Mark Larson, PhD
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markwlarson.bsky.social
Mark Larson, PhD
@markwlarson.bsky.social
29 followers 22 following 85 posts
Mediator (Qualified Neutral), Coach, Keynote Speaker, Educational Consultant. Information available at www.mjlarsonconsulting.com
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markwlarson.bsky.social
We're entering into some uncharted waters with AI and how we deal with it. A famous legend lends some insight.

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The John Henry Effect — M/J Larson
How can humans compete with AI and emerging technologies? I believe that people are more forgiving of human error than machine error. If we switched entirely to driverless cars, thereby no chance of h...
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December 10, 2025 at 11:19 PM
markwlarson.bsky.social
The origin stories of superheroes/villians in the comic books etc. are interesting, but the Christmas origin story is more intriguing...

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Some Christmas Origin Thoughts... — M/J Larson
There is so much Christmas themed stuff these next few weeks that it can get exhausting. We have moved from a “minor”  religious observation in the early centuries to a full blown commercialized ...
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December 8, 2025 at 2:54 AM
markwlarson.bsky.social
In our own silos, we can't see another's perspective because, too often, we twist or distort "facts" to fit our narrative. A short joke brings home the point:

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Who Are You Going to Believe? — M/J Larson
We live in divided times. People often stick to information that supports what they already believe. We often twist facts to fit our own ideas and stories. In Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar… ...
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December 4, 2025 at 2:41 AM
markwlarson.bsky.social
It's time to embrace "generosity of the spirit" as we move toward the holidays.

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Thanksgiving Thoughts — M/J Larson
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and it’s not because no gifts are involved. It’s a time of family and friends, some fellowship and fun, and since I’m looking for another word that starts with an “...
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November 27, 2025 at 12:36 AM
markwlarson.bsky.social
There are always trade-offs; we have made some about driving and automobiles. There was a very unusual set of circumstances about early cars.

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14 MPH and a Red Flag — M/J Larson
The evolution of cars and driving is nothing short of amazing. Somehow, we have come to accept automobile fatalities as inevitable and really not that big of a deal. According to the National Highway ...
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November 24, 2025 at 1:59 AM
markwlarson.bsky.social
Maybe I was just too young to appreciate cognitive dissonance and strange juxtapositions and wanted things to be more black and white. A lot has changed in fifty years.

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Horses? I Didn't Get It Then, But.... — M/J Larson
Patti Smith is 78 years old. It doesn’t quite seem possible. Her debut album was Horses in 1975 and I am a little chagrined to admit that I didn’t like it then; I just didn’t get it. I learned she w...
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November 19, 2025 at 11:23 PM
markwlarson.bsky.social
It's hard to separate accomplishments and character...are the achievements a part of or a part from the explorer?

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The Artist and the Art — M/J Larson
Even though Christopher Columbus was heinous about a lot of things (slavery, mass murder, general brutality and more) he was a talented explorer. And that is part of what makes things a little tricky…...
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November 17, 2025 at 2:08 AM
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Life is a tragedy or is it a comedy? Charlie Chaplin has some ideas...

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Life is a tragedy/comedy... — M/J Larson
“Life is a tragedy to those who feel, a comedy to those who think.”  It’s been attributed to several thinkers like Moliere and Albert Camus (who I thought it was). But not to Charlie Chaplin. We...
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November 13, 2025 at 2:06 AM
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While going down a Rabbit Hole I cam across an interesting history of the expression. Read it at:

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Down the Rabbit Hole — M/J Larson
A thought experiment for the famous book,  Alice in Wonderland, is this: If insanity was a place, what would it be like? This is not to minimize mental illness, but to pose an interesting juxta...
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November 10, 2025 at 5:55 PM
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Things have changed. Thinks have stayed the same. But the fact is that when we choose the people to lead us, we might have better results

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Elections Have Consequences — M/J Larson
The quote, “Elections have consequences” is largely attributed to Barack Obama. Others may have said something similar prior to that, but President Obama used it to highlight Minnesota and that by ele...
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November 6, 2025 at 3:13 AM
markwlarson.bsky.social
You hear the expression, "read the room" every now and again and knowing your audience is important. But a fictional story (that has been repeated so often we think it is true) is instructive.

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Don't Be Tone Deaf — M/J Larson
There is a stereotype that “commoners” have of aristocrats and elites. We believe that they are out of touch with the needs of the people they are supposed to serve. One example leaps to mind about th...
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November 3, 2025 at 1:39 AM
markwlarson.bsky.social
It's hard to strike a balance between being true to our values and having to conform to pressures or protocols. We can learn a lesson from William Jennings Bryan.

www.mjlarsonconsulting.com/new-blog-1/2025/10/30/threading-the-needle
Threading the Needle — M/J Larson
Navigating difficult situations is (by definition) difficult. How do we hold our values while staying within the bounds of civil society? Do we cave in and go with the socially accepted (and expected)...
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October 30, 2025 at 2:14 PM
markwlarson.bsky.social
It's important to have solid values and bearings in the tumultuous time in the Age of the Heart.

