The Old man and the Child

The Old man and the child

The old man feels like there is no purpose any more in his life’s mere existence. He wanders often in the lonely Arizona desert, to find his solace and make peace with nature as he ages beyond the limits of his own expectations and natural limits. He forgets what time it is; what day of the week it was or perhaps, his own lack of confidence in his perspective of the simplicity of life today. The world was a lonely place for him to live in.

The child was lost, looking for shelter and needing someone to care for him so he can survive the sun’s heat and the monsoon rain’s dampness. He has wandered off from his parents, who are now searching the desert, looking for him. Days have gone by since he last saw a human soul. Nights have been frightening as he hears the coyotes and wolves howl in the distance looking for a soul mate or something to eat.

Somehow, the two met down a narrow road and began to interact as two lost souls would under these circumstances. It was not for the lack of love, as these two strangers met and engaged in an extraordinary kind of relationship that was based on the need of surviving and forgoing the loneliness of the days to come. Suddenly, the old man was no longer lonely, he felt he had a purpose to fulfill his many responsibilities and save this child.

He is a white man, a black man or a brown man. By his looks and features, he could be a red man but he doesn’t know who he is or where he came from as it has been so long since he was asked. This I know for sure – beyond any doubt and sensing this for sure, he feels despised by all for his elderly burdens, his poverty and his lack of reason in life. What he does know is that he feels forgotten as he guides the child towards the light.

Together, they travel the road of companionship, togetherness and bonding as time goes by. He shows the child the trees, the mountains and the living creatures of the earth that surrounds them both. The child is excited. The enjoyment and laughter of being with someone who could entertain him was a luxury that was almost forgotten as he wandered away from his home what seemed like many months ago.

Too many times, we forget that there are good people in this world, single-minded with good hearts, willing to give their all for a solid purpose. Somehow, the old man had become someone to keep the child safe, from nature’s and society’s perils. He became the child’s protector.  They have no possessions but they value what they have. There don’t travel in peril or temptation. Their lives are simplistic and real, free from society’s burden complex burdens and free to share his skills and nature’s way to keep the boy safe and fed.

He knows which plants have water; he knows what plants he can eat to fulfill his hunger. He does indeed have the skills of survival and know how to take care of those less fortunate than himself. Time goes by and spaces get smaller as they both grow older and the old man can feel his bones trembling with good a vibration that brings him joy.

His spirit is free; something so profoundly important to him. It was his freedom to roam and travel that allowed him to find this boy wandering in the wilderness and walking down that lonely dirt road. He kept his spirit free from the clogs of pride and his ego focused on the little boy’s needs to be kept warm and dry. He carried no envy or evil beliefs that would threaten the very clean soul of such a child so young and innocent.

Not from ignorance but from experience, he leads the child to safety. His keen sense of direction comes from the earth and the wind around him. He is nature’s child taking care of another child that is lost and innocent.

To the untutored eye and soul, one can see a prolific opportunity of all evils. The old man, walking crooked and using a stick to help him stand, has a moral compass no less than physical but filled with love that is good. He no longer dreads the loneliness of tomorrow. He walks with the child towards the light. He dreaded no pestilence around him as he wraps his arms around the child tightly during the night. There are no crowded places, all around is silent and empty without the human sounds as the animals whisper their presence and as the stars above shine moonlit bright, he brings his spiritual power into the conversation that allows them both sleep with peace tonight.

This old man has no enemies. He is a calm-natured force and accumulates his peace through solitude and meditation. His power comes from within and his independence of the circumstances around him brought him vigor surpassed by any man his age and strength. His mind is divided into spheres of wisdom and spiritual awakenings. His physical mind finds peace with the unconscious part of his spiritual mind.

In essence they are one but during the hardships while so old and lonely, he had forgotten the importance of meditation and fasting to get through the hardships like he did in the past. His mind brought back his skills and things were becoming better with each day that passed.

