What a horrible custom!  Let's stop this horror! 

Once a year most large offices where folks don't hardly know each other or know enough to resent each other participate in a  Chinese Pollyanna.

Before I blast this horrible horrible thing rightously, here are the details if you have never been a part of one of these tortourous affairs.

Here is how it works:

1. Participants contribute a gift.  Ideally you bring something anyone would enjoy. You all gather for the exchange.

2. Prepare slips of paper equal to the number of gifts with clearly written numbers.  Write out six and nine as 6 and 9 look the same on a scratch paper. 1 from 7. Everyone draws a number.

3. Whoever draws number one goes first.  They pick from the pile of wrapped gifts. Heaven forbid you really like your gift.

4. Whoever drew number two goes next. But... they also get the option of "stealing" a gift opened by any predecessor in this case, it is the only person that opened a gift.  In short... person number one.  The person whom gift had theirs stolen, now opens yet another gift in hopes that no one else will take their gift.  

5. The person who drew number three is our next victim. They pick a gift, pray they don't like it (joke) and wait for the next person to victimize them by taking their gift. . If all goes well, they avoid you and pick an opened gift someone else is in love with.

Here are the other details in case you actually want to torture yourself at Christmas.

1. This party's gift theme is X.
2. The gift theme also follows a price range.
3. The gift should be something someone would actually want or use. It should be in new or good condition. However gag ...   more »

I'd like to examine the word "shallow" today.  Why is not so important. Let's just say I get a lot of e-mail about a lot of subject matter.  Some of which I find disturbing, some of which I find great for writing material.   I'd rather just discuss the word and how shallow behavior or shallow people affect us in our daily lives.

If you look up the word shallow using sites like Wikipedia you'll find that shallow is a tough word.  It reaches beyond genders; it can exist in young or old.  Although you would expect younger people to grow out of  being shallow.  Yet if you think about it, perhaps it is the people that have been around the world that become shallow. 

You've seen me write a lot about people lacking a moral compass.  A shallow person may have that trait but what shallow ultimately is in a person that knowingly disregards the need for emotional depth and intellect.   A person that doesn't have these qualities without purposely disregarding it may be considered dim or mentally retarded.  There are other words you can use, but the point is the person ultimately is not conscious of their behavior.

In short a shallow person is not merely unconcerned what others may think of them, a shallow person aims to not care.   Again there is an element of lacking an moral foundation in that person, but it is conjoined with the lack of depth that makes a person shallow.

If you think about it a person lacking a moral compass as I've discussed in past articles is someone that really can care less what you think and is intellectually on par with you.  I suppose they don't have to be.  There are rapist and killers and thieves out there that ...   more »