Why was life after death invented?

While not a believer in the after-world, I’ve always wondered what were the origins of the belief of life after death, and what made a central tenet used by most religions. Clearly, the belief in an afterlife has deep roots throughout human history and across many cultures. 

It finds its main origin in “good old fear of death”, this inescapable human experience. Afterlife offers a good reassurance that not all is lost in the face of mortality. It provides a welcome extension of existence and a possible reunion with loved ones. What it conveniently fails to mention is that it leaves open the opportunity to run as well into plenty of enemies and debt collectors! 

It could be that dreams, near-death experiences and other bizarre coincidences may have fueled early beliefs in a soul or spirit that survives death. That was conveniently picked up by ancient civilizations, from Egyptians, Greeks or Romans who began to develop elaborate beliefs about the afterlife, often intertwined with their religious and mythological systems. 

There was only a short distance left before these beliefs could be leveraged into spiritual IOUs that would be promised to warriors, builders of cathedrals or any one toiling for no pay, very often against their will. I was also used liberally as a law enforcement and control tool, with the promise of hell as the ultimate maximum security prison for folks who committed crimes against society or failed to conform to strict cultural norms. 

As you can see, the belief in an afterlife was the Swiss army knife that kept total control over early society at minimal cost and continued to work perfectly well until critical thinking spoiled everything. 

Of course, those who disagree say that the concept of an afterlife is a matter of faith and personal belief, and there’s no scientific evidence to definitively disprove its existence, I’ll say to them, “You can have it and enjoy it!”

The ideal political leader

The other night, following a full family dinner the other night we had a good discussion about why some women struggled in presidential elections and some opined that only conservative women could pretty much pretend accessing to top leadership positions like head of state, like for instance conservatives like a Margaret Thatchter or an Angela Merkel succeeded and a pair of liberals like Hillary Clinton or a Kamala Harris didn’t. 

Obviously, we should begin by looking at what “textbook” leadership is supposed to mean. It begins by having a unique blend of qualities that can inspire and guide others, like a clear vision for the future and the ability to define and set goals that are realistic. It also demands a capacity for seeing ways through achieving these goals, identifying pitfalls along the way and seizing opportunity when they present themselves.

Almost no political leader exhibits these qualities from the get go as they generally “fake it” if they can ever “make it” or not. Of course, an exceptional ability to communicate is key, whether it’s through body language, verbal or written especially without teleprompters. The strong leader must always convey messages clearly and persuasively. 

An ability to actively listen and read others' perspectives and concerns is also paramount as well as building and maintaining strong relationships with peers, team members, stakeholders, and the community. As for empathy or the ability to understand and consider the needs and feelings of others it could be a “nice to have” the cherry on the cake. 

Leadership also means making tough decisions that are also timely and well informed, most of the time under tremendous pressure. This also includes effective problem-solving. Again many leaders don’t have these talents when they begin, some pick some of them, many don’t and remain hopelessly stuck in their ways. 

It must be said that many of these specific competencies can be delegated to specialists. Leaders would surround themselves with smarter folks than themselves and not sycophants. Another “nice to have” skill among Leaders is their ability to take responsibility for their actions and decisions. 

Convicted felons, or individuals with shady backgrounds, prone to lies and deception should absolutely be barred from leadership positions. No exception. This is essential for motivating and inspiring others and empowering team members to take ownership and contribute to the team's success. 

 Adaptability and resilience should also be part of that whole package. Most importantly appearance is key. Not just the physical aspect, the age that should be in the 50s to 60s at the very most, but also the strength of personality, the charisma and the ability to project a powerful image that inspire respect. Yes respect, not fear. 

Finally if there’s a contest, the one candidate irrespective of their race, gender, you name it, is the one overflowing with these traits.

What’s so good about imperfection?

In my opinion, a perfect world might not be all that fun. Every one would be bored and a quick look at what goes on around the world in our most developed societies suffices to see far too many people bored, demotivated, depressed and mentally ill. 

Imperfection in of itself is a form of adversity that makes people strive and appears like a necessary fuel, not just for progress, but for harmonious growth and sustenance. This is pretty much how I see things. It hard to deny that imperfection can be a powerful motivator. It’s in fact a never-ending endeavor, even if at times it can feel unsatisfying. 