He taught the child the sun, the earth, the wind and the water. He kept himself free from war, from sickness and from asking favors. All matters personal to him were conveyed in strict confidential manners without an audience of more than one. He loved life, as he taught the child to love life and found the means to secure the benefits of nature’s own blessings and benefits as he taught the boy how to avert the dangers.

His reverenced love for the boy grew stronger in time. The boy was now an imaginative extension of the old man’s vision and past. He knew the signs of life and enjoyed his freedom. His love for his long lost parents never dwindled but the love for this old man had grown in majestic proportions. He knew who he was and what purpose he had on this earth as the old man’s hand led him to the wonders of nature.

In his own ways, he had learned to love this old man who taught him how to live free and the enjoyment of living life to the fullest. He learned the elements and majestic forces of nature. He knew he was always secondary in importance as the old man taught him to respect nature’s ways. He received good blessings for all his ways and desires.

He knew that someday, the old man would pass away and leave him be as this was the natural way of life and death as the old man had taught him. He believed in spirits of light and darkness; he believed in all creations and that every creature possesses a soul and purpose on this earth. He was embodied by the old man’s wisdom as he buried him with a purpose of reverence, into the grave.

Bitter Chocolate and being Different as a Writer

In my early days, I knew I was different. It was during my younger days, I learned that not only was life difficult, but that those who were diverse in personality or character, would have to deal with things differently. I grew up in a bi-racial neighborhood back in the sixties. We knew that there was a black and white world and that there was tension every time we mixed the two colors because of our friendships and relationships as kids on the same block.
We wanted to play with each other, regardless of society’s rules, we wanted to play together. I wanted to play basketball, throw the football, run the track and hit the balls with my black or colored friends as society tagged them to be; they were my friends and color didn’t matter.
I didn’t like playing alone like some kids did. I was outgoing but never an extrovert. I was mild mannered and reserved but unafraid to do what I thought was the cool thing to do. I like roller skating, the movies, the snow forts and the guns a blazing as we played cowboys and Indians back then.
There were no stereotypes, no stigmas of bias and discrimination. We all enjoyed each other’s company and that was the end to that. It was that simple. We did all the things normal boys did when they were young like us. I wanted to do something different as it was different how I felt about life and the things going on around me.
I learned I was different. I learned my mind was not the same as others who say I was hanging with the wrong crowd. We were poor and we lived in a poor neighborhood and that made us all the same – poor. Our equality was we all suffered the same and we all felt the same about our ways of living. It was after all was said, all we had back then.
It was not something I wanted to be but poor we were and poor we stayed. It was not until decades later that we pulled ourselves out of our own created cesspool of a neighborhood and saw a different side of life where the sun shined and the doors opened wider than ever before. For the first time in years of cold winters, our pipes didn’t freeze and the roof didn’t let the snow in on those windy blizzard like Midwestern days.
The older I got, the more recluse I became. I would sit under a tree in the park, alone, eating a sandwich or just staring at the sky. I had friends; I had many friends but whether or not they were my real friends was soon to be determined as adversity struck and I was all alone again.
We lived in a few run-down houses before we moved into those who were put together better and stronger. It was a sign of the times things were getting better. I was heartbroken when we moved out of our old neighborhood but soon saw the difference it made in our lives. The schools were better, the streets were safer and the neighbors didn’t put their noses into your business quite as often. Not so much different from the old neighborhood but cleaner and nontoxic in culture.
My friends and I were inseparable until we moved away. Moving from Ohio to New Mexico, we had to adjust all over again and it was bitter sweet to say the least. Done with school, it was more about working and getting a job steady so we could enjoy the better things in life.
I hadn’t forgotten about my friends and slowly began making new friends in this land of enchantment. I valued friendship and knew from the beginning, friendship was never up for sale or manipulation. It had to be real to be worth existing. I was never cool, popular or ever absurdly outspoken. I remained quiet and I dressed kind of weird as I hadn’t adjusted to the new culture of the southwest and didn’t quite get into the swing of things like the others who came with me. I didn’t seem interested in making a social life out of this change, I was more focused into working.
With the exception of a few, I made my path or journey in many positive ways and found the secret to life was to mind your own business and work harder than most. I chose law enforcement because I felt the need to be fair and consistent with people and treated them the same way I wanted to be treated if I was in their shoes.
Still, I didn’t seem interested in the social life so my life was focused on working. I was smart, but not too smart for my own good. I was harassed because I was an outsider but I overcame that stigma when I developed my own roots as I remained strong throughout this time.
I knew I was different, I knew I was never going to be somebody important but I also knew that I could be successful no matter how bitter people treated me or how much they resented my efforts to prosper and be successful in trying. You need to really understand my background in order to figure me out. You have to use your own wisdom to see what I saw and what I wanted. I rarely spoke out loud but when I did I spoke with confidence and knowledge attained by learning from others and reading what needed to be read.
I was quickly figuring out to say only what needed to be said and not much more. I knew that in this world, you weren’t supposed to just say exactly what you’re where thinking but somehow, that’s how my words always came out of my mouth. Sometimes caustic, sometimes sarcastic and sometimes in a hurtful tone.
I sought out my own kind to converse with. No fake people for me as I didn’t need them in my life like some others did. I let my own brain do the thinking; I was diplomatic yet resourceful enough to be flexible in my mannerism to deal with others and avoid conflict in politics and other topics often brought into the game.
I executed my life the way I wanted. I liked it as it was and such I began to thrive as a person owned by nobody and owing no favors. Lonely as it was at times, I chose my own paths in life; I walked the walk I talked and talked how I wanted my life to be. Most of the time, that worked well for me and if it didn’t, oh well, tomorrow bring another day to make it right.
So today I write books, I employ my own brain to do my thinking. I stir the mind into a controversy to provoke my own thinking. It was the path I had chosen for my life and most of the time, it was okay for me and with me to do so and be who I was and am. I didn’t mind it.
But sometimes I wonder, what it would have been like to be a celebrity, a famous person or someone of importance. How different would my life be and how would I be living. Did I become a writer because I was different or was I different because I felt the need to be a writer?
Did I know who I was going to be so early in life that my mind shaped sooner than others and created a bypass to the social things in life that you are now missing? Was I right in doing so and what did I accomplish for being different. All is well as I am happy being who I am and never once did it dawn on me, I wished to be different.

