Hippo Rage - a humorous look at stress and anger today
(text of a ... speech by David ... The Happy ... brought down the house in ... Quebec, April 21, 2002)Has anybody here ever been stuck in traffic for a ... long t (text of a mini-keynote speech by David Leonhardt, The Happy Guy,which brought down the house in Gatineau, Quebec, April 21, 2002)Has anybody here ever been stuck in traffic for a frustratingly long time? Put up your hand if you have.Oooh! Dont you just hate that? And some people dont mind showing us how much they hate it. We call it road rage.Has anybody ever waited in a ticket lineup or a checkout lineup for a frustratingly long time? Let me see those hands.Believe it or not, some people dont like that either. We call it lineup rage.Has anybody ever been stuck waiting in a doctors office for a frustratingly long time? Let me see those hands.And then you see somebody suddenly jump up and tear his hair out and scream, Let me out. Ive been here three hours. Three days. Three months! Well, I really should appologize. I didnt mean to scare your kids. I was just demonstrating waiting room rage. Let me tell you a story about the Lwungwa River Valley thats in Africa, you know. The dry season there gets very dry. My throat is getting dry just thinking about it. The Lwangwa River stops rushing. It slows to a trickle. Finally, it stops flowing. And all that are left are pools of water, here and there.One by one, the animals head to higher ground. To forest cover. To other water holes. Anywhere they can find food or drink. Just like we will all do late. Did I say all the animals? Not all. Not the hippos.The hippos stay in their river at it slows to a stream. They stay in the stream as it turns into pools. They stay in the pools as they shrink into puddles. As the puddles shrink, the hippos get more crowded. As the hippos get more crowded, they get surly. Cranky. Grumpy. They gnash their teeth. They poke at each other. They pick fights. Its river rage! Has anyone ever come face to face with a raging hippopotamus? Dont be shy. Go ahead, put up your hands. Sure, when were young Im sure you all remember this as I do were taught that theyre slow, cute, and cuddly. They might even be pink or purple and do those dances in tutus like in Fabntasia. But in the real world they have teeth the size of your head. They can run faster than anyone in this room. And they weight upwards of 5,000 pounds. I mean, they are BIG! If youre ever at a cocktail party and a hippopotamus starts, you know, flirting with you, whatever you do, do not let him sit on your lap.Rage is all the rage these days. Road rage. Lineup rage. Waiting-room rage. Even river rage. You may also have heard of parking lot rage, elevator rage and airplane rage. What gives? Is the world getting angrier or just more crowded?Both. Its a fact that as our space and time grow increasingly crowded, our stress levels rise. When it comes to space, we are cramming more people into more crowded cities, elevators, airplanes, stores. Our patience diminishes. Our good will diminishes. Our tolerance diminishes. Has anyone noticed they place the chairs at conferences you noticed! -- so close together that even skinny people get to know each other well. My theory is that the hotels are trying to develop their own niche rage market: conference seating rage.Lets look at our schedules. What are we trying to do? Were trying to see how many items we can squeeze onto our to do list, and how many activities we can cram into a day. And the stress, where does it go? Right up there, exactly.I want to share this one little thought with you. We are in the process of moving, so we actually have two homes. Stress that builds in my stacked concrete box apartment they call a condo, I cant get rid of. It sticks. I cant shake it off. It wont go. It sticks. When Im at my farm house just a few miles south of here, surrounded by grass and trees, its amazing how quickly I can just excommunicate the stress. Can I say that? Excommunicate? Why not?OK. What have we learned today? Three lessons, so please take note. Number one, dont let your space get too crowded. Number two, dont let your schedule get too crowded.Number three, and this is the most important of all, dont ever, ever let a hippopotamus sit on your lap. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .
Top blog stories
A review of Idmobile.com
Idmobile.com offers both pay-as-you-go and contract plans. Pay-as-you-go plans are ideal for customers who don't want to be tied down to a long-term contract, and they can purchase bundles of data, minutes, and texts as and when they need them.
Idmobile.com offers both pay-as-you-go and contract plans. Pay-as-you-go plans are ideal for customers who don't want to be tied down to a long-term contract, and they can purchase bundles of data, minutes, and texts as and when they need them.