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It's Good to Know Your Bearings — M/J Larson
This famous marker in Cusco, Peru (where almost every tourist takes a picture of their feet) shows the four directions of the Inca Empire. This marker in the Inca capital was considered to be the cent...
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October 22, 2025 at 11:57 PM
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We may need new symbols for the Age of the Heart and this statue speaks loudly to them.

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Symbols That Tell a Story — M/J Larson
We were in NYC and saw the No Kings peaceful protests. The marchers support democracy and what I would consider civility, decency, and just not being horrible. Of course, there was some snarky posters...
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October 20, 2025 at 1:44 PM
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​There has to be a way to acknowledge the past (warts and all) and still do better when we know better. Peru has taken steps in that direction. ​

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Peru May Have Solved It — M/J Larson
Columbus Day? Indigenous Peoples Day? What should it be? Peru has struggled with their history, but they appear to have reached consensus.
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October 15, 2025 at 4:27 PM
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People are complicated and it is easy to only see one part of their duality. But the Age of Heart requires nuance and different perspectives...

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Who Is Rebecca Felton? — M/J Larson
Apparently Harry S Truman was so displeased with the nuances and bothsided-ness of advice he was getting about the economy that he said, “Give me a one-handed economist!” Truman clearly didn’t want co...
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October 13, 2025 at 1:42 AM
markwlarson.bsky.social
Even if something can't be seen, that doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't exist. And that provides me with some spiritual insights that Rainbow Mountain provided...

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A Rainbow Mountain Observation — M/J Larson
Prior to the trek to Machu Picchu, we went to the Mountain of Seven Colors most recently renamed “Rainbow Mountain.” To get there, we got in a van with a dozen other people, drove two hours to a break...
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October 9, 2025 at 2:01 AM
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Sometimes not knowing is just fine. We can speculate and wonder, but maybe being able to appreciate things is the right path.

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Wondering about the Ancients — M/J Larson
We can learn a lot from the ancients. And wonder. And speculate. And appreciate. Not everything needs a neat and tidy explanation. Sometimes our imagination is enough
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October 6, 2025 at 1:29 AM
markwlarson.bsky.social
Too often we believe that everyone will see things correctly (my way) and are surprised and disappointed when that doesn't happen.

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Know Yourself (And the Other) — M/J Larson
There’s an old story about the famous art dealer Joseph Duveen; he had wealthy clients like J.P. Morgan and Andrew Mellon and the commissions made him rich. However, there was one “big fish” that had ...
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September 29, 2025 at 7:56 PM
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I am so unhappy about the fact that we cannot have a simple reaction to some/any thing, but we need to have an OVER-reactions...

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A weather forecaster...really? — M/J Larson
In America, we don’t have reactions, we have OVERreactions. Look at the rise of sports gambling. What was kind of an underground, kind of shady, thing with maybe mob connections has burst out into the...
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September 25, 2025 at 1:57 AM
markwlarson.bsky.social
Discretion is often the better part of valor. We need to know the differences between the battles we need to "fight" and the ones we need to "win."

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Two, Maybe Three W.C.s — M/J Larson
No. Not Water Closet. Is it just me, or do other people find similarities between Winston Churchill and W.C. Fields? Probably just me. I think they look similar and there are a lot of great anecdotes ...
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September 22, 2025 at 2:16 AM
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I learned how to include pictures in the Weblog post. Here's the Peruvian version of the Last Supper. Note the food (goy) in the middle of the picture, it's part of the point of the entry.

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Goy and Onomatopoeia — M/J Larson
“Onomatopoeia” is one of those words we learned about in middle school English class only to never use again. However, it appears that my middle school English teacher is turning over in her grave bec...
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September 18, 2025 at 11:03 PM
markwlarson.bsky.social
A pilgrimage is more than just a journey, at least it was for me. And there is still a lot more mystery and wonder to explore about this remarkable place.

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Machu Picchu (part two) — M/J Larson
Machu Picchu sits in the middle of a group of mountains and is more than a bit mysterious. Why did it get built there? What is its purpose? How, how did it get built? The engineering and construction ...
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September 14, 2025 at 11:35 PM
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Part of the allure of Machu Picchu is its mystery. Why was it built? How could they do that kind of precise work? What does it mean? These will be explored in this and future posts.

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Machu Picchu Thoughts (Part 1) — M/J Larson
After retiring from teaching in Minnesota Public Schools for forty years and teaching about Machu Picchu for about thirty years, Joni and I took a thirteen day trip to Peru including five days off the...
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September 12, 2025 at 12:48 PM
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We've been off the grid, but back for today and then again in another ten days or so. Cusco is amazing and we loved The Mountain of Seven Colors and will love Machu Picchu tomorrow. New perspectives and appreciation.

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New Blog
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September 2, 2025 at 5:07 PM