Chocolate as a metaphor -

Chocolate as a Metaphor

 

I woke up this morning and a little boy came into the room early on with his headphones and tablet in hand. He was still sleepy but decided to get up before anyone else in the house except me. I was up already and had breakfast – ham and eggs fried with toast and red chili. I was wondering what to write about and as I sat down to start writing, this little boy asked me, “why do you like chocolate so much?” I was caught off guard as we both love chocolate and we both go together to the dollar store to buy ample supplies of the dark chocolate that we are both addicted to as of late.

What could I tell him, how should I explain to him, why I like chocolate. Then it donned on me, I told him, “everybody likes chocolate, every time we have a party or celebration, we have chocolate because chocolate makes you feel good. He smiled and took that answer as gold. The funny thing is, I actually got him started on the chocolate crave. I hope he brushes his teeth real well and the dentist doesn’t tell him to stop eating chocolate. That would be my fault.

Why chocolate? Chocolate is healthy to eat – its life in a candy bar, the sweetness is happiness and without it, life would not be so joyful. Everybody loves chocolate so I thought. There are those who don’t like it and they are rare. Not because they dislike it because it’s chocolate but because they never acquired a taste for the stuff. I focus on the dark, unprocessed chocolate 78 per cent or better. That’s what gets me going. I love the way it makes me feel. There is no guilt about eating it – absolutely none. If I were a lifestyle coach, I would preach chocolate in their lives.

