It just doesn’t make any sense. It’s exceedingly confusing. If you are planning to host a party this Holiday Season and invite, say, 30 people, and then get 10 Yes’s, 10 No’s and 10 “Yes, Maybe’s”, how much food do you prepare?… enough for 10 or 20? The “Yes, Maybe” button is a huge impediment. It’s disruptive, problematic, confusing, and impractical. It’s useless.

Heck, why not just add a few more buttons…

• No, well, hang on a minute, if I can get a babysitter, then Yes button.
• No, no, no, no, absolutely not, ONLY maybe Yes if you guarantee that your “ex” will not show up button.
• Yes, most likely, if you serve that nice veggie dip, buy if you’re not, then it’s a No button.
• Possibly button.
• Perhaps button.
• Most Likely button.
• Almost Certainly button.
• Conceivably button.
• Undoubtedly button.
• Probably button. (love that one)
• Yes, if there’s parking button.
• I’ll decide on the night, if something better comes along then No, but if nobody else asks me out, and I feel a complete loser, then Yes. But I may leave early if I get a text for something else more fun button.
• Not sure, so don’t buy any food for me, and I may or may not even bring a bottle button.
• OK, do you need to know right now button. (no, but that’s why you got the Evite, moron!)
• Oh Gosh, I’d REALLY like to come but, you know, I still have that hemorrhoid flare-up thing going on button.

All this thinking about Holiday partying reminded me that I should get cracking my own Holiday gift-hunting. While looking at various websites for creative and different ideas this past weekend, I came up with a new word, “Wotelzyakot”. Having been utterly uninspired with the choices offered, I was left feeling a little frustrated and longing for more creative ideas.

What else could I find?

What else does the http://www.wevegotreallycoolgiftsforeveryoccasion butnothingthatwillworkforyou.com have?

Nothing apparently. I’ll keep looking.

Wotelzyakot came up again a few days later when I was having dinner with a good friend of mine. We got talking about work, movies, our families and friends, sports and the like. We also talked about religion. Not surprisingly, he felt that despite everything he has been taught, and all the literature he has read, he is still left wanting. I think for many people the concept of God – or A God – can be confusing, ambiguous and very unreal. I get that.

He went on to question, what else is there, what else could have made everything in the world? “There is now proof that there isn’t a God. You know, I’ve never seen him, it, or whatever you call it. So if there is no God then, what else?”, he quizzed.

This caused me to reflect on my own relationship with my own conscious contact with a higher power, God, or whatever we choose to use as a label. I’ve am not a fan of labeling, or compartmentalizing, that’s claustrophobic for me, but identify we must, whether it be the “label” of God, HP (not the sauce) but my Higher Power, Alternate Being, Buddha, Mohamed, Christ, Spirituality, Idol, Deity, Conviction, whatever. But as long as it’s not me.

So, as I continue my Holiday errands  –  not necessarily buying, but shopping – then sure, I’ll keep thinking about what else can I find, and what else can I get, but more importantly, what else can I share and what else can I give. Consequently, rather than feeling uninspired, as I was, this has inspired me with some new words…wotelzcanIhelpwith, wotelzcanigive, hooelzcanIhelp, wotelzcanIshare, wotelsecanIgiveback, hooelzcanIlisten2, and wotelzameyegratefool4.

Over the next few days I’ll keep an eye on my Wotelzyakots (“what-else-you-gots?”), and maybe, just maybe, try to givemorealots.

Alastair

MaxCo Advisors

December 12th, 2015