Yet, acknowledging and accepting imperfection allows us to focus on growth, improvement, and learning from our mistakes. Imperfection is often a powerful source of creativity and innovation as mistakes and failures can lead to new discoveries and breakthroughs. 

It connects us too. Recognizing our own flaws and vulnerabilities makes us more empathetic and compassionate towards others. Imperfection fosters a sense of shared humanity. 

Finally, on the plus side, imperfection contributes to the richness and diversity of life. If everything were perfect, the world would be a totally boring and uninteresting place. 

Since there are two side to each coin, we can’t ignore a few negative sides to imperfection, like what it can generate in terms of inequality, suffering, disease, poverty, and injustice. 

It remains however quite clear that if perfection may seem like a lofty ideal, it's likely unattainable and potentially undesirable. 

Embracing imperfection can lead all of us to greater creativity, resilience, and compassion, while recognizing that it's crucial to strive for a world where the negative consequences of imperfection are minimized and everyone has the opportunity to thrive…

An open letter to Vail Resorts’ CEO

Vail Resorts (VR) is the owner of Park City Mountain, one of our local ski resorts and Kirsten Lynch has been Chief Executive Officer of VR since November 2021. Previously she served as Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining VR in 2011, Kirsten was Chief Marketing Officer with PepsiCo for two years leading the brand marketing, consumer insights and shopper marketing organization. 

Before, she worked for Kraft Foods for a dozen years in various positions. She started her career with Ford Motor Company in marketing and sales. Kirsten is also a member of the board of directors of Stitch Fix, Inc., a publicly traded e-commerce company focused on personalized data-driven fashion. 

Park City Mountain’s ski patrollers went on strike Friday, Dec. 27, after a breakdown in mediated contract negotiations with their employer citing “Vail’s bad faith tactics”. As a result only 17 % of the terrain has been open until now, in spite of sufficient snow cover. 

Visitors have been incensed and the strike is still going on without any resolution in sight. This situation prompted to write this open letter to Ms. Lynch, with copy to our local governments and media. 

Dear Ms Lynch, 

If your compensation package [it amounts to over $6.2 million a year] is any indication, it would suggest that you are capable of being a competent leader with good judgment. This said, I fail to understand why Vail Resort (VR) is digging its heels and refusing to acquiesce to the modest and seemingly justified demands from the Park City Mountain ski patrol personnel, especially in view of VR's substantial cash reserves [over $400 million] as well as your generous salary. 

I would hope you settle this situation as soon as possible to stop the disastrous effect it has on Park City, as it casts a detrimental shadow on our town's reputation, its entire population, its government agencies, its businesses and their personnel, its various organizations including our Chamber and Visitors Bureau, as it negates its promotional investment and hard work. 

As a Parkite, I quit skiing Park City Mountain on December 27 as no more terrain opened up in spite of all the new snow we received. I now feel that I am not getting the value I was due when I purchased my pass in May and September. Further you had the audacity not to keep your Epic pass-holders informed about the current crisis situation in a brazen display of disrespect to your patrons and total incompetence. 

Obviously, I’d now like to know what are your plans to address the damage affecting all stakeholders, me included. From my own observations, following a rather checkered track-record in Park City these recent years, VR is over its head in trying to run a huge resort like Park City Mountain, with aging infrastructure and so much incompetence that it should consider selling it to a capable operator. Far less centralized than VR, liked by the locals and also more professional, Alterra could be a great match for that. 

Thank you for your consideration,

Aftermath of a fall (continued...)

With a slightly hurting right bum, but after a good lunch, I didn’t join my female companions for their afternoon stroll, but choose instead to do some “housecleaning” on my computer. 

For more than 10 years now, I use a standing desk and unusually, this time, had to alternate frequent breaks and bursts of pain between standing and sitting in my office chair, to the point that I grew badly nauseated and became immobile and totally disabled. 

When my wife and daughter returned I couldn’t talk any more and had no strength left, looking about to die. 