Chocolate is a great metaphor of my life and the lives of others who I have known. Chocolate is energy, vigor and excitement. It full, rich and deep with fulfillment of loving life. It’s a performance and mood enhancer. It represents so many things in life that are bitter sweet. It creates a desire, an addiction for love and life. Chocolate gives you balance as it fight the opposing darkness found in chocolate to become something less evil. It is after all is said, joyful to the human senses. Chocolate is a wonderful choice in life. The mere substance of chocolate blends our lives with moments of happiness and sorrow. A predicated fact we all have learned about life itself.

When was the last time you actually savored the moment, relished in it, and, or accepted the moment as is?

 

Chocolate Dreams - what they mean to me -

Living on the Bitter Sweet Dreams on cocoa leaves

 

We all know that the cocoa beans are plants and as such plants, they have contributed to our healthy ways of living by contributing bitter sweet moments in our lives. It has been said by some that eating chocolate before going to bed might exasperate bad dreams or create nightmares. Some say if you already have a sleep disorder, this heavy burden of laying down with the cocoa leaves have been known to have people act out violent nightmares and sometimes called crazy.

Temporary paralysis during a deep sleep is common. However, it has been said that eating chocolate before bedtime can causes you to thrash around and become highly disruptive and loud by shouting while sleeping like you are having a nightmare. Some have reported kicking and punching out their partners in bed and acting out what is happening in their dream. Certainly such dreams are not welcome in our lives and should be addressed.

This is not normal behavior and should be addressed with your doctor. On the other hand, eating chocolate before bedtime can trigger out things out there that are bitter sweet in nature but part of the reality when you are consciously awake. One works with the subconscious in order to complete the dream or thought thus is it important you pay attention. It is suggested that chocolate might help block a natural process that paralyses sleepers when they dream kicking them emotionally loose and free.

The good news is that there is no evidence linking chocolate to bad dreams or violent sleeping patterns thus there is no reason to panic and stop eating chocolate. We all know that chocolate is the dream symbol of a sweet life. For me, it is a bitter sweet symbol of my life. It often comes and goes with time but it never disappears. Some dreams are indeed nightmares of the past while others reflect the good things in my life. For me, chocolate has always been a good thing to eat, especially late at night because it enhances my mood to make me think of something good.

Often this kind of bitter sweet dream signifies the ups and downs of my life which has almost come to an end at times. For me, chocolate plays a big part of my past, present and future as it applies to all time periods of my life. Dreams and nightmares are still a significant part of your lifestyle and living. Chocolate gives you energy. It plays a role in your love life and your personal life as it creates your moods.

For me, chocolate represent the women in my life. Looking back, my experiences with the opposite sex has been a pleasant and most romantic part of my life while at the same time, finding moments that were volatile and unexplainable in moods and temptation. You see, chocolate is a temptation. It gives you the motivation to commit sin.

Of course, this is not a scientific way of saying this but when it comes to chocolate, science hasn’t said much and my dreams have told me the truth. Generally speaking, just seeing chocolate in my dreams usually means something good but there are times that these dreams turn bitter and not very pleasant as it replays my life in my subconscious mind all over again.  

Regardless, how you see chocolate, it is here to stay for me. I love chocolate and can’t do without it. It is an addiction. Perhaps you can see how someone could be addicted to chocolate is you use it as a metaphor for love. Love impacts your life. Love can be sweet and yet, love can be sour or bitter in the case of the dreams after eating chocolate. Generally, if you just see chocolate in a dream it means that you will take part in some important event and the result of this occurrence will have an impact on your life.  It’s not destiny and it’s not karma.

It’s the result of eating chocolate before going to sleep and the outcome is going to be a very good experience if you make it so. Making the most of chocolate related dreams enhances your life and your moods. In reality, you will experience the good things in life. If I drink hot chocolate, like I did when I lived in Ohio during the winter months, I experienced unprecedented love. Ohio was a lover’s nest. There are many kinds of chocolates out there. Some became my partner or my spouse and each relationship was unique and different according to the type of chocolate I had. Each ignited me with new vigor and pleasures.

