Habits: Cultivating Happy Thoughts In Writing About Any Subject

Happy? You have to think for yourself. Nobody can tell you what to think. So, think!

I’m a creative writer, so my mind is always full of beautiful, as well as awful ideas. When I revise, I delete the awful.

My New Year’s Resolution is to wage a revolution in the minds of people for their own Happy Thinking when they write to start with.

Above, the image of Science Solitaire is saying you will make yourself a lot of New Year’s Resolution and will fail all of them.

Negative. Yes if you don’t know how to reinforce a habit you are trying to cultivate.

It’s okay. You don’t have to think the way I think; but you have to write happy if you want readers to read you.

Above, Rappler’s choice of an article about New Year Resolutions, by Maria Isabel Garcia, is good but not good enough. About 1,350 words including title; it’s all about habits, but it never asks and therefore never answers the question:

Why should you cultivate a habit at all?

Miss Maria says:

“1. Habits are our brain’s way to be more efficient.” No, I don’t think so. Like repeating a thought is not efficiency – it is merely convenience.

“2. “Cue” and “reward” are habit’s yin and yang.” No arguments there.

“3. Once you have done something often enough, that pattern gets to be tucked away in a ‘museum’ in your head.” Poor analogy, Miss Maria. A habit is automatic – you don’t look for where you have hidden that behavior somewhere in your head.

“4. Our brains do not care what you make into a habit.” Yes, they do not, Miss Maria, if you are a clueless person – or heartless.

“5. Habits are ‘natural,’ but they are not necessarily moral.” Right, Miss Maria! So we have to be careful which habit to cultivate.

“6. Facts and science do not break habits.“ No, only a strong will can break a habit.

“7. The best way to make a habit is to make it easy on your brain.” I disagree, Miss Maria. The best way to cultivate a habit is to see the reward immediately – and to see that reward repeated when you repeat a habit.

This is a habitual creative thinker speaking!

“If it's a person who triggers bad habits, maybe you can try avoiding that person starting this year.” No, Miss Maria, please do not blame others for your bad habits!

You yourself must cultivate The Habit of Happy Thinking!

Instead of criticizing, go and learn more about the subject. Never think you know enough already – if you want to write better, you have to say something newer or nicer.

When you write, you want to be appreciated, right? I know two educated people who are intelligent but negative thinkers, UP graduates. And so they will never be able to write and be appreciated by others!

The way you think is the way you write. You have to have a happy attitude while you write, or you will make your readers unhappy!@517

 

Where Can We Filipinos Learn The Better Science Of Farming? From Kansas!

Yes, from The Wizard of Oz! The unexpected news from Kabankalan City reminds me of Kansas City and, according to Kay Vandette, “The Wizard Of Oz (Which) Was The Most Influential Film Ever, Study Finds[1],” 29 November 2018), earth.com). 

(Wizard of Oz image[2] from pngfind.com)

Today in the Philippines, The Wizard of Oz is influencing us still, this time in our agriculture, would you believe? The film is based on Frank L Baum’s 1900 children’s fantasy novel, The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. The whole fantastic story happened in Kansas.

Today we have the Kansas State University, KSA, as the Witch’s Castle, where we can find The Wizard of Oz, who is now teaching us what we think we already know: Agriculture!

A research professor at the KSA who happens to be Filipino, Manny Reyes, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, has introduced at the Central Philippines State University, CPSU, in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, Conservation Farming. This is a product of the initiative of CPSU President Aladino Moraca. (“Aladino” – shades of Aladdin & his wonderful lamp!)

Mr Moraca explains:

(Conservation farming) is done through three components – minimum soil disturbance (permanent no till), permanent organic soil cover, and diversification of species in rotation, sequence or associations.

Permanent no cultivation –
Do not plow, ever, Mr Moraca says. Constant plowing disturbs the soil and rubs it of its natural elements and compounds. “It is like stripping off the soil’s clothes, resulting in depletion” of matter and substance.

Permanent organic soil cover –
Mulching is a natural way to fertilize the soil by encouraging the growth of microorganisms that produce the rich soil. In the beginning, mulching eliminates the weeds. Mr Moraca says to “add (crop) residue to cover the soil regularly.”