AO.co is a trusted expert in TVs, washing machines, clothes dryers and other household appliances. AO.com is one of the largest retailers in the UK and it specializes in electronics, clothes and home furniture.
At Three, we believe phones are good. They just make life better. Easier. And more fun. But
we all need to find a balance that works for us. Our mission is to help our customers use
their phones to live their best lives.
We make your life easier
Since 1992, we’ve been helping customers get the best deal on their dream phone. We firmly believe in giving you the highest quality, for the lowest price. That’s why we work with three of the UK’s leading networks to do all the haggling for you,...
At Halfords, we're all about the journey. With more than 700 stores with over 10,000 colleagues, we're the UK's leading retailer of automotive and cycling products. We are also the leading operator in MOT, tyres, car servicing and car repairs - pleasing more than 750,000 customers every year.
It's important to us that everyone gets great customer service and can enjoy our products, no matter their level of sight. So, if you're blind, partially sighted or struggle to see or read the screen, we’ve a range of features to help you get the most from our products and...
Look iconic, without the hassle— using Nasty Gal discount codes, you can shop your favorite pieces for way less by simply entering one of our promotional codes (of your choice) at the checkout. From delivery offers, to promo deals, we keep ‘em coming, so you always have the offer you...
The Covid-19 has caused the school and universities to shut down around the world creating a major issue in Learning and Education. As this virus spreads through the interaction and if social distanci... The Covid-19 has caused the school and universities to shut down around the world creating a major...
Why its Important to Manage Your Holiday Calendars?
A printable calendar 2021 is a prominent online platform where you download printable calendars of your choice. These calendars can be customized as per our client requirement with photo, text, logo, or any other image. If you are thinking of planning a dream vacation tour with family and kids but...
The world hasn’t forgotten the Superiority of the German People theory adopted by Hitler and resulting in massive destruction represented in the killing of millions of people and the destruction... The world hasn’t forgotten the Superiority of the German People theory adopted by Hitler and resulting in massive destruction represented...
Emmaneul Macron, the youngest president in French history and the youngest French head of state since Napoleon, has said: ‘In the absence of a legal framework, they (EU member states) could rapi... Emmaneul Macron, the youngest president in French history and the youngest French head of state since Napoleon, has...
1-The dictator believes that all his opinions are always right. 2-The dictator believes that he is the embodiment of the country. Any kind of opposition against him is considered a crime against the ... 1-The dictator believes that all his opinions are always right. 2-The dictator believes that he is...
We know the importance of getting our dogs groomed. But not all of us can actually afford the grooming of our dogs luxury pet centre. We know the importance of getting our dogs groomed. But not all of us can actually afford the grooming of our dogs luxury pet centre....
You need to travel, or you are traveling frequently. What are you doing with your pets or your beloved dog? You can’t take your dog with you when you are traveling. You need to travel, or you are traveling frequently. What are you doing with your pets or your beloved...
This article teaches you how to train a dog at home. You can toilet train her at home. You can also train her in removing unwanted behaviours and many exciting tricks. You can train a dog anywhere. So, how can I train a dog at home ? In fact, most...
Having a dog is great but comes with a lot of responsibilities, just like having any other pet. The main responsibility is grooming the dog regularly, something that some people still question the importance of it. If you have been wondering whether you should be grooming your dog, then below...
Neutering (also known as castration) and spaying are the common term used to describe the surgical procedure during which both testicles (in males) and uterus and its parts (in females) are removed in order to sterilize (make infertile) a male and female dog respectively. At Pet Prime Veterinary Clinic (Dog...
You may have noticed cases of your dog suddenly showing signs of aggression or rather becoming aggressive and threatening to bite. Such nasty behaviours and signs of aggression by your dog may be frustrating Well, if you have no idea why your dog gets aggressive all over a sudden and...
The loyal nature of dogs makes them the perfect pets, whether you have a family or not. However, most of the time, people rush into adopting pets only to end up being overwhelmed with the responsibilities, which are physical, emotional, and psychological. If you have been considering adopting a pooch,...
Search topic
Things You Need to Consider Before Adopting a Dog
The loyal nature of dogs makes them the perfect pets, whether you have a family or not. However, most of the time, people rush into adopting pets only to end up being overwhelmed with the responsibilities, which are physical, emotional, and psychological. If you have been considering adopting a pooch,...