The summer time is a bad time to store chocolate unless you keep it refrigerated. I kept my chocolate bars in the refrigerator and sometimes, I froze them. It was a sign of keeping them whole and when you were ready to bite into it, it was often a sign of an upcoming affair. Chocolate implies trouble but like most trouble, you can find the silver lining in that cloud and make it a positive experience in the long run. Chocolate gives you joy and good appreciation of your own endeavors, challenges and undertakings. It has helped me overcome barriers and challenges often to great to conquer without the bite of chocolate for it emboldens me to do my best.

Last night, my chocolate dream was again bitter sweet. I saw faces of the past. I heard voices that will forever be with me forever or until the end as their sweetness or bitterness of my chocolate flavor will be remembered for an eternity. I was very satisfied waking up this morning to the dream. It had been delayed for a long time since I had the last one. I took a little bit extra chocolate last night to trigger a little heaven while I was sleeping. When all said and done, it was a pleasurable and favorable outcome. I dreamt with peace in my mind, something that escapes me at times for reasons known to only those close to me.

Luckily, I have never had spoiled chocolate. That would be most unfavorable and unexpected since I don’t believe my life has been that bad in so many ways to deserve bad or spoiled chocolate. Sure, I have had my share of disappointments but failures are few and one bad interpretation of this dream would cause me to stop eating chocolate before going to bed. Chocolate for me has always been a natural aphrodisiac in life.

I have found and experienced frustration when it came to relationships, friendships and betrayals; liars and cheaters and others who make the chocolate of life tasteless and sour. Sadly, this can happen in something you least expect it to appear. After the dream about tasteless chocolate with a nice wrapper, you need to carefully accept changes in life and stop trusting bad people. Don’t let appearances fool you.

A good chocolate is tasteful and pleasant to bit into and if you dream of the melted kind, it is a sign of successful completion of all the dubious and problematic deals in your life. It also means you can expect or also receive the unexpected help. Thus chocolate can be sweet or bitter. It can be happiness or anxiety and the way you enjoy this chocolate is to appreciate every bite and every chance you get to have chocolate in your life.

When it is all said and done, my chocolate, neatly wrapped, melted, frozen or liquid, has always allowed me to discover the good candy bars in life. Sometimes the taste is bitter or even disgustingly tartness but you have to take the good with the bad. Chocolate bitter or sour means a life of frustration. Chocolate sweet and sugary is loving life and having love in your life.

