well…

it’s all quite official, at least in my household, anyway…

Facebook is dead.

this is certainly not the first time you’ve seen my ferocious opinions around Facebook. some example simply must include, Facebook is on a Mission but not from God, why Facebook might be a great bad story, and, Facebook’s contribution to Terrorism. and, there is more to be sure, heck yeah.

to be fair, to a point, I’m reasonably confident my Haley Anne fanned the flames (there, is ample evidence that she is a Cork, after all), but the seething hate that sprung from former friends and other girls across Atlanta through Facebook and Twitter may well have brought several servers to the point of melt-down.

in most cases it was the language they used, but no less the imagery and threats leveled that disturbed my force. some of these kids had been in my home and on my boat, for Gods’ sake. so, when Joanne showed me some of the messages I was stunned, I mean really shocked to my core. I’ve fought like Green Lantern my entire life against bully’s of all kinds. but, these cowardly devils from the abyss known as cyber space realize an unprecedented low.

in any event, Haley Anne mutely surrendered her iPhone and Airbook to her Mom so Joanne could investigate the trail of ugliness and get the right people involved. and, they are.

but, the next and best steps were to close Haley Anne’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. we’ll investigate other platforms. please feel free to make recommendations. do it!

she’ll have a shiny new iPhone 4S for her troubles and the fervent hopes of her parents and better circle-of-friends that she can focus on the better things that life has to offer that might include studies, soccer, and less likelihood of carpel tunnel syndrome.

Zuckerberg has made billions of dollars, and I’m sure he feels great about that. but, I hope one day he understands what he has unleashed upon a culture that was unprepared for his platform to be used as a weapon of mass destruction.

many parents and thought leaders, in fact, decry Facebook. but, how many of you are, in truth and fact, willing to do something about it? you are challenged!

so, I’ve set the example, in my own actions. the rest if left up to the rest of you.

for the record, I do have a Facebook account that was built by my public relations people (Cork has public relations people?), but I don’t accept friends on it and never sure what it could be used for other than to start trouble from somewhere. and, I have a Twitter account. thats how a mere handful of you get notice of my epic blog posts, eh. but, I’m certainly not part of the internet solution there. my blog automatically pushes content out to Twitter, but I don’t follow anyone or even respond to tweets. I’m much too self-absorbed for that with changing the world, and all. so, I’ll have none of that hypocrite hockey puck stuff.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

I found myself offering the following bon mot to a younger fellow in my community based on something of a repartee we’ve found ourselves engaged around:

Keep looking inside. Eventually you will start to recognize what others see from the outside, and your perspective makes more sense to the majority. that makes you relevant.

I get to coach so many people across the four seasons of life that I’m fortunate enough to be constantly reminded that few of us can rest on laurels, or get too relaxed about our critical roles in life.

I had Haley Anne leaning on my shoulder while I was tapping that message into existence. she’s had a tough week with a cyber bully from another school. I’ll discuss this more later, but I despise Facebook all the more, and a lot of the social networking platforms available are simply dangerous platforms from which evil can launch all manner of assault. Haley Anne needed her Daddy. and, we are getting ready to start driving lessons. …wow…

in any event, she read the message aloud a few times and finally rewarded me with:

okay… the more you read that it actually makes sense.

I think it helps that we’ve had a running dialogue, whether she realized it or not, over the past few months about perspective, and what it means. it can be a trying concept. but, it’s foundational. and, it makes my point, here. the fellow referenced above is now over thirty. Haley Anne just shy of fifteen. I’ll be one hundred years old in fifty years.

I have a lot to both learn, and teach. and, I really do need to keep thinking from all the angles.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

I’ll begin this post asking you to ignore my errant thumb. the iPhone can be a very forgiving device, but not always for amateurs such as myself.

Haley Anne had a good number of her possie with us today. and, I got my first heads-up over the enigmatic “Evan”. that, of course, bares investigation with my radar up.

but, all things considered, this was a great weekend. the boat has offered us a great platform that promises both high adventure, and loads of bonding opportunities.

Emma Jo and I got to simply hang-out a lot and listen to music. we also found ourselves floating around the Waverunner in a cove near the marina all to ourselves. we jumped-off the watercraft and just chatted away an hour. later we read MacLife and Macworld side-by-side up in the bridge of Mojo under the fading skies. she asks great questions and demonstrates a keen understanding of how things work:

“Daddy… I think the ‘I-O-S-5′ is a relly good idea because it makes iPhones and Apples the same”.

there are moments I can only look at her (my little pumpkin) and smile.

but, for me, the highlight of the trip was the late evening with the terrific Kenwood sound system purring out all manner of classics driven by my iPod. again, on the bridge, with stars shining over our heads and the sounds of fireworks crackling in the distance, I had my back up against Joanne with her chin on my shoulder as I told her more stories about my Mom and Dad. for the record, Mom, in particular would have adored Jo (and, her granddaughters – Haley Anne is a dead-ringer for Mom). however, I spent a lot of time reminiscing more about Dad over this particular weekend (and, with the girls as well). Dad was, of course, a veteran – having served two tours in Southeast Asia while he forged a brilliant career in the Air Force.

thanks Dad (especially on days like this). but, I’ll note here, that Mom’s tomb inscrition reads:

“Wife to one, Mother to all”.

they were such a great team, and inspiration.

and, thank you, God, for my family and everything we can be grateful for.

I listened, and a lot, to: Yellow, by Coldplay and Beautiful World, by Colin Hay. and, Lynyed Skynyrd, for some reason. Emma Jo prefers Miley Cyrus, for some other reason, and was never shy about advancing the play selection button.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

I’ve deliberately (I had initially used the word: “purposefully”, but after debated consideration, made the careful change) torn the final page from Louis L’Amour‘s memoir, Education of a Wandering Man, which contains an excerpt from a Robinson Jeffers poem titled “Wise Men in Their Bad Hours”:

Something more equal to centuries

Than muscle and bone, is mostly to shed weakness.

The mountains are dead stone, the people

Admire or hate their stature, their insolent quietness,

The mountains are not softened or troubled

And a few dead men’s thoughts have the same temper.

why I might do such a thing is a worthy and valid question, certainly.

it might have something to do with being a Dad. having a teenaged daughter keeps me on my toes. my judgment, sensibilities, fashion-sense, and coolness factor come into question constantly, and at the most (chinese) interesting junctures in time, at the hands (and, temperament of Haley Anne). but, I’d not trade a moment of it, for anything.

the question at hand, and it’s ponderousness (is that thinking?) might also find it’s genesis in my on-going experience with CEO’s, and being a kind of CEO, myself. for perspective, see my recent business “blogsite” post: CEO’s and ego’s – a cautionary tale.

…oh… my point?

it may well be legacy.

I’ve found that if I set aside my temper, ego, image, and other self-centered perspective, and try to see it from Haley Anne’s vantage point (also asking her the inductive why as often as possible) I can find, at least, the middle ground, and we both win, and I get more hugs. and, she has a better chance of evolving into a vital contributor to our society.

I’ve grown confident that most Fathers (of the earthly variety, anyway) and CEO’s are the weakest link of any organization. but, if you plan for the group under your care properly it means selflessly making them all stronger and better than yourself.

I may be a miserable creature (I can neither carry a tune, or dance a reasonable jig). but, I can pour myself into those around me, and make us all the better.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork