What’s It Gonna Be?

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The Supreme Court ain’t so supreme, of late.

Maybe it has always benefited from a certain undeserved mystique- its members aren’t gods, after all, just human beings tasked with important work. Justices over the years have produced many landmark decisions seemingly based on a sincere and fair treatment of testimony and applicable law, even charting new ground from time to time, especially when it comes to human rights and bodily autonomy.

Lately, though, there seems to be some backsliding. More suspicion, more doubt, more finger pointing in the direction of a hand-picked conservative majority on a mission to, oh, I don’t know, tighten things up, bring us back to a “better” place that pleases straight, white Christians everywhere.

In the midst of the Trump mess, the court seems to not want to stick its neck out and abide by the 14th Amendment provision of forbidding insurrectionists from running for office. Though he hasn’t been accused yet, many know what Trump did and who and what he really is, and how dangerous he has become.

So maybe it comes down to how closely the court adheres to the letter of the law, along with its efforts to reel in the temptation to react to certain public sentiment, and to what many are seeing with their own eyes: Trump running roughshod over, and even making a mockery of certain norms that have long served as guardrails.

Sometimes it looks like nothing can be done to make him go away.

Eyes Open

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Daily writing prompt
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?
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Look around you, listen and learn. Take a break from the electronics— on a regular basis. Step away from that noise. The world isn’t necessarily as you view it in a TikTok video, or whatever the current worldwide delivery system has to offer.

Don’t listen to the naysayers, and take with a grain of salt whatever a bully might be able to summon in the way of insults and caustic remarks. Seek out a trusted friend or two— there’s nothing wrong with a small circle of friends. You don’t have to be everybody’s buddy.

Learn patience, be kind. If you’re looking for a religious community, seek out one that isn’t afraid of questions and doubts, one that’s intentional about being engaged and relieving suffering, one that indeed welcomes all and doesn’t claim inerrancy as a selling point.

Know that this earthly life can take a toll on us all, that no one is close to being perfect, and most of us are looking for love, maybe even redemption.

Setting Standards

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Daily writing prompt
What’s your top tip to be successful in life?
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Don’t know as I’m the one to ask about that. It seems that it might begin with one’s own dreams and aspirations, with one’s sitz im leben, or setting in life.
Does a person possess a certain indomitable spirit that allows them to rise above what could be viewed as a lack of opportunity? Do they set their sights high and refuse failure as an option? Do they catch a break every now and then? Do they have people who support them along the way?

And how do they themselves define success?

I guess my only tip is to avoid defining it too narrowly, as if the only success that matters is of a financial nature, or status-oriented. It seems it’s easy to stay in that shallow water.

First Encounter

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Daily writing prompt
What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you wish you could experience again for the first time?
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In some ways, this dynamic already presents itself as a function of my age and all the water under the bridge. I might pick up To Kill a Mockingbird, or watch Dances with Wolves or Castaway or M*A*S*H and experience them differently because my perceptions and understandings have been influenced and shaped along the way.

For the sake of this prompt, I think I’d like to encounter The Wizard of Oz, the movie, for the first time.

Beware the Vanity Project

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Daily writing prompt
What’s a common misconception people have about happiness?
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I suppose the classic assumption that money or power bring happiness, when maybe it’s more about having enough to provide food, clothing, and shelter, along with enjoying a certain level of respect and appreciation.

It seems to me that happiness of a basic sort means having needs met, feeling loved and supported.

I find it hard to believe that the lifestyles of the rich and famous can automatically be equated with being happy. Yes, I’d rather have money than not have it, but at some point working for a living can turn into an endless pursuit, where people lose sight of what it means to simply have enough.

Takes Me Back

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I received a newsletter today from the chairperson of the alumni group from my class in college. It was our 50th anniversary of graduation, and the letter was an update on how things went at the reunion weekend back in May.

The pictures of classmates included in the letter put me in a contemplative mood. The group photos had to be of people from ancient classes from the ’40s and ’50s I used to see in editions of past quarterly magazines honoring the 50+-year classes. Except these were classmates of mine, many of whom I never did get to know, but who I would recognize if their names happened to be included in the captions, which they weren’t.

Anyway, this encounter with the great old days of college has me wistfully reminiscing about a period in my life that now seems like it could have unfolded in a dream. It elicits a certain melancholy, but also sincere gratitude for the experience. And it has me both marveling at and somewhat stunned by this inexorable passage of time that occasionally catches us off guard and has us evaluating what we’ve done with all the years.

Growth of a sort

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Daily writing prompt
What is one way you have grown this year?
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Physically heavier and a bit softer– I haven’t been to the Y since January. I’ve tried to get some exercise in other ways, but it can’t approximate what I’d be doing in the gym.

And I don’t know if it can be called growth, but my attitude in general has been weighted toward cynical skepticism– if that’s even a thing– as I realize the fate of the world is currently in the hands of lunatics and pretenders.

A Monstrous, Failed Diversion

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Epstein.

Only Donald Trump would boast about a deal that offers up some conditions that existed before Iran was attacked.

The Strait of Hormuz open? That was the reality before the war, except now there will be a fee for passage.

No regime change, Iran still has its uranium. All in all, billions of dollars wasted, lives lost, allies miffed, a reputation sullied even more than it already was. Yet Trump and the sad sacks around him will declare A Deal Like No Other has been reached.

The fact that it was announced on his birthday only adds to the pathetic nature of it all. You gotta figure he needed something else to celebrate besides an ugly UFC extravaganza on the White House lawn.

Whose victory is this, really?

And what’s with the sheet over the Kennedy Center exterior?

Epstein.

Money’s Worth

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Daily writing prompt
What is something you wish you could tell your 20-year-old self?
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I would have been a sophomore in college at that point, so maybe a little pep talk on buckling down and taking this educational opportunity more seriously. As it was, I was enamored of the carefree, party atmosphere about as much as I was into studying anything, which in retrospect was shortsighted and immature.

I guess that would be the main thing– summon some discipline, find some focus and chart something of a course for myself, develop a plan and take advantage of this privilege which, at the time, I didn’t really recognize as such.

Not Exhaustive

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Daily writing prompt
Write your guide to setting healthy boundaries in relationships.
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Work on creating a culture of trust. Laugh often. Give each other the benefit of the doubt, at least in the beginning. Recognize that the other is a one-of-a-kind human being with their own origin story. Listen to the story. Check in, but not so often that it gets annoying. Do an unexpected nice thing every now and then. Give each other space. Support each other in their aspirations. Push each other from time to time, but not constantly. Be realistic. Relax. Don’t be in a hurry to move on to The Next Thing. Enjoy each other’s company. Breathe.