Permanent diversification of species –
“And don’t practice monocropping,” Mr Moraca says. Instead, diversify the species of crops grown. To maximize productivity, different crops are planted in the farm. Also, legumes help condition the soil with nitrogen.

Conservation farming– All in all, you conserve soil moisture, conserve soil fertility, and conserve the necessary mix of crops for your farming.

Mr Moraca says:

This is the sure-win formula to solve the economic dilemma that our country is facing today. This farming system ensures stable supply of farm produce to answer issues on food security, especially on rice sufficiency, at the same time guarantee(s) sustainable livelihood for our marginalized farmers.

Sure-win formula? Conservation farming is low-cost farming, which helps farmers tremendously.

Stable supply of farm produce? Conservation farming is non-stop farming and therefore ensures food security.

Sustainable livelihood? Since conservation farming increases the fertility of the soil, increases the productivity of the crops, and decreases cost of production, the farmers are sure to earn much each harvest time. And since the high fertility of the soil is maintained all the time, there is always high productivity – leading to high net incomes. And all that continues as long as conservation farming is practiced by the farmers.

Let us then give thanks to the USAID!@517

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[1]https://www.earth.com/news/wizard-oz-influential-film/

[2]https://www.pngfind.com/mpng/iioxiRT_dirt-road-clipart-wizard-oz-wizard-of-oz/

WFH, Writing From Home Everyday In 2020, On The Boring Topic Of Agriculture Yet!

I’m an unusual WFH, writer from home. Above image: screen grab from BraveNewWorld@PH, my blog. Pasted head of me taken 15 July 2014, 6 years ago, by Yja Hilario with Lolo’s Lumix  FZ100 camera (painterized by Lolo).

I have just finished going over the titles of my essays all of 2020 in this blog of mine, BraveNewWorld@PH, https://bravenewworldph.blogspot.com, and I see that I published about 400 essays last year alone. I turned 80 on 17 September 2020 – how many communicators are as blog productive as I am in a dull subject like Agriculture? And to write each essay, each 517 words, I never go out and interview people?! (I call each one “essay” because, like this, it is written in the personal, me-to-you style.)

It’s called creativity.

And here are essays selected from my daily blogposts last year, 2020, from January to December:

21 January 2020: “How Are PH Media Treating The DA And Secretary William Dar? Poorly!”

16 February 2020: “PH Public Science And Public Service – More Bananas, Please!”

29 May 2020: “Given The Lockdown, How Media Can Be Revolutionary Many Times Over!“

31 July 2020: “RCEF For PH Agriculture: Farmers Not Yet Business-Aware. Scientists Not So Active. Extensionists Not So Alive!”

10 August 2020: “Postharvest – To Make 5Ps For The New PH DA Under Secretary Of Agriculture William Dar!”

02 September 2020: “Baguio Cabbage – The Market Must Come First Before Supply”

30 September 2020: “Where Did Those P40 Million Worth Of Catsup Go! Ketchup To Catch Up With Tomato Farmers In The Ilocos – William Dar”

24 October 2020: “Hybrid Rice Gives Farmers Higher Gross Income Of P116,000/Ha – Where Is The Problem There?”

22 November 2020: “'Mr Asian Science Leader' He Is To Me”

30 December 2020: “Jose Rizal As The Happy Martyr! And As Agriculturist, Businessman & Educator”

All that is me encouraging any and all those who wish to write in the broad topic of Agriculture.

I’m committed to practice what I call communication for development, ComDev, every time. ComDev is dissimilar to UPLB’s or Nora Quebral’s development communication, DevCom, I declare. ComDev is a deliberate attempt to enlighten someone on a chosen subject – and in sequence when necessary – consciously towards progress of the reader and/or community, in this case in Agriculture.

BraveNewWorld@PH is the best example of ComDev!

ComDev is a conscious, sustained effort to bring about positive change in the art or act of a farmer, technician, extensionist, leader, whoever in the village.

Where there is a will, there is a way!

Why am I writing on Agriculture full-time? Nobody is doing it, why not me? I believe Agriculture is the key to this archipelago’s development.

For the rest of my years – I pray to God I will reach 120, ha ha, or at least 97 – I am devoting to writing about the positive, advantageous, beneficial, new and/or improved, sustainable theories and practices in agriculture. That is to say, if I think it can help farming, I will write about it.

As long as I am able, everyday.@517