Staring at a black wall

An Interpersonal Experience Staring at a Black Wall - a theory
I have often compared staring at a black wall like staring into someone’s eyes for a prolonged period of time. Regardless whether you believe me or not, such an experience is intense to say the least as it takes you into another psychological dimension. A dimension so hard to comprehend, you often end up being speechless before you can gather your thoughts on this experience. Let me sum it up by the situation getting weird and weirder as you prolong the stare.
Staring at a black wall for a long period of time is a form of disconnection – a disassociation with reality. It is often an out of body experience that is absent any reality as it has been very difficult to explain to others. This disassociation or detachment from reality can best be summed up as an unrealistic phenomenon that is filled with the imaginary mindset of creativity, visionary perceptions and full fledge hallucinations as your eyes plays tricks on your mind and what you really see. Since there are no other sensory adaptations made, it is a deliberately induced deprived state of mind. One has said that in order to have light you must have darkness. Darkness is what brings out the light. The blacker the wall, the less light you see regardless how well the room is lit up.
Staring and just focusing on the black wall, gives you a chance to become disengaged with reality and allow yourself to use your imagination to a higher level. Words come to mind to describe the reported changes. Morphing different shapes and colors from a black wall is not unusual. There are no limits to what the mind can create under such conditions as the experience us surreal. Facing the black wall, you may see faces, shapes of persons or animals or even your own face.
Much like staring at the clouds, your imagination takes over and the dark wall triggers dark ideas created by hallucinations rather than imagination. I have stared at the black wall for periods over ten minutes and as long as 30 minutes. I can tell you I have seen white dots on a solid black wall as well as other colors and shapes as the prolonged stare creates new shapes and forms. I can’t describe the conditions as they are mostly mind created or psychological in nature and since I am not an expert in the human brain, I cannot explain this. Some speculate that staring at a black wall induces a form of sensory deprivation.
Since I have also tried this with a white wall and experience nothing except the usual imaginary thoughts associated with looking at nothing but white surface, I can compare the two experiences as stark contrasting and different. So does the color black create this deprivation of your senses? How does the mind react to this trigger of darkness? Dr. David Spiegel of Stanford University explains a similar process of staring at another person as a psychological disconnection of our environment. A total separation of realities as the mind is reflecting back with some intensity that creates hallucinations. What we are imagining is created by what we see of ourselves and builds on the preface that there are imaging features triggering the conscious and subconscious thoughts inside your head.
Like a mirror, but black in surface and non-color, the image created first reflects your own image as a genesis of the process and escalates into hallucination with time attached. However, in this case, the mirror is not black thus it does not project back reflections of the environment This leads us to ponder time and space again, we are talking time and space – a commonality on many phenomenal events in our human and scientific worlds.
Some have explained that the hallucinations produced during interpersonal staring can bring to full consciousness certain subconscious beliefs or "non-integrated" parts of the self. Disconnected parts of the self -- which are usually projected during delirium -- may be integrated into consciousness. Therefore, if you choose to stare at a black wall for a prolonged period of time, you might be able to stand-in, or assimilate the same integration of your mindset and create a similar pathological circle of confirming a “reality” that is exclusively called an unconscious projection or a similar state of mind of the early stages of schizophrenic behaviors.

Another letter to Arizona legislators - Corrections - culture of Corruption

Honorable Legislators and guests,

There should be no surprises when it comes to the headline about corrupt correctional officers being arrested for felony crimes and other misconduct. Hundreds of officers have been arrested over the years to a point where the word corrections has become analogous or equal with corruption based on relativity and frequency. Crimes ranging from child sex offenders to sexual assaults, in addition to the common charges of DUI and aggravated battery as well as introduction of prison contraband and drugs.

In an past article written by AZ Republic reporter Craig Harris, on February 28, 2013, it was revealed the current prison director released a public statement on his own ‘director’s desk’ website to announce his internal problem to the public in an effort to stave off any criticism on his own performance and problem solving within the troubled agency. In his own release, he describes the arrests of over 640 correctional employees during his first 4 ½ years as the prison director. He claims he has taken an aggressive stand against corruption, yet the statistical information reveals a growing cancer within the department that has not be sufficiently addressed or solved.

In fact, the release was based on the hopes that employees should be ““should be keenly aware of the need to conduct both our personal and professional lives in a manner that is above reproach.” This is more of a self-help approach than a departmental order to find and address staff corruption or misconduct. There have been more scandals than any other director in any other state could endure. This director is Teflon compared to the many that have been fired and released from their positions as chief boss of the prison systems they managed. There is no crusade for morality in Arizona. There are no dedicated resources to reduce or to combat corruption. The permissive culture allows it to continue and grow exponentially without resistance.

Based on the director’s own admission, over 640 employees had been arrested or dismissed for law violations. This turns out to be close to 10 per cent of the work force today. Doing nothing to reduce this type of misconduct, the director has not embraced better hiring and selection standards; he believes the rules in place are sufficient and satisfactory to hire the best qualified individuals for the job. One should as the bottom line. Is there a problem? One can't imagine a shift being 10 percent corrupt or can they?