They called 911, the ambulance came, ran a quick EKG that perhaps left to be desired as to its accuracy and drove me to one of the main cardiology centers in Salt Lake City were I was admitted in their ICU. 

There, after spending the night and about 16 hours, following repeated testing imaging of all sorts, they couldn’t find any severe problem with my heart, except some calcification around my aortic valve that’s just a marker of old age. 

So after disentangling myself from all the wires they had put on me and following a night without sleep I returned home to enjoy the last day of the year, with the doctors best wish for a happy 2025, no direct intervention and no prescription! 

Since the doctors I saw at the ICU couldn’t figure out what had happened to me, I did some research back at home, I concluded that I had suffered a vasovagal response, which occurs when the vagus nerve is stimulated. It’s the vagus nerve that controls the heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and other bodily functions. 

When it's triggered, the heart slows and blood vessels dilate, which can cause blood to pool in the legs and deprive the brain of oxygen. This can lead to fainting, or vasovagal syncope which is what happened to me that day. To treat it the right way, I should have lied down and lifted my legs up in the air to restore blood flow to the brain and help them regain consciousness. 

These feelings of nausea weren’t new to me and are clearly like to an overly long standing posture at my desk, so next time, I’ll take a break, sit more often and stand a little bit less and life should go on nicely in 2025!

A sophisticated but dangerous “walker”

Evolution is everywhere around us and has existed since the beginning of time. 

Let’s take walkers as an example (I’m talking about the mobility aid that helps people maintain balance and stability while walking). This device began very humbly as a basic support for folks that had difficulty walking due to age-related mobility issues, such as arthritis, leg weakness, or balance problems, or even for convalescents after surgery of a broken bone in the foot or leg.

Just in case you were wondering, I don’t use the basic style of “walker”, but use the two pictured on the right of the illustration, namely a lawn mower and a snow blower, that could be interpreted as some modern, motorized walker versions. 

I still am pretty good with them and on my 77th birthday, just a few days ago, as I was removing snow from my driveway, I turned around my “motorized walker” on the main road, my foot slipped on the very sleek roadway and I fell on my right buttock. 

There was some initial pain that rapidly disappeared and after I was finished with my snow-clearing job, I joined my wife and daughter for our morning walk. Some 15 minutes later I felt an excruciating pain developing around the spot where I landed, to the point that I had to cut my outing short and go home to swallow some pain-killer. 

Later that afternoon, as I was still pondering what I had, I called the family clinic that was full with ski injured patients and asked me to call them again the next day. Tomorrow, you’ll learn the rest of this story...

(To be continued...)

New year’s guide to crushing greed

A couple of days ago we attempted to assess what caused avarice under its various forms and today, we’ll be exploring ways by which we could rid our lives of that plague, if it happens to live in us. 

First of all, we ought to remember that the day we leave this world we won’t be able to take our earthly possession with us. If we believe in some kind of afterlife (hell, heaven or something in between) let’s remember that neither one of these places takes American Express or Visa and that we won’t be able to make a wire-transfer to that final destination. 

This means that if we cannot fathom the idea of passing our wealth to our next of kin, friends, organization of all kinds (altruist or terrorist), we better spend it in the here and now! Now with this in mind, if there’s still a seed of generosity left in us, we could start reforming ourselves by cultivating gratitude and beginning to practice it in an effort to appreciate what we have and reduce our focus on material possessions. 

When we get bored, we could also engage into acts of kindness and generosity to help us shift our focus from personal comfort to the well-being of others. Connecting more with others in a genuine manner and fostering a sense of community could also help us overcome feelings of isolation and scarcity. 

As we’re getting out of our shell of stinginess, we could question and challenge our consumerist values and by curbing those, help create a more sustainable and equitable society. Practicing mindfulness could also help us become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and motivations, allowing us to recognize and challenge materialistic tendencies. 

Since greed is generally well and deeply ingrained it certainly will force us to use all this extensive arsenal. Since it takes time to get the ball rolling, we ought to get started today by picking a more compassionate and generous mindset as a resolution for 2025. The sooner we’ll begin, the better we’ll start feeling. 

In the meantime, happy new year to all!