or principle; or poison in the abstract or general sense." - taken from wikipedia

For further reading on the "plural of virus", search at wikipedia.

The Five Percent Rule

So, first of all, I have to give credit to person who caused me to assemble the Five Percent rule, Nozomi Shigihara. Thanks Naz!

The Five Percent Rule tool for observing human interaction.

It says: five percent of the people you meet, you will hate on sight. Not misunderstand/bad first impression, but oh-man-I-can't-stand-them. There is no hard reasoning behind this, it is based on your gut reaction to the person.

That's it.

Clearly some people hate everyone they meet. That does not make for a very useful rule name.

The usefulness of the rule comes in when you consider HOW you deal with it.

One end of the scale, you continue to treat the people who trigger the rule just like everyone else despite the obvious added effort of smiling nicely while trying not to throw up.

The other end of the scale is that you turn your back on whoever it is, waste no effort trying to be nice to them, and avoid any unnecessary interaction- of course, at the expense of any form of social grace.

Somewhere in the middle is proactive relationship with the rule. Recognize it and manage any situation involving one of your five-percent people, so, while not being either too polite or too rude, you lessen/minimize/remove contact with them.

Why is the Five Percent Rule worth mentioning?

It's interesting to appreciate your own relationship to the rule, both ends of it. You can end up on the other end of the rule, and when you do, it's good to know there's simply nothing you can do about it, and you should be prepared to accept it. The other person will come around, they'll learn to manage the rule- or they won't, and just being yourself is the best thing you can do.