Is the director conducting any research on reforming the corruption continuum within his own agency or is he ignoring a cancerous problem? In light of all these arrest with many more to come, one has to ask the question, “what is he doing about it.” The Kingman riot report indicated a heavy presence of drugs inside prisons which is commonly a known fact to impact all prisons, not just Kingman.

There is a drug problem and the promotion of dangerous drugs by corrupt staff either doing it or looking the other way is a question of public safety and as well as staff safety as it directly impacts staff assaults and other violence on the prison grounds. So far, the discovery of cocaine, marijuana, meth, and illegal prescription drugs has been revealed during these investigations.

Their drug interdiction programs are not working and their K 9 dogs are overwhelmed and overworked. The director’s tolerance to corruption has not been challenged by anyone
except the press.

Despite the growth of misconduct, the prison boss keeps tracking their criminal offenses for whatever reasons. Perhaps, the director is building a pathway to separate himself from the problem and attempts to exonerate himself from the growing internal problems with discipline and order.  Correctional officers live in our communities. They are part of our neighborhood and peacekeeping force. Hence this problem can be described as microcosms of their communities.

Eleven email inbox addresses were found on the Ashley Madison sex website. Although the number is small, it is reflective of a culture within a culture, willing to risk not being caught for misconduct. Nobody is perfect. There are bound to be cheats, drunks, roughnecks, and otherwise unethical people. We have no clue or idea, how many have been allowed to resign and escape prosecution of a crime and those statistics are not available. Sifting through the existing records, one could conclude once they leave the agency, the problem is gone but historically, these bad apples usually find employment with the private prison industry in once capacity or other.

Charles Ryan, the director, has been quiet about the recent spate of officer arrests and convictions. In fact, the director has kept a relatively low profile ever since his last 2013, public release on this matter. One has to admit or acknowledge the public must have a certain level of trust in our prison boss and his employees. They have to be assured that when on or off the job; they are going to do the right ethical thing when faced with a moral or criminal challenge. The reforms are lacking, the change is non-existent and the need is urgent to change the way we handle criminals with badges.

Perhaps, it's time to ask the director for an update on his battle with corruption within the prison agency?

Regards,

Bad Leadership

Bad Leaders

Remember the line in “G.I. Jane” when the Master Chief says, “there are no bad crews, just bad leaders.” Leadership is often overrated. The word leadership itself is vague as there are many versions or words supporting the meaning of such a position. However, leadership is not positional and thus often misplaced or applied to the wrong person in the situation. Some common traits of bad leaders include ego, poor vision or decision making abilities, the enticement of success and many more discussed as we get into bad leaders. 

One can say, there are no bad work groups, just bad leaders and many would be right for saying so. The first question you have to ask yourself when you evaluate leadership is the primary mission and cause for such a unique individual spot. What do you expect this leader to do and what is it they are good at. Since most article are about ‘good leaders’ I am writing the next best thing, the qualities of a bad leader. 

I know a thing or two about good leadership. But good leadership is very rare. I have known and worked with and worked for many bad leaders. Plus I have been a bad leader many times in my life. A bad leader will often supervise or manage more than they can handle. A bad leader will distribute too much responsibility. This type of leader gives them too much without knowing their skills or what they are good at but most of all, what they are bad at and what drives their motivation. 

Bad leaders get jealous of the people underneath them and never hire people smarter than them. This is the #1 most common thing a bad leader does. Bad leaders never have a good answer or solution to the problem. They inspire no self-growth and fail in putting together teams and assignments. There is no common goal. But here’s the #1 thing leaders fail at. No vision.What’s a vision? Instead of defining it, demonstrate it. The only thing you can do is lead by example. Since bad leaders can’t unify without instilling fear, intimidation or make false promises, he or she can’t define roles and inspire others to be willing to follow. 

Bad leaders talk badly about others – they openly criticize their own staff, senior or subordinate and tag them with names degrading and often metaphorically connected to a trait that is associated with them personally or professionally. Talking bad about others shows contempt, hate, and disregard and will destroy morale and productivity. They are the ones who carry the leader, yet the leader despises them and their lack of worth.

Bad leaders will always block others working for them to excel and allow them to perform at their best levels. Good Leadership is not about achieving your dream. It’s about helping everyone else achieve their dreams. This is not the employees’ fault. Everything comes from the leaders. Trickle-down leadership is the only leadership.

Bad leaders fear others passing them up on the performance scales or any other form of continual success. Bad leaders refuse to mentor and give block people a chance to stand out. They would rather see them fail. Bad leadership asks the question ‘how good can I get? How far can I get?’ Good leadership asks the question, “How far can the people around me get?” Bad leaders kill motivation and visionary or creative ideas. 

Bad leaders don’t know their people, their numbers, and their business on a day to day basis. They carry around them someone who has the answers for them. They take no interest in the intricate parts of the job and depend on others to deliver those answers on cue. They will never acknowledge this shortcoming and deny they are dumb or ignorant of their needs to improve. They have a hard time coming up with the right solutions since they lack, competence, relationships, autonomy and the ability to seek the solution on their own.

Bad leaders don’t get rid of bad people. They hire, select or retain corrupt individuals who are mired in character flaws as well as performance deficiencies. Since there is no mentor-ship present, the corrupt only get more corrupt and eventually fail the leader at their own risks. Bad leadership, no matter what the situation, can cause almost instantaneous collapse. Bad leaders often have enormous charisma or magnetic persona that gives them a smart first impression. He or she is willing to ‘jump into the game’ and be a good team player for the cause compromising values and morals in a form of submission in many situations. 

Bad leaders smoke ‘crack’ kind of dope referring to the lack of cognitive skill biases and inability to make right decisions under the wrong conditions. They waste time, resources, effort and money on all the wrong things. They don’t see their own failings and deny the failure is due to their part and blame others. Their brains will never say, “Maybe I’ve made a mistake”.

A bad leader will not admit his or her faults or even think about them. It’s too painful to think about those faults because of this cognitive bias. The brain will revolt or the leader will get depressed or start to doubt his leadership skills. Bad leaders will not step outside their own shadow and treat themselves as an outsider to see the problem from another angle or view. They lack due diligence on their own abilities or that of the organization.

Bad leaders were bad employees in the past before their promotion. Leadership begins long before you reach the top of any organization or community. Bad leaders refuse to give credit where credit is due and refuse to recognize others in their personal achievements. Leadership starts at the bottom, and floats to the top by creating positive things or results and the success of self as well as others with a visionary perspective of how the team can be successful.

PLAUSIBLE DENIABLITY Charles L. Ryan - Crystal Ball Management Theory

Deniable Plausibility - Charles L. Ryan, prison director in charge of private prisons in Arizona

Accountability in Arizona Government – poor private prison oversight

Unlike the governor, most people didn’t miss the obvious "out of sight, out of mind" attitude by ADC monitors and administrators in Phoenix and Kingman. It is my contention; none of these serious contractual violations were ‘hidden’ from anyone- read the exhibits and you will see red flags in the words used by ADC to reflect their report findings.

Findings that don’t include one shred of evidence that involves ADC’s failed responsibility to do their job in the agreement – monitor Kingman and other prisons.  Let’s add - these monitors at Kingman were given the job by Ryan. They owed him everything. They sat in their offices, never walked and talked (corrections 101) and pencil whipped reports and emailed them. Yet to the day of the riots, NOBODY challenged them –

Charles L. Ryan is a master at hiding the facts; he simply claimed and was believed by the governor that based on having no ‘crystal ball’ circumstances, he didn't do or know whatever it is or was being found out of order. Plausible means believable and deniability means the ability to deny, Thus Ryan claimed he didn't know [plausible?] and he invoked deniability=the ability to claim he didn't do or know something (even though he) and have people believe it.

Deniable Plausibility is a powerful tool to have on your side. It